ABAC's National Coach of Year

MAY 9, 2017

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126

tiftongrapevine.com

ABAC TENNIS COACH NAMED

NATIONAL COACH OF YEAR

DALE WHITE IS TOP JUNIOR COLLEGE WOMEN'S COACH;

ABAC's CELIA MOREL NAMED REGION'S ROOKIE OF YEAR


ABAC'S Dale White, National Coach of the Year, in Tucson on Monday night.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's tennis coach Dale White was named the Junior College Women's National Coach of the Year Monday night in Tucson, Ariz.

The award was presented by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and Wilson Sporting Goods.

"It was a total surprise to get the national award; it's certainly an honor," White told the Tifton Grapevine.

"If it wasn't for the girls that I have on the team this year, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to win the award. "

Also at the event Monday, ABAC's Celia Morel, a freshman from France, was named ITA region Rookie of the Year.

"She's had a great season and is currently ranked No. 4 in the country in singles," Coach White said.

"She's one of the best all-round kids I've ever had. She's the hardest worker and has a great attitude. Combine that with her level of play, and she's only going to get better."

ABAC Athletic Director Alan M. Kramer said, "We are very proud of Coach White in his selection as 2017 Women's National Coach of the Year. Dale is a tremendous


	Celia Morel, Rookie of the Year

and humble ambassador of

ABAC athletics. He has been very successful in balancing coaching duties of student-athletes at a very high level of college tennis along with team community service.

" Dale is very deserving of this national recognition."

Kramer also said that Celia Morel is " a special student-athlete. Her work ethic and character at the No. 1 position set an example for others to follow. We are excited ABAC is a part of her very bright future and look forward to great things from her during her sophomore year."

White and the ABAC Fillies are in Tucson at the junior college NJCAA tennis nationals. The ABAC women's team went into the nationals ranked as t he No. 5 team in the nation.

"The Fillies are currently ninth after the second day (of play) with great opportunities today to move up some spots if we can win some matches," White told the Grapevine today (Tuesday morning).

OCILLA CELEBRATING 'SOUL MAN' DAVE PRATER THIS WEEK

Ocilla and Irwin County residents this week are hosting the third celebration of R&B singer Dave Prater of the group Sam and Dave.

Prater, who died in a car crash in 1988, was a Grammy Award-winning singer who hailed from Ocilla. In 2015, the city began honoring his legacy with a festival.


DAVE PRATER

The t hree-day Prater Music Fest include sthe following events:

Wednesday, May 10: A gospel sing, honoring Dave Prater's roots of singing in church, begins at 7:30 p.m. at Mt. Olive A.M.E. Church, 207 E. Seventh St., Ocilla.

Thursday, May 11: Tribute Dinner and Scholarship Fundraiser begins at 6 p.m. at Irwin County High School, 149 Chieftain Circle, Ocilla.

The winners of the first Dave Prater Music Scholarships will be presented to Irwin County High School seniors interested in pursuing careers in music. Dinner tickets are $15 if purchased by 5 p.m. May 10. Afterward, tickets are $25 at the door. Tickets will be available for purchase with cash or check at Ocilla City Hall, 111 N. Irwin Ave., or with credit cards at the Ocilla-Irwin Chamber of Commerce.


	VIDEO: Sam & Dave perform 'Soul Man'

Call the chamber at 229-468-9114 or City Hall at 229-468-5141.

Friday, May 12: Street festival with live music featuring Jerry Moss and the Southern Soul Band, the Irwin County High Jazz Band and the Irwin County High Show Choir from 6-10 p.m. on North Cherry Street between Fourth and Fifth streets in downtown Ocilla.

Parents are encouraged to bring the young ones. There will be a bounce house sponsored by the Ocilla Police Department and other youth activities. Visitors may wish to bring a chair.

For collectors, the 2017 Prater Music Fest T-shirts will be on sale starting May 10 for $15-$18, depending on size.

For information about Dave Prater, Ocilla's festival and sponsorship opportunities, go to www.PraterMusicFest.com or call 229-468-5141.

ABAC GRADUATION CEREMONY THURSDAY

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College's spring commencement ceremony is 10 a.m. this Thursday, May 11, in Gressette Gymnasium. Approximately 258 graduates are expected to participate.


ROQUEMORE

The featured speaker will be Nell Roquemore, creator of the historic Milltown Murals project in Lakeland. The Milltown Murals depict scenes and residents from Lakeland's past on murals in 41 locations throughout the community. The downtown area shows scenes of Milltown in 1925, the year the community was renamed Lakeland.

Roquemore, a Lakeland native, was its mayor pro tempore in 1973-74. She has published two books, "Roots, Rocks, and Recollections," in 1989, and a "Lanier County: The Land and Its People," in 2000. She also the Lakeland postmaster for 13 years, taught shorthand, typing, and general business at Lanier County High School, and served as secretary to the wing surgeon at Moody Air Force Base.

Mother's Day Buffet

Sunday, May 14

A fabulous menu will include roasted turkey, cornbread dressing, baked ham,

sweet potato soufflé, baby butter beans, squash casserole, roast beef, mashed potatoes,

rice pilaf, macaroni and cheese, cream corn, Italian green beans, glazed carrots, asparagus, Southern fried chicken, rolls, celebration salad, broccoli salad, pasta salad,

24-hour fruit salad, Watergate salad, pimento cheese, chicken salad, grape salad,

marinated vegetable salad, chocolate pie, lemon meringue pie, pecan pie,

carrot cake, chocolate cake, coconut cake, cheesecake, strawberry cake, chocolate Mousse -- and much more!

