Georgia's Pre-K Program Serves One Million Children

/PRNewswire/ -- The location of the Millionth Child currently being served by Georgia's Pre-K Program has been revealed. The millionth child walked through the doors of Sumter County Primary School in Americus, Georgia! Governor Sonny and Mrs. Mary Perdue will kick off a special celebration at the school on Thursday, February 18. Georgia is the first state in the nation to serve more than one million Pre-K children in a voluntary, universal, lottery-funded program.

"We are thrilled with the outpouring of support that the Millionth Child Celebration has received," said Bright from the Start Commissioner Holly A. Robinson. "This exciting campaign could not have been successful without our generous partners, outstanding providers and teachers, and most importantly, the one million children who have benefited from Georgia's Pre-K Program."

Commemorative Millionth Child Celebration activities began last year and will continue through 2010. The celebration was launched in April 2009 by Georgia First Lady Mary Perdue who read How Much is a Million? to a group of Georgia's Pre-K children. She and Governor Perdue chose the book in honor of this milestone. Other activities include the Million Book Campaign challenging everyone in Georgia to read to children. So far, more than 622,000 books have been logged in!

"The millionth child campaign emphasizes the importance of a quality learning experience that includes a strong early literacy program for all of Georgia's children," said Mary Mazarky, Assistant Commissioner for Pre-K.

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning administers the nationally recognized Georgia's Pre-K Program. High quality learning experiences are emphasized for every child participating in the program which has been in existence 16 years. During the 2009-2010 school year, 82,000 children in approximately 4,100 classrooms in every county in the state are being served.

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is responsible for meeting the child care and early education needs of Georgia's children and their families. It administers the nationally recognized Georgia's Pre-K Program, licenses child care centers and home-based child care, administers federal nutrition programs, and manages voluntary quality enhancement programs.

The department also houses the Head Start State Collaboration Office, distributes federal funding to enhance the quality and availability of child care, and works collaboratively with Georgia child care resource and referral agencies and organizations throughout the state to enhance early care and education. For more information, go to www.decal.ga.gov.

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Distinguished Mercer Alumnus And Former U.S. Attorney General Griffin B. Bell Dies At 90

Griffin Boyette Bell, one of Mercer University's most distinguished graduates and the 72nd Attorney General of the United States, died January 5 in Atlanta. He was 90. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Oak Grove Cemetery in Americus. Judge Bell's memorial service will be held at Atlanta's Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church on Friday at 11 a.m.

A trusted counselor to U.S. presidents, members of Congress and governors of both parties, and to major corporations and jurists across the country, Judge Bell earned his law degree, cum laude, from Mercer's Walter F. George School of Law in 1948. Appointed U.S. Attorney General by fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter in 1977, Judge Bell is credited by many with restoring integrity and transparency to the U.S. Department of Justice following the Watergate scandal.

Throughout his distinguished career as an attorney, federal judge and attorney general, Judge Bell steadfastly supported his alma mater, offering strong leadership as a trustee and helping raise more than half a billion dollars in gifts to Mercer. He served six terms on the University's Board of Trustees, dating back to 1967, and was chair of the board from 1991 to 1995.

In 1999, the Association of Governing Boards awarded its Distinguished Service Award in Trusteeship to Judge Bell in recognition of his significant contributions to Mercer and to higher education in general. From the $10,000 the University was awarded in Judge Bell's honor, the Board of Trustees voted to initiate the Griffin B. Bell Award for Community Service. The award recognizes a graduating student who has exemplified the true meaning of community service during their studies, improving the lives of others through their dedication and commitment. The Bell Award is the only University honor presented to students across all 11 of Mercer's schools and colleges.

Judge Bell was elected a Life Trustee in 2007 – only the sixth person at that time to be named to the office in Mercer's 175-year history. In 1983, he was named Mercer's first Distinguished University Professor and was a frequent lecturer and panelist at Mercer's law school over the years. Friends and colleagues raised $1 million in 1986 to establish the Griffin Boyette Bell Chair of Law at Mercer.

"Griffin Bell committed his life to service — service to his country, service to the cause of justice, service to his clients, and service to his alma mater, Mercer University. Over the past four decades, no one has been more committed to Mercer than Judge Bell, and no one has done more to advance the University," said Mercer President William D. Underwood. "I will miss his friendship. I will miss his sense of humor. I will miss his wise counsel. He was truly a great man."

