[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 25 (Thursday, February 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN TRIBUTE TO ABRAHAM BALDWIN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

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                           HON. JIM MARSHALL

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 14, 2008

  Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Abraham 
Baldwin Agricultural College as it marks 100 years since its doors 
first opened for classes.
  The school, which is known throughout Georgia as ABAC, has grown from 
a high school with three instructors and 27 students to more than 3,600 
students with a reputation as one of the Nation's 10 best community 
colleges.
  Located in Tifton, GA, the school is the product of a 1906 Georgia 
law that established a district agricultural high school in each of 
Georgia's congressional districts. Mr. H.H. Tift successfully led an 
effort to secure the school for Tifton, which outbid other area cities. 
The school--originally named The Second District A&M School--opened its 
doors on February 20, 1908.
  Madam Speaker, students received a high school education that let 
them go on to careers in farming, business and medicine, but as 
education improved in rural areas, the State saw the need for a men's 
senior State college in South Georgia. In 1924, the school began the 
transition from a high school curriculum to a college program as the 
South Georgia A&M College.
  This would be the first of several changes to the school's name and 
purpose. The biggest change came in the midst of the Great Depression 
in 1933, when the college's focus was narrowed to just agriculture and 
home economics and it was renamed the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural 
College to honor a Georgia signer of the United States Constitution.
  Madam Speaker, the school's focus has expanded over the years and now 
includes 57 diverse programs of study, including bachelor of applied 
science degrees in diversified agriculture and in turfgrass and golf 
course management.
  ABAC's programs in turfgrass and golf course management have been 
cited as some of the best in North America, and the college has also 
been recognized for its top marks in student-facility interaction and 
academic challenge.
  Madam Speaker, I am confident my colleagues will join me in honoring 
ABAC for its 100 years of service to Georgia's students.

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