August 19, 2025 - Jekyll Island, GA – The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts held their annual Hall of Fame Banquet on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 during their Annual Meeting to honor and award those individuals who have gone above and beyond to further conservation efforts for our state. The highlight of the evening is naming the Hall of Fame Inductee.
The GACD Hall of Fame preserves the history of the conservation movement in Georgia by recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to soil and water conservation.
Rev. Dr. John Kay is a former District Supervisor of the Blue Ridge Mountain Conservation District of 23 years, and represented Towns County, beginning in 1999. He served as Chairman the last 13 of those years and retired in 2023.
Dr. Kay was born and raised in Hart County, Georgia, where he grew up in a farm family with 12 children. He understands the hard work involved in maintaining a farm and the challenges of planting cotton, grain, and vegetables by mule. He learned a strong work ethic by watching his father work hard and listening to his guidance.
Through his education, he has learned many skills to be a leader. He holds degrees from Young Harris College, LaGrange College, Drew University School of Theology, and Vanderbilt Divinity School.
Dr. Kay has been a professor at Young Harris College teaching in the religious field for many years and was honored with the John Kay Award for Excellence in Comparative Religious Studies through Young Harris College. In 2024, Dr. Kay also established the John and Patti Kay Endowed Scholarship in Environmental Sustainability at Young Harris College.
Dr. Kay has also shown just as much care to conserving our natural resources. He has led the Blue Ridge Mountain Conservation District in many opportunities and projects throughout Rabun, Union, Towns, and Fannin Counties. Through the Blue Ridge Mountain SWCD, Dr. Kay has partnered with GACD, NACD, Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D, USDA-NRCS, UGA Extension, MountainTrue, UGA Experiment Station, the City of Blairsville, and the local government offices of the counties represented by the District.
In 2024, Dr. Kay was chosen as the 2024 Holman Water Quality Award winner for his dedication to conserving the water resources and quality of the water in North Georgia. He was a recipient of the Governor’s Award in Humanities in 2001. Dr. Kay volunteered with the Hiawassee River Watershed Coalition’s water quality monitoring team in the mid-2000s. Dr. Kay included the Creation Care Committee at Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in MountainTrue’s work and shared his dedication to water quality with the community. For his dedication to his community, Dr. Kay was chosen as Chatuge Shores Rotary Club's Towns County Citizen of the Year in 2025.
Through his work, Dr. Kay has been a mentor in conservation to many individuals teaching them the value of conserving our natural resources and continues his efforts with his involvement in the Citizens Climate Lobby. His leadership will live on for many years to come.
Congratulations to Reverend Dr. John Kay, the 2025 Hall of Fame Inductee.