Basketball’s Back at ABAC

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

BASKETBALL RETURNS TO ABAC AS REGENTS OK

4-YEAR ATHLETICS

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

After a 15-year absence, men’s and women’s basketball are returning to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College along with ABAC’s transition to four-year athletics.

The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved the plan Tuesday for the 2024-25 academic year. The Regents approval means that ABAC will begin to offer sports team competition for all of a student's four years.

“Our student-athletes have been forced to choose pursuing their athletic career for another two years at another school or continuing their education here at ABAC,” said President Tracy Brundage.

“With the move to four-year athletics, those student-athletes will be able to stay here. That is important for our enrollment, but it’s really a matter of serving our students well.”

ABAC offers 14 four-year-degree programs and only four two-year-degree programs; the college’s participation in the National Junior College Athletic Association did not match its academic structure.

Brundage championed the move to four-year athletics soon after becoming president last summer.

“This is a tremendous day for ABAC,” Brundage said. “I’m not just talking about athletics; this a great day for the entire college and our community. This directly aligns with our goals and strategic initiatives in enrollment and brand recognition.

"The support that ABAC received from many community partners, as well as the plan our team put together, proved to the Board of Regents that this was the right decision.”

DROPPING BASKETBALL IN 2008 WAS CONTROVERSIAL

Numerous community leaders wrote letters to the Board of Regents supporting ABAC’s bid for four-year athletic competition, including basketball, which was a cornerstone of the college’s athletic program for decades until being discontinued in 2008.

At that time, President David Bridges’ decision to end the basketball program was controversial. Besides financial issues, Bridges said there was a lack of student interest in sports, including basketball.

“If you look at the numbers, students don’t really support intercollegiate sports anymore,” Bridges had said. “And the community doesn’t come out. There simply isn’t broad support anymore.”

ABAC was still a two-year junior college then and had only begun offering four-year bachelor’s degrees that year. Now, 15 years later, ABAC is a full-fledged four-year institution.

For the upcoming basketball season, ABAC will hire a head men’s coach while Athletic Director Chuck Wimberly will coach the women’s team.

“ABAC has a tremendous basketball history, and I’m thrilled that we’ll be able to recapture that energy on campus,” Wimberly said. “Basketball is an opportunity to create a great atmosphere for our students and the community. But it’s also a chance to show off our college and all the great things we offer academically. To say I’m excited is an understatement.”

The proposal submitted to the Board of Regents calls for a $15 increase in athletic fees, which have not been raised in 14 years. Also, the Stallion Athletics Fundraising Advisory Committee has been formed to assist ABAC’s Office of College Advancement in keeping the athletic program financially viable.

BUILDING THE ABAC BRAND

“Participation in a four-year athletics conference will allow ABAC to continue to build our brand,” Brundage said.

“Athletics can bind a campus community together with a sense of pride and identity. It’s more than just a logo or a mascot. A brand embodies mission, character, history, and legacy that has an emotional impact. ABAC has that, and this move will help us further our mission athletically and academically.”

Brundage said that ABAC will apply for membership in the Southern States Athletic Conference in the NAIA – the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Conference members include Brewton-Parker College, Dalton State College. Middle Georgia State University, and Point University (a Christian college) in Georgia; Loyola University in New Orleans; Stillman College, Talladega College, and the University of Mobile in Alabama; and Florida National University, among others.

CITY SEEKS GRANT FOR WALKING TRAILS AT DETENTION PONDS PLANS NEW PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT AT PARK

By FRANK SAYLES JR.

Tifton Grapevine

The City of Tifton is looking at improving outdoor recreation areas at the detention ponds off Old Ocilla Road and at Fulwood Park.

On Monday, Tifton City Council authorized city staff to submit an application for a $250,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant from the Ga. Department of Natural Resources. The grant would be used for creating walking trails at the detention ponds along with lighting, signage, and other enhancements, Planning & Zoning Director Crystal Gaillard told council.

The city also plans to replace the playground equipment at Fulwood Park to include equipment accessible to children with disabilities. The Tifton-Tift County Tourism Association board has allocated $250,000 in product development funds for the project, and the city plans to match the funding.

