TIFTON—With the recent naming of the Ford B. Spinks Exhibit Hall at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture, a renewed emphasis has been placed on the Ford and Ruby Lee Spinks Scholarship at ABAC.
“This scholarship honors the memory of these two wonderful folks, and it will provide support for students with financial need at ABAC for years to come,” Dr. Deidre Martin, Chief Development Officer at ABAC, said. “Our goal is to endow the scholarship at $25,000.
“Ford and Ruby Lee were always happy to open their home to others. Countless wedding and baby showers were hosted in their home, and even more friends and neighbors enjoyed a homemade meal at their table.”
Museum Director Garrett Boone said ABAC honored Ford Spinks with the naming of the Ford B. Spinks Exhibit Hall which recognizes an ABAC alumnus who was a key influencer in the establishment of the Georgia Agrirama in Tifton in 1976 and a strong supporter of the State Museum of Agriculture when it became a part of ABAC in 2010.
A World War II veteran, Spinks served in the Georgia State Senate from 1962 until 1971. He also served on the Georgia Public Service Commission from 1971 until 1989. An active member of the community, Spinks owned and operated Tifton Tractor Company, was a director at South Georgia Banking Company, and was the chairman of the Coastal Plain Area Tourism Council. In 2000, he was named to the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce Wall of Fame.
Ruby Lee Spinks received countless awards for her volunteer efforts and community involvement including the Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson’s Keep America Beautiful, Inc. Award and the Tift Regional Medical Center John B. Prince III Distinguished Service Award. She was president of the Tifton Council of Garden Clubs, served on the ABAC Foundation Board, the Tift Regional Medical Center Board, and the Georgia Museum of Agriculture Foundation Board.
Contributions may be made by check payable to the ABAC Foundation and sent to the following address: ABAC Foundation, 2802 Moore Hwy, ABAC 13, Tifton, GA 31793. All gifts to the scholarship are tax deductible.
For more information on the scholarship, interested persons can contact Martin at dmartin@abac.edu .
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