Chancellor R. Kirby Godsey, who preceded Underwood as Mercer's president and worked closely with Judge Bell for 27 years, said his presidency was guided and enriched by the former board chairman's extraordinary leadership and by their "profound friendship."

"For countless hours over the years, I sat with him, seeking his sage advice, learning from his wisdom, treasuring his friendship. His thinking was always clear and precise, his voice articulate, his will resolute. Judge Bell combined a high sense of integrity with a strong measure of grace," Dr. Godsey said. "With his awe-inspiring wisdom and a rare quotient of insight, he made complex issues transparent, and he characteristically brought light and clarity amidst shadows of confusion. Griffin Bell was more than an outstanding statesman or a great American; he stood as a first citizen of the world whose voice and insights will shape human history for decades to come."

As a trustee, Judge Bell made the motion to establish the Mercer School of Medicine, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary of preparing primary care physicians for rural and underserved areas of Georgia. In the late 1980s, he helped steer the University through financial difficulties, and over the years staunchly defended the institution when Georgia Baptists – with whom the University was affiliated for 173 years – sought to infringe upon Mercer's academic freedom.

As the chair of two Mercer capital campaigns, Judge Bell brought prominence and visibility, engaged major donors, and helped recruit volunteers for fund-raising efforts, in addition to sharing generously from his own financial resources. The recently completed "Advancing the Vision Campaign" – which Judge Bell chaired – raised $350 million in gifts and pledges.

At the December 2008 Board of Trustees meeting, where a bust of Judge Bell was unveiled, he reflected on his life and his long association with Mercer.

"I've had a great life — great opportunities to serve. I don't regret anything I've done. I'm well-satisfied that the Lord has given me a square deal. I've lived now to be 90 years old, and I revere all the years I've been associated with Mercer," Judge Bell said. "And also, all the years of public service I've had. And, all the years of law practice that I've had. I don't think there is any greater calling than being a lawyer and being willing to serve. There are lots of lawyers, but we don't have too many who are willing to take these public jobs. I've been able to do both, and for that I am very thankful."

A longtime senior partner at the influential, Atlanta-based King & Spalding law firm, Judge Bell on several occasions stepped away from private practice to serve his state and country.

In 1959, Judge Bell was appointed chief of staff by Gov. Ernest Vandiver and is credited with creating the General Assembly Commission on Schools, which recommended to the governor and the Georgia General Assembly that the public school system be preserved at all costs rather than close in the face of court-ordered desegregation.

In 1960, he was named co-chairman of John F. Kennedy's Georgia campaign for the presidency, and in 1961 President Kennedy appointed Judge Bell to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. While sitting as a Fifth Circuit judge, he provided steady and principled judicial leadership during the height of the American civil rights movement. After 15 years on the bench, he returned to King & Spalding in 1976. He resigned from the firm to become the 72nd Attorney General of the United States on Jan. 26, 1977. He served as attorney general until Aug. 16, 1979, when he returned to King & Spalding, serving as chair of its Policy Committee.

President Carter in 1980 asked Judge Bell to serve as head of the American delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, held in Madrid. In 1981, he served as co-chairman of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Violent Crime. In 1982, William Morrow and Company published Judge Bell's political memoir, Taking Care of the Law. In 2008, Mercer University Press published a compilation of Judge Bell's speeches, titled Footnotes to History: A Primer on the American Political Character, edited by John P. Cole.

His other public and professional service included serving as president of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1985-86; serving on the U.S. Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on South Africa from 1985-87; and serving on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the Commemoration of the United States Constitution from 1986-89.

In 1988, Judge Bell became a director of the National Science Center Foundation and was a director of the American Enterprise Institute. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush appointed Judge Bell to serve as vice chairman of the President's Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform.

Other honors include receiving the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Award for Excellence in Law in 1984; the Georgia Freedom Award from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation in 1995; and the John Marshall Medal from the John Marshall Foundation in 2008. He served on numerous corporate boards, including Martin Marietta Corp., The Hardaway Co. and Total Systems Services Inc.

Judge Bell is survived by his wife, Nancy; his son, Griffin B. Bell Jr.; daughter-in-law, Glenda Bell; and grandchildren, Griffin B. Bell III and Katherine P. Bell. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary.

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Henry King Stanford, University of Georgia President Emeritus, Dies in Americus at Age 92

Henry King Stanford, who died New Year’s Day in Americus at the age of 92, was a sprightly, highly regarded veteran of nearly 30 years as a college president when he came out of retirement in 1986 at age 70 to lead the University of Georgia through a year of healing as interim president.

