FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Laura García-Culler, Executive Vice President
912.651.2125, or Email

Georgia Historical Society’s 275th Birthday Bash and Annual Awards Gala Sells Out

Savannah, GA - February 8, 2008. The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is pleased to announce that the 275th Birthday Bash and Annual Awards Gala on February 16 is sold out, with nearly 500 confirmed attendees including Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, Georgia Commissioner of Labor Michael Thurmond, and U.S. Representative John Barrow (D-GA). In addition, awardees Bradley Hale from Atlanta and Archie Davis from Savannah, who has been ill and was not initially expected to attend, will be on hand to personally receive their respective awards.

The Georgia Historical Society and a sold out crowd of nearly 500 national, state, and local leaders will honor this anniversary during a gala evening that will feature acclaimed author and NBC's Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss as Keynote Speaker. The evening will begin with cocktails at the site of Oglethorpe's landing; dinner will follow in a seating plan designed to evoke Savannah's famous historic squares. The program will feature greetings from Her Majesty's government, the presentation of the Society's three major awards, and Mr. Beschloss' address on great moments of leadership in American history. A book signing and dancing will roundout the 275th Birthday Bash.

GHS will honor two longtime supporters during the event. Atlantan Bradley Hale will receive the John Macpherson Berrien Award for lifetime achievement in Georgia history. Savannahian Archie H. Davis will receive the Sarah Nichols Pinckney Volunteer of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals who have selflessly contributed their time and resources to advance the mission of the Georgia Historical Society to collect, preserve, and share Georgia history. 

The gala event was planned to mark the particular significance of this year's Georgia Day. Georgia Day (officially February 12) celebrates the founding of the Georgia Colony at Savannah by James Edward Oglethorpe in 1733. Thus, 2008 marks the 275th anniversary of the founding of both the state of Georgia and the city of Savannah. This program is part of GHS's Georgia Days, a month-long  commemoration of Georgia's rich history, and GHS's signature educational event of the year. GHS works with Georgians of all ages to instill and preserve a sense of the past and a knowledge of the history of our state and nation, borne from the belief that citizens who understand their past are more likely to be engaged in the political, cultural, and educational life of their community. For more information about Georgia Days 2008 events, visit www.georgiahistory.com and follow the Georgia Days links.

Keynote Address Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Jepson, Jr.

For a full listing of Georgia Days sponsors, click here.