*UGA Night at Six Flags The UGA Alumni Association and the Department of Student Activities proudly announce UGA Night at Six Flags. Join us Friday, April 29, 2005 from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. During this time, Six Flags will be open exclusively to UGA students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends. Tickets are $20 for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. Parking is free! Special UGA guests include the UGA Cheerleaders, Pep Band and Miss UGA 2005! Attendees are encouraged to wear red and black! Tickets will be available starting March 21, 2005 at the Tate Student Center cashier window or by calling 706-542-8074. UGA students may purchase a round-trip bus ticket to Six Flags for $5.00 (limited space available). All tickets purchased after April 28 will have a surcharge of $5. SPECIAL OFFER TO UGA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STUDENT MEMBERS ONLY! Show your UGA Alumni Association membership card when you purchase tickets and you will automatically be entered into a raffle for two free 2005 Six Flags seasons passes. You will also receive discount coupons for merchandise and food at UGA Night at Six Flags! *Class of 1955 50th Reunion Reunion Weekend April 29 - May 1, 2005. Contact Claude McBride '55 for more details at cmbride@uga.edu or 800-606-8786. *UGA Awards Luncheon For over 60 years, the UGA Alumni Association has annually recognized distinguished alumni who have demonstrated outstanding loyalty and service to the University of Georgia. The first Alumni Merit Award was given in 1937 and in 1969, the Faculty Service Award was added. In 2002, the Association initiated another prestigious award. The "Friend of UGA" recognizes a non-graduate whose professional and public service has greatly assisted the University. The awards for 2004 will be presented on April 29, 2005, 12 Noon, at the Athens Country Club. Cost is $20.00 Association Members / $25.00 Guests R.S.V.P. by April 22 to Shea Landers or 542-2745. This year, the Alumni Merit Award will be given posthumously to the Honorable George D. Busbee BBA '49, LLB '52. Ivery D. Clifton, Gene E. Michaels BS '58, MS '61, PHD '67 and Larry Weatherford BSED '54 will each receive the Faculty Service Award. The Friend of UGA award will be given to Cecil M. Phillips. Phillips is managing partner of Place Properties in Atlanta and president of Place Properties Companies. Inaugurals During February and March, UGA had two representatives at Inaugural activities: On February 11, Patricia E. Norris '82 represented UGA at the Michigan State University inauguration. On March 21, Cathy Wright Hall '75, '77 represented UGA at the East Carolina University inauguration. *Advice from UGA Alumni to the Class of 2005 Many thanks to all alums who have already submitted responses. In addition to placing a portion of these great nuggets of advice in a book for graduating seniors who are Association members, we will also post ALL of the submission on our Web site in a few weeks on our Student Programming page!

*Class Notes Tell us your accomplishments! Read all about your fellow alumni by registering on the UGA Online Community and post your notes as well. Susan Lee (Gambrell) Reinhardt '84 has signed her first New York publishing book deal. Not Tonight Honey, Wait Til I'm a Size 6 is gaining national attention and reviews from many NY Times best-selling authors. She has been featured on a British documentary and will appear in newspapers worldwide after the book is released in early May. Authors such as Jill Conner Brown, Ronda Rich, and Laurie Notaro have praised her humorous collection of stories and essays and called her the "Southern Belle's answer to David Sedaris," or "One of the South's best storytellers." A sample from the book - both audio and text - can be found on her web site. She is a mother of two, a syndicated columnist and lives in Asheville, N.C. She is married to jazz musician Stuart Reinhardt and is a volunteer for Hospice, the Leukemia Society and is a member of the PTA."

