Professor Emeritus, Poetry Chair Founder Henry Bourne Henry C. Bourne Jr., who was hired by Tech President Joseph Pettit to recruit topnotch faculty in the 1980s and later led the Institute for more than a year after the president's death, died March 25. He lived in Winston-Salem, N.C., and was 88 years old. Dr. Bourne came to Tech in 1981 to serve as vice president of Academic Affairs. He was recruited by Pettit from the National Science Foundation, where as deputy assistant director of engineering and applied science he "had helped pioneer programs in microelectronics that brought the government, universities and industry together as partners," according to the Georgia Tech history book Images & Memories.
During his time at Tech, Dr. Bourne interviewed countless prospective professors and was involved in the Centennial Campaign, touring the country with Bobby Dodd on the Alumni Club circuit to raise money and support for the campaign. When Pettit died of cancer in 1986, Dr. Bourne was appointed acting president, a position he held for 13 months. He returned to his post as vice president of Academic Affairs after John P. Crecine was appointed president. About a year later, Dr. Bourne returned to teaching. He taught electrical engineering at Tech for four years. An avid reader and book lover, Dr. Bourne thought it was important that stu-
He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War and a lieutenant in the Navy Reserve. Oris Leroy O'Daniel, ME 49, of Farmington Hills, Mich., on Feb. 11. Mr. O'Daniel worked in various truck engineering departments in a 30year career with the Ford Motor Co. His efforts laid the groundwork for the design and production of fhe F-150 line of trucks. In retirement, he was a volunteer at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., and a docent at Historic Spanish Point in Osprey Fla. Prior to attending Tech, he served four years in the Navy submarine corps during World War II. Harry Popkin, TE 43, of Atlanta, on March 23. A World War II veteran, he and his brothers cre-
were interrupted by service in the Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 to '46. Following graduation, he served on the MIT faculty until joining the University of California, Berkeley, at which he was a professor of electrical engineering from 1954 to 1963. He then went to Rice University, where he was a professor for 16 years and chair of the electrical engineering department for 11 of those years, before leaving for the NSF in Washington, D.C. It was there that he met Pettit, who served on the National Science Board. In a 2001 interview with the Living History program, Dr. Bourne said, "I tell people, I've been to all those different universities, but number one in my heart is Georgia Tech. It just sort of got to me. "I think if I had to describe the strength of Georgia Tech, I would say that in addition to the very, very bright students and the very, very competent faculty, it's that alumni body out there, the most dedicated, loyal bunch of people that you'd ever want to meet. You can't help but [let] that kind of thing nib off on you, and then you get emotionally involved." Survivors include sons Henry Clark Bourne III, MS Mgt 90, and Thomas Franklin Bourne, ABiol 86, MS ABiol 89, PhDABiol93. Memorials may be made to the Georgia Tech Foundation for the Henry and Margaret Bourne Scholarship Fund.
dents of technical fields also nurture their artistic sides through the humanities. He and his wife, named honorary alumni in 1987, established the Margaret T. and Henry C. Bourne Jr. chair in poetry at Georgia Tech. "I, along with lots of other people, want Georgia Tech to be very strong in liberal arts because it is an important component of the education of science and engineering and management majors. I [endowed the chair] to help strengthen creative writing and poetry at Tech," he said at the first Bourne Poetry Reading in 2002. Henry Clark Bourne Jr. was born in Tarboro, N.C., and earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from MIT. His studies there
ated Camp Blue Star in 1948 after recognizing the need for a summer camp for Jewish children in the Southeast. After retiring from the operations of Blue Star Camps, he did youth work for B'nai B'rith and served as president of the temple in Atlanta. He also worked with his son in his business, Active Parenting Publishers.
Charles Carlton S c r u g g s , IM 43, of Pensacola, Fla., on March 26. He owned a Krispy Kreme shop from 1951 to 1984. He served in fhe Navy in the Pacific during World War II. A captain of fhe baseball and basketball teams at Tech, he later played fast-pitch Softball wifh fhe Clearwater Bombers and coached Little League.
John J o s e p h Rowe, Cls45, of Bowie, Md., on Jan. 16. He retired in the late 1980s after working at ERCO and later ACF Industries; the Link Division of the Singer Corp.; and CAE and in simulation in Florida and Norway. A University of Maryland graduate, he worked as an engineer in the shipbuilding programs in Georgia and Rhode Island before serving as a Merchant Marine radio officer during World War II.
ton, on March 20. He began his career wifh Tidewater Oil and held various positions in an 18year career wifh M . W Kellogg Co. in N e w York before joining Stone & Webster Process Industries in 1970. H e returned to M.W. Kellogg in 1981 and from 1983 to '86 served as president of Associated Kellogg Ltd. in Calgary, Alberta. Mr. Spreen served in the N a v y as a lieutenant
Russell William Spreen, ME 42, of Hous-
May/June 2010
Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine
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