Special Awards Instituted by the Honors Committee, November 1987

Southeastern Geographer Vol. XXXVII, No. 1, May 1997, pp. 109-1 10 SPECIAL AWARDS INSTITUTED BY THE HONORS COMMITTEE, NOVEMBER 1987 At the Annual Meeting in Charlotte, the Steering Committee approved the Honors Committee's recommendation to present three awards, when appropriate, to deserving members of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers. The criteria for each award are given below. OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD Nominees for this award should meet the following criteria: 1.Evidence of exceptional professional commitment to geography at any level, including service to professional organizations; colleges and universities; primary and secondary education; local, state, or national governments; private business and industry. 2.Examples ofworthy contributions include but are not limited to appointed or elected committees, speaking or otherwise providing leadership in a variety of public forums, and publication in the popular press. RESEARCH HONORS AWARD Nominees for this award should meet the following criteria: 1.A significant record of quality research and publication in scholarly journals, books, and other appropriate formats. This record may reflect the cumulative work ofseveral years or the publication of important contributions in a shorter time period. 2.Evidence of research leadership at both an institutional (college , university, industry) and organizational level (professional associations) where scholarly papers are presented, and advisement of students and colleagues. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (SEDAAG PRESIDENT'S AWARD) Nominees for this award should meet the following criteria: 1 . An extensive record of research and publication in scholarly journals, books, and other appropriate formats. 110Southeastern Geographer 2.A record ofexcellence in teaching and advising as evidenced by teaching awards, students advised, and other appropriate measures . 3.A record of service contributions to the individual's educational institution in the form ofadministrative positions, committee work, and community contact. 4.A record of support to the geography profession whether through formal service to international, national, or regional organizations or informal work in the public domain. CAPSULE REVIEW Atlanta Rising: The Invention of an International City, 1946 - 1996. Frederick Allen. Atlanta: Longstreet Press, 1996. ? and 289 pp., photographs, bibliography , endnotes, and index. $20.00 hardback (ISBN 1-56352-296-9). This book, written in an informal and highly readable style, traces the rise of Atlanta from its political turmoil, economic distress, and racial violence of 1 946 to its role as host of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Organized into 10 chapters and presented chronologically, Allen's book weaves the story of Atlanta around the personalities of civic and moral leaders, political visionaries and demagogues, corporate magnates, and Ku Klux Klan zealots. Although viewing Atlanta's 50-year transformation as largely the result of political and social forces, the author does recognize implicitly and sometimes explicitly the place of Atlanta in the geography ofthe region, the country, and, in 1996, the world. Over 80 historic and poignant photographs add authenticity to the Atlanta narrative, as do well-placed pithy quotes and acrid anecdotes. The word "invention" in the subtitle reveals the book's emphasis on the importance of boosterism, political maneuvering by powerful people, financial gambling by developers and architects , and finally the forceful selling of Atlanta as a global city suitable for entertaining "the largest peacetime gathering" of humanity in world history—the 100year anniversary ofthe modern Olympic Games. Although the book is journalistic in scope and purpose, it will appeal to academics for its often surprising insights, its little-known facts, its clear organization, and its graceful and engaging prose. Dr. Wheeler is the Merle Prunty, Jr., Professor ofGeography at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2502. ...