On March 11, Savannah’s Emma Morel Adler was one of four Georgia women inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement (GWA) Hall of Fame, located in Macon on the campus of Wesleyan College. Adler, who died in 2020, was recognized for her lifelong leadership and advocacy in Savannah and across Georgia in historic preservation, history education, and environmental conservation. She joined a distinguished roster of over 80 Georgia change-makers listed in the Hall of Fame, of which 14 are from Savannah, including Mary Musgrove Bosomworth, Juliette Gordon Low, Mother Mathilda Beasley, and Flannery O’Connor.
Adler’s many achievements included: preserving historic Massie School and creating Massie Heritage Center in downtown Savannah; leading the annual Georgia Day history celebration and advocating for it to become Georgia Week, which has expanded from a Savannah-only experience to a statewide event; advocating for the preservation of Savannah’s town plan, and the Savannah Landmark Historic District; co-leadership with husband Lee Adler of the fledgling Historic Savannah Foundation, which became one of the earliest and most influential local historic preservation organizations in the U.S.; and co-founding the Ossabaw Island Foundation, the nonprofit that manages programming and facilities on the remote Georgia barrier island and State Heritage Preserve in coastal Georgia. Adler led and advocated for increased humanities programming and character education across the state.
“[Emma Adler] understood...that Savannah is not a fly in amber–it’s a living city, and it needed to be used as a living city. But it didn’t need to discard its historic past and its heritage and the beautiful buildings that it has,” said Mark C. McDonald, retired CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
Adler was a lifelong Savannahian whose influence extended across Georgia, the United States, and beyond. She advocated passionately for her projects to local, state, national and international leaders, counting President Jimmy Carter and Charles, the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) among hundreds of influential associates.
In addition to Adler, the 2026 Georgia Women of Achievement Hall of Fame cohort comprises: artist Beverly Ann Buchanan; educator Mary Ethel Creswell; and newspaper publisher Adelaide Wallace Ponder. GWA was founded in the late 1980s by Rosalyn Carter. The mission of GWA is to honor the inspirational and courageous female trailblazers of our state while providing education and awareness of their accomplishments. Since 1992, more than 80 women have been inducted, including artists, authors, scientists, politicians, educators and athletes. Georgia women who have been deceased at least five years are eligible for nomination; inductees are selected by a standing committee of GWA.
For more information about Emma Morel Adler, follow the links below:
