Tracy Coley, ABJ, MFA
RANKIN FOUNDATION TURNS 50
Five women, one mentor, and a growing legacy of education
In 1976, a team of five Athens women formed a foundation in the name of suffragist Jeannette Rankin to award scholarships to women college students 35 and older with low income. Their first scholar received a grant of $500 that helped her pay for books and supplies for a nursing degree.
Fifty years later, the $16,000 seed money from the sale of Rankin’s Watkinsville house has burgeoned into a $6 million endowment under the auspices of the Jeannette Rankin Foundation that has helped over 3,000 women change the trajectory of their lives and achieve their dreams through advanced education. And in its 50th year, the foundation is hoping to reach a $16 million fundraising goal to fund more grant programs.
A STAR STORYTELLER
The go-to author for Black celebrities
Nick Chiles has spent four decades chronicling African American life and culture of famous men. His pop-culture icon biographies have put him at the top of the literary agent referral list for helping celebrities write their memoirs.
A lot of people have likely never heard of Chiles, a faculty member in the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications. But the name of the Yale graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist appears on book covers beneath notables Jamie Foxx, Bobby Brown, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Rev. Al Sharpton, former NBA player Etan Thomas and former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, to name a few. He’s the go-to man for Black male celebrities opening up their lives in a public medium, a tell-all opportunity to clear the air, quell rumors, and be honest with fans.
ACROSS THE GENERATIONS
Work ethic, baseball, and Springsteen tie this family together
Leitch and his wife, Alexa Stevenson – a Columbus, Georgia, native and University of Georgia alumna – moved from the bustling life of New York City to slower paced Athens in 2013 to create a home where their kids could “have a yard and a dog” and avoid the pressures of preschool applications. His parents, Bryan, 76, and Sally, 74, followed in 2017, “to be near the grandkids.” Together the two families bridge the generational divide for a happy, blended life.
MEN'S ROUNDTABLE
A group of local men learn how to consciously cultivate male friendships
On every other Friday morning, a small group of older men gathers in a local library to chat—not about their latest book reads, but to discuss meaningful topics and shared interests. What began as an intellectual discussion group called Wisemen through the OLLI program has turned into a close-knit group of friends who share the challenges of growing older. Today, they go by the name Men’s Roundtable.
87 MAYNARD STREET
A wayward Vietnam veteran reunites with family after disappearing for over 50 years.
Tamala Baker had just gotten home from her job as manager of the soup kitchen in Athens on May 14 when she noticed the incoming call from Denise. The last time she’d had contact with her cousin’s half-sister was five years ago when Denise said she and her siblings wanted nothing to do with their biological father Walter Dukes, or with Baker’s family. So Baker knew something must have happened for Denise to call her out of the blue.
“Hey, there’s a detective trying to get in touch with you,” Denise said. “Walter had a stroke.”
Awarded Best Feature Writing in 2022 by the North American Mature Publishers Association
BEECHWOOD HILLS
First midcentury planned subdivision introduced Athens to modern living
Jack Miller came to Athens in 1953 in his late 20s with a dream to build a new life and home for his wife and growing family. Now 94 years old and the longest and oldest living Beechwood Hills resident on record, Jack reflects upon the house he and his late wife Marianna built in the first ranch-style planned subdivision in Athens.
REDEFINING RETIREMENT
Boomer volunteers take on passion projects
Sandy Adams has long believed that her work should have purpose, that she should do good in the world and always leave things better than she found them. When she retired in 2013 as the physical education department chair and adaptive Physical Education teacher in the Elbert County School System, she turned her full-time focus to something not just good, but really special. She has created an innovative program for special needs students that has become a model for other school systems in Georgia.
LOOKING FORWARD
Planning for travel after the pandemic
June Warfield felt as if she and her family had stepped off their cruise ship into a strange new world when they docked in San Diego on March 19. The city, normally brimming with people strolling palm-lined streets, was deserted. The new arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. had shut the doors of restaurants and bars, so their only source of dinner was sandwich take-out from the hotel’s sundry shop.
A RECKONING
John Archibald was destined to write about injustice.
In his recent book, “Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Movement,” he explores how that letter impacted his life and intersected with the beliefs of his family, including those of his father, United Methodist minister Rev. Robert Archibald.
Pets and the Pandemic: An Afternoon with Cosmo
Most people have grown closer to their pets during the pandemic, but few pets talk to their owners like Cosmo.
If you’ve lived in the Athens area for any length of time, chances are you know or have heard of Dr. Betty Jean Craige and her African Grey parrot Cosmo. It could be said that Betty Jean is well-known because of Cosmo, although some could argue the reverse. But it does seem the two are often spoken of together, as in, “You know, the professor with the talking parrot.”
THE PRACTICE OF HUMAN-KINDNESS
An Entire Career Dedicated to Helping Students
Bonnie Joerschke has spent a long career in student financial aid. But she's been more than just the Director of Student Financial Aid at the University of Georgia. She’s been on a personal mission to help all students needing extra support, and very has often that assistance has extended to her role as mentor.
GROWING PAINS AT VET MED
Meeting the Demands of a Growing Animal Healthcare Market
Small exam rooms, crowded surgical facilities, and an increasing number of patients have prompted UGA's College of Veterinary Medicine to embark on an ambitious fundraising campaign to build a new state-of-the-art teaching hospital.
Georgia Magazine
AESCULAPIAN
A UGA Alumni Veterinary News Magazine
The Aesculapian was redesigned from a two-color tabloid format into a glossy, four-color quarterly magazine for the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. I served as editor and managing editor, primary writer, and advertising coordinator, directing an in-house designer.
CVM ANNUAL REPORT
An Up-Close Look at the College of Veterinary Medicine
This was the first of a redesigned format of the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. Previously a newspaper tabloid version, the new design provided a graphically pleasing photo-filled magazine of updates and financial reports. Most of the photos included in the report are the CVM's hospital clients. I directed an in-house designer, wrote the bulk of the content and hired freelancers to supplement stories.
