The Ralph A. Hefner Dormitory (another new dormitory, it was originally designated as a graduate dormitory). Ralph Hefner joined the Tech faculty in 1929 as an instructor in mathematics. He had previously received his B.S. from Roanoke College (1925), his M.S. from the University of Chicago and had completed his residency requirements for the Ph.D. at the University of Chicago from which he received the degree in 1931. At Tech he moved rapidly up the academic ladder and was named a full professor of mathematics in 1936. In 1948, after serving three years as dean of general studies, he was named the first dean of the general college when that division was created in the reorganizational plan developed by President Blake R. Van Leer. A quiet, serious man, Hefner was the man who pushed the general college into a strong Ph.D. program in all of its schools and watched over the development of its science schools as among the best in the area. An amateur magician of much talent, he was always in demand for faculty functions and his loyal leadership made him very popular with the faculty of all of his schools. Dr. M. L. Brittain, president of the institution from 1922 to 1944, once said of him, "He is widely esteemed for his distinguished work and his brilliant intellectual ability." On the very day that he was to retire because of the age requirement, Dean Hefner died in Atlanta.
as the debating team coach and his work with the students who lived in the dormitories attest to these statements. His publications included several articles on the use of recording devices for public speaking teaching and a textbook on public speaking that he co-authored with the head of his department. With the exception of one year when he was a teacher at the Brunswick, Georgia, High School, Folk devoted his entire working life to Georgia Tech. The James E. McDaniel Techwood Dormitory (the dormitory that was a part of the original Techwood housing project and which is now used exclusively by co-op students). Generally credited by Tech presidents as the man responsible for the national reputation of the co-operative division at Georgia Tech, McDaniel joined the Tech faculty in 1919 as an instructor in English. Prior to coming to the Tech campus he had served as an English teacher at Clemson College for
three years. He received his A.B. degree from Erskine College in 1909 .and his M.A. from Berlin (Germany) University in 1916 after two years of study at Columbia University. He was named director of the cooperative division in 1925 and immediately reorganized it to offset the decline of the division following World War I. He re-established the industrial contacts and upgraded the academic program to better serve the industries that Tech depended upon for the success of this program. When he took over the division, the co-operative students numbered less than 100 and by the time he retired in June of 1950, over 20 per cent (1,100 students) of the student body represented co-operative students. His work overseas with the government further widened Tech's international reputation. During the post-World War II period he spent two years in Germany with the army of occupation setting up reorganized free public schools. And he served another two years with the foreign service in Spain and Scotland as an educational specialist.
The new dormitories carry the names of five Tech men (top) and even Techwood has been renamed for the man who made the co-op program an institution.
The Edwin H. Folk Dormitory (the final dormitory in the new complex, it was designated originally as an undergraduate dormitory). Edwin H. Folk joined the staff in the fall of 1924 as an instructor of English. He received an A.B. in English (1922) and a M.A. in the same field (1924) from the University of South Carolina and another from Princeton (1927). One of the most popular members of the English faculty in Tech's history, Folk was also the resident faculty member of Brown and Harris Dormitories and eventually served several years as the superintendent of dormitories in addition to his teaching duties. He was considered by his department heads as a superior teacher and was always willing to take over extra duties to help the students. His many years September-October 1969
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