Gary Black, former Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture and Senator Billy Hickman, both close friends of Raybon Anderson, hosted a luncheon on Thursday, May 4, 2023 for Mr. Anderson's family and friends to celebrate his induction to the Georgia Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Video of the program
The award was presented in absentia to Mr. Anderson on April 29th in Athens. Mr. Anderson was attending wedding events for his grandson. Mr. Black and Senator Hickman wanted Mr. Anderson to have an opportunity to celebrate this tremendous accomplishment for him and our community.
Established in 1972, the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame honors individuals making extraordinary contributions to agriculture and agribusiness industries in the state.
Lunch was catered by Stacy Underwood and Uncle Shug's Bar B Que Place on Main.
- Pastor Randy Waters gave the invocation
- Jackson Thigpen, president of Bulloch County 4H led the Pledge of Allegiance
- Dr. Jane Marero, led the singing of the National Anthem
- Bill Tyson, Bulloch County Agent for hosted the event
Speakers who addressed the audience by video were:
- Former Governor and Chancellor Sonny and his wife Mary Purdue
- Governor Brian Kemp
- Speaker Jon Burns
"I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart, each and every one and not miss one. Thank you. The people in this room have meant a lot to my life and it has been a long life," said Raybon Anderson. "I am grateful for my family who have always stood behind me. Serving my Lord has always been number one in my life and my family have always supported that as well."
"This has been a good community to be a part of. A community that works together. My accomplishments have not been mine, there is no I in it but a lot of WE. No one can accomplish anything alone, it always takes a WE. We have many loyal employees who have been with us for decades. They are the WE to our success and they have been a blessing to me. We know success comes when we put the Lord first, family second, then business. If you keep that in order the good Lord will bless you daily. I am also blessed to have good friends like all of you in this room. Thank you all for being here and God bless you."
They also presented a video produced for the awards ceremony: