LAKELAND — The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Monday to honor the town’s former postmaster by naming the local post office after her.
The bill — HR 6983 — to rename the building the “Nell Patten Roquemore Post Office” now goes to the Senate.
“Ms. Nell Patten Roquemore was the epitome of a public servant, and renaming the Lakeland Post Office after her is a way to commemorate her significant and lasting impact on Lanier County,” Rep. Austin Scott (R-Dist. 8) said.
The legislation was cosponsored by all 13 members of the Georgia delegation in the House.
Roquemore died at age 97 in 2021.
A graduate of Georgia State Woman’s College (now Valdosta State University) in 1944, she served Lanier County in many capacities, including mayor pro tem of Lakeland, president of the Lanier County Garden Club, the town’s postmaster, schoolteacher, secretary to generals at Moody Air Force Base and co-chair of Let’s Improve Lanier’s Appearance.
Roquemore was instrumental for getting the town’s Milltown Mural project going (Lakeland was once named Milltown). It involved murals of segments of Lakeland’s history painted on the side of commercial buildings.