2009 Donaldson Award Winner
CARTERSVILLE STUDENT WINS TOP AWARD AT ABAC COMMENCEMENT
TIFTON – Keith Edward Lee, Jr., a political science major from Cartersville, received the prestigious George P. Donaldson award at the spring commencement ceremony on Thursday at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Lee, the station manager for the ABAC radio station, WPLH, was selected for the award based on a combination of academics and extracurricular activities. The award included a plaque and a check for $500 from the ABAC Alumni Association. Donaldson served as president of ABAC from 1947-61.
Lee added the Donaldson award to an impressive array of ABAC accolades including Community Assistant (CA) of the month and CA of the semester. He was also a recipient of a Pacesetter at the recent student leadership banquet.
The son of Charlotte Hart of Dallas, Lee was a non-traditional student who made the most of his 15 months at ABAC. He worked as a college algebra tutor in the Student Success Center, was the former president of the College Democrats, and was a member of the International Club and Political Science club.
Prior to beginning his college career at ABAC, Lee served as a member of the United States Navy. Lee, who plans to transfer to Valdosta State University to continue his political science studies, said ABAC had quite an impact on his life.
“If I could go back to January of last year and do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lee said. “My experience at ABAC has been a blessing to me in more ways that I can briefly express.”
Lee celebrated his award with his wife, Ashley Lee, and their brand new son, Sawyer James, born on Monday.
A total of 185 graduates participated in the ceremony, which marked the first time in history that ABAC has awarded bachelor’s degrees. Four students received Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Diversified Agriculture and Turfgrass and Golf Course Management.
Seven different bachelor’s degrees are now offered in their entirety on the ABAC campus.
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