Athens, Ga. – The UGA Alumni Association will honor former provost Arnett C. Mace Jr.; Atlanta businessman John F. McMullan; the Thomson-based Watson-Brown Foundation Inc.; and the family of Savannah businessman Craig Barrow III at its annual awards luncheon at noon April 23 in the Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center.
“With these awards, the association expresses its deep appreciation and admiration to people who, through their service, contributions and accomplishments, bring distinction and honor to the University of Georgia, our state, nation and the world,” said Deborah Dietzler, executive director of the Alumni Association.
The 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.
The Faculty Service Award is given to active or retired faculty or staff members in recognition of long and dedicated service to the university and exceptional performance and achievement in the recipient’s field. Since this award was established, 80 faculty and staff members have been honored.
Mace, this year’s recipient of the award, retired from UGA in December after serving as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost for seven years. Prior to that, he was dean of the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources for 11 years.
Currently a special assistant to UGA President Michael F. Adams, Mace is working to get the university’s medical education partnership with the Medical College of Georgia in place at the Navy Supply Corps School property. Mace has led UGA’s efforts to establish the partnership, which will train new physicians and health workers for the state.
The Alumni Merit Award is the association’s oldest honor; this is the 73rd year it will be presented to honor a UGA graduate who has demonstrated outstanding loyalty and support for the university in addition to achieving superior professional leadership. To date, 140 alumni have received the award.
McMullan, this year’s recipient, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from UGA in 1958 and 1960, respectively. He is chief executive officer of Camden Real Estate, an Atlanta-based company he founded in 1990. He also serves as a director of Life Care Centers of America Inc., which operates more than 280 skilled nursing, assisted living and retirement centers in 28 states, and has been affiliated with Life Care since its inception in 1976.
McMullan is a trustee of UGA’s Arch Foundation and an emeritus trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of CPAs, the Georgia Society of CPAs and the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, of which he is a former chairman.
A member of Sigma Chi, McMullan was instrumental in rebuilding the current fraternity house on the UGA campus.
The Friend of UGA Award recognizes a non-graduate whose professional and public service has greatly assisted the university. This year’s recipient of the award is the Watson-Brown Foundation Inc.
Founded in 1970 by Walter J. Brown, the foundation was established to provide college opportunities for underprivileged boys and girls.
The program, named for Thomas E. Watson and J.J. Brown, awards more than $1 million in merit and need-based college scholarships each year to students from the central Savannah River area of Georgia and South Carolina. The foundation also awards grants in support of Southern colleges and universities.
The association’s 2010 Alumni Family of the Year is the family of Craig Barrow III of Savannah. One of the original organizers of Savannah Bank, Craig received a bachelor’s degree in economics from UGA in 1965.
Currently, he is managing director of Sterne, Agee and Leach Inc. A founder of the Board of Visitors of the UGA Libraries, he also is founder and current chairman of the UGA Press Advisory Council and a former UGA Foundation Trustee.
Barrow’s wife, Diana, received a bachelor’s degree in English from UGA in 1965. Secretary/treasurer of the 1965 senior class while she was a student at UGA, she is past president of the Junior League of Savannah, the Telfair Museum, the Episcopal Churchwomen of St. John’s and the Trustees’ Garden Club.
Currently, she is chairwoman of the Wormsloe Foundation, a member of the board of directors of the Garden Club of America, president of the Directresses of the Telfair Women’s Hospital and a member of the board of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
The Barrows’ son, Thornton, received a bachelor’s degree in economics from UGA in 1994. He is a trustee of the Wormsloe Foundation and is a broker at Sterne, Agee and Leach Inc. in Savannah. His graduation represented the tenth generation of Barrows to attend UGA.
Luncheon tickets, which are $25 each, may be purchased from Wanda Darden, wdarden@uga.edu or 706/ 542-8199, in alumni relations.
