{"id":8667,"date":"2021-08-10T16:03:29","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T20:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/?p=8667"},"modified":"2021-08-12T11:01:56","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T15:01:56","slug":"georgia-southern-hosts-gratitude-gala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2021\/08\/10\/georgia-southern-hosts-gratitude-gala\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Southern Hosts Gratitude Gala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exemplary Donors Recognized at Annual Gathering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Philanthropy is at the heart of service for many Georgia Southern alumni and supporters who continue to find ways to make a lasting impact on the University. This past spring, Georgia Southern hosted the annual Gratitude Gala to recognize three key donors for their longtime support of institutional initiatives. The event was held on May 1 at the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Gratitude Gala gives Georgia Southern an opportunity to celebrate our donors who have gone above and beyond in their support for the University,\u201d stated Vice President for University Advancement Trip Addison. \u201cEven with COVID-19 restrictions in place, we were honored to gather a small group for the event this year to recognize alumni and friends of the University who are helping us be more effective in our mission of transforming lives through education. It is important that we come together to say thank you for being a key part of our past, present and future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The honorees who were presented with awards included one individual, one family and one corporation. They are listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 LEGACY AWARD: ROSE MAE BOGAN MILLIKAN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Rose Millikan (\u201959) received the Legacy Award for her many years of giving and for her deferred charitable commitment to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The Assistant Professor Emerita of Mathematical Sciences has been a loyal supporter of Georgia Southern University since her first gift to the University in 1984. In addition to teaching math from 1984-1999 at Georgia Southern, she also encouraged many young students to pursue careers in math and science. After retiring from a career that she truly loved, Millikan found a renewed purpose: endowing scholarships that support her passion for education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the years, she has endowed two scholarships in the areas of math and science, and most recently endowed a scholarship in anthropology in honor of her son, alumnus and internationally recognized paleoanthropologist Lee R. Berger, Ph.D., D.Sc. (\u201889). In 2015, Rose Mae proposed to the University the funding for an archaeological repository. The 6,000 square-foot RM Bogan Repository opened in May 2017. Millikan\u2019s support of the University also includes donating the first sculptured eagle for the Eagle Nation on Parade public arts project supporting student scholarships and undergraduate research initiatives as well as donating artwork exhibited at the College of Arts and Humanities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 PRESIDENT\u2019S INNOVATOR AWARD: THE EVANS FAMILY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Evans General Contractors was founded in 2001 by Tim Evans. The company has grown into a leading design\/build, general contracting and construction management firm under the Evans family leadership that now includes RT Evans and Sarah Evans Rothwein. The Evans family works together to make a difference both in their industry and through their philanthropy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Evans is a former Trustee of the Georgia Southern University Foundation Board and RT is a current Board Trustee. The Evans family has made serving Georgia Southern a passion. They have endowed a scholarship for the Southern LEAD program, supported the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing and were instrumental in the building of the Ted Smith Football Operations Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most recently, the Evans family stepped up again as the lead donor in the University\u2019s Finish Strong campaign with $135,000 to help bridge the gap financially for students trying to finish college during the pandemic. Scholarships through this campaign help to ensure that Georgia Southern students can stay enrolled and complete their degrees. The Evans family received the President\u2019s Innovator Award for their unwavering support of both the University and its students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 PRESIDENT\u2019S VISIONARY AWARD: ROTARY CORPORATION<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The Rotary Corporation and Georgia Southern Athletics both began with humble beginnings. But guided by determination and hard work they have experienced great success. Today, Rotary Corporation is an internationally recognized leader in the outdoor power equipment industry. Bill Nelson, who shepherded much of the company\u2019s growth, was a longtime supporter of education and built a strong relationship with Georgia Southern University. Ed Nelson, who took the helm after his father, has worked alongside his two sisters, Tara Martin (\u201885) and Traci Heilman (\u201887) to build Rotary into a global supplier of outdoor power equipment parts, tools and accessories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nelson family\u2019s commitment and philanthropic contributions to Georgia Southern continue to this day. Rotary Corporation supports both academics and athletics at the University. It has been instrumental in the formation of Paulson Stadium\u2019s Field of Dreams, J.I. Clements\u2019 Blue Monster, the Bill W. Nelson Hall of Fame and the most recent Hanner Fieldhouse renovations. In presenting the 2021 President\u2019s Visionary Award, Georgia Southern honors and celebrates Rotary and the Nelson family for their generosity and enhancements to Georgia Southern Athletics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exemplary Donors Recognized at Annual Gathering<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[66],"class_list":["post-8667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-summer-2021"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t