Former Alumni Association President Buck Stith Dies Henry Hammond "Buck" Stith Jr., CE 58, a former Georgia Tech basketball player who as an alumnus devoted decades to serving his alma mater, died of cancer Sept. 11 at his home in Atlanta. He was 73. Mr. Stith was president of the Alumni Association from 1992 to '93, following years of service as a trustee. He later served as a trustee and chair of the Georgia Tech Foundation during which time he helped support the Institute's creation of Technology Square. Mr. Stith wielded a shovel for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Mid town development in 2001. He also served Tech's Capital Campaign for five years and was a supporter and adviser for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. In 2004, Mr. Stith received the Alumni Association's Joseph Mayo Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Association. Upon receiving the award, he told Tech Topics that of all of his accomplishments while serving Tech he was most proud of the part he played in having communications instruction added to the Tech curriculum. Mr. Stith, who served as co-chair of his class' 40th reunion fund raising campaign, encouraged his classmates and the Tech administration to put the money toward teaching communications skills on campus. "Good writing requires clear thinking," Mr. Stith said. "You may be the smartest engineer in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas and solutions, you are not going to be successful." An Atlanta native, Mr. Stith attended Tech on a basketball scholarship and lettered in the sport. While on campus, he also was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, the T-Club, the Technique staff, the Tech chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. Mr. Stith retired as president of Stith Equipment Co., a distributor of heavy construction and mining machinery. He joined
eran, Mr. Sheppard retired from DuPont for which he worked as an industrial engineer. G e o r g e William Snyder, Text 50, of Spartanburg, S.C., on Sept. 6. Following graduation, he began a 34-year career with Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tenn. He retired from the company in 1983 after serving in many managerial roles. An Army veteran of World War II, he served in the European theater and took part in the Normandy invasion in 1944. He was presented the Normandy Medal of the Jubilee of Liberty in 2000. He was a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Kingsport. Survivors include his son, George W. Snyder Jr., ChE 74.
the family-owned company after graduating from Tech. During his career, he was a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as well as the boards of the Georgia Business and Industry Council and Georgia Chamber of Commerce. In an interview with the Alumni Association's Living History program, Mr. Stith said, "If I had to describe my life and what made it work, I'd say it was balance. As a young man 1 balanced reading, studying, sports, play and girls. It was reinforced at Georgia Tech and has served me throughout my business career."
Milton Edward S w e i g e r t , BS 56, Arch 59, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Sept. 8. Mr. Sweigert was an architect and professor at Southern Polytechnic State University. A Navy veteran, he was a past president of the Georgia Architectural and Engineering Society. Mr. Sweigert sang in various choruses and church choirs in the Atlanta area for many years. J a m e s P. Taylor, AE 56, a resident of Fair Oaks, Calif., on May 20. In 1993, Mr. Taylor retired from Aerojet to start Clean Energy Systems, a green energy company that designs and builds zero-emission gas-fired generators for power plants. He joined Aerojet in 1973 and
was involved in many projects supporting the space and defense programs, including the Aerobee and Astrobee families of sounding rockets. For many years, he served in senior management at Aerojet, running its rocket testing and safety program. R o b e r t V a n Valin, IM 51, of Atlanta, on Aug. 15. A Texas resident for more than 50 years, he ran Van Valin and Associates there for more than 35 years. A member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity as a student at Georgia Tech, he was a World War II veteran, serving as a submarine officer in the Navy. During the Korean War, Mr. Van Valin served as a corn-
November /December 2009
Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine
79