Dawgs through the Decades: UGA in the 1990s

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As the birthplace of higher education, UGA is guided by a respect for history and tradition. We’re taking a trip down nostalgia lane to learn about college life through the decades. So dust off your flannels and grunge band T-shirts as we go back to the 1990s.

The 1990s were defined by pop culture and innovative technology. It was a spirited decade in America and that was no different on UGA’s campus. The university hosted three Olympic competitions in 1996, putting Athens on the map as an internationally recognized hub for sports, culture and entertainment. During this decade, our historic campus also expanded with new buildings like the Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities and the Georgia Museum of Art.

Students in the 1990s were committed to creating better communities around the world and empowering the next breed of Bulldogs to continue that tradition. They embodied the world-class spirit of UGA, promoting diversity and inclusion year-round, worldwide and lifelong. UGA’s distinguished alumni from this decade include retired NFL player Terrell Davis (BSFCS ’95), Congolese ambassador Dr. Faida Mitifu (PHD ’94), sports journalist and NYT best-selling author Mark Schlabach (ABJ ’96), Pulitzer Prize winner Brad Schrade (AB ’92, MA ’95). Bulldogs from the ’90s continue to inspire pride among alumni, students and fans.

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Campus Highlights

Here are some important moments in UGA’s history in the 1990s:

1990

1991

1993

  • Telvis Rich (BSW ’94, MSW ’95) became the first Black student to serve as president of the Student Government Association

1994

  • School of Ecology established within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; environmental literacy requirement instituted for all undergraduates
  • UGA was chosen as site for Olympic soccer and volleyball during the 1996 Olympic games

1995

1996

  • UGA hosted three competitions during the Centennial Olympic Games
  • The Georgia Museum of Art opened a new building on East Campus as part of the Performing and Visual Arts Complex, which includes the School of Music, the Performing Arts Center and the Lamar Dodd School of Art

1997

  • The late Bernard B. Ramsey left the university its largest single gift (at the time), $18.8 million

1998

  • UGA converted from quarter terms to semester terms
  • UGA Professor Edward J. Larson won a Pulitzer Price for History

1999

  • University campus dedicated as an Arboretum
  • UGA at Oxford opened, making it the first university-owned residential facility abroad
  • Hilton Young (BSED ’79) became the first Black president of UGA’s National Alumni Association (now the UGA Alumni Association)
  • Mark Anthony Thomas (BBA ’01) became the first Black editor-in-chief of The Red & Black
uga campus 1999

UGA’s campus in 1999. Notice any differences from today?

Classic City Entertainment

Following the creative ascent of bands like R.E.M and the B-52s in the ’80s, Athens was established as a cultural epicenter for music. Students flocked to venues and bars like the Flying Buffalo, Rockfish Palace, T.K. Harty’s Saloon, The Odyssey, Georgia Bar and Boneshakers.

The Uptown Lounge, a popular music club, became the Atomic Music Hall in the mid-’90s. Atomic gained recognition as one of the most vital underground rock clubs during the 1990s. It hosted punk-rock bands like Trash Fest, Harvey Milk, Jucifer, Trinket, Space Cookie and Buzz Hungry. The club also attracted national acts such as Hole, the Oblivions and Drivin’ N Cryin’.

Other popular acts during the ’90s included Of Montreal and Drive-By Truckers. The Elephant 6 Collective, a group of like-minded indie bands, gained nationwide exposure in the mid-1990s with the rise of Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power and Olivia Tremor Control.

In 1998, a week after the release of their first live album, Light Fuse, Get Away, Widespread Panic closed the streets of Athens to put on a free album release party for 100,000 fans. The live concert broke Metallica’s record for the largest record release party.

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Music Essentials

The 1990s were filled with a range of pop, rap and alternative artists. Girl groups and boy bands like Destiny’s Child, Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, TLC and the Spice Girls took center stage. Meanwhile, solo artists like Mariah Carey, Tupac Shakur, Alanis Morrissette, Whitney Houston and Madonna pushed the boundaries of pop culture with their eccentric styles and cutting edge performances. Reminisce on the ’90s with this UGA Alumni throwback playlist!

