PRESS RELEASE: Mercer University to Confer Honorary Degree to Zelma Redding

MACON, Ga. — Mercer University will confer an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree to Zelma Redding, Macon civic leader, entrepreneur, founder and president of the Otis Redding Foundation.

After Otis Redding’s passing in 1967, as a young mother raising three small children, Zelma Redding earned her high school equivalency degree, enrolled in business classes and mastered the music business while keeping her husband’s legacy in the forefront. She eventually opened multiple successful businesses.

“I am deeply honored and would like to thank President Underwood and the Trustees for presenting me this amazing honor,” said Redding. “The Otis Redding Foundation has enjoyed a longstanding partnership with Mercer, including the Otis Redding Law Scholarship Fund, and we look forward to continuing that collaboration through the Otis Redding Center for the Arts.”

Founded in 2007, the Otis Redding Foundation continues the couple’s shared dedication to philanthropy and empowering the lives of young people by championing education and creating learning opportunities in music and the arts. Zelma Redding is also head of the Estate of Otis Redding and continues to manage the legacy, including his music catalog and his name, image and likeness.

In March 2025, Zelma Redding and her family opened the Otis Redding Center for the Arts in Macon, which achieved a longtime dream held by she and her husband, who is known as the “King of Soul.” A 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, the Center serves as a hub for the community and the Foundation’s programs and includes the Zelma Redding Amphitheater. Serving young people ages 5-18, the curricula cover the creative and business sides of music and entertainment, including content creation, performing, entertainment law, engineering, graphic design and touring. Programs for toddlers and senior citizens will be announced later this year.

“Zelma Redding’s many contributions to Macon and her leadership of the Otis Redding Foundation and the Otis Redding Center for the Arts make her a worthy recipient of this University honor,” said Mercer President William D. Underwood. “Programs of the Foundation and the Center have positively impacted countless lives of children and teens for almost two decades. She has been a tremendous force for good in our community and state.”

About Mercer University

Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. With more than 9,200 students enrolled in 12 schools and colleges, on major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; medical school sites in Macon, Savannah and Columbus; and at regional academic centers in Henry and Douglas counties, Mercer is ranked among the top tier and best values of national research universities by U.S. News & World Report. The Mercer Health Sciences Center includes the University’s School of Medicine and Colleges of Nursing, Health Professions and Pharmacy. Mercer is affiliated with six teaching hospitals – Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and Piedmont Macon Medical Center in Macon; Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah; Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital and St. Francis-Emory Healthcare in Columbus; and SGMC Health in Valdosta. The University also has an educational partnership with Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer Medicine, the clinical faculty practice of the School of Medicine, is based in Macon and operates additional clinics in Sumter, Clay, Putnam, Harris, Taylor and Glynn counties. Mercer is one of only 293 institutions nationwide to shelter a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society; one of eight institutions to hold membership in the Georgia Research Alliance; and the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. [Mercer's website: www.mercer.edu]