The UGA Alumni Association will honor former Athens mayor Upshaw Bentley, the late Vivian Fisher, former dean Sharon Nickols and former basketball coach Hugh Durham at its annual awards luncheon at noon April 17 at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel.
The association also will honor Atlanta businessmen William D. “Bill” Young Sr. and his sons William D. “Bill” Young Jr. and Earl Howard Young for their longtime support of the university and the UGA Foundation.
Bentley, who earned a bachelor’s degree from UGA in 1947 and a law degree in 1949, will receive the Alumni Merit Award.
Fisher and Nickols will receive the Faculty Service Award, which is given to faculty or staff members for distinguished service to the university. Fisher, who died last August following her March retirement, was associate vice president emeritus for public service and outreach. Nickols served as dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences from 1991 until stepping down in 2006. She remains a faculty member in the college.
Durham, coach of UGA’s men’s basketball team from 1979–1995, will receive the Friend of UGA Award, given to a non-graduate whose professional and public service benefits the university. Durham’s 297-216 won-lost record is best among all 20 head coaches in the men’s basketball program at UGA. Eleven of his 17 teams went to post-season tournaments including the 1983 team that reached the NCAA Final Four.
The Youngs, all UGA graduates, will be recognized as the Family of the Year for their loyalty and service to their community, the university and the Alumni Association.
The Alumni Association has presented the Alumni Merit Award since 1937 and the Faculty Service Award since 1969. The Friend of UGA Award was first presented in 2002. The first Family of the Year Award was presented in 1966, and after being discontinued for a number of years, was revived in 2007.
Bentley began practicing law in Athens immediately after receiving his law degree and remains associated with the firm of Fortson, Bentley and Griffin. He was mayor of Athens from 1976-1979 and also served as Clarke County attorney.
Fisher worked in the university’s public service and outreach program for 27 years, beginning as a Cooperative Extension agent and later serving as a program development specialist with the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and director of the State and Local Government Management Development Program in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. She was named assistant vice president in 1999 and associate vice president in 2001.
Nickols was the fifth person to hold the title of dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and at the time she stepped down was UGA’s longest-serving dean. During her tenure, undergraduate enrollment in the college nearly doubled, private support for professorships and scholarships increased 15-fold and the college strengthened relations with industry, especially in the areas of housing and textiles and apparel.
Durham came to UGA after a 12-year stint at Florida State University, where he had a
230-95 won-lost record. The first coach to take a UGA basketball team to a post-season tournament, he led Georgia to the 1983 Southeastern Conference tournament championship and the 1990 SEC regular-season title and was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1990.
The Young family has extensive ties to UGA and has provided major financial assistance through donations and leadership of the UGA Foundation. Bill Young Sr. is an emeritus trustee of the UGA Foundation, a member of the UGA Presidents Club and served on the Annual Fund Committee. Bill Young Jr. has served on the UGA Foundation board of trustees since 2003 and has been chair since 2007. Earl Howard Young is on the advisory board for UGA’s Honors Program and provides funds for an Honors student to conduct cancer research at UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center.