“We’ve talked about really connecting people with the outdoors, making these type of facilities more available to the public that enhances quality of life and provides things for tourists to do,” said Mayor Julie B. Smith.

Council also continued its discussion about possibly abandoning the short "cut-through" road between Forrest Avenue and Fulwood Boulevard to allow the Tifton Heritage Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to construct signage there designating the Tifton Historic District.

City Attorney Rob Wilmot said it could be done, but it will take a bit more effort to move forward under the law.

Dr. Steve Rigdon, who is involved with both the DDA and the Heritage Foundation, told council the cut-through road in question does not seem to be used very much and is dangerous for motorists.

City Council plans to continue consideration at next month’s meeting.

Also during Monday’s meeting, council authorized city staff to negotiate a contract with Midwest Maintenance Inc. to repair masonry work on the back side of the Tift Theatre building. Water has been getting into the building and into the theatre’s basement area.

Lawrence Williams is surrounded by members of the Exchange Club of Tifton, who presented Williams with the club's 70th Annual Book of Golden Deeds Award.

VOLUNTEER RECEIVES GOLDEN DEEDS AWARD

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Community volunteer Lawrence Williams is the recipient of the 70th Annual Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds Award from the Exchange Club of Tifton.

Williams was recently honored at a surprise luncheon held in his honor.

After moving to Tifton in 2010 following retirement, Williams found that he couldn’t just stay at home and do nothing, so he began volunteering.

Friends say he has found several ways to serve his community and one of the biggest is through his role as the South Georgia area gleaning coordinator with the Society of St. Andrew, a national hunger relief organization.

Williams has made himself and his resources available for years to help feed the underserved populations in multiple counties. He gets up early and often travels to farms across the region in order to get fruit and vegetables for those who may be hungry.

Williams is also active with the Meals on Wheels program. He not only delivers his own route several times a week but is ready to step in to help cover for someone when needed. He also takes time to visit with some of the shut-ins on his route.

On any given Sunday morning, one can find Williams at a local grocery store where he gets the leftover bread and deli products and then delivers them to the less fortunate and elderly.

He also helps move furniture for the House of Hope’s Bird’s Nest Thrift Store when it has been donated. He helps the Tift County Commission on Children and Youth when needed. And no matter where he goes, he makes sure that people know that Jesus loves them.

Many of his friends said that Williams wakes up each day thinking about who he can help next. He does all of this without any desire for recognition, expecting no praise or reward. He is involved in his local church and stays involved with his family, including his wife, children, and grandchildren.

The Book of Golden Deeds Award is a national project of the Exchange Club that recognizes dedicated volunteers who give endless hours of their time and talents toward making their communities better places to live.

The Golden Deeds award is the longest running project of the Exchange Club of Tifton. The Tifton award was renamed in honor of longtime chairperson Helen Rainer, who died in 2013.

Words from Coretta Scott King formed the backdrop of a mural outside the Anthony Bateman Youth Center. Children from the Bateman Center helped the artist paint images over the words while getting a lesson in public art.

ARTIST CREATES MURAL WITH HELP FROM KIDS

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

“The failure to invest in youth reflects a lack of compassion and a colossal failure of common sense.” – Coretta Scott King

These words starkly inscribed in red across the white canvas wall of a storage building behind Tifton’s Anthony Bateman Youth Center set the tone for a piece of public art crafted by Athens muralist Broderick Flanigan last week.

The written words gradually faded away behind painted images, but their essence imbued the artwork with meaning.

Flanigan put the finishing touches on the mural during the weekend. The Tifton Council for the Arts had recruited him to paint the mural. This creative collaboration was made possible through a grant received from the Georgia Council for the Arts, as well as contributions by the City of Tifton.

During the entire week, Flanigan engaged students from the YMCA's after-school program, housed at the Bateman Center, to participate in the painting. He talked to the students about public art and allowed them to be involved as participants in creating the mural.

In groups of four, they rotated out every 10 or 15 minutes, creating the underpainting and backgrounds alongside Flanigan. They also helped provide the ideas for components of the artwork.