$12 per person; children age 4 & under are free

Special extended hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Reservations are Suggested:

392-2913 or 382-6745

BJ's at Springhill

5 Springhill Drive E. (off U.S. Highway 82)

inside Springhill Country Club

Tifton, Ga.

TIFTAREA ACADEMY'S CLASS OF '17 COLLEGE-BOUND

Tiftarea Academy held its second annual "Almost Alumni" celebration Friday, May 5, honoring accomplishments of TA's seniors by encouraging them to wear a T-shirt displaying their college selection.

The seniors also took a victory lap through each building on campus as underclassmen cheered them on and congratulated them on their college acceptances. Heather Fletcher, director of development & marketing, said she is especially proud of the Class of 2017.

"This class of 42 students has been offered over $1 million in merit scholarships, excluding the HOPE scholarship. We thought it would be especially fun to add a victory lap parade through each building on campus.," Fletcher said.

"Our hope is that when our lower and middle school students see these seniors being honored with a parade and wearing their selected college shirts, that it will in turn inspire and encourage them to work hard to make the grades so they too can attend the college of their choosing," she added.

Tiftarea Academy will graduate 42 students at 7 p.m. Friday, May 12, at First Baptist Church in Tifton.

SUMMER WRITING WORKSHOP FOR

HIGH SCHOOLERS SET MAY 20

High school students who want to improve their writing skills may attend a summer writing workshop May 20 sponsored by the Department of English and Communication in the School of Liberal Arts at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Michael Lucker, screenwriter and professor at Emory University, will headline the workshop. His work includes, "Vampire In Brooklyn," "Home On The Range," "Good Intentions" and "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 as best animated feature.

He also served as screenwriter on the animated sequels to "Mulan," "Lilo & Stitch," "Emperor's New Groove " and "101 Dalmatians."

The workshop also features Dr. Jeff Newberry, Dr. Sandra Giles and Brandi Arrington from the ABAC faculty. Newberry serves as the ABAC poet-in-residence, while Giles is an accomplished essayist, and Arrington serves as a mentor for Pegasus, ABAC's literary magazine.

The workshop runs 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Academic Achievement Center on the first floor of the Carlton Center on the ABAC campus.

Several types of writing, including poetry and fiction, will be showcased in the workshop, which costs $20 per person. Breakfast, lunch, and a T-shirt are included in the fee. Students are encouraged to bring their own writings as well as a notebook or laptop.

"It should be a lot of fun," said Jordan Cofer, assistant vice president of academic affairs. "Students will have the unique opportunity to work closely with professional writers who can share their expertise and advice."

To register, students may go to the Pegasus site at the ABAC website and click on the link for the Summer Writing Workshop or Click Here!. Payment may be made online at the time of registration.

For information, contact Cofer at 229-391-4971 or Newberry at 229-391-4972, or via e-mail, jcofer@abac.edu or jnewberry@abac.edu

TIFTON OBSERVES

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

Approximately 80 people attended the National Day of Prayer

service in Tifton last Thursday evening at the Leroy Rogers Senor Center.

Local residents led prayers for first responders, military members, churches and ministries, families, youth, educators, healthcare entities and local, state and federal governments.

TCHS VOLLEYBALL TEAM

RAISING FUNDS THROUGH

CLASS OF '17 YARD SIGNS

The Tift County High volleyball team is raising money for summer camps by selling yard signs celebrating the graduating class of 2017.

The signs are $20 and are available through Coach Dana Fletcher at Tift County High's Northeast Campus; email dfletcher@tiftschools.com

GDOT, LOCAL OFFICIALS DO ROAD SAFETY AUDIT

The Georgia Department of Transportation's district traffic operations office recently did a road safety audit. GDOT engineers, state traffic officials, a transportation consultant, a Tift County sheriff's deputy, a Tifton police officer and a city utilities representative recently walked U.S. Highway41/State Road 7 from Forrest Avenue to Interstate 75.

They reviewed driveway access, sight distance, overgrown vegetation covering signs, striping, sidewalks, pedestrian traffic, etc., to determine if changes can or should be made to enhance the corridor. Of particular interest was the proximity of the Forrest Avenue intersection to the Fulwood Boulevard intersection and potential conflicts that could occur.

The road audit may prompt recommendations for safety improvements.

AMERICAN TEXTILE CO. EXPANSION CONTINUES

Lance Ruttenberg, president and CEO of American Textile Co., (at left in photo) spent some time in Washington, D.C., last week with Congressman Austin Scott, R-Tifton.

American Textile has opened two facilities in Tifton in the past six years and will open a larger warehousing and distribution facility here later this summer. The construction, seen above, is on schedule.

SRTC PINS 16 NURSING STUDENTS

Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) last week held a pinning ceremony where 16 associate of science in nursing (ASN) students from the LPN to RN Bridge program and the Generic ASN program were honored by receiving their nursing pins.

The ceremony commemorates the students' successful completion of their nursing course work and clinical rotations. This class of nursing students will participate in SRTC's next scheduled graduation ceremony and will officially be Registered Nurses (RN) pending the passage of their board exams.

The students receiving pins were: Vonteaic Anderson of Macon, Tim Donalson of Thomasville, Amanda Eldridge of Moultrie, Sarah Farmer of Ray City, Karen Fitzpatrick of Thomasville, Brittany Hurst of Pelham, Takara Lopez of Valdosta, Deanna McBride of Moultrie, Josh Moody of Thomasville, Nikki Paul of Warner Robins, Shanna Sheppard of Pelham, Megan Stalvey of DuPont, Heather Stinson of Moultrie, Paige Swearingen of Thomasville, Renee Trawick of Thomasville, and Crystal Wetherington of Thomasville.