STATESBORO  — Three Eagles received an award for their Waddie Welcome Archive – Savannah Signs project at the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council on Oct. 15.

The professors recognized were Robert K. “Bob” Batchelor, Ph.D., Tom Kohler and Susan Earl.

The project involved the preservation of photographs and hand-painted signs from Savannah by African-American artists, according to Batchelor, the history and digital humanities professor.  

“It is a project that was designed to highlight the role Georgia Southern can play as a key cultural institution for preserving the history of the Coastal Plain,” Batchelor said. 

Kohler and Earl took the photographs and helped Batchelor organize them using facilities at the Jepson Museum in Savannah with help from Bede Mitchell, Autumn Johnson, Emily Earl and Mike Bess in their respective areas. Kohler and Earl are longtime community activists whose papers from the Waddie Welcome project will be going into the state archives at Morrow, according to Batchelor.

Jimmy Carter also received a lifetime achievement award for his role in Georgia politics and the Carter Center’s preservation of archives. 

This was the 17th annual GHRAC awards and was hosted at the Georgia Archives. The GHRAC has a mission to promote the educational use of Georgia’s documentary heritage and support the conditions of records throughout Georgia. 

Sarah Smith, The George-Anne Managing News Editor, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu