Community Learning Center at EGC to honor Fulford

FULFORD

East Georgia College and the East Georgia College Foundation have announced a gift from Mr. and Mrs. A. D. "Pete" Correll for the construction of a Community Learning Center in memory of Ada Lee's mother, Mrs. Sudie A. Fulford. The center will appropriately be called the Sudie A. Fulford Community Learning Center.

Mrs. Fulford, and her children, Durward, Ada Lee, and Beverly were long time residents of Swainsboro. Beverly continues to reside in the family home here.

A highly revered teacher in the Emanuel County School System, upon retirement in 1978, Mrs. Fulford had taught 3rd, 4th and 7th grades at Swainsboro Grammar and Elementary Schools. Mrs. Fulford graduated from Statesboro High School and enrolled in Georgia Teachers College, now Georgia Southern University. She earned a Bachelors and a Masters degree in education with a major in English education and minors in both history and French. Mrs. Fulford attended Emanuel County Junior College (now East Georgia College) earning a certificate in Contemporary Literature.

PLANS FOR NEW CENTER

Mrs. Fulford is remembered well by her students. Bill Rogers, Jr., executive director of the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce, said, "Mrs. Fulford was one of my favorite teachers. You could tell that she had a great love not only for the teaching profession but also for her students. She made us want to reach a little deeper and strive a little harder."

Retired teacher Dorothy Pruitt remarked, "I taught with Sudie and she was also my friend. Sudie was leader in and out of the classroom. Often, Marjorie Applegate, also a teacher, and I would ride with Sudie to our weekly bridge game in her Volkswagen Beetle. I remember stopping many times for Sudie to "rearrange" our seating to balance the bug. I also remember one morning driving up to the school with my young son Alex. Sudie had just driven up and we saw her jump from her car and run to the building. I can still hear Alex exclaim, "Boy, can little Mrs. Sudie run!" She was a very outgoing, energetic woman. She was a joy to know."

Dr. Ennis Bragg of the College of Education at Georgia Southern University also remembered Mrs. Fulford in a very fond and loving manner. "Mrs. Fulford touched the hearts and minds of many, many students during her teaching tenure."

Located just inside the new East Georgia College entrance, the Sudie A. Fulford Community Learning Center will face Lambs Bridge Road on the South campus. It will overlook the entrance road and Pa's Pond. The Center will be a multidisciplinary learning center open to all Emanuel County residents, providing space for individual as well as group learning and will be available for extended hours of operation.

The Center will include an educational technology center where teacher education students, K-12 teachers and students, and college faculty will acquire hands-on training in the latest classroom technology. The facility will provide space for small group tutoring, group studies and flexible classroom style areas for meetings, workshops, and small conferences. The Center will also be utilized for continuing education classes and workshops for the Georgia Rural Economic Development Center.

Another exciting feature of the Center is the possible addition of a domed ceiling in the great room that will serve as a setting for a planetarium. With proper projection equipment, lighting and seating, the planetarium will add another educational resource to the community.

The Learning Center will be built using the guidelines of the United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. The LEED rating system encourages and accelerates sustainable green building and development practices. Five key areas of the LEED system include water savings, energy efficiency, sustainable site development, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

President John B. Black said, "East Georgia College is pleased that Pete and Ada Lee Correll have chosen to build this wonderful facility on our campus. We are excited about its potential to enhance learning throughout our community. The fact that the Center will be constructed according to LEED guidelines matches nicely our campus environmental master plan, which has identified three federally endangered animal species. The Center will be located in a perfect place for students to study and enjoy nature."

Planning for the Center has involved faculty and staff from East Georgia College, Superintendent Butch Frye, Assistant Superintendent Jean Schwabe of the Emanuel County Board of Education, and community representatives Bill Rogers, Jr. and Representative Larry J. "Butch" Parrish. The architectural programming and concept drawings were developed by Maxwell and Palmer Architectural and Engineering firm of Statesboro. Kevin Palmer, associate with Maxwell and Palmer, is a native of Swainsboro.

"The Emanuel County School System is very excited about the Community Learning Center. The Center will, no doubt, create a comfortable atmosphere for learning and will provide a broad range of continuing education opportunities for our teachers and additional one-onone assistance for our students. We have for many years enjoyed a positive and productive relationship with East Georgia College and the creation of the Community Learning Center will further enhance our partnership," commented Superintendent Butch Frye.

Groundbreaking for the new Center is anticipated in August 2008 with completion in approximately eight or nine months depending on weather.

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