An Atlanta native known for his sharp intellect, keen wit and consensus-building skills, Stanford came to UGA in July of 1986 after Fred C. Davison resigned as president, and served until July of 1987 when Charles B. Knapp became UGA’s 20th president.

“Henry King Stanford is a real hero of Georgia history,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “Though his decades of public service and leadership included only a short time at the University of Georgia, his impact on the institution was substantial. He steered UGA through tumultuous waters, refocused the institution on its core mission, and prepared it for much of the progress made in the years since he was president.”

Prior to leading UGA, Stanford was president of the University of Miami from 1962 to 1981. He also had been president of Georgia Southwestern College (now Georgia Southwestern State University) in Americus (1948-50), Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College and State University) in Milledgeville (1953-56) and Birmingham Southern College in Alabama (1957-62).

Stanford had retired in 1981 after leading the University of Miami through 19 years of growth that included a four-fold increase in the budget, creation of 63 graduate programs, a jump of nearly $35 million in federally sponsored programs and a ranking as one of the country’s 50 top research institutions.

He was living with his wife, Ruth, in Americus when the University System of Georgia Board of Regents asked him in April 1986, to take the helm at UGA while a search was conducted for a permanent president.

Davison had resigned in the wake of a federal court trial in which UGA instructor Jan Kemp asserted that she had been fired for speaking out against alleged preferential academic treatment for athletes. The jury ruled in Kemp’s favor in a decision that attracted national attention.

Stanford arrived in Athens shortly after his 70th birthday to find a campus embarrassed and frustrated by months of unfavorable publicity. He later told an interviewer he had never “seen a group of people related to and loving an institution as dejected and discouraged as the faculty, administration and alumni were.”

Irrepressibly energetic and upbeat, Stanford decided the way to restore optimism and confidence to the campus was by trumpeting the university’s academic strengths at every opportunity. Proclaiming himself a “self-appointed evangelist who, like St. Paul, fetched the gospel from Athens to Rome (Ga.),” he spent much of the year travelling around the state boasting about UGA’s research activities, library collections and Honors Program, and urging audiences to support the university.

He quickly became a familiar figure around campus, attending student, faculty and alumni functions and speaking to any organization that invited him. He surprised students and faculty by stopping them on the sidewalk to get their opinion on how things were going. Once, as onlookers held their breath, he climbed aboard a bulldozer and scooped up a bit of dirt to break ground for a new building.

He made 181 speeches during the year, including an appearance before a joint session of the Georgia House and Senate. He even carried his message into Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, working the crowds in the stands during football games.

His enthusiasm and cheerfulness were infectious, and by the time Knapp was named president the campus mood had brightened noticeably. Stanford later told a reporter he had “never felt so needed and appreciated” and that the year at UGA was a highlight of his career. Ruth Stanford said she often told her husband “you had such a good time in Athens you should have paid them for letting you come.”

While his service was chiefly building good will, Stanford did not shirk other serious duties. On his first day in office he replaced the vice president for academic affairs and an associate who had been key figures in the athletics court case. He appointed Louise McBee, a respected veteran administrator, as acting vice president, a position she would continue to hold for a year under Knapp. Later, he appointed two African American professors as the first minority members of the board of the UGA Athletic Association.

Asked in later years why he left a comfortable retirement to take the stressful UGA assignment, Stanford replied that he initially accepted because of “flat out ego,” flattered that the regents thought he could do the job. That reaction, he said, was quickly followed by a feeling of obligation to provide helpful service to the state if he could.

In July of 1987, Stanford and his wife returned to Americus, but Stanford’s service to UGA wasn’t finished. Knapp asked him to head a faculty committee charged with developing an environmental education program for UGA and he periodically returned to campus for committee activities.

In 1987, the Board of Regents bestowed the title of President Emeritus on Stanford, and in 1992 his official portrait was added to the collection of portraits of other former UGA presidents.

He is believed to be only the second person to serve in the 20th Century as an interim leader of UGA, which has had 21 permanent presidents in its 224-year history.

With his signature boutonniere and shiny cuff links, the ebullient Stanford was a dapper, charming scholar who peppered conversations with historical references and quotes from German philosophers and Greek playwrights. As a college president, he was known for seeking collegiality and consensus with faculty and students but making tough decisions when necessary, as when he banned the song “Dixie” at University of Miami football games.

He enjoyed popularity in most of his presidential posts. When he announced he was leaving Birmingham Southern, students staged a protest. The University of Miami honored him on his retirement by naming its residential college and a campus street for him. The University of Georgia established the Henry King and Ruth Stanford Honors Program Scholarships. There are Henry King Stanford scholarships at Miami and Georgia Southwestern, as well.

