Gentle music wafts through the stately pines at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College at 7 p.m. each night when ABAC pays tribute to the nurses on the front lines of the pandemic which has engulfed the nation.

“We honor all the nurses across the state and country who are risking their lives every day during this struggle against the coronavirus,” ABAC Media Productions Coordinator Matthew Reid said. “We saw what some other places were doing such as the nightly cheers every night at 7 in Manhattan, and we wanted to do something special.”

Emanating from the bell tower at ABAC’s Chapel of All Faiths, the music reaches several blocks in all directions.  The soft melody flows across a nearly empty campus because all ABAC students are completing spring semester instruction online.

“It’s a way of celebrating the accomplishments of the nurses and our way of saying thank-you for their sacrifice,” Reid said.  “We also play a song at noon every day to lift the spirits of the entire community.”

ABAC opened its nursing program in 1966, and many of the nurses at Southwell, which includes Tift Regional Medical Center, received their education at ABAC.  The college now offers both associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing.

“We also ring the chimes every May and December when the ABAC graduates exit Gressette Gym after the spring and fall commencement ceremonies,” Reid said.