Tune into the 1990s

Fashion Trends

Fashion returned to minimalism in the 1990s, sharply contrasting the bold and elaborate styles of the ’80s. Wardrobe staples included cardigans, long, fitted skirts, straight-legged pants, cropped T-shirts and overalls—all in neutral tones. During the early to mid-1990s, grunge and alternative bands like Nirvana influenced an “anti-fashion” movement which consisted of oversized clothing, flannel shirts, distressed jeans, Doc Martens and bucket hats. Students on campus could be seen wearing a combination of these styles, but most opted for a UGA T-shirt with high tops or white, chunky sneakers.

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TV Shows

The 90’s gave birth to television shows and sitcoms, entertaining sporting events, blockbuster movies, and video games. Students could be found huddled around bulky, flat-screen TVs watching the latest music videos on MTV. Here are some TV shows that further revolutionized the decade:

  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
  • Family Matters
  • Friends
  • Seinfeld
  • Law & Order
  • Sister, Sister
  • The X-Files
  • Full House
  • Martin

UGA fosters lifelong relationships with alumni, because we are committed to the growth, success and connection of the Bulldog nation. Whether you passed through the Arch in the 1990s or just caught a game inside Sanford Stadium, you’re a Georgia Bulldog and you will Never Bark Alone.

Don’t forget to check out the 1970s and 1980s posts in this series!

*Shannon Moran, writing/communications intern for UGA’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations, is researching and writing this special blog series.

Checking in with Alumni Board Member Truitt Eavenson

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The following Q&A originally ran in the UGA College of Engineering e-newsletter. Thanks to the college for allowing us to share Truitt’s spotlight!

Truitt Eavenson (BSAE ’83) recently retired after a long and successful career with Georgia Power Company. He also recently established the Truitt Eavenson Engineering Scholarship, is a UGA Alumni Association board member, and is a member of the Engineering Advisory Board.

What led you to UGA as an undergrad?

“Growing up 30 miles outside of Athens, I knew that UGA would be where I would go to school. Saturday afternoons listening to Larry Munson on the radio was always a fall tradition. I remember sitting down with the course catalog and reading through the programs, and that’s when I found Agricultural Engineering. I made an appointment with Dr. Robert Brown, and after that visit I knew what my major would be.”

Truitt Eavenson with Uga

Truitt Eavenson with Uga on the sidelines of a football game.

What are your favorite memories of your time at UGA?

“I transferred to UGA in the fall of 1980. Any Dawg fan will say that there was probably not a more exciting time to be in Athens. The football team was headed to the national championship, work was being done to close in the stadium, and Ag Engineering was selling pieces of the track to fans that had sat there and watched a game. The Ag Engineering program was small enough that we really got to know our fellow students and the professors. And I have to put in a plug for Dr. Sid Thompson. He started what would be a long, memorable career and touched many of our lives as students.”

What inspired you to give back to the College of Engineering?

“This may sound like a simple reason, but I was at work one day talking with a colleague that had also graduated from UGA. We were talking about making contributions to the school where you graduated. They made the statement that they really didn’t understand why people wouldn’t support the school where they received their degree, since the school helped you get a job, reach your career goals, and simply gave us the means to provide for our families. That statement really resonated with me, and I started making small contributions to the engineering program.”

What led to your decision to support scholarships in the College of Engineering?

“I think it just grew from making small gifts. I’ve enjoyed a successful career with Georgia Power, and I wanted to do this as a way to pay it back. An early president of Georgia Power used a line in a speech around 1928. He said that we would be a “citizen wherever we serve.” That was a big part of my career with volunteer activities and the jobs that I was asked to do in communities around that state. My fellow employees at Georgia Power have always set the bar really high when it comes to giving back. When you spend 36 years of your career where that is encouraged and supported, it just becomes second nature, and you find yourself looking for opportunities where you can serve.”

What are your hopes for the future recipients of your scholarships?

“My hope is that 40 years from now they will be asked these questions and will be able to say that the study they completed at UGA allowed them to accomplish all their life goals, and that it helped them provide for their families and make a significant contribution in whatever they attempted to do.”

