ides By Van Jensen
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Melanie King
A Lamborghini owned by Ed Bolian, PubPol 08, of SuperCar Rentals, was among the super expensive vehicles displayed at the Presidents' Dinner in May.
eorgia Tech and cars. The two always have been linked by grease and gears. The Tech community had a love for the automobile even before the Ramblin' Wreck became a manifest symbol of that bond. In 1914, the Blueprint made a winking reference to the "Tech Auto Department" — students developing a car called 50, so named either for the number of years it would take to build or the miles it could travel before falling to pieces. As the automotive industry grew, the bond only deepened. Who developed the Jeep? That would be Roy Evans, a Tech student in the 1920s. What about the Mazda Miata, the bestselling sports car of all time? That would be Norman Garrett, ME 81. The PT Cruiser? That's Bryan Nesbitt, Cls 92. Tracking down all the tendrils of the relationship is Sterling Skinner, ME 91, MS ME 95, director of instructional labs in the School of Mechanical Engineering and a certified car nut. "I just keep coming up with more and more connections," he said. "Georgia Tech people have made an enormous impact from the very beginning." His latest revelation is that Tech's campus and the surrounding area served as the primordial stew that birthed NASCAR. According to Driving With the Devil, a history of the sport written by Neal Thompson, NASCAR's roots trace back to Raymond Parks and Jerome "Red" Vogt. Each owned an auto shop at opposite corners of campus where they forged the Southeast's first racing cars. They also supposedly raced through campus. "There had to have been Georgia Tech students involved, working at those filling stations," Skinner said. "There's no doubt in my mind." Now, as the auto industry overhauls itself again, we look not only to the past, but also to the current members of the Tech community playing roles in that overhaul. There are student groups making strides in solar power and efficiency. There are researchers working to improve aerodynamics and exploring alternate fuel sources. There are many Tech alumni making an impact, including Crissy Rodriguez, who helped design 2010's car of the year, the revamped Ford Taurus. And there are students still building cars, like Andrew Fida, who put together a race car from scrap in his spare time just because he loves cars. September/October 2009
Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine
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