Pound Family

If you could measure an alumni legacy’s importance to UGA by its weight, one of the most significant might surprise you. It is only four Pounds, but they represent four generations that have rendered many years of loyal service to their Alma Mater.

1884 graduate, Dr. Jere M. Pound was the president of the State Normal School which later became Georgia Teachers College (GTC), a post he held until GTC merged with the University of Georgia in 1933. He then served as president of Georgia State Women’s College in Valdosta, known today as Valdosta State University. Pound was also president of East Florida Seminary, which became the University of Florida.

His son, Merritt B. Pound ’18, ’24 returned to Athens and joined the UGA faculty where he taught History after he earned his Ph.D in History at the University of North Carolina. In 1939, he became the first head of the Political Science department, a position he held for 25 years.

Colonel (Ret.) Merritt B. Pound, Jr., ‘55 represents the third generation. He spent his career in the U.S. Air Force and continued his education at Kent State University and holds Masters degrees from Webster and Auburn Universities. He returned, in the family tradition, and served on the UGA faculty as Professor and Head of the Air Force ROTC. He and his wife presently operate a full-working farm near Athens, and are both active in community and campus affairs, especially UGA alumni activities.

The fourth Pound, Merritt B, Pound III, ‘80, is a Sergeant Major Commander in the U.S. Army, stationed in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to being excellent students, at least two Pounds “weighed in” in athletics also. Merritt Sr. was a basketball star at UGA and Merritt, Jr. played Number One singles and doubles for the Bulldog tennis team for four years.