Stan Elrod Memorial Highway dedicated

Three years after his death, local and regional residents continue to remember and honor Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Captain Stan Elrod, who was struck and killed by an impaired driver on Sept. 3, 2020.

On Sept. 29, Lake Louise Road in Toccoa was dedicated to Elrod. Stephens County Commissioner Dennis Bell, who was friends since childhood with Elrod, talked with WNEG News about Elrod’s contributions to the county and the NE Georgia region, and explained the selection of Lake Louise Road to be designated as the Stan Elrod Memorial Highway.

Several state officials, as well as local friends and associates and Elrod’s  wife, Julie Stubbs Elrod and his sons, Levi Elrod and Luke Elrod, attended the dedication ceremony, Bell said.

At the time of his death, Elrod lived in Danielsville, but he was a Toccoa native, the son of Julian Perry and Linda Addison Elrod. 

Bell said Elrod’s death was tragic, but he was glad to see that his legacy would be preserved with the naming of the Stan Elrod Memorial Highway. (3:00)

According to earlier reports on WNEG News, Elrod was a Captain with Georgia Department of Natural Resources with 28 years of service and was a board member of the Outdoor Dream Foundation as well as a founding member of the DNR Honor Guard.  He was awarded the Ranger of the Year in 1999 and he served on the security team for the 1996 Olympic Games. 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation posthumously presented Elrod with the Guy Bradley Award for his lifetime contributions to wildlife law enforcement, positive impact on the community and the state, selfless devotion to others, and outstanding leadership.

Captain Elrod began his career in Law Enforcement in 1993 and worked his way up to the rank of Captain and northeast Georgia Region Supervisor, where he oversaw law enforcement activities in 26 counties on seven impoundments, 16 DNR managed Wildlife Management Areas, and more than a million acres of US Forest Service lands.

Bell’s recalled his favorite memory with Elrod. 3:30 

Lake Louise Road, and the Stan Elrod Memorial Highway, runs between Prather Bridge Road and East Currahee Street/GA365, to the east of the Toccoa/Stephens County Airport and near what was the Georgia Baptist Conference, and is now Pine Cove Springs Summer Camp.