Spring 2011 Donaldson Award Winner

Cody Seagraves, a forest resources major from Hull, received the prestigious George P. Donaldson award at the fall commencement ceremony at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Seagraves is the son of Michael and Lisa Seagraves.

A member of the Student Government Association (SGA) where he served as a senator in the spring of 2010, Seagraves 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.

Seagraves’ other activities while at ABAC included serving as the treasurer and SGA representative for FFA; chaplain and fundraising committee chair of the Cattlemen’s Association; and a member of the Forestry and Wildlife Club.

He has also been a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society, the Student Affairs Committee, and participated in intramural softball and the Mr. ABAC contest.

Seagraves’ community service activities went beyond the campus of ABAC. He contributed his time to the Tifton community at events such as Senior and Kids Fishing Day and Jake’s Day. He visited nursing homes in the area to deliver Valentine’s Day cards and helped to collect resin at the turpentine mill for the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village.

Seagraves has gained some valuable experience with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in an internship position. He is also a member of the Georgia chapter of the Wildlife Society and a Georgia Junior Cattlemen’s Association member.

A total of 170 graduates participated in the ceremony. Seventeen of those received bachelor’s degrees, the most at any ABAC commencement ceremony. The guest speaker at the event was William H. “Dink” NeSmith, Jr., a member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.