Stanford and his wife, who died in 2002, were inveterate travelers who made numerous trips to Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. In 1987 they celebrated their 50th anniversary, delayed a year by their UGA assignment, by taking a hot air balloon ride over French vineyards.

A lifelong fitness enthusiast who enjoyed tennis, hiking and gardening, Stanford usually walked several miles daily even after retirement. In 1988, at age 72, he climbed 17,500 feet up the east face of Mt. Everest as part of an expedition organized by a UGA student. McBee, who had retired and was 64, also made the trip, and at the time they were the oldest Western man and woman ever to ascend that high up the world’s tallest mountain.

The descendant of ancestors who came to America in 1680 and to Georgia a year later, Stanford was born in Atlanta April 22, 1916. He earned a bachelor’s degree in German from Emory University, and after studying for a year at the University of Heidelberg in Germany he re-entered Emory and earned a master’s degree in international relations.

He earned another master’s in government management from the University of Denver, where he also was director of the School of Public Administration. While serving as president of Georgia Southwestern he received a doctorate in political science and government administration from New York University.

He worked two years as director of the University Center in Georgia and a year as assistant chancellor of the University System of Georgia before becoming president of Georgia State College for Women in 1953. In 1956, he went to the University of Ankara in Turkey to direct a technical assistance program for New York University. He returned to the U.S. to become president of Birmingham Southern.

Stanford also held teaching positions at Emory Junior College in Valdosta, Emory University and Georgia Tech.

Stanford served as president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and vice president of the International Association of University Presidents. He was a founding member and director of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and was president of the Caribbean Resources Development Foundation.

He was on the board of trustees of the Knight Foundation and the board of visitors of Air University, and served on several corporate boards.

He was awarded 13 honorary degrees and received numerous awards including the Eleanor Roosevelt-Israel Humanitarian Award; the “Star of Africa” medal, presented by the president of Liberia; the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; and the Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities.

He received the Brotherhood Award from both the Florida and Georgia regions of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and also received awards from the Anti-Defamation League in both Birmingham and Miami.

Stanford is survived by four children: Henry Stanford, Jr., Lowry Stanford, Rhoda Stanford McCabe, and Peyton Stanford, and a sister, Annabell Nickel.

A memorial service will be planned to be held in Americus later in January. Hancock Funeral Home of Americus is in charge of arrangements.

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Andersonville National Historic Site, Rolling Thunder Chapters from 11 States, Georgia Southwestern State University to Honor Nation's POWs/MIAs, Sept

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rolling Thunder's 2008 Ride Home -- a multi-day annual activity held in conjunction with the National Park Service's Andersonville National Historic Site and Georgia Southwestern State University to recognize and honor the nation's Prisoners of War (POW) and those Missing in Action (MIA) -- will be held in Andersonville and Americus, Ga., Sept. 17-20, 2008.

"The 2008 Ride Home, which is supported this year by Rolling Thunder(R) chapters from 11 states, is part of a series of events conducted jointly with the National Park Service in Andersonville to honor those former POWs from all wars who have returned home and remember those who are still listed as MIA," said Jim Moyer, Ride Home board chairman.

According to Moyer, more than 1,000 Rolling Thunder members are expected to gather in Andersonville and Americus to honor an estimated 100 former POWs scheduled to attend this year's program of events as guests of Rolling Thunder.

While Friday, Sept. 19, is the official National POW/MIA Recognition Day, the four days of recognition activities begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, with a convocation sponsored by the National Park Service and hosted by Georgia Southwestern State University at the Student Success Center in Americus.

The guest speaker will be Joseph Hudson of Alamogordo, N.M. He was a 23-year-old U.S. Army specialist with the 507th Maintenance Group, Fort Bliss, Tex., who was shot three times, captured and held by Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Army from March 23, 2003 until April 13, 2003.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, through Saturday, Sept. 20, the Park Service will host Bataan Death March survivor Colonel Glenn Frazier at the National Prisoner of War Museum at the Andersonville National Historic Site. Frazier, who was an underage U.S. Army volunteer from Fort Deposit, Ala., in 1941, will be autographing his book, "Hell's Guest," which is his account of three harrowing years as a prisoner of war.

On Friday, Sept. 19, the official National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Rolling Thunder's formal activities will begin at 10 a.m. with a tribute service, "Keeping the Promise, We Will Not Forget" at the First Baptist Church in Americus.

