November 9, 2020
Senator Kelly Loeffler reacts to supporters during an Election Night party at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead on November 3.
Photograph by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
We’ve had a taste of this over the past few days, but now it’s official: For the next two months, Georgia becomes the center of the world. The state’s two U.S. Senate races are going to a January 5 runoff; the outcome almost certainly will determine control of the chamber, and therefore of the legislative branch. If both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win their races and if two other not-yet-called contests, in North Carolina and Alaska, go to Republicans, as is expected Democrats will have 50 Senate seats, with vice president Kamala Harris able to cast a tie-breaking 51st vote. 2020 has been a wild ride, no? Now, in the year’s final turn, that entire vehicle careens down I-75 and crashes into Georgia like a flaming dump truck.
Board helps UGA navigate the COVID-19 pandemic
January 20, 2021
Preventative Measures Advisory Board does essential work to keep campus safe
Last semester, the University of Georgia was able to remain open while many universities across the country opted for completely virtual learning environments. Much of the credit for keeping the UGA campus safe and in operation can be owed to a team of 13 experts from a wide variety of backgrounds who make up the Preventative Measures Advisory Board.
PMAB helped to determine the safest methods for conducting in-person classes during a pandemic based on current COVID-19 research and CDC guidelines. They worked to figure how to keep the marching band practicing and performing without potentially spreading germs. From the UGA golf course to football games to air ventilation and strategically placed plexiglass shields, PMAB worked hard to outsmart the looming threat of COVID-19.
Abbott family donates $500,000 to Georgia Historical Society Endowment
Polly Powers Stramm
When Jane Harty Abbott died last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, her family like many others could only have a small, graveside service.
“Mom died in May when the world was falling apart and we weren’t able to do a funeral,” explained Tony Abbott. “Afterward we (including his four siblings) decided to honor her (along with their father, Laurie K. Abbott).”
After Laurie Abbott died in 2006, the family set up a fund as part of the Georgia Historical Society’s Endowment (georgiahistory.com). After their mother’s death, the family changed the name of the fund to include Jane Harty Abbott and, in December 2020, they donated an additional $500,000 to the Laurie K. and Jane Harty Abbott Fund to ensure that their dedication to Georgia history education would continue in perpetuity.