What has been the most rewarding part of supporting a scholarship in Engineering?

“Just knowing that you are doing a small part in helping the next generation prepare for the future. There’s a proverb that says “society grows when men plant trees they will never sit under.” I feel certain these trees will grow and prosper in ways we haven’t even imagined yet!”

 

Meet the Rest of the Board

Mistress of Cultural Affairs: Nawanna Miller’s legacy of diversity and inclusion at UGA

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This was written by Charles McNair.

In fall 1970, Nawanna Lewis Miller (ABJ ’73) took on a daunting mission: showcasing the traditions of African American culture at UGA. The student body at that time was overwhelmingly white, and Miller remembers—painfully—how some classmates did not welcome Black faces.

Miller and her Black classmates resolved to stand up and stand out.

Bannered under the theme of Pamoja, the Swahili word for togetherness, Miller founded a pantheon of Black cultural organizations unlike anything seen before at UGA.

The Pamoja Dancers daringly expressed the Black experience through artistic motion. (Miller danced completely alone at first.) The Pamoja Singers gave beautiful a cappella concerts on the plaza outside Monument Hall. The Pamoja Drama and Arts troupe recounted Black life in stories. (Again, Miller performed solo shows at first.) Finding still more ways to share the importance of Black culture, Miller launched the landmark Journalism Association for Minorities (JAM), and that group produced Pamoja Newspaper.

The ripples of Miller’s work would spread through the next five decades into currently active UGA groups (The African American Choral Ensemble, the Black Theatrical Ensemble, etc.). Thousands of UGA students have taken part in these performing arts ensembles. A 50th Anniversary of Pamoja event in 2020 commemorated their contributions to UGA.

Miller’s leadership came with a unique title: Mistress of Cultural Affairs.

Nawanna Lewis Miller 1970

Nawanna Lewis Miller in the 1970 Pandora yearbook.

“I didn’t know what it meant. Nobody knew what it meant,” Miller laughs. “I went and typed out a job description and took it from there.”

The Pamoja movement excited Black students and left them optimistic … to a degree.

“We only had a minuscule number of Black students on campus,” Miller says, “but they made for a supportive audience.

“A few white students,” she smiles, “were curiously polite.”

New success against long odds

After earning a broadcast journalism degree in just three years–Miller took 20 hours each semester–Nawanna and husband George C. Miller (her sweetheart since junior high school), moved in 1977 to Washington, D.C. George took a high political post in the United States Department of the Treasury in President Jimmy Carter’s administration.

The Millers started a family, eventually to grow to six children and seven grandsons. Though the home front kept her busy, Miller now set her sights on another lifelong dream–the ministry.

“My first encounter with Jesus Christ came while I was still in a high chair,” she says. “Through my whole life, I have vigorously served in the church.”

It would turn out that becoming a female minister at a time when men dominated the clergy would take more determination than she ever imagined.

“I can say that the physical, mental, and emotional impact of attending UGA as a minority student in those early years of integration was very, very costly,” Miller says. “But I believe it was even harder to be accepted among Black people—men especially—as Black preacher.”

Miller approached her pastor at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington about her yearning. As a first step, she served as director of metropolitan youth ministries, offering spiritual guidance to children in 30 organizations. Then, in 1989, more than a decade after moving to D.C. and over the objections of other pastors, Miller was licensed to preach by Reverend Dr. H.B. Hicks, Jr.

Finally, in 1992, Miller was welcomed fully to the gospel ministry following a substantial public catechism by clergy who “courageously ordained her,” she says.

“The beautiful part is that this revolutionary moment happened in front of about 1,500 people. That was a powerful affirmation.”

She became one of the first female pastors in the Baptist church.

Miller went on to earn a master’s degree in divinity from Howard University. When the Millers returned to the Atlanta area, she founded the Messiah’s Temple Christian Ministries, serving as pastor there until 2016.

The Gospel of Great Health

After a stroke in 2015, Miller reduced her time in the pulpit. She now serves as a personal pastor to people “from all walks of life,” she says, sharing spiritual guidance through The Institute for Christian Fellowship, yet another organization she founded, this one in 1996.

