1800 Century Place
Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30345-4304
www.dtae.org

Press Release

Contact: Mike Light Executive Director of Communications mlight@dtae.org 404.327.6913

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, November 16, 2005

DTAE Board Awards Posthumous Honor to Edgar Rhodes

Atlanta - The State Board of Technical and Adult Education has awarded its 2005 Charles A. Harris Award for Achievement to the late Edgar Rhodes of Bremen.

The Harris Award is presented to a current or past member of the DTAE board who has demonstrated a commitment to the people of Georgia, exemplary service to the Board, and a dedication to technical education, adult literacy and workforce development.

Mr. Rhodes served on the DTAE board from February 2000 to February 2005.

The award was presented last week in Savannah during the annual DTAE Leadership Conference. Current DTAE Board Member Rhubarb Jones, a long-time friend of Mr. Rhodes, made the presentation. There to accept on behalf of Mr. Rhodes were his son and daughter, Don Rhodes and Karen Cross, and Don Rhodes’ wife, Sharon.

“When I speak of Edgar Rhodes, I talk about a man of kindness and generosity whose lifelong dedication to education had an extraordinary impact on countless lives, including mine,” said Jones. “Edgar was a great businessman, a pillar of his community and a mentor to many, and he matched it all with his legendary passion for education. His commitment to learning improved the lives of so many, and for that we owe him an enormous amount of gratitude.”

Mr. Rhodes was also a member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and was their chairman from 1989 to 1991. He passed away on July 27, 2005.

The state Department of Technical and Adult Education is the state agency responsible for the governance of Georgia's 34 technical colleges. Last year, more than 155,000 students enrolled in credit courses at those colleges. In addition to managing the technical college system, the department also administers the state's adult literacy programs and Georgia Quick Start, an economic development program dedicated to workforce training.

For a copy of this press release in Microsoft Word, click here.