“He would’ve been so happy to see how Tech has grown and evolved while maintaining its leadership in the sciences and in engineering.”
— F. Rand
Underwood III,
speaking
of
his
uncle, George E. Miles, EE 1960
George E. Miles, EE 1960, lived a quiet life. Described by his niece, Peyton Underwood Bender, as “private and serious, yet with a witty sense of humor,” Miles went to work for the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia after graduating from Georgia Tech. An electrical engineer, he was responsible for payload electrical systems under the Biological Space Study project and worked with teams that designed, built, tested, and launched rockets.
“He was proud of the work he did for NASA,” Bender said. But what really got Miles animated was talking about Georgia Tech and his college years. “Even as a young man, college was so meaningful to him,” she said. “Being on campus, going to class, eating at the Varsity, attending games — he loved all of it. And as he grew older, he reminisced more and more about his time at Tech.”
Miles remembered Georgia Tech in a more concrete way through a generous estate gift announced this spring:
an eight-figure endowment to support scholarships. Miles was a nephew and namesake of George W. Jenkins Jr., who founded Publix Super Markets. “He received shares of Publix stock as a young man, and because he was very conservative financially, he saved almost everything so the value grew and grew,” Bender said. The George E. Miles Scholarship Endowment was funded primarily through a gift of Publix stock.
Miles, who lived in Maryland for most of his adult life, also funded scholarships at Salisbury University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and WorWic Community College. According to his nephew, F. Rand Underwood III, Miles was a great believer in the transformational power of higher education. “He valued his own education so much, it was no surprise that he elected to establish a number of scholarships,” he said.
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CONNECTED AND DISCIPLINED
WWHEN I THINK about this issue’s theme, If These Walls Could Talk, I think about stories of connection and perseverance and the places and moments when the Tech spirit really shows up.
For me, one of those places has always been the Silver Skillet on 14th Street. From the moment you walk in, you immediately feel that sense of Tech community. I’ve watched students, alumni, faculty, and staff plan business ideas and talk through important life decisions there. And more than once, I brought mentees there. Every time I visit, I bump into an alum or two, and suddenly, Tech’s network is at work. Connection is just one aspect of Tech’s story. Discipline is another.
When I was vice president for Government and Community Relations, part of my job was to represent Tech’s priorities in the State Capitol. At the time, I was looking to secure funding for the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons. It was the final stretch of the legislative
session—tensions were high, and timelines were tight. Anyone representing a project that needed funding really couldn’t leave. If a lawmaker had a question and you weren’t there, your project could be wiped out of the budget. So when I walked into the Capitol that morning, I knew I couldn’t leave. The Clough project was too important.
State budget leaders deliberated back and forth for 40 straight hours. I never left the Capitol during that time. No sleep. No change of clothes. No toothbrush! Just the stubborn determination that I would push through to the end. It was a true “allnighter.” I walked into the Capitol Tuesday morning and didn’t leave until Thursday, but it worked. We secured funding and built the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons. Many of us remember pulling “all-nighters” to study for an exam or get a project to the finish line. In this issue, we revisit those long nights with a photo essay (page 54) that captures Yellow Jackets burning the midnight oil.
That’s the thing about Tech. It prepares you—with not just knowledge, but resilience. We’re taught to stay in the room. To do whatever it takes. Even when it’s difficult. If these walls could talk, I think they’d say: Tech people don’t settle. They show up, connect, push forward, and finish the job.
What do you think these walls would say? Share your thoughts and more in the 2025 Alumni Attitude Survey coming out this summer. Go Jackets!