For more Alumni Association information on multicultural events please contact Jamie Johnson at 706-542-8158 or visit the Association's Multicultural Programming web site. *Alumni Needed for upcoming Admitted Minority Student Receptions Join the the UGA Alumni Association and Office of Undergraduate Admissions for the following upcoming reception events for admitted minority students. April 18, 6:30 p.m., Atlanta Alumni Center April 23, 3:00 p.m., Sanford Stadium SkySuites, Athens Alumni attending will be asked to introduce themselves and mingle with admitted UGA students and parents. To RSVP, contact Jamie Johnson, UGA Alumni Association Multicultural Programming, at jamiej@uga.edu or 1-800-606-8786. Please specify which reception you will attend. BEST's "Evening of Distinction" The Black Educational Support Team (BEST) cordially invites you to attend the inaugural "Increase the Yield - Evening of Distinction" formal on Saturday, April 16, 2005 in Memorial Hall Ballroom at 7 p.m. This formal's goal is to promote diversity on campus and minority enrollment at UGA. Food, music, and an on-site photographer. For more information please contact Tia Williams at tnicolew@aol.com. *Alumni Networking Please join UGA Minority Alumni and friends for a networking event at Gladys' and Ron's Chicken and Waffles on Wednesday, May 4, from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., 7301 Stone Crest Concourse, Suite 123, Lithonia, Georgia, near the Stone Crest Mall. Hosted by Keith Nesbitt '01 and Xeron Pledger '95. Food and refreshments provided. All attendees are expected to share their professional goals and interests. Space is limited to 20. RSVP by April 29 to Jamie Johnson, UGA Alumni Association Multicultural Programming at jamiej@uga.edu. Include your name, graduation year(s), and career field. Rite of Sankofa Graduation Ceremony Join us May 13 at 6:00 p.m. in Georgia Hall at the Tate Center. The bi-annual Rite of Sankofa is an Afrocentric rites of passage/graduation ceremony. Students take the "Sankofa pledge," which affirms their intention to give back to their community, gain knowledge, respect their elders and grow spiritually. Friends, family and alumni are invited to the festivities. 40 students will participate in the May ceremony. If you would like to sponsor a student's membership to the Alumni Association, please contact Jamie Johnson at 706-542-8158 or jamiej@uga.edu. This is the perfect opportunity to begin a mentoring relationship with a student and provide guidance for future success. Spring/Summer 2005 Diversity Newsletter http://www.uga.edu/diversity/newsletter/spring2005.pdf

Robert Toombs The legends of Robert Toombs', the southern statesman who attained national acclaim, are still alive 177 years after his dismissal from the University of Georgia. The fabled stories about Toombs student experiences are repeated almost daily by tour guides as prospective students and others visit our historic campus. A sundial in front of the historic chapel is the focus of attention. It marks the spot where a sturdy massive tree called "Toombs Oak" once grew. Historian Nash Boney author of A Pictorial History of the University of Georgia sums up Robert Toombs' career: "Toombs served in the state legislature and in both houses of Congress as a Whig. A unionist in 1850, he joined the secessionists in 1860 and helped take Georgia out of the Union in 1861. He briefly served as Confederate secretary of state and then as a brigadier general in the army". Following the war, Toombs returned to practice law in his hometown of Washington, GA. Even though he was expelled from UGA, Boney says he later became a "fiercely loyal alumnus, serving on the Board of Trustees for many years before and after the war." Robert P. Brooks, author of The University of Georgia under Sixteen Administrations says Toombs was "perhaps the most outstanding man of his era." He has a county named for him, and an avenue in his hometown among other things, but most interesting is how the oak tree on North Campus got its name. As a student, Toombs was anything but exemplary. Boney describes him as "bright and unstable" but contends he was "one of the biggest discipline problems in University history."