She spends time writing books. She has five titles in all, with a new one, B.O.L.O. – Be On the Look-Out for Satan’s Top Ten Tricks, due in 2021.

Nawanna Miller 2021

Nawanna Miller in 2021.

Doctors gave Miller only a 15% chance of surviving her stroke. Yet, once again, her unbreakable spirit prevailed. Turning the setback into something positive, Miller designed The Gospel of Great Health program, teaching what she calls “supernatural energy techniques for healing and wholeness” to students and churches.

She’s seen many changes since her days at UGA, but Miller insists that one thing in her life has always stayed the same.

“Excellence was our brand for all of the Pamoja groups,” she says. “And I’m grateful to say that’s still the standard I’ve been blessed to attempt in everything I’ve done all these years.”

Vaughn’s Victory: Terry College’s first Black female graduate shares remembrances 

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This story was written by Charles McNair. 

Margaret Vaughn (BBA ’70) didn’t realize she was making history.

“I did not set a goal to become the first Black woman to graduate from the Terry College of Business,” she says. “I knew at the time that two Black males had preceded me. But even at graduation, I did not attach any great significance to that moment.”

Vaughn may have been distracted by job offers.

It was 1970, and businesses and the federal government were just waking up to the potential of a diversified professional workforce. Vaughn heard from NASA, the Big 8 accounting firms, the U.S. Department of Labor and others.

“I attribute that attention,” she says modestly, “to the fact that a University of Georgia business degree was highly respected by employers.”

But, hello Houston, there was a problem. The potential employers all wanted Vaughn to relocate–to Texas, New York or New Jersey.

“The U.S. Department of Treasury won out,” Vaughn says, “because the Internal Revenue Service did not require me to leave Georgia.”

In 1970, she started a distinguished career with the IRS, retiring in 2004 after serving in multiple roles with increasing responsibility.

In an unexpected way, Vaughn says, her UGA classroom experience prepared her perfectly for the 1970s business world.

Margaret Vaughn 1970

Margaret Vaughn in the 1970 Pandora yearbook.

“Initially, my work environment was a near mirror image of my environment at UGA,” Vaughn says. “Predominately male and white.”

“I was the only African American and one of only two females in my first tax training class. I was one of only two or three African Americans and the only African American female employed as an IRS field agent in Georgia. I remember being one of only two African Americans in the swearing-in ceremony when I became a certified public accountant.”

“So not only did my UGA experience provide me the technical knowledge to become an expert in my field,” she says, “it also fully prepared me for the environment where I would have to work.”

Roads not taken

Vaughn never plotted to enter the business world.

As a student at Pearl High School in Madison, Georgia, she loved to write. She created the school’s first yearbook and wrote the school’s alma mater. She had her heart set on making a living by the paragraph and page.

That changed in her senior year. The principal of her high school called Vaughn into the office with news.

“You’re going to be the senior class valedictorian,” the principal said. “And you’re going to the University of Georgia. I’ve already talked with your father about it, and he agrees.”

Goodbye Spelman. Goodbye historically Black universities and colleges.

Vaughn, in retrospect, sees two powerful reasons behind that decision made for her.

First, her principal wanted to show that a student from her school could excel at UGA. Second, Vaughn’s dad had come home from the military and had been denied an opportunity to attend UGA. His daughter’s admission would mark an achievement for the Vaughn family. (Margaret would be the first in her immediate family to go to college.)

Dad also had a very practical concern. He felt sure that a business degree could ensure that his brilliant daughter would find a job with steady paychecks and financial security instead of rejection slips and unsold manuscripts.

Taxing times

Vaughn speaks thoughtfully and philosophically about the challenges she faced as a young Black woman in the late ’60s at a newly-integrated Deep South university.

“I entered UGA feeling that a personal sacrifice had been made to enroll,” she says, “but the remaining unanswered question was whether the struggle for representation and inclusion would be worth the sacrifice.”

“Of course, I was also concerned about more immediate matters. What would I face in the classroom? Would I be marginalized? Would I face open hostility? Would I have help in my studies, if I needed it?”

Terry proved an education.

“It felt as though each class held a different UGA experience with different challenges,” she says.

