Emilie Sandra Deal ( Dunagan; February 1, 1942 – August 23, 2022) was an American education advocate and public school language arts teacher. As the wife of
Georgia's 82nd Governor,
Nathan Deal, she served as the
First Lady of Georgia from 2011 to 2019.
Education
The daughter of educators, Emilie Sandra Dunagan grew up in
Gainesville, Georgia
The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...
. She was a two time graduate of
Georgia College & State University.
She received her
bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1963. She received her
master's degree in elementary education in 1968.
Career
Before becoming the first lady of Georgia, Dunagan taught language arts at public schools for over 15 years, and retired as a sixth-grade middle-school teacher in
Hall County, Georgia. During her tenure as Georgia's first lady, she advocated for literacy and education throughout the state, for which the
Georgia Association of Broadcasters
The Georgia Association of Broadcasters represents radio and television broadcasters across the U.S. state of Georgia. It is affiliated with the National Association of Broadcasters.
See also
* List of radio stations in Georgia (U.S. state)
* ...
awarded her their 2016 "Georgian of the Year" award.
In 2015, her book ''Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion'' was published. Copies of the book were donated to every public library in the state of Georgia.
In 2016, she served as the keynote speaker at
Georgia Gwinnett College's summer commencement.
In 2017,
Georgia College & State University unveiled th
Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy A state-funded educational institute, the center aims to provide professional development, or training, to early elementary teachers to improve the early language and literacy skills of Georgia's children by providing research-based professional development for organizations working with children from birth through age 8.
Personal life
Sandra Dunagan married Nathan Deal in 1966. She and Governor Deal have four children: Jason, Mary Emily, Carrie, and Katie.
[
Sandra Deal was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2018. She completed radiation treatments in May 2018. On August 23, 2022, she died at her home in Demorest, aged 80, from breast cancer that had spread to her brain.]
References
External links
Official BiographyDeal's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deal, Sandra Dunagan
1942 births
2022 deaths
First Ladies and Gentlemen of Georgia (U.S. state)
Daughters of the American Revolution people
People from Gainesville, Georgia
Georgia College & State University alumni
Education activists
Schoolteachers from Georgia (U.S. state)
American women educators
Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans
Deaths from breast cancer
Deaths from brain cancer in the United States