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Published on 07/01/04

UGA announces Dooley professorship in horticulture

By Kim Cretors
University of Georgia

The University of Georgia Athletic Association has announced a new professorship in horticulture that, if approved, will bear the name of outgoing athletic director Vince Dooley.

UGA President Michael F. Adams, chairman of the Athletic Association board, announced the professorship during the group's annual spring meeting.

With the University System of Georgia Board of Regents' approval, the Vincent J. Dooley Professorship in Horticulture will be established during the 2004-2005 academic year.

Nonathletic renown

"Over the years, Vince Dooley has pursued a personal interest in a number of areas beyond intercollegiate athletics," Adams said. "He has achieved renown in his own right for his knowledge and practice in the field of horticulture. The creation of this named professorship is especially appropriate given his passion for gardening and is a step that will strengthen our academic programs in this area."

"I was very surprised, yet very grateful," Dooley said of the announcement. "Over the years, I've enjoyed auditing courses at the university in a variety of disciplines, but my latest such ventures have been in horticulture. Due to the enthusiasm of some great teachers like (UGA horticulture professors) Michael Dirr and Allan Armitage, I developed a real passion for gardening. For that reason, the endowed professorship is very meaningful and special to me."

'Dooley' blooms

Dooley has a hydrangea variety (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Dooley') named after him.

The plant is a "remarkable, cold-hardy, mop-headed selection discovered in the garden of Coach and Mrs. Vince Dooley," reports Dirr's Web site (www.nobleplants.com). After an early March freeze in 1996, the site notes, the only hydrangea plant in the area with significant flowers was "the 6- to 7-foot-high, robust plant in Coach Dooley's garden."

Starting in 1999, Dooley helped secure a designation for the entire UGA campus as an arboretum. He chaired the committee that led to a campus tree tour and a set of plaques that identify many tree and plant species.

The Athletic Association has designated $250,000 from recent contributions to establish the professorship. The association has given more than $2 million to a fund that supports nonathletic academic programs at UGA.

"We're particularly pleased the Athletic Association designated resources to establish a professorship honoring Coach Dooley," said Gale Buchanan, dean of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

"Such a professorship honors a man of many talents," Buchanan said. "While his many accomplishments in athletics are widely known, this professorship recognizes his commitment and long-standing support of academic pursuits."

(Kim Cretors is the news bureau manager with the University of Georgia Office of Public Affairs.)

Kim Cretors is the news bureau manager with the University of Georgia Office of Public Affairs.

Experts/Sources:
Gale A. Buchanan Dr.
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