Georgia Historical Society Receives Generous Gift from Savannahian Ellen B. Bolch in Memory of Coach Vince Dooley
Vincent J. Dooley and Ellen B. Bolch (middle and right, respectively) co-chaired the 2014 Georgia History Festival and served as grand marshals of the 2014 Georgia Day Parade in Savannah.
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is pleased to announce an endowment pledge of $500,000 from Ellen B. Bolch of Savannah in memory of Vince Dooley. Bolch is the President and CEO of THA Group, a family of in-home health companies serving coastal Georgia and South Carolina. She is also a current member of the GHS Board of Curators.
The gift will help GHS reach its $20 million endowment goal, a key priority of GHS’s Next Century Initiative campaign. As GHS prepares to enter its third century as the premier independent statewide historical institution, the Next Century Initiative is designed to propel the institution forward, to create new opportunities, and to secure GHS’s commitment to serving the people of Georgia in the 21st century and beyond.
The campaign was initially chaired by the late Vincent J. Dooley, legendary head coach of the University of Georgia football team and former chairman emeritus and longtime member of the GHS Board of Curators. Dooley was also named a Georgia Trustee in 2011, the highest honor the State of Georgia can confer. Bolch and Dooley were great friends, having first met as co-chairs of GHS’s 2014 Georgia History Festival committee. He died on October 28, 2022.
“Right after he died, I was struck by the fact that Coach Dooley launched this campaign but now would not get the chance to complete it,” Bolch said. “I thought what better way to honor his memory than by helping to finish this campaign and get the ball in the endzone, so to speak, for my dear friend who gave so much of himself to us all.” Bolch hopes that this pledge will motivate others to give in memory of Coach Dooley and in honor of his passion for history.
