Sweet Tea: To the stars

Did you know there are hundreds of species of magnolias? By some counts, almost 350. Some are trees, some are shrubs, some are native to us here in the American South and some flourish in parts of Asia half a world away. The classic magnolia (well, to us anyway) is the Magnolia grandiflora, or Southern Magnolia, with its fat white petals and glossy dark leaves.

Oh, but it doesn’t end there — we love our Southern Magnolia so much, horticulturalists have produce more than 150 bespoke, artisan subtypes with names like “Bracken’s Brown Beauty” and “Teddy Bear.”

THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN GEORGIA

NASA astronaut and man of many talents Frank Rubio in 2023. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via The New York Times)

Astronaut Frank Rubio occupies the center of what may be the most rarified triple Venn diagram in history: people who have been to space, people who have delivered a baby and people who have flown a helicopter.

• Rubio, an Army colonel and mission specialist for NASA, will return to orbit next year aboard the Orion spacecraft.
• When he’s not doing that, Rubio’s an Army doctor in labor and delivery at the Fort Benning hospital in Columbus.
• (To quote AJC reporter Joe Kovac: “Asked to compare family medicine to rocketing into space, he said it is “probably not as exciting,” but “equally if not more rewarding.”)
• Sure, it could be flattery, but Rubio even says he can distinguish the lights of Atlanta from space. Aww.
• Oh, and he once grew tomatoes on the International Space Station, which admits him to another highly exclusive group: people who have successfully grown their own produce.

🚀 READ MORE: Rubio’s long history in Georgia and what he loves about Columbus

RELIVING OLYMPIC GLORY

Last week's UGA women's match was the first time Sanford Stadium has hosted a soccer match since the 1996 Olympics. (Jason Getz/AJC)

❓ Did you know? The University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium was the site of an iconic Olympic victory.

That’s where, in 1996, the U.S. women’s national team won Olympic gold, beating China in front of a crowd of 76,000-plus.

• Last week, UGA hosted a tribute to that historic game. The UGA women’s soccer team won 6-0 over James Madison University
• The game made its own history, too. It set a new NCAA Division I soccer attendance record for a women’s match with more than 25,000 spectators.

⚽ READ MORE: How Sanford Stadium was turned into an Olympic soccer pitch

SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH

🎤 Atlanta: Singer Ashford Sanders survived a house fire and almost died from a failed kidney transplant. He poured his emotion into an audition on “America’s Got Talent,” and now he’s through to the next round of the competition, along with another local music group: CommUnity ATL Choir. More from the AJC

🥁 Jackson, Mississippi: The Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band brings together 150 middle school, high school and college students from across the state in an intensive, community-focused training program to help prepare young musicians to vie for college music scholarships. More from Mississippi Today