Mayor Eva Galambos, a towering figure in Sandy Springs politics, now has an enduring reminder of her leadership.
During a special ceremony on July 31, the civic-minded Sandy Springs Society dedicated a white oak to the mayor who is wrapping up her second and final term leading the city.
The tree resides on a traffic island at the intersection of Mt. Vernon and Hammond Drive and there’s also a plaque noting the mayor’s service to the city. Before the city incorporated in 2005, Galambos and other civic leaders spent decades fighting for the right to be a city independent of Fulton County government.
Valerie Love, former president of the Sandy Springs Society, said the white oak is the perfect symbol for what Galambos has meant to the city and its residents.
“White oak trees radiate an aura of quiet calm spring and they also symbolize dignity, durability and diligence, and those characteristics as you know definitely represent our mayor,” Love said.
Galambos thanked the society for the honor and its efforts to spruce up the traffic island. In characteristically blunt fashion she said, “This island has been an eyesore as long as everybody can remember.”
“I cannot thank you enough for this,” she said to Love.