Submitted by Sequoyah Chapter DAR
Members of Jasper’s Sequoyah Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution attended the Georgia State Society’s 127th Conference. Over 450 patriotic women gathered in Augusta to conduct the Society’s business and present awards to outstanding Chapters and individuals.
Sequoyah Chapter received over 30 awards, including first place in Georgia for overall Chapter Achievement and most new members. Dr. Suzanne Harman, Sequoyah Chapter Regent, was present to accept the awards.
Big Canoe resident Dr. John T. Mauldin, Sequoyah Chapter’s nominee, received the state’s highest Veteran Service to Veterans award. This honor is awarded to a Veteran Volunteer for significant contributions to leadership, patriotism, and increased public awareness of Veterans.
Dr. Mauldin, an Atlanta native and a decorated Vietnam Veteran, was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. After serving, he received his BS and MS in Psychology from the University of West Georgia and his PhD from the University of Georgia. Dr. Mauldin is a noted author and expert on addiction and has published over a dozen works.
Understanding the emotional trauma many of our Veterans suffer, he has used his life experiences and training as a psychologist to counsel returning heroes for many years. He has helped hundreds of Veterans deal with the aftereffects of war, both emotional as well as physical.
Dr. Mauldin is an avid fly fisherman. In 2016, he began volunteering to work with Veterans through the non-profit “Goodwill Guides” (later “Veterans Flyfishing, Inc”). This organization teaches Veterans how to tie flies and fly fish; their moto is “Calm your brain, soothe your thinking.”
In 2017, Dr. Mauldin became a Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructor. That same year, he also assumed the president’s Veterans Flyfishing role and overhauled the program, top to bottom. This program is open to Veterans, regardless of age or branch of service, at no cost. Veterans now come from all over the Southeast to participate in this program — and over 600 veterans participated in 2024.
Dr. Mauldin is a member of the Georgia Psychological Association, Disabled American Veterans, and Project Healing Waters, to name a few. He has also served on many Volunteer Boards, including the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Boys & Girls Club of North GA, Ruth House Ministries, and Timothy House.
In 2024, Congressman Loudermilk presented Dr. Maudlin with a flag that was flown over the Capital on Veterans Day. That same year, Dr. Mauldin was also nominated for the Georgia Military Hall of Fame.
He is married to Jeannie, a LaGrange native, and they have one son, Randall. He and Jeannie currently reside in Big Canoe.