“I specifically remember a speech class. I was the only Black student in a white, predominantly male class, and I was deeply concerned that it would be the worst experience of the quarter.”

“The icebreaker was that I could write. I shared a few of my discarded speech drafts. Contrary to my initial fears, it went exceedingly well. I had initially dreaded the class and my study group, but that was a time I experienced inclusion from fellow students.”

Helping others blaze trails

Solving challenges on her own, class by class, turned out to be an important part of Vaughn’s education.

“UGA showed me in many ways that I was strong and resilient,” she says. “The university taught me that if I want my life to matter, I must live it on my own terms, unselfishly, with responsibility for my own happiness.”

Vaughn often recalls how, in 1966, she felt alone and without support in classrooms. It’s why she is now passionate about giving special attention to small, often unsupported, businesses through her tax consulting practice, Margaret Davis Vaughn, CPA.

She also serves on the boards of organizations that provide guidance to promising young people.

“Being a trailblazer in 1970 meant there were no African American female role models, no mentors, for me at UGA,” Vaughn says. “There was no one to call to ask for directions.

“This is why I am determined to have an impact on the lives of as many students as I possibly can. Just as someone saw a possibility for me, I am certain there are CPAs waiting among the students within my reach.”

The Jerry Tanner Show – Week 3, 2021: South Carolina

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Jerry takes a look at week 3, when Shane Beamer returns to Athens not as a Georgia special teams coach but as the South Carolina Gamecocks’ head coach. You hate to see a guy take a step back like that.

Your one-stop shop for UGA football fandom is alumni.uga.edu/football! Check in every week for new football blogs and videos, information on UGA Alumni events, new backgrounds for your phone, computer and Zoom and more.

Jerry Tanner is everyone you’ve ever met at a UGA tailgate, everyone who’s ever talked about Georgia football by your cubicle, and every message board poster who claims to have a cousin who cut Vince Dooley’s grass. He’s a UGA alumnus, he’s a college football fanatic with a Twitter addiction, and he’s definitely a real person and not a character played by Clarke Schwabe.

The Jerry Tanner Show – Week 2, 2021: UAB

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After a strong showing in Charlotte, the Dawgs return home to the first capacity crowd at Sanford Stadium since 2019. This might appear to be a win UGA could sleepwalk through, but the UAB Blazers are no pushover! … Even if we probably will push them over.

Hey, alumni! Where are you at these days? What’ve you been up to? The Alumni Association wants to know! Update your info at alumni.uga.edu/update and you’ll stay up-to-date on the latest from UGA, the Bulldogs and our worldwide network of amazing alumni.

Jerry Tanner is everyone you’ve ever met at a UGA tailgate, everyone who’s ever talked about Georgia football by your cubicle, and every message board poster who claims to have a cousin who cut Vince Dooley’s grass. He’s a UGA alumnus, he’s a college football fanatic with a Twitter addiction, and he’s definitely a real person and not a character played by Clarke Schwabe.

History of the Rivalry: Clemson

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Which of UGA’s rivals is closest to the Classic City? It’s not South Carolina, it’s not Tennessee, it’s not even Georgia Tech. If you drew a straight line from the center of Athens to the center of the next closest rival city, it would land 58.89 miles away in Clemson, South Carolina.

Clemson is unusual among UGA rivals in that we haven’t played them annually since 1987, but the history, the proximity, both schools’ status as college football bluebloods and the slew of unforgettable gridiron moments between the Tigers and Bulldogs makes this a rivalry nonetheless.

The early years

The first contest between UGA and Clemson happened in 1897, when “Clemson” was short for “Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina.” The two schools played annually from 1897 – 1916, meeting in Athens, Clemson, Augusta and even once in Anderson, South Carolina. By the end of that stretch, the Bulldogs narrowly lead the series 10-9-1. Afterwards, the neighboring teams only played intermittently over the next 46 years, but the Bulldogs dominated this run, going 10-1-1.

