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Published on 10/15/14

CAES graduate responsible for state seals in Sunbelt Expo Spotlight State Building

By Clint Thompson

A graduate of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is etched into Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition history.

During this week’s 37th annual Sunbelt Expo, visitors from all across the country will view work by Ross Oglesby, a 2006 CAES graduate. Oglesby, who works for Keystone Memorials in Elberton, supervised the construction of 10 granite seals that symbolize the 10 states represented at the Expo. The seals adorn the floor of the Spotlight State Building, the newest addition to the Expo grounds in Moultrie. Georgia is this year’s Spotlight State.

“I was very honored to be asked to do this,” Oglesby said. “I was real happy with how crisp all the images came out.”

The 10 states included are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

It was an extensive project for Oglesby and his team. The process for each seal, start to finish, took approximately six hours.

“The biggest issue with these was the real small, fine detail on the seals. It was a little bit smaller than what we normally do with the rest of our monuments that we produce,” said Oglesby, who was able to complete the project in two weeks. “The state of Florida was very difficult and also Arkansas had real small detail.”

Oglesby worried the small details in the granite seals would break. His worry was unfounded.

Clint Thompson is an agriculture writer based in Tifton, Georgia.

Authors:
Clint Thompson
Experts/Sources:
J. Scott Angle
Ross Oglesby works on a seal for the Sunbelt Expo Spotlight State Building. Ross Oglesby is seen with the Georgia state seal, which can be seen in the new Spotlight State Building.
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