Prof digs into past for ABAC lecture

Published 10:00 am Saturday, October 2, 2021

TIFTON — As the opener for its new Jess Usher Lecture Series, Dr. Sandra Giles, professor of English and communication, will delve into the life of one of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s most well-known presidents.

The lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m., Oct. 7, in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium.

The lecture, titled “Mr. Pete and the Baldwin Story,” takes a look at the tenure of George P. Donaldson, from his start as one of ABAC’s professors of English in 1933 to his presidency in 1947 and his retirement in 1961.

Giles, a faculty member of ABAC since 1997, has a connection to the college that goes further back than her time as a professor or student and believes this lecture is a great way to remember the history of the school.

“My father had been the psychology professor here, so I’ve been around this campus since I was 2 years old,” Giles said. “And I thought, ‘You know, that might be a project that I could really do something with,’ because I knew a lot of the names. I didn’t know Mr. Pete, and I didn’t know of him, but I knew a lot of the people who did know him.”

Much of Giles’ lecture will look at many of Donaldson’s accomplishments such as improvements to the school and efforts he made to support it and the students. He founded the Greater Baldwin Foundation, which later became the ABAC Foundation, and helped raise funds for school programs.

Formerly named the ABAC Lecture Series, the assortment of speakers and lectures was renamed in honor of the passing earlier this year of ABAC professor and lecturer Dr. Jess Usher.

Giles’ lecture will be followed by three others later in the year, all of which are completely open to the public.

On Nov. 1, Dr. Rachael Price will present “Rediscovering Georgia Author Sarah Barnwell Elliott,” while Dr. Russell Pryor will speak on “Making the ‘Alcatraz of the Piney Woods:’ Prisoners, Power, and Politics in 20th Century Georgia” on Feb. 17, 2022. Dr. Joseph Njoroge will close the series on March 17, 2022 with “China, the United States, and Regional Hegemony in Africa: Implications for Africa’s Democracy and Economic Development.”