COVINGTON, Ga. – Georgia Governor Nathan Deal was one of many state and local officials on hand in Newton County Tuesday morning for the ribbon cutting on the Terry England Leadership Center at the Georgia FFA/FCCLA Center on Highway 36.

The center is named for Barrow County state Representative Terry England, chairman of the House Appropriations committee and a longtime champion of agriculture education in Georgia.

Deal talked about the importance of the center to the state.

“We sometimes identify it as being a place where we develop agricultural leaders,” he said, “I would suggest to you more appropriately, it is a place where we develop leaders.”

England spoke of attending FFA camp and its impact on him.

He also spoke of his hope for the new facility.

“My hope is that for decades to come, this facility creates some of the memories that some of the buildings down the hill created for me.”

Addressing the FFA members in the audience he said,” I hope friendships are being made here that you will take with you for a lifetime. I hope memories are being made here that you will take with you for a lifetime.

“I have many of those and treasure those.”