Celebrated Historian Edward Ayers to Keynote 175th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Historical Society
Savannah, Ga., April 22, 2014 - One of the most distinguished historians and educators in the nation, Dr. Edward L. Ayers will keynote the 175th Annual Meeting of the members of the Georgia Historical Society when they convene on April 30th in Savannah. Ayers is the ninth president of the University of Richmond and the author of eleven books on American history.
“We are honored to have Dr. Ayers with us to mark this milestone for the Society,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “2014 is a watershed year for the GHS in many ways, not only because we will celebrate our 175th anniversary but because we will also expand the footprint of GHS for the first time since 1970 with the addition of the Jepson House Education Center later this summer.”
Dr. Ayers is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the 2013 National Medal for the Humanities; the Bancroft Prize for distinguished writing in American History; the Beveridge Prize for the best book in English on the history of the Americas since 1492; and he has been named a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
Also on the evening’s agenda will be the presentation of the Georgia Historical Society Annual Service Awards to three outstanding recipients.
The John Macpherson Berrien Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Howard J. Morrison, Jr., chairman emeritus of the GHS Board of Curators who continues to promote cooperation and innovation among Georgia’s public and private sectors.
The Sarah Nichols Pinckney Volunteer Award will be presented to Vincent J. Dooley for his dedicated service to and advocacy on behalf of GHS, particularly as co-chair of the 2014 Georgia History Festival.
The History in Media Award will be presented to WSAV for outstanding coverage of history related topics, especially the 2014 Georgia Day Parade.
The meeting will be held April 30 at 5:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church Savannah and is free and open to the public.
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SAVANNAH: 501 Whitaker St., Savannah, GA 31401
ATLANTA: 260 14th St., NW, Ste. A-148, Atlanta, GA 30318