At a time when Memphis faces uncertainty — from a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling reshaping voting rights to a looming redistricting fight — hundreds gathered at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church on Friday, May 1, to honor State Rep. G.A. Hardaway Sr., 71, who died April 24 after a short illness.
The service blended grief and gratitude, music and memory, as speaker after speaker pointed to a life defined not just by policy, but by presence — a man remembered for a simple but powerful ethos:
Goffrey A. Hardaway took care of people while taking care of business.
Wharton: ‘I didn’t know what the ‘G.A.’ stood for’
Former Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton delivered one of the most memorable reflections of the afternoon — beginning with humor and landing squarely on Hardaway’s work ethic.
“Quite frankly, I didn’t even know his (full) name until it came out. I’m serious. I’m standing in a pulpit. I didn’t know the man’s name. I just know G.A.,” Wharton chuckled as the audience laughed. “And quite frankly, I don’t think he knew what the ‘A.C.’ stands for. But you know what? That kind of stuff doesn’t really matter. G.A. and I never talked about what your name stood for.”
Wharton described Hardaway as relentless — someone who didn’t just campaign, but put in the work. He told a tale of hearing noises outside in his yard at 1 a.m. His children were alarmed.
“‘Daddy, somebody’s in the yard! Get the gun!’” Wharton mimicked. “‘No, son, that’s just G.A. putting up his yard signs.’ Middle of the night.
“That’s just the way he rolled.”
When the U.S. Supreme Court voided chunks of the Voting Rights Act earlier this week, Wharton said he found himself expecting a 6 a.m. call that never came.
“I kept waiting on that call, that ‘what are we going to do’ call,” Wharton said. “G.A. would say we’ve got to come up with a strategy. No crying, no moaning … just what are we going to do?”
Sexton: ‘When he raised his hand, I had to pause’
Cameron Sexton, the Republican speaker of the Tennessee House, stood among those paying tribute, underscoring the bipartisan respect Hardaway commanded during his 19 years as a legislator.
“When he would raise his hand, I had to pause,” Sexton said.
He described Hardaway as methodical and deliberate, a lawmaker who forced others to slow down and think.
“He always spoke with purpose and was a great orator as well,” Sexton said. “Even if he was in an argument with you, he would still be encouraging and supportive, always wanting the best for you, always trying to build you up, not tear you down. G.A. wasn’t there to tear people down. He was there to build you up.”
“Because he believed that you could do great things,” Sexton continued. “He believed he would do great things and he did do great things. He will be very much missed in the General Assembly.”
‘Homework’
As the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators joined State Rep. Jesse Chism — all dressed in black and adorned in kente cloth — the moment reflected the previous Friday, when the same body made sure Hardaway was recognized on the House Floor before the close of the session.
“Hardaway, he was known for giving everybody homework,” Chism said. “Those of you in this building who ever met G.A. Hardaway, you know when you left him, you had an assignment to do.”
Chism made clear that Hardaway’s homework didn’t end with his death.
“Our homework here is to live with purpose,” he said. “Our homework is to legislate with caution. Our homework is to love with passion.”
“We’re going to miss G.A.,” Chism stated. “We’re going to miss our teacher, our mentor, our general, our warrior.”
Still, he said, the work continues.
“We’re going to do it just like G.A. would,” Chism said. “We’re going to do it so well that people watching us will believe that God himself ordained us to do what we do.”
Taking care of people
Mississippi Boulevard’s Rev. Dr. J. Lawrence Turner eulogized Hardaway, who represented South Memphis and Orange Mound, landing on a story that put Hardaway’s essence into sharp focus.
“He was on the phone handling business, and somebody asked him for something to eat,” Turner said. Without hesitation, Hardaway, who was leaving a store, kept the conversation going — but stepped back into the store. “He didn’t stop the call,” Turner said. “He went back inside, bought the man some food, came back out and kept talking. That’s just who he was.”
Turner said that instinct, to serve in the moment, reflected a larger philosophy that defined Hardaway’s life and work.
“He fought a good fight,” Turner said. “He fought for criminal justice to be redemptive and not punitive. He fought so that all children would receive the same high-quality education. He fought for the common good.”
