Sandra Deal

Emilie Sandra Deal (née Dunagan;[1] February 1, 1942 – August 23, 2022)[2] 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.[3][4]

Sandra Deal
First Lady of Georgia
In role
January 10, 2011 – January 14, 2019
Preceded byMary Perdue
Succeeded byMarty Kemp
Personal details
Born
Emilie Sandra Dunagan

February 1, 1942
Gainesville, Georgia, U.S.
Died (aged 80)
Demorest, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 1966)​
Children4
Alma materGeorgia College & State University

Education

The daughter of educators, Emilie Sandra Dunagan grew up in Gainesville, Georgia. She was a two time graduate of Georgia College & State University.[5] She received her bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1963. She received her master's degree in elementary education in 1968.[6]

Career
First Lady Deal at the Milledgeville Grand Opening

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.[7] During her tenure as Georgia's first lady, she advocated for literacy and education throughout the state,[8] for which the Georgia Association of Broadcasters awarded her their 2016 "Georgian of the Year" award.[9]

In 2015, her book Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion was published.[10] Copies of the book were donated to every public library in the state of Georgia.[11]

In 2016, she served as the keynote speaker at Georgia Gwinnett College's summer commencement.[12]

In 2017, Georgia College & State University unveiled the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy.[13] 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.[14]

Personal life

Sandra Dunagan married Nathan Deal in 1966.[15] She and Deal have four children.[5]

Sandra Deal was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2018.[16] She completed radiation treatments in May 2018.[17] On August 23, 2022, she died at her home in Demorest, aged 80, from breast cancer that had spread to her brain.[18]

References
  1. Official Congressional Directory. Government Printing Office. p. 75.
  2. Kloer, Phil (August 23, 2022). "Sandra Deal, Georgia's former first lady, dies at 80". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  3. Woolen, Angela (August 21, 2016). "Georgia's first lady talks school bus safety". The Telegraph.
  4. Sandra Deal (1942-2022)
  5. McKee, Sarah (October 10, 2011). "Nathan Deal (b. 1942)". New Georgia Encyclopedia.
  6. Georgia College (1995). Georgia College 1995 Alumni Directory. White Plains, NY: Bernard C Harris Publishing Company. p. 86.
  7. "First Lady Biography". Georgia official government website. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  8. McGowan, Mary Kate (November 29, 2016). "Georgia first lady shares love of reading". Marietta Daily Journal.
  9. Story, Luke (June 9, 2016). "First Lady Sandra Deal Named 2016 Georgian of the Year". Georgia Association of Broadcasters. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  10. Caldwell, Carla (September 30, 2015). "Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal releases book". Atlanta Business Chronicle.
  11. Yeomans, Curt (January 27, 2017). "First Lady Sandra Deal donating history book to libraries". Gwinnett Daily Post.
  12. "First Lady Sandra Deal to speak at GGC summer commencement" (Press release). Georgia Gwinnett College. July 22, 2016.
  13. "Georgia College unveils Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy". The Union-Recorder. June 26, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  14. "Home". Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  15. Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia's Governor's Mansion. University of Georgia Press. 2015. p. 168.
  16. Georgia first lady Sandra Deal diagnosed with breast cancer, has tumor removed, gainesvilletimes.com; accessed January 29, 2018.
  17. "First Lady Sandra Deal marks major milestone in breast cancer fight". May 31, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  18. Williams, Dave (August 23, 2022). "Former Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal dies of cancer". The Union-Recorder. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
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