By this time, UGA was becoming a football powerhouse and the record had begun to reflect that. Even when the UGA-Clemson series became an annual affair once again in 1962, the Dawgs were the dominant team. But Clemson was on the upswing, having expanded to become a co-educational, civilian college in 1955 and then changing its name in 1964 to Clemson University—a change that reflected the growth of the college and, indirectly, its athletic programs.

From here, things began to change: slowly at first, but when Danny Ford became Clemson’s head coach in 1978, this rivalry went from regional contest to national spotlight.

“Worse than bonkers”

Danny Ford and Vince Dooley brought their programs to national prominence right around the same time—the late 70s into the 80s. It could be argued that Dooley got there a little sooner, but it was in this period that the Georgia-Clemson games started carrying national title implications.

In 1978, eighth-ranked Clemson walked face-first into a shutout courtesy of Erk Russell’s defense, a loss that would be the only one Clemson endured that season, shutting them out of national title consideration.

In 1981, UGA was riding high after winning a national title the year before and opening the season with wins over Tennessee and California. But Clemson’s defense kept Herschel Walker (and every other Bulldog) out of the endzone, ultimately costing Georgia a shot at back-to-back titles and giving the Tigers a win that set them on the path to a national championship.

These types of contests typified the series at that time, but the moment most UGA fans would identify with UGA-Clemson at this time (and perhaps all time) came off of Kevin Butler’s toe in 1984.

The modern day

Since 1987, the rivalry has returned to its intermittent status: a series of home-and-homes with four or five or 10 years between them. It’s sad to see a contest with such history fade, particularly when the programs involved field nationally relevant teams, but the Tigers and Bulldogs make up for lost time on the occasions they do get together.

There was the time that the 2002 Bulldog squad that would go on to win UGA’s first SEC championship in 20 years was on the ropes against Clemson until DJ Shockley came in for the fourth quarter and sparked a Georgia comeback.

Or the time the rivalry returned after 10 years away and Tajh Boyd narrowly outdueled Aaron Murray for the win in 2013—a game that saw Todd Gurley run for 154 yards on 12 carries despite the loss, presaging his single-handed immolation of the Tigers the following year (198 yards on 15 carries, 100 return yards, 4 total touchdowns).

And now we renew the rivalry once again. It’s been seven years since we played and once again, the contest could either be a launching pad or a stumbling block. Either way, it figures to follow the recent trend of the series: should be a hell of a game.

Your one-stop shop for UGA football fandom is alumni.uga.edu/football! Check in every week for new football blogs and videos, information on UGA Alumni events, new backgrounds for your phone, computer and Zoom and more.

The Jerry Tanner Show – Week 1, 2021: Clemson

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We made it! College football is back, and we’re kicking it off by playing that other school from South Carolina. Who was it again? Coastal? Furman? We’ve beat them twice as much as they’ve beat us, I know that. I’m sure it’ll come to me.

There’s just nothing quite like watching a Georgia game with a bunch of Dawg fans, and you can do just that anywhere in the country thanks to our Alumni Chapters’ Game Watching Parties! Go to alumni.uga.edu/football to find one near you, and you’ll Never Bark Alone.

Jerry Tanner is everyone you’ve ever met at a UGA tailgate, everyone who’s ever talked about Georgia football by your cubicle, and every message board poster who claims to have a cousin who cut Vince Dooley’s grass. He’s a UGA alumnus, he’s a college football fanatic with a Twitter addiction, and he’s definitely a real person and not a character played by Clarke Schwabe.

National Nonprofit Day Spotlight: Park Place Outreach Youth Emergency Services

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August 17 is National Nonprofit Day, an opportunity to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate the positive impact of nonprofits.

Park Place Outreach Youth Emergency Services is an alumni-operated nonprofit based in Savannah, Georgia that serves runaway, homeless and at-risk youth aged 11 to 21. Since 1984, it has improved the lives of more than 6,500 young people. We spoke with Julie Wade (AB ’97, JD ’00), a dedicated alumna and executive director of Park Place Outreach, to learn how her nonprofit is making a difference.

What is Park Place Outreach’s mission?

Park Place Outreach is committed to leading and serving. The nonprofit strives to provide services to at-risk youth and their families, increase their functional level and reunify families whenever possible.

What resources does Park Place Outreach offer?

