Bob Jepson and Vince Dooley Elected to Top Board Positions at Historic 175th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Historical Society
Savannah, Ga., May 1, 2014 - Savannah businessman and philanthropist Robert S. Jepson, Jr. was elected to Chair the Board of Curators last night at the 175th Annual Meeting of the members of the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Vincent J. Dooley of Athens was elected the new Board Vice Chair. John Helmken, II of Savannah will remain Treasurer, Jackie E. Montag of Atlanta will remain Secretary. Clay Boardman, III of Augusta was elected as the newest member of the Board of Curators.
Robert S. Jepson, Jr. is Chairman and CEO of Jepson Associates, Inc., a private investment firm. Mr. Jepson and his wife, Alice Andrews Jepson, focus much of their philanthropy on higher education. The Georgia Historical Society’s Jepson House Education Center, the Society’s educational programming facility, is named in honor of the Jepson’s for their fundraising efforts to acquire the house. Among their most notable contributions is the University of Richmond Jepson School of Leadership Studies, founded in 1992. The school is the only one of its kind in American academia. Mr. Jepson earned two degrees from the University of Richmond: A Bachelor’s in 1964 and an M.S. in Commerce in 1975. He serves on the Boards of the Georgia Ports Authority and Dominion Resources, is Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the Savannah College of Art and Design, and has been recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine as among the 100 Most Influential Georgians.
Vincent J. Dooley served as head football coach at the University of Georgia from 1964 – 1988 and as UGA director of Athletics from 1979 – 2004. Born in Mobile, Alabama, he was an all-star football and basketball player at Auburn University, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in business Management and a Masters in History. After serving in the US Marine Corp he worked as assistant coach at Auburn before being named head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs in 1964. His contributions to UGA were recognized in 2008 with the dedication of the Vince Dooley Athletic Complex. A special statue and garden commemorate his accomplishments along with the naming of all the south campus athletic facilities in his honor. Coach Dooley is both an avid gardener and a dedicated student of history. He has been the recipient of most of the nation’s highest athletic honors, including his recent recognition as the winner of the 2010 Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes excellence in coaching on and off the field during a career.
Clay Boardman, III is a native Augustan and a Principal and Senior Vice-President of Development for Hull Storey Gibson Companies, LLC. Prior to joining the firm, he was CEO of Boardman Petroleum, Inc., Charter-Triad Terminals, LLC and other affiliated companies. He is involved with many and varied civic causes.
Mr. Boardman joins fellow Curators Dr. J. David Allen, Atlanta; James H. Blanchard, Ex-officio, Columbus; Ellen B. Bolch, Savannah; W. Paul Bowers, Atlanta; Dolly Chisholm, Ex-officio, Savannah; Walter M. “Sonny” Deriso, Jr., Atlanta; Reed Dulany III, Savannah; Thomas D. Hills, Atlanta; Thomas M. Holder, Atlanta; Phil Jacobs, Atlanta; John F. McMullan, Atlanta; Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears (Retired), Atlanta; William J. Todd, Atlanta; John A Wallace, Atlanta; Neely Young, Atlanta.
GHS Chairmen Emeriti include, Robert L. Brown, Jr., Atlanta; Kay T. Hightower, Thomaston;
Bill Jones, III, Sea Island; Donald Kole, Savannah; Howard J. Morrison, Jr. Savannah; Grace Greer Phillips, Atlanta ; Lisa L. White, Savannah.
The meeting was held at historic First Baptist Church in Savannah with GHS President and CEO Dr. W. Todd Groce and outgoing Board Chair Robert L. Brown, Jr. presiding.
Following the election of the Board of Curators Dr. Victor L. Andrews was presented with a Presidential Citation for establishing through a $1 million planned gift the Society’s first endowed position, the Dr. Elaine B. Andrews Historian in memory of his late wife.
Howard J. Morrison, Jr. of Savannah was presented with the John Macpherson Berrien Lifetime Achievement Award; Vincent J. Dooley received the Sarah Nichols Pinckney Volunteer of the year Award, and WSAV in Savannah received the History in Media Award.
Dr. Edward Ayers, President of the University of Richmond and Civil War Scholar was named the first Georgia Historical Society Distinguished Fellow and provided the keynote address.
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