Friends and family gathered Thursday at the Dawson County board of elections office to pay tribute to the board's former chairwoman.

Jeannine McGee thought she was attending an end of the year ceremony for her grandson, but later found out the party was being held in her honor.

"I'm shocked," she said as she walked into what will now be known as the Jeannine McGee Voting Center. "I fell for that. I really fell for that."

McGee's service began in 1990 as the county's voter registrar. She was named chief registrar and chair of the election's board in 1998 when legislation combined the two.

"It was something that I loved doing. I absolutely loved my job, and I love the people that surrounded me," she said. "I couldn't have done it all without them."

Nearly 100 people attended the voting center dedication.

Longtime election board member Tom Foley said recognizing McGee's commitment to the voters of Dawson County was overdue.

"We just never had a permanent place to dedicate to her until now,"he said.

The county's elections and voter registration office on Academy Ave. in downtown Dawsonville was relocated from Memory Lane in 2010.

McGee retired in December 2006 and now lives in Florida with her husband Sonny.