The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) announced today that the 2021 Trustees Gala program featuring Governor Brian Kemp’s induction of David Abney and Juanita Baranco will be broadcast statewide for the first time on June 5, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. 

The Trustees Gala is the Georgia Historical Society’s premier annual event and the culmination of the Georgia History Festival. Each year, this elegant and much-anticipated evening draws top local, state, and national leaders to honor and pay tribute to the best the State of Georgia has produced. With ongoing concerns about holding large in-person events this spring, GHS made the decision to transition the 2021 Trustees Gala, normally an in-person event with over 500 in attendance, to a televised, broadcast event.  

The honorees for 2021 are David P. Abney and Juanita Powell Baranco. Abney is the former Executive Chairman of the UPS Board of Directors, former CEO of UPS, and a philanthropist. Juanita Powell Baranco is the Executive Vice President and COO of Baranco Automotive Group, a trailblazing entrepreneur, and a community leader. 

“We are pleased and very excited to announce that the 2021 Trustees Gala will be televised with the assistance of our statewide broadcast partners, WPBA – Public Television Atlanta, and the Nexstar Media Group Stations in Georgia, including WSAV-TV Savannah, WRBL-TV Columbus, and WJBF-TV in Augusta,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society. “While we are extremely disappointed that we are unable to have our annual in-person event, we hope that seeing this program and learning about the lives of these two extraordinary Georgians will inspire us all to live up to the motto of the original Georgia Trustees, ‘Not for self, but for others.’” 

The program will also be simulcast on the GHS website at georgiahistory.com and on the GHS YouTube channel for those outside of Georgia or in an area not covered by one of our statewide broadcast partners.  

In 2008, the Georgia Historical Society in conjunction with the Office of the Governor reestablished the Georgia Trustees as a way of recognizing Georgians whose accomplishments and community service reflect the highest ideals of the founding body of Trustees. The original Georgia Trustees, a governing body chartered and appointed by His Majesty King George II of England in 1732 to establish a new colony in North America, founded Georgia upon the principle of Non Sibi, Sed Aliis, “Not for Self, but for Others.”  

The 2021 Georgia History Festival is made possible with support from Georgia Power, Delta Air Lines, United Parcel Service (UPS), The Home Depot Foundation, and Gulfstream. For a full list of sponsors visit georgiahistoryfestival.org.