A man who has made some history at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will be in the spotlight on Nov. 5 when ABAC dedicates the History Room in Tift Hall in honor of longtime Director of Public Relations Mike Chason.

“During the past 42 years, Mike Chason has put in countless hours for the betterment of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College,” ABAC President David Bridges said.  “He is the official historian of the college, and it is quite fitting that we dedicate the History Room in his honor.”

Bridges said the ground floor room in the historic ABAC administration building will become the Michael D. Chason ABAC History Room in an 11 a.m. ceremony on Nov. 5.  The public is invited to attend.

“This is a tremendous honor, and I appreciate the faith and trust that ABAC has placed in me over the past 42 years,” Chason said.  “When I began my career here in 1979, I had one goal in mind, and that was to spread the good word about ABAC to as many people as possible on a daily basis.”

Chason retired from ABAC in 2011 after a distinguished 32-year career as the Director of Public Relations.  He was selected for the prestigious E. Lanier Carson Award as ABAC’s top administrator in 2002 and has received the Pacesetter and Superior Pacesetter Awards from the ABAC student newspaper.  Chason returned to work part-time at ABAC and in 2012, he was named Director of Public Relations Emeritus.

The statewide Georgia Education Advancement Council (GEAC) honored Chason with its annual Communications Award in 1994 and with the GEAC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.  He was the GEAC President in 1991 and Chair of the University System of Georgia Public Relations Administrative Committee in 1993.

The Tifton Kiwanis Club recognized Chason as a prestigious Hixson Fellow in 2001.  A past president of the club, Chason received the Kiwanian of the Year Award in 1991 and the Legion of Honor Award in 2010 for 30 years of service.

A native of Lakeland, Ga., Chason was instrumental in creating the collection of materials, pictures, and artifacts in the History Room.  The spacious venue displays the history of ABAC from the first day of classes in 1908 through recent years.   Chason has also compiled a 287-page history of ABAC on the college’s website.

The Salutatorian and STAR Student of the Lanier County High School Class of 1970, Chason graduated in 1974 from Valdosta State College where he was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society, Editor and Sports Editor of the campus newspaper, and a Who’s Who at VSC selection.

Chason is the former award-winning sports editor of the Valdosta Daily Times.  He is now the owner of Chason Enterprises, LLC, a company which utilizes his speaking and broadcasting skills.  He has been the voice of Valdosta State University basketball for 31 years. 

Chason and his wife, Kris, are members of Northside Baptist Church in Tifton.  They divide their time between Tifton and Saint Simons Island.