Scheduled speakers include: U.S. Air Force Major General Albert G. (Jerry) Rodgers whose final active duty assignment was Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at Tactical Air Command Headquarters at Langley, AFB, Va.; U.S. Navy Captain Ronald Harrell, Commander of the FFG (Fast Frigate) Class Squadron 14 at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.; Stephen E. Thompson, Family and Veteran Liaison for the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Honolulu, Hawaii; and, Dr./Rev. Chuck Gass, the staff chaplain at the VA Medical Center in Gainesville, Fla.

A Rolling Thunder escort to the tribute service for the former POWs is scheduled to depart for the Baptist church from the Wal-Mart parking lot in Americus at 9 a.m.

At 1 p.m. that afternoon the National Prisoner of War Museum in Andersonville will unveil a commemorative plaque honoring POWs from the U.S. Army's 42nd "Rainbow" Division.

Formed in August 1917, the "Rainbow" nickname was given to the division after Colonel Douglas MacArthur, the new division's Chief of Staff (and ultimately its commander), remarked that "the 42nd Division stretches like a Rainbow from one end of America to the other" because it was comprised of National Guard units from 26 states and the District of Columbia.

The division, which saw service in both World Wars, was deactivated in 1946; however it returned in 1947 as a National Guard Division for New York, the state of its birth. Currently headquartered at the Glenmore Armory in Troy, N.Y., the division includes Army National Guard units from 14 states: Connecticut, Main, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Activities on Friday will continue at 4:30 p.m. with Rolling Thunder's annual tribute dinner followed by a candlelight remembrance ceremony scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Both activities will be at the Windsor Hotel in Americus.

The Missing Man Table, which honors the nation's POW/MIAs, will be the focal point of the evening. The single round table with six empty place settings symbolize Americans from each of the five services -- Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard -- and civilians who cannot attend and will be participating in the evening's activities in spirit only.

On Saturday, Sept. 20, Rolling Thunder's Annual POW Recognition will begin at 10 a.m. at the Rostrum at Andersonville National Cemetery. The ceremony honors POWs who have returned home from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf wars.

A Rolling Thunder Heroes Escort Ride is scheduled to depart for the Andersonville National Historic Site from the Wal-Mart parking lot in Americus at 9 a.m.

The 1-14th Aviation Regiment from Fort Rucker, Ala., will open the 10 a.m. ceremony with a helicopter flyover of an AH-64D Apache Longbow and an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.

A Roll Call of former POWs attending the ceremony will precede a special presentation to each.

Music will be provided by the U.S. Marine Band stationed at the Albany Marine Corps Logistics Base, SSgt Kristine Streng conducting.

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PharmaCentra to Open Doors on Americus Operations Center

PharmaCentra, an Atlanta-based marketing and services firm that provides customizable healthcare management programs for the pharmaceutical industry, announced today it is expanding its domestic operations center network with a new location in Americus.

“PharmaCentra’s newest location demonstrates that Georgia has a quality workforce that will accommodate a growing company’s needs,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “In the wake of the 2007 tornadoes, it is especially heartening to see a strong company invest in Americus.”

PharmaCentra plans to create between 85 and 150 jobs in the new facility, which is located at Martin Luther King Blvd. and Rucker St. in Americus and is 12,000 square feet. This is the third operations center PharmaCentra has opened in South Georgia in the last year and a half. PharmaCentra also has locations in Swainsboro and Fitzgerald, Ga.

“We have deliberately chosen to locate our operations centers in rural South Georgia communities because of the exceptional quality of the workforce,” said Dan Berman, chairman and CEO of PharmaCentra. “Americus is home to Georgia Southwestern State University and South Georgia Technical College. As such, PharmaCentra has access to a very skilled, educated and motivated workforce.”

The new facility will accommodate the tremendous growth of WellTouch™, PharmaCentra’s signature patient compliance and persistency program. WellTouch™ Healthcare Specialists encourage patients to immediately fill their first prescription, remind patients about refills, schedule physician appointments and provide medical resources.

“PharmaCentra is a very dynamic and respected company, and they are a perfect fit for Americus and Sumter County,” said David Garriga, executive director, Americus Sumter County Payroll Development Authority and the lead for the local recruiting effort. “After having the opportunity to work with PharmaCentra for several months, we are very pleased and honored to welcome them, and our citizens look forward to the quality jobs they will provide.”

Costas Simoglou, project manager for GDEcD, assisted PharmaCentra in securing its location.