Georgia's first lady Sandra Deal said she felt like she was home, being in Statesboro for the 28th Annual Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Awards gala. Deal was keynote speaker for the invitation-only event held Tuesday evening at the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center at Georgia Southern University. Ellis Wood, named Statesboro Herald's Humanitarian of the Year during the 1990 Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Awards, said the awards banquet "is an event devoted to honor the best people in the community ... born out of the community's gratitude" to those who give selflessly through humanitarian efforts to make the lives of others better and brighter.