In the mural, the late Coach Anthony Bateman is the central focal point.

“We have several youth around him doing various activities like playing music, doing sports, and reading – to speak to academics,” Flanigan said. “Then, we’ve got like a city scape in the background, paying tribute to the redevelopment of the area where the mural is located.”

Flanigan has created a mural arts program for youth in Athens, where he usually works with teenagers, so he enjoyed the opportunity to work with elementary-aged students this time.

He has completed other public artwork in locations as varied as Kenya, Africa; Kinston, N.C.; Lake City, S.C.; several murals in Athens, Ga., and a mural for an art center in Seattle, Wash.

COASTAL PLAIN LIBRARY HOSTS HOLOCAUST EXHIBIT

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Coastal Plain Regional Library in Tifton, in partnership with the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and the Georgia Public Library Service, is hosting a touring banner exhibit designed to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to promote public understanding.

“Fashioning a Nation: German Identity and Industry, 1914-1945” will be on display May 24-June 26 at the Coastal Plain Regional Library, 2014 Chesnutt Ave. The exhibit will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, June 10.

The exhibit explores the history of German fashion, its international impact, and its destruction by the Nazi regime. It honors the legacy of the Jewish Germans who contributed to its rise and commemorates the cultural and economic loss resulting from its demise.

“The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and Georgia’s public libraries offer a wealth of local and regional history for Georgia residents. Partnering to ensure the Holocaust and World War II are not forgotten is a natural decision so we can share this important history widely across our communities,” said Sally N. Levine, executive director of the state Holocaust Commission.

The tour is visiting 88 public libraries across Georgia. Library staff will have access to educational materials and reading lists for all ages.

“We are honored to host this second exhibit in the Holocaust Exhibits tour series at our library,” said Sandy Hester, director of the Coastal Plain Regional Library System.

GASKINS FOREST EDUCATION CENTER PLANS AMPHIBIAN NIGHT WALK

Tifton Grapeviine Staff Reports

The Gaskins Forest Education Center in Alapaha, in celebration of Amphibian Week, is hosting a free Amphibian Night Walk at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20.

Daniel Sollenberger with the Ga. Department of Natural Resources will educate attendees on local frog calls before assisting with a guided walk around cypress swamps to look for amphibians.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a flashlight, rain boots, and any water and snacks needed.

For free registration, Click Here!

Gaskins Forest Education Center is located at 3359 Moore Sawmill Road in Alapaha.

NO BULL: EX-GOVERNOR DONATES BULL TO ABAC

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Politicians may be known for “shooting the bull,” but a former governor has donated the bull to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Former Gov. Roy Barnes, who visited the ABAC campus recently, last week made a 1,500-pound donation – Whitlock, a registered Polled Hereford bull – for the college's beef unit.

Barnes is still an attorney but also owns a couple hundred cows on his Mableton farm.

“We’re certainly proud of our beef unit, an outdoor learning laboratory that our students use every day as part of their hands-on learning,” said President Tracy Brundage.

“I know Governor Barnes enjoyed his tour of our beautiful campus and wanted to help support our program and our students by making this generous gesture. It’s not the kind of donation someone would typically think of, but it was perfect for our college.”

Barnes' roots are deep in agriculture. He grew up on a small dairy farm.

Barnes was Georgia’s 80th governor, serving from 1999-2003. He then returned to the private law practice that he started in 1975.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Advanced Behavioral Health Services of Tifton

16 Library Lane, Tifton

May 11

TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S CAT OF THE WEEK

“Cleo,” a cuddly kitten, is among the adorable pets available for adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter. To adopt Cleo and to see other pets available, visit the shelter between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

Pets of the Week are sponsored by:

Branch's Veterinary Clinic

205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055

E.B. HAMILTON NAMED

YOUTH RECREATION DIRECTOR

~ MAY 15, 1962

The Tifton-Tift County Recreation Board announced on May 15, 1962, that local businessman and sports figure Emmett B. Hamilton had been named youth recreation director. The Recreation Board was chaired by John H. Orr.