Mary Frances Early
College of Education

2021 Lifetime Achievement
Alumni Awards

Stylized collage of native Georgia flowers on a red background including azaleas and daffodils

Photo of Bonnie Cramond framed by red shield shape and flowers. Text at the top reads "Early Career Alumni Award"

Lifetime Achievement Researcher Award

Bonnie Cramond (Ph.D. ’82) is a professor emerita of the University of Georgia, where she directed the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development in the Mary Frances Early College of Education. She served on the boards of several national and international organizations, as well as several journals focused on creativity and giftedness.

A former editor of the Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, Cramond authored numerous publications, including a book on creativity research. She is an international and national speaker who has participated in the TEDx program. Additionally, she was named one of six national “Thought Leaders” by the Innovation Collaborative and has received several other awards and honors for her academic efforts.

Bonnie Cramond sits cross-legged on top of a desk cluttered with stacks of paper, books and compact discs. Behind her, 7 bookshelves stuffed full of books of every size and color fill the frame. She is wearing a kelly green tunic and striped scarf in tones of green and purple.

Photo of Leo Twiggs framed by red shield shape and flowers. Text at the top reads "Early Career Alumni Award"

Lifetime Achievement Practitioner Award

Leo Twiggs (Ed.D. ’70) was the first African American student to receive a doctoral degree in art education from the Mary Frances Early College of Education. He entered as a full-time student in 1967 and graduated from the honor society Phi Kappa Phi in 1970. 

In the mid-1960s, Twiggs began experimenting with batik, an ancient wax and dye resist process, as a contemporary painting medium. His unique batik paintings received international attention with exhibitions at the Studio Museum and the American Crafts Museum in New York, as well as at U.S. embassies in Rome, Italy; Dakar, Senegal; and Bern, Switzerland. His work is included in numerous public and private collections, including the African American Museum in Washington, D.C. 

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #7. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 1/8 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #7. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 1/8 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #8. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #8. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #9. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 inches. 2016. Work on loan: Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #9. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 inches. 2016. Work on loan: Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

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Requiem for Mother Emanuel #7. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 1/8 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #7. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 1/8 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #8. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #8. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 1/8 inches. 2016. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #9. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 inches. 2016. Work on loan: Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

Requiem for Mother Emanuel #9. Batik on cotton adhered to masonite. 30 x 24 inches. 2016. Work on loan: Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia. Courtesy of The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, S.C.

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