Since 1972, the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame has recognized Georgians for their extraordinary commitment and contribution to agriculture and agribusiness. The hall of fame is a component of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association.

“The selection committee is made up of 13 volunteers from around the state that are alumni of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,” said Juli Fields, director of alumni relations. “Applicants are also asked to submit three letters of recommendation, and the committee looks closely at the testimony in those letters.”

The committee looks for:

• Impeccable character.
• Outstanding leadership affecting Georgia agriculture.
• Noteworthy contributions.
• Recognition for achievements.
• Accomplishments in more than one area.

Deadline for submitting an application is March 15, 2012. Applications can be downloaded from the alumni section of the CAES website, but hard copies must be mailed in.

“It does take a little bit of work to assemble the information that’s required for a nomination,” Fields said. “You have to do a little research and detail that person’s career path, so we encourage people to start early, thinking about their nominations and getting information together for it.”

Once the selection committee makes a decision, the inductee or inductees are feted at a September awards banquet in Athens. A video compilation of the recipient’s achievements serves as one historical marker

“The recipient’s picture is added to the Wall of Fame, which is housed at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Activity Center at the Four Towers building on the UGA campus,” Fields said.

“A person can come and look at the wall, then access the information on a computer in that room to learn more about what the honoree did,” Fields said. “The faces on the wall represent an extraordinary history of progress and achievement in Georgia agriculture over the last century."

To be nominated, Fields said, an applicant need not be a UGA graduate, and can be living or deceased. “It’s not about the university or the college of ag; it’s about the history of agriculture and the impact these individuals have made on our quality of life. While many who are in the Ag Hall of Fame have ties to the university, it is not a requirement."

Currently, the hall of fame has 70 members. Fields advises that anyone interested in nominating an individual can easily find out if that individual has been nominated in the past by calling alumni office directly. Fields says if an application already exists for someone then she could share the information to save an applicant time and effort.

Fields said they receive 8 to 10 applications a year. “We’d love to eventually create an endowment for the hall of fame program to fund the videos, the induction ceremony and the upkeep of the Wall of Fame in the CAES Activity Center.”

To download a nomination form, get application guidelines or view portraits of Ag Hall of Fame members, visit the alumni section of the CAES website at http://www.caes.uga.edu/alumni/fame/index.html

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