UGA Alumni Association: Executive Director's Blog

UGA Grads Pioneer the South’s Newest Cash Crop

Wine connoisseurs tend to be very particular when it comes to the origin and grape used to make some of the world’s fine wines. The same can be said for olive oil. While the experts will tell you the best comes from the Mediterranean region, a Georgia family has set out to prove that quality olive oil can be produced a little closer to home.

The Shaw family of Lakeland, Georgia, produced Georgia’s first certified extra-virgin olive oil through their Georgia Olive Farms cooperative. The trio of farmers responsible includes Jason Shaw (AB ’96), a Georgia state legislator, his father Jay Shaw, and his cousin Kevin Shaw (BS ’93). The deep Southeast used to be home to many olive groves until they were abandoned during the Civil War. The Shaw’s groves are the state’s first commercially grown in more than a century.

The idea began when Jason studied abroad in Verona, Italy, while attending UGA. He realized that the climate in South Georgia mirrors that of the region that produces the world’s finest olive oils The family began with an initial crop of saplings in the spring of 2009, and as of early 2012 their trees had matured and were ready for production. The Shaw’s initial reserves went to Southern chefs, including Athens’ own Peter Dale of The National.

If the olive oil takes hold, that could mean huge revenues for local farmers and the state. The Shaw’s believe that once consumers begin to see the olive oil on the tables of their favorite restaurants, it will sell itself. We hope it does just that! Congratulations and best of luck to this Bulldog family – we’ll keep our eyes peeled for your products in the future.

For more information, please visit georgiaolivefarms.com.To order olive oil from Georgia Olive Farms, go to http://georgiaolivefarms.com/store.php.

Recent Entries

05.20.2013

UGA alumna wins Teach for America award to enrich students’ technological skills

Elizabeth Davidson (BSED '06), a teacher in Philadelphia, has been awarded a 2013 Teach for America Social Innovation Award and $10,000 for ScriptEd, which brings computer-programming and software-development instruction to schools in low-income communities and teaches students the skills necessary to pursue careers in technology.

The 2013 Teach For America Social Innovation Award honored five individuals for their highly promising ventures to expand educational opportunity. The award is designed to provide critical early-stage support to Teach For America alumni with bold ideas for ventures to expand educational opportunity.

Elizabeth, we are proud of your accomplishment and wish you success in your endeavor to enrich your classroom with technology. Congratulations!

05.17.2013

Betsy Crossley (BS ’77, MS ’80) elected mayor of Nashville suburb

Congratulations to newly elected Brentwood, Tenn., Mayor Betsy Crossley (BS ’77, MS ’80)!

Elected as a Brentwood City Commissioner in 2007, Crossley previously served as mayor from 2009 until 2011. She has been a member of the city's Historic Commission, Planning Commission, Tree Board and Library Board. For the past five years, she has served as a member of the Tennessee Municipal League's Board advocating on behalf of municipalities. On the state level, Crossley was appointed to a three-year term on the Tennessee Water and Wastewater Financing Board by the governor in 2011. In 2012, the Speaker of the House appointed her to a two-year term as a member of the Tennessee Local Development Authority. Crossley was the first woman ever appointed to serve in that position.

The alumna moved to Brentwood in 1999. Prior to her public service there, she was a medical researcher and teacher. Her community involvement includes Christ United Methodist Church, the Williamson County Education Foundation Board, Leadership and Youth Leadership Brentwood, Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, Brentwood Rotary Club, and the American Heart Association.

She has been married for more than 30 years to her husband, George. They have two sons who graduated from the University of Tennessee (we’ll let that slide).

We are so impressed with Crossley’s commitment to her community and are impressed by her continued leadership in the Nashville area. Best of luck in this term, Betsy!

05.16.2013

Spotlight on the Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities & Arts

The UGA Willson Center for Humanities & Arts is a showcase for faculty innovation and achievement. It facilitates intellectual exchange with the University and the public by the encouragement of interdisciplinary activity, which extends to the sciences and other orders of knowledge.

The Center is named for Jane Willson, the owner of Sunnyland Farms, Inc., the largest mail-order pecan business in the country, and her late husband Harry Willson, who was the chairman and CEO of Sunnyland Farms before his death in 2004.

The Willson Center for Humanities and Arts was founded as the Humanities Center in 1987 and named thereafter the Center for Humanities and Arts (1997) and the Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts (2005).

The Center coordinates a number of wonderful programs, including today’s special event with Ambassador James A. Joseph titled “Leadership as a Way of Being: Reflections on Nelson Mandela, Servant Leadership and Personal Renewal.” Joseph was the U.S. ambassador to South Africa from 1995 to 1999, the only person in that office to present his credentials to President Nelson Mandela. He served in the administrations of four presidents of the United States.

If you aren’t acquainted with the Willson Center, I encourage you to visit its website at www.willson.uga.edu to learn more about upcoming events. Our University is blessed to have such an incredible resource on campus – another reason it’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog!