Page 22 - MGA Today - Fall 2016

MGA Foundation Presents
2016 Legacy of Leadership
and Outstanding Alumna Awards
LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
W. Mansfield Jennings Jr.
Alongtime member of the University
System of Georgia’s Board of Regents,
W. Mansfield Jennings Jr. was
instrumental in the successful consolidation of
Middle Georgia College and Macon State College
to become what is now Middle Georgia State
University.
Jennings passed away in 2015, but he was
recognized posthumously as the 2016 recipient of
MGA’s annual Legacy of Leadership Award.
In announcing the award at the 2016
President’s Gala, Robert F. Hatcher, Sr., said,
“I am pleased to recognize a
recipient whose service to the
University, the Foundation, the
University System of Georgia, and
the Middle Georgia region as a
whole reflect honorably on Middle
Georgia State University.”
Jennings graduated from Hawkinsville High
School and attended Georgia Tech, where he
earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial
Management. He later earned an MBA from
Emory University and pursued further studies at
Georgia State University and London School of
Business. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Jennings
served honorably as an officer both on active duty
and in the reserves.
22 MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Throughout his life, Jennings was extensively
involved in numerous civic organizations. He
served as past president of the Hawkinsville-
Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce and the
Hawkinsville Rotary Club, as well as past District
Governor of Rotary International. He served as a
board member for the South Georgia Chamber of
Commerce, Museum of Aviation, United Pulaski
and Taylor Regional Hospital, where he was
chairman.
He was a pioneer in his industry, leading
ComSouth to provide state of the art telecommu-
nications services all across Middle Georgia.
Jennings was recognized for his accomplishments
by Georgia Tech when the School of Management
inducted him into its prestigious Hall of Fame.
Jennings was twice recognized for his community
service by being selected Citizen of the Year in
Hawkinsville.
Jennings was a faithful champion of higher
education, serving as a board member for the
Medical College of Georgia Health System, Inc.,
as trustee for Mercer University, where he and his
wife, Genelle, endowed the Jennings Chair in
Music, and as a longtime trustee of the Middle
Georgia State University Foundation, where he
holds trustee emeritus status.
The Legacy of Leadership Award is designed
to recognize an individual, persons or group who
has given exemplary service to Middle Georgia
State University and the Foundation. The Legacy
of Leadership Award is the highest honor that the
MGA Foundation bestows.