Student Spotlight: Darius Goes West! Logan Smalley, John Harmon, and Dylan Wilson, all UGA students, and Daniel Epting, a UGA alum, are teaming up this summer to make UGA history. Smalley and Harmon, both special education majors, are leading an effort to take Darius Weems, a 15-year old with Muscular Dystrophy on the trip of a lifetime. Darius, who was born with all his motor skills, is now confined to a wheelchair due to the course of his disease. The idea of the project is to take Darius, who has never left the state of Georgia, on a cross country trip to see America. The UGA affiliates, along with six other up and coming UGA students (high school seniors at local Clarke Central), will rent a wheelchair accessible RV bound for California. Logan, Dylan, and Daniel refuse to sit idly as Darius's quality of life disintegrates faster than his muscles. They are the senior members of the Darius Goes West project. The full story and details can be found at www.dariusgoeswest.com. The success of this project hinges completely on grassroots support. The Darius Goes West project is a non-profit organization through the local sponsorship of Family Connections. The "crew" has come up with a unique and exciting fund-raiser that anyone can participate in. At the project website, "special thanks" movie credits are for sale that will appear at the end of the Darius Goes West film and can be purchased for as low as $10. It is a heartwarming website that everyone should see. Find out more about Darius and Smalley, Harmon, Wilson and Epting!

On our Regional Programming page, use the dropdown menu to see the Regional Contact and scheduled activities for your area. No Regional Contact for your city? If you are interested in being a contact person for UGA alumni near you, contact UGA Alumni Association Programs Coordinator Ryan Cheek '02 at rcheek@uga.edu or 800-606-8786. Upcoming Regional Events Read more about each of the events below by clicking on the Association's city page. Miami, FL "That's just Jess(i)e" Tune in to hear UGA alums Jesse Hagget '02 and Jessie Darga '01 on the "That's just Jess(i)e" radio show on Barry University's campus radio station WBRY 1640 AM. The call-in number is 305.899.3463. "That's just Jess(i)e" can be streamed online as well at: http://stream.barry.edu/barryradiostation.asx Madison, WI New Regional Contact Matt Mullis '89 Feel free to touch base with Matt at mmullis@sbcglobal.net and get ready to pour Red and Black all over Badger land! New York City, NY *UGA Night at Shea Stadium, Braves/Mets! Join fellow UGA alums out at Shea Stadium on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 to see the New York Mets take on the Atlanta Braves. *New York Peabody Reception The Alumni Association is pleased to again sponsor the Winners Champagne Tribute during UGA's Peabody Week Celebration. This event provides an excellent way for NYC area Association members who are unable to attend the Peabody luncheon to be a part of the festivities. Members have the opportunity to mingle with the Peabody recipients and to hear a program where several honorees discuss what winning a Peabody means to them. Peabody Award Winners' Champaign Reception - Monday, May 16, 2005 - Museum of Television and Radio - 5 p.m. New York City, NY *UGA Night at Shea Stadium, Braves/Mets! Join fellow UGA alums out at Shea Stadium on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 to see the New York Mets take on the Atlanta Braves! Tampa, FL Golf Tournament The Tampa Bay Bulldog Club Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2005 with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. San Francisco, CA Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants July 18, 2005 Bulldogs Helping Bulldogs If you have hired a UGA alum, please let us know. E-mail Ryan Cheek. Learn about alumni activities in your city through the UGA Alumni Association's Online Community.

UGA Press Now available in paperback! Wildflowers of the Eastern United States by Wilbur H. Duncan and Marion B. Duncan. Richly illustrated with over 600 color photographs, this guide describes more than 1,100 wildflowers that can be found east of the Mississippi-in our woods and parks, along mountain trails or dunes, and even floating in streams. Available in paperback for $19.95, and, as always, UGA alumni receive a 20% discount from UGA Press on all our books. Call us at 1-800-266-5842 to order, or visit us online. Gameday Centers Tailgate in style this season! Last Unit Available, fully furnished, two parking spaces, top floor unit, stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer, granite counters, hardwood floors, on-site rental management program, walk to Sanford Stadium. For more information call 800-693-8204 or visit www.gamedaycenters.com. UGA Credit Card Request the University of Georgia MasterCard or Visa credit card! Show your pride each time you use the card. Brought to you by the UGA Alumni Association and MBNA America. Student card application Worldpoints card application Graduation gifts! It's never too early... Visit the UGA Alumni Association's Merchandise page. Choose from UGA lamps, chairs, diploma displays and more!