She is a farm girl who was also a World War II captain. She is a strong-willed woman who is also one of the warmest people you’ll ever meet. At age 92, she continues to create spectacular and unforgettable paintings. And now she is a legend.
    Roxie Remley was inducted into the Averitt Center for the Arts Legends Gallery Thursday evening at a ceremony in the Emma Kelly Theater.
    “It is a bit too much for me to take in at one time,” said Remley, from whom the award was kept secret.”It is an honor.”
    Remley is the fourth person to be inducted as a Legend in the Arts and an exhibition honoring her life and work is on display in the second floor Legends Gallery at the Averitt Center.
    Patricia Carter, who is chairman of the Betty Foy Sanders Art Department at Georgia Southern University, was commissioned to create the portrait of Remley, which will permanently hang in the Averitt Center. As homage to Remley, Carter said she used mixed media to create the portrait – working much as Roxie would herself.
    “The day I met Roxie certainly changed my life forever,” said Carter, who is a long-time friend.
    Born in 1919, Remley grew up on a farm near Darlington, Indiana. She graduated from Peabody College with bachelors and master’s degrees in art education before attending the prestigious Pratt Institute School of Art in New York City where she earned a master of fine arts.
    During World War II she served in the Women’s Army Corps where she was assigned to a top-secret antiaircraft gun battery experiment in Washington D.C. She attained the rank of captain before leaving the service in 1946.
    In 1950, she came to what was then Georgia Teachers College where she molded a few art education courses into an academic department. She taught drawing, painting and art history at Georgia Southern for 26 years, retiring in 1976.
    In the years since, she has and continued to produce art. She has shown her work in over 100 exhibitions, including 20 solo exhibitions. At age 90 she produced “Edge of 90,” her 20th solo exhibition titled, “Beethoven’s Eroica.”
    In addition to her art, Remley is active with the Averitt Center for the Arts, the Statesboro Civic Garden Club, the Bulloch County Historical Society, and Statesboro First United Methodist Church and is a lifetime member of the Statesboro Regional Art Association.
    “Roxie is one of the most warm, caring, individuals you’d ever meet,” Carter said. “She has never met a stranger.”
    Legends Award
    Biannually the Averitt Center inducts a master musician, composer, playwright or artist into the Hall of Fame.
    Past President of the Statesboro Arts Council Dawn Oliver, who presented this year’s award, said Remley “is a stellar example who truly deserves to be called a legend in the arts.”
    Previous inductees include the theater namesake, Emma Kelly. Dubbed the Lady of 6,000 Songs by Johnny Mercer, Kelly was a Bulloch County native and her lively performances at church services, civic clubs, school graduation, senior proms, weddings and recitals, endeared her to thousands of Georgians.
    Kelly was followed in 2007 by Blind Willie McTell who is considered one of the greatest 12-string guitar players.  Blind from birth, McTell was raised in Statesboro and is best known for his song, “Statesboro Blues,” which the Allman Brothers covered.
    Most recently, Dr. Michael Braz, a renowned musician and composer joined the Hall of Fame. A professor of music at Georgia Southern University for many years, Braz recently joined the Peace Corps where he is teaching English as a second language in Armenia.
    "Roxie is a true treasure, not only to Statesboro, but to every place that has benefitted from her extraordinary talent and untiring generosity,” Braz said in an email from Armenia. “As the previous recipient of the award, I'm thrilled to know that such a wonderfully creative and intellectually adventuresome individual is being honored by the Averitt Center. I highly value my friendship and association with Roxie. It's always been a joy working with her.  Artistically, she has raised the bar high for all of us in the creative arts, whether visual or performing. Bravo, Roxie Remley!"