The family of the late Elizabeth “Betty” Deriso Pope donated special memorabilia to South Georgia Technical College in memory of their mother recently. SGTC President Dr. John Watford thanked the family for their thoughtful gift.
“This is where we felt like these items needed to be,” said Kerri Kindred Post and Kelli Kindred Phillips, daughters of the late Betty Deriso Pope. “Mom and John both loved South Georgia Technical College and believed in its mission of workforce development. We wish we had space to keep and display all of these mementos but we felt like that it would be better to have them here where others could enjoy and remember the impact they had on this college and the community.”
South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford thanked the family for their thoughtfulness. “Betty and John Pope have impacted the lives of so many individuals in this community. We are standing here in the John M. Pope Center in front of the Betty Deriso Pope Teleconference Room where nearly 18,000 individuals come each year for workforce training, to host meetings, or attend educational classes. We are a better college and a better community because of the impact of the Pope family.”
The Pope family donated a water color rendition of the John M. Pope Center, educational awards presented to the Pope’s, photos, resolutions and memorabilia presented to the Pope’s from Jimmy Carter when he served as Governor of Georgia and as the 39th President of the United States of America.
The South Georgia Technical College Foundation has nominated the late Betty Deriso Pope for the Technical College Foundation Association (TCFA) of Georgia. Her family will represent her at the Technical College System of Georgia Leadership Conference in Savannah in October.
The Distinguished Service Award is designed to showcase past generosity, commitment and dedication to the foundations and colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and to encourage future generosity and commitment. Each college foundation was allowed to submit one nominee and all 22 nominees will be recognized.
“The TCFA Distinguished Service Award embodies the ideals of philanthropy, volunteerism, and leadership in service of Georgia’s Technical colleges,” said SGTC President Dr. John Watford. “Betty Pope certainly met and exceeded each of those criteria. It was an honor for the SGTC Foundation to nominate her for this award.”