An Atlanta bridge will be dedicated this month in honor of the late Charles “Chuck” Burris, former mayor of the city of Stone Mountain. 

State Rep. Billy Mitchell, who represents Stone Mountain, will host the bridge dedication ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m., at the interchange of East Ponce De Leon Avenue and Memorial Drive.

The ceremony will recognize the naming of the bridge as the Charles “Chuck” Burris Memorial Bridge.  The General Assembly approved the new name for the bridge earlier this year when it passed House Resolution 719, which was sponsored by Mitchell.

Burris became the first African-American mayor of Stone Mountain, in 1997.  After concluding his term as mayor in 2001, he became the executive director of the Southern Regional Council and later took a position as a senior IT manager at Lockheed Martin.  Prior to serving as mayor of Stone Mountain, Burris attended Morehouse College as a Merrill Scholar, worked as a public employee for the City of Atlanta, and served on the Stone Mountain City Council.  Burris passed away after illness on Feb. 12, 2009.