TIFTON—The memory of Dr. Ernest Aaron Edwards, Jr., lives on at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College after the dedication ceremony on May 11 to name the new Fine Arts building Edwards Hall in honor of the longtime ABAC faculty member.
“Dr. Edwards loved ABAC students, he loved music, and he delighted in stirring the hearts of others with his finely tuned talent at the keyboard,” ABAC President David Bridges said. “As one who had the privilege and honor of having Dr. Edwards as an instructor when I was an ABAC student, he was a man who unselfishly served the college, the community, and the state for more than five decades.”
Edwards was a faculty member at ABAC for 35 years and the organist at Tifton’s First Baptist Church for over 50 years. In 1965, Edwards was honored as the first recipient of the Distinguished Professor Award at ABAC.
Untold numbers of Georgians enjoyed his piano concerts until he died at the age of 82 on May 27, 2009. Edwards was a soloist with the University of Georgia (UGA) Symphony, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and the Atlanta Chamber Orchestra.
A graduate of Covington High School, Edwards and his family moved to Tifton after his graduation where he attended ABAC, completing his degree in 1945. He continued his education at UGA, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music/English in 1953 and his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1958. In 1971, he completed his doctorate degree in interdepartmental humanities.
Edwards taught part-time at ABAC while serving as the Glee Club instructor and piano teacher at Tifton High School before assuming a full-time instructor’s position at ABAC in 1957. Named to Who’s Who in Music International in 1962, Edwards was a former President of the Tifton Concert Association. In 1971, he was selected as one of the Outstanding Educators in America.
After being a part of ABAC either as a student or as a faculty member for a portion of five decades, Edwards had a special appreciation for the small-town flavor of the college.
“I feel the friendliness still exists because we have a ‘the door is always open’ attitude toward the students,” Edwards said when he retired in 1989. “The faculty and staff at ABAC really care, and it shows.”
The dedication program included remarks from Bridges; Dr. Susan Roe, Fine Arts Department Head; Rosalyn Ray Donaldson, Associate Professor Emerita of English; Dr. Wayne Roe, Pastor of Tifton’s First Baptist Church; and Michael D. Chason, Director of Public Relations Emeritus. Dr. Jennifer Huang, Assistant Professor of Piano, also performed a piano tribute to Edwards.
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