Park Place Outreach is proud to provide programs and services to at-risk youth and their families in the Savannah area. Since Wade’s appointment as executive director of Park place Outreach, she has initiated programs that raise awareness for homeless youth and advocate for safe, affordable housing.

“These are good kids in bad situations with no place to call home. With our help, we can change their legacy,” said Julie.

Park Place Outreach offers four main programs which include:

  • The Transitional Living Program (also designated as a Child Caring Institution by the state) provides temporary shelter to run away and homeless youth, victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking, and other youth in crisis.
  • The Street Outreach Program works to prevent the exploitation of youth living on the streets or in unsafe living conditions. The program’s mobile unit engages with homeless youth or those who are at-risk for homelessness or human trafficking to deliver care packages containing food and hygiene materials, as well information on safety and local resources.
  • Family Preservation for Teens works with teens and their families to receive case management services, support services and placement prevention services to help teens remain safely in their homes to sustain and maintain family stability.
  • Rapid Re-Housing Services mitigate homelessness by helping families and individuals find and stay in housing.

How has Park Place Outreach grown over the years?

Park Place Outreach made the 2021 Bulldog 100, a list of the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. Julie Wade and her team at Park Place Outreach are curious and innovative, tenaciously searching for better answers and more impactful solutions.

Julie Wade

Julie Wade, executive director of Park Place Outreach.

Park Place Outreach expanded into a new facility with increased living and working spaces for their programs. The newly remodeled youth emergency shelter allows team members to provide a safe environment for vulnerable youth in the Savannah community. The nonprofit has also grown environmentally conscious, having recently received a LEEDs Green Building certification.

What led Julie Wade to Park Place Outreach?

Julie Wade demonstrates the value of a degree from the birthplace of higher education. After graduating from the UGA School of Law, Julie clerked for a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, practiced law at various firms and served on the Board of Education for Savannah/Chatham Public Schools. Julie joined Park Place Outreach in 2017, applying her legal background to child advocacy.

Julie has been honored by the UGA Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 for leading the pack in the nonprofit industry. She is dedicated to creating better communities around the world and empowering the next breed of Bulldogs to continue that tradition.

“Together we can make this a better world. Park Place Outreach is in the business of changing lives, giving hope and improving odds by ensuring that youth have access to safety, guidance and caring adults.”

How can Bulldogs support Park Place Outreach?

Park Place Outreach relies on charitable donations to provide programs and ensure a safer tomorrow. Julie and her team invite you to join them on their mission to protect those most at-risk in our communities, the children.

SUPPORT PARK PLACE OUTREACH

With Halloween right around the corner, here are 10 things that scare UGA fans

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With Halloween around the corner, we’ve built a list of 10 things guaranteed to scare UGA fans … from wearing orange to Alabama quarterbacks, let us know what’s missing from the list!

1. Wearing orange and blue

Bulldog fans can agree this color combo needs rethinking.

2. Noon kickoffs

Noon games with thousands of fans sweating during a typically hot and humid fall in the South? No thanks!

3. Being ranked No. 1 at the start of the football season

Being an underdog gives the Junkyard Dawgs room to rise to the occasion.

4. Seating in Sanford Stadium

With a 92,746-seat capacity, making room for friends and family can be stressful.

5. Misspelling Dawgs or referring to the Arch as “The Arches”

True UGA fans know that “Dogs” is not the preferred spelling and that the Arch is singular–not plural.

6. Alabama backup quarterbacks

The backup QB spot somehow manages to save Alabama time and time again.

7. Forgetting the words to “Glory, Glory”

We promise we won’t tell anyone.

8. Leaving before the fourth quarter of a night game

Don’t miss the red glow, twinkling cell phone lights and the Redcoat Band’s rendition of Krypton!

9. Sideline penalties

The Bulldog Nation’s unsung hero is Scott Sinclair, director of strength and conditioning and Kirby Smart’s “get-back” coach.

10. Uga overheating

UGA fans want to protect this good boy at all costs. That’s why Uga’s on-field home is a permanent, air-conditioned doghouse with a bag of ice to chill on during even the hottest Saturdays in Athens.