News from	Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30, 2802 Moore Hwy Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-5051 mchason@abac.edu

For IMMEDIATE Release July 27, 2009

A drawing by artist Jean Gay (right) of the Agricultural Sciences Building at ABAC was recently presented to Dr. Darby Sewell, ABAC Interim Dean of the School of Human Sciences. Gay, an ABAC Interior Design graduate and former student of Dr. Sewell, is currently enrolled in the art program at ABAC.

MOULTRIE STUDENT STILL FINDS TIME TO ‘CREATE’

TIFTON—Jean Gay was always told by friends that she should get a degree in interior design. On a whim, she called Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the very next day, at the age of 63, Gay found herself in a classroom taking her first college course.

“Doors opened for me all because of ABAC – and Darby Sewell, Donna Hatcher, and Lori Felton (ABAC faculty members),” Gay said. “Attending ABAC is one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

The Moultrie native has always been creative. She has a cosmetology degree and has been running a beauty salon from her home for years. She has also sewn since she was 15 years old. So it was no surprise that she flourished in interior design.

She completed her Certificate of Interior Design in 2004 and has continued to take classes ever since.

“I took the landscape design class because people like to bring the outdoors into their home in interior design. I learned how to use drafting tools that have really helped me out in my business,” said Gay.

That business is JeanG Designs, an interior design firm she runs from her home. One of her most recent interior design projects was for a local funeral home.

While at ABAC, she branched out into art, taking classes with Hatcher and garnering her much attention in the local, regional, and state art world. She has since enrolled in several art classes, with an emphasis on oil painting.

“In 2008, I was commissioned to create an ornament for Moultrie’s Downtown Merchants Association depicting the Presbyterian Church,” Gay said. “I was awarded first place in the wildlife division of the Georgia National Fair’s art exhibition, and I have just recently completed a drawing for the First Baptist Church in Moultrie to be used as the cover of its pictorial directory and letterhead.”

A more recent project that she did was a large painting for the Tamassee Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) School.

“The Tamassee DAR School is for children with no homes, and the topic of the painting is what the school means to them. That was a gift to the school,” said Gay.

Gay is a member of the ABAC Phi Theta Kappa honors organization and has showcased her artwork in conjunction with the First Tuesday Concert Series four times. She has been published in the Pegasus, ABAC’s literary magazine, from 2006 – 2009, including her artwork on the cover in 2007. She also served as a judge for both the Ms. ABAC and Mr. ABAC competitions.

“That was something I had always wanted to do,” said Gay.

Another role she cherishes at ABAC is serving as an instructor for the Public Service and Business Outreach Center.

“I teach some of the sewing classes,” Gay said. “In 2006, I was chosen as one of six instructors to represent the continuing education program at ABAC for the Tift Regional Medical Center's Women's Event.”

This year she isn’t the only one in her family to attend ABAC. Her granddaughter, Nicole Newsome, will be taking classes at ABAC on the Square in Moultrie while Gay continues to attend classes on the main campus.

“Instead of vegetating, I’m creating. I firmly believe that if you don’t have something to keep you doing, you quit doing,” said Gay.

There seems to be no chance of that with this energetic 69-year-old. She and her husband, Dell, who works for the Department of Transportation, will celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary this August. Dell is also a budding photographer, whose work is currently being displayed at the Arts and Heritage Museum in Tifton.

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