ABAC HONORS ALUMNI AT HOMECOMING

Former Abraham Baldwin College students and supporters were honored for professional achievement, community service, and service to the college during the 2003 ABAC Alumni Association Homecoming Awards Banquet on Saturday.

Award recipients included John Hunt (posthumously), Distinguished Alumnus; Dr. David C. Bridges, J. Lamar Branch Award; I. Scott Hart, Jr., Master Farmer; Stephen Rakestraw, Outstanding Young Alumnus; Tim L. Chason, Outstanding Business Leader Award; Dr. Mary Ann Robinson Potter, Outstanding Educator; and Robert G. Anderson, M.D., Outstanding Health Care Professional Award. The Family Legacy Award was presented to the Dudley D. Hudson Family. Dr. Lew S. Akin, Benny Dees, and Bette Turner earned Honorary Alumnus Awards.

Hunt, a member of the ABAC class of 1960, was the President and Owner of J. H. Services with his wife, Julie. He passed away on March 19. Hunt had served on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents since 1997. He was also an ABAC Foundation board member for several years and a member of the ABAC President’s Club at the Bronze Achievement Level. Hunt previously served as president of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Stone Mountain Authority for 17 years, serving nine years as chairman. He was named by Georgia Trend magazine to the list of 100 most powerful Georgians in 1994. He is survived by his wife, Julie, a 1965 ABAC alumna, his son, Dallas, a 1983 ABAC alumnus, and his daughter, Julie V., a 1986 ABAC alumna, and seven grandchildren.

Bridges, a 1978 ABAC alumnus, holds a Ph.D. in Weed Science from Texas A & M University, an M.S. degree in Weed Science and a B.S. degree in Agronomy and Soils, both from Auburn University, and an A.S. degree in Agriculture from ABAC. He presently serves as Assistant Dean for the UGA Tifton campus. His research, teaching, and extension appointments earned him the rank of professor at the University of Georgia. Bridges serves on the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and has been very instrumental in making the four-year degree between ABAC and UGA a reality. He and his wife, Kim Sims Bridges, a 1978 ABAC alumna, have two children.

Hart, a 1968 ABAC alumnus, holds an M.Ed. in Agriculture Education and a B.S. degree in Agriculture, both from the University of Georgia, and an A.S. degree in Agriculture from ABAC. He retired in 1991 after 30 years as an Agriculture/Young Farmer Teacher for the Colquitt County Board of Education. He owns Ochlocknee Ridge Farms, which produces strawberries, cotton, pumpkins, peanuts, corn, peppers, tomatoes, and squash. He and his wife, Virginia Thomas Hart, a 1968 ABAC alumna, have two children and one grandchild.

Rakestraw, a 1990 graduate of ABAC’s horticulture program, completed his degree in landscape architecture at the University of Georgia in 1994. He worked for several firms before starting his own business in October 2001. A very familiar face around the ABAC campus, Rakestraw has volunteered his time and talent for a number of community projects and has taught continuing education classes at ABAC. He has been recognized by the Garden Club Council of Georgia for his contribution to the I-75 landscape project. Rakestraw and his wife, Beth, recently joined the ABAC President’s Club by establishing a scholarship for landscape students.

Chason graduated from ABAC in 1979 with a degree in journalism. After earning a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia in 1984, he became president of the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce, a position he held until 1995 when he began working for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He has served as the chief operating officer of that organization since 1996. Chason was recognized by Georgia Trend magazine as the Most Respected Chief Operating Officer of the Year for 2000. A graduate of the 1991 class of Leadership Georgia, Chason chairs the administrative board of the Sam Jones Memorial Methodist Church in Cartersville.

Potter, a 1962 graduate of the home economics program at ABAC, earned degrees at Georgia Southern, the University of Georgia, and Auburn University, where she earned an Ed.D. in Adult Education. She taught at East Tennessee State University before serving as an assistant professor of interior design in the Department of Consumer Affairs in the College of Human Services at Auburn University for 34 years. Potter is active in her community as a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a volunteer for Boys and Girls Club, and a community volunteer for the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association and the Leukemia Society.

Anderson earned an A.S. degree at ABAC in 1978 and continued his education at the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia. He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Kentucky and a urology residency at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Anderson came back to his hometown in 1989 for private practice with Tiftarea Urology and is past chairman of the Department of Surgery and former chief of staff at Tift Regional Medical Center. Anderson is currently chairman of the Henry Tift Myers Airport Authority and a member of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the First Community Bank of Tifton. He and his wife, Lynda Lee, have three children.

The Hudson Family of Irwin County began its association with ABAC more than 60 years ago when the eldest son, Wilson, enrolled in 1937. Since that time, a total of 17 family members have attended ABAC, including one current student. Through the years, the Hudson family has continued its relationship with ABAC in a number of ways, from financial contributions to working with reunion groups. Two sons, Ted and Newt, have served in the Georgia General Assembly to ensure ABAC was well represented and respected.

Akin began teaching speech and drama at ABAC in 1967. He served as Chairman of the Division of Humanities for 22 years until his retirement in 1999. Akin was instrumental in developing the ABAC Arts Experiment Station, now known as the Arts Connection, with the goal of bringing a variety of arts to South Georgia. He established the annual Speech Forum that now bears his name to recognize the top students in speech classes each semester. In 1992, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award from Phi Theta Kappa. Akin also directed several plays at ABAC and coordinated the ABAC Golden Anniversary Celebration in 1983.

Dees was the basketball and baseball coach at ABAC from 1963-67. He led the college to its only national basketball ranking in 1967 when his team was undefeated in conference play and was ranked 13^th in the nation. That team finished the season 26-5. Dees’ teams earned two state titles during his four-year tenure. He later served as the head coach on the Division I level with several institutions. Although Dees retired from active coaching several years ago, he recently came out of retirement to serve as an assistant basketball coach at Toombs County High School where his son is a team member.

Turner has been on the ABAC Foundation Board of Trustees since 1981 and served as president from 1987-89. She is also active in the Tiftarea Arts Council and has worked very closely with the Abraham Baldwin Arts Connection. Bette and her husband, Dr. Joe Turner, have four children, two of whom attended ABAC. They are members of the ABAC President’s Club at the Bronze Achievement Level.

Other Homecoming activities included the dedication of Phase I of the Pedestrian Mall and a Forum on Agriculture entitled “ABAC and UGA: Building a Partnership for the Future” given by keynote speaker Dr. David C. Bridges.

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