Albany Standard

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College issued the following announcement on Apr. 6. 

The ABAC Alumni Association recognized its 2022 award recipients at the recent Homecoming Awards Luncheon at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Topping the list of recipients were Rick and Sandy Bostelman from Fitzgerald, who received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the top award presented by the Alumni Association.

Other recipients included Mae Claxton from Cullowhee, N.C., Outstanding Educator Award; Kimberly Cribb from Thomasville, Outstanding Healthcare Professional Award; Tony Tucker from Camilla, Outstanding Business Leader Award; Robert Varnedoe from Homerville, J. Lamar Branch Award for Outstanding Leadership in Agriculture; Walter Stephens from Tifton, Master Agriculturalist Award; Kaytlyn Malia Cobb from Macon, Miles A. Drummond Rising Star Award; Jazmin Thomas from Perry, Outstanding Young Alumnus Award; Schley Perry Family from Colquitt County, Family Legacy Award; and Donna Webb from Tifton, Honorary Alumnus Award.

The Bostelmans, both members of the ABAC Class of 1966, serve on the ABAC Alumni Board and Scholarship Review Committees. They are Lifetime members of the Alumni Association and frequently attend ABAC recruiting events, as well as Milk and Cookies Day, an Evening for ABAC, and Homecoming. They have funded academic and study abroad scholarships and donated to the housing food pantries and professional-dress clothing closets for students.

A 1986 ABAC graduate, Claxton is a professor in the English Department at Western Carolina University. During her career, she has received much recognition including nominations for the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teacher Award.

Cribb, ABAC Class of 1979, serves as the Chair of Health and Sciences at Thomas University. She is responsible for Nursing BSN and MSN. She also serves as the Chair of Nursing for two universities in the People’s Republic of China offering a Thomas University BSN degree.

A 1991 ABAC graduate, Tucker is the President/CEO of Mitchell EMC and has served in that role since 2010. Prior to this position, he was the Office Manager for Irwin EMC. Tucker serves on the Board of Directors for Georgia Transmission Corporation and is the President of the Board of Directors for the Georgia EMC’s Credit Union.

Varnedoe, ABAC Class of 1981, is the president of Lee Container, a private manufacturer of plastic bottles that serve the crop protection markets for companies such as Bayer, BASF, FMC, Helena, and Syngenta. He serves on the ABAC Foundation Board and has been a driving force in the generous contributions of the Lee Family Foundation to support ABAC’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Stephens attended ABAC in 1959.  He now works with Rancho San Antonio which produces timber, pine straw, and perennial peanut hay, and is involved in Wetland Mitigation Banking. Stephens gives back to ABAC by financially supporting several scholarships, and he is a member of the ABAC President’s Club.

A member of the ABAC Class of 2016, Cobb is the Business Development Manager for Acres and Oak Kitchen based in Macon.  She has managed to stay involved with ABAC after graduating by being a guest speaker for club meetings, participating in Career Connections and being involved in homecoming events and activities. She is serving her second term on the Alumni Association Board. 

Thomas graduated from ABAC in 2014 and now works as the Downtown Manager for the City of Perry. In this role, she is the primary liaison between downtown property owners, business owners and visitors where her role is to create a thriving economic environment for Downtown Perry. Thomas is on the ABAC SANR Alumni Council and regularly returns to ABAC to speak to classes.

The Perry Family from Colquitt County has four generations of family who have attended ABAC. Schley L. Perry, Sr., graduated from the Second District A&M School in 1921. The Perry family farm is the longest continuous business in the area, which was formerly Thomas County and now Colquitt County.

Webb joined the ABAC staff in 2008 and since then, she has been dedicated to ensuring ABAC’s success, first as the Director of Enrollment Management and now as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. Webb and her husband, Garth, are members of the ABAC Foundation’s President’s Club.

Original source can be found here.

Source: Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College