Savannah, GA, September 16, 2026 – The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is pleased to announce that Dr. Thomas Aiello of Valdosta State University has been awarded the 2026 Malcolm Bell, Jr. and Muriel Barrow Bell Award for Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta, published by the University of Nebraska Press. The Bell Award is given annually to the best book on Georgia history published in the previous year.

GHS President and CEO Dr. W. Todd Groce presented the award to Aiello on Tuesday, September 15, during a program hosted by the University of Georgia Griffin Campus at the Bailey-Tebault House in Griffin, where Aiello discussed Return of the King.

Honoring exceptional scholarship and storytelling, the Bell Award highlights published works that deepen our understanding of Georgia’s past and its broader role in American history. This year’s recipient exemplifies those qualities through Return of the King, which tells the story of Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing in Atlanta in 1970 after more than three years away from the ring. Aiello explores the roles of Ali, Georgia State Senator Leroy Johnson, and the city of Atlanta in making the historic comeback possible, examining the intersection of sports, race, politics, and Atlanta’s emergence as a major American city.

Aiello is a professor of history, Africana studies, and anthrozoology at Valdosta State University. His research focuses on twentieth-century American and African-American cultural and intellectual history, and he is the author or editor of numerous books and more than 50 peer-reviewed articles. His previous works include White Ice: Race and the Making of Atlanta Hockey, Dixieball: Race and Professional Basketball in the Deep South, 1947–1979, and The Grapevine of the Black South: The Scott Newspaper Syndicate in the Generation Before the Civil Rights Movement.

Established in 1992, the Bell Award is the highest publication award bestowed by the Georgia Historical Society. It is named in honor of Malcolm Bell, Jr. and Muriel Barrow Bell in recognition of their contributions to the recording and interpretation of Georgia’s history.

For more information about the Malcolm Bell, Jr. and Muriel Barrow Bell Award, please contact Keith Strigaro, Director of Public Relations and Communications, at 912.651.2125, ext. 153, or by email at [email protected].