DENE SHEHEANE, MGT 91 PRESIDENT GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
VOL. 101 | NO. 2
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
Dene Sheheane, Mgt 91
VP STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Lindsay Vaughn EDITOR Jennifer Herseim
DIRECTOR
Hedberg
EDITOR Barbara McIntosh Webb
COPYWRITER
Sharita Hanley
STUDENT ASSISTANTS
Riddhi Bhattacharya, Alisha Tan, Joanna Xiao
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chair
Rita Breen, Psy 90, MS IE 92
Past Chair/Finance
Tommy Herrington, IM 82
Chair Elect, Vice Chair/Roll Call
Jimmy Mitchell, CE 05
Vice Chair of Engagement
Sam Westbrook, IE 99
Member at Large
Meredith Moot, Mgt 08
Member at Large
Alex Muñoz, Mgt 88
Member at Large
Amy Phuong, IA 05, MBA 14
Member at Large
Kenji Takeuchi, ME 94
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Tommy Antonino, BA 15, MSA 22; Donnie Beamer, Econ 05; Matt Bishop, CmpE 06; Alexia Borden, IE 01; Jacky Cheng, IE 17; Kim (Kilpatrick) Civins, Mgt 92; Catherine Cooper, IE 90; Cynthia Culbreath, IE 93, MS IE 95; Adam Fuller, Mgt 93; Sid Gore, ME 17, MS ME 20; Derek Goshay, IE 93; Ryan Greene, ME 00, MS Econ 01; Craig Hyde, CmpE 05; TJ Kaplan, PP 13; Brandon Kearse, ME 08, MS CE 10; Kayla Kelly, Econ 16; Olivia Langevine, IAML 13; Sabrina McCorvey, IE 90; Mihir Pathak, ME 08, MS ME 10, PhD ME 13; Susan (Sutherland) Piña, IE 93; Kyle Porter, Mgt 04; Josh Roberts, IE 02; Sonia Sardana, IE 12; Greg Sitkiewicz, IE 00; Kofi Smith, IE 99, MBA 09; Miya Smith, IE 03; Russell Smith, Cls 98; Peter Stewart, CE 97; Casey Swails, Mgt 07; Rani Tilva, BA 18; Paul Trotti, ME 00; Hayley Tsuchiyama, ChBE 18; Ben Utt, IM 81; D’Andre Waller, ME 17; Kourtney Wright, CS 15, MS CS 23; Liz (Harriss) York, Arch 90, M Arch 95
The Silver Skillet on 14th Street has long been a meeting spot for Yellow Jackets.
A MIDNIGHT STROLL
Yellow Jackets take a break from studying the Monday night of finals week to sing the fight song and dash past Brittain Hall.
THESE WALLS COULD TALK
From billion-dollar businesses founded out of dorms to lifelong friendships made, there are countless stories these walls could tell.
HOME SWEET HOME
Stories from the places that Yellow Jackets called home for four—or more—years.
TECH AT NIGHT
See how vibrant the Institute can be long after the last class whistle blows.
View from Science Square See a day-to-night timelapse of campus and the Midtown Atlanta skyline on Instagram @GTAlumni
DEPARTMENTS
READY, SET, RACE
Buzz set the pace during the 2025 Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race. The first race, held in 1973, was 3 miles long and then expanded to 3.14 miles after 1975. Today, it’s a 5-kilometer race that runs along the Tyler Brown Pi Mile Trail through campus.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
STORY BEHIND THE SHOT
THERE IS AN INTERESTING backstory to the majorette “To Hell With Georgia” photo on page 93 of the Winter 2025 Alumni Magazine. The photo is actually a staged shot of an incident that occurred on Grant Field during the GT vs. UGA football game in November 1979. Kim Knight, the head majorette, and myself had a tradition of leading the band onto the field and performing an opening salute followed by me bowing and her curtsying to the audience. Kim normally wore a cape that she would then take off before the half-time performance began.
In the fall of 1979, we brainstormed some ways to amplify our grand entrance for the UGA game. Unbeknownst to the band directors and staff, we hit on the idea of sewing a special message on the inside of her cape for her to display as she curtsied to the audience. We got quite the appreciative response from the Tech home crowd and a huge negative, if not stunned, response from the Red Coat band. But it got even better: Unbeknownst to Kim and me, the marching melodic percussion, which came onto the field right behind us, made signs. While Kim was displaying her inner cape message, they flipped over their signs one by one to read: “To - Hell - With - Georgia.” —David Foote, EE 80, Marching Band Drum Major, 1978–1980
SPOT-ON EDITION
I JUST READ THROUGH, cover to cover, the magical spring 2025 edition of the GT Alumni Magazine [Entertainment issue]. Content, phenomenal. Layout and presentation, spectacular. But what impressed me the most was the incredible amount of information your staff must have had to acquire, sift through, glean, and come up with to produce such an impressive, spot-on edition. From an alumni magazine standpoint, I don’t think anything like this has ever been done, at least I have not seen it, and I just wanted you to know what a tremendous impression it made on me and will undoubtedly make on all your subscribers. —Bert Thornton, IM 68, of Pensacola, Fla.
WINNER, WINNER!
YOU CAN ADD ONE more alum to the list of game show participants from the Spring 2025 Alumni Magazine. In 2013, I was a contestant on Let’s Make a Deal with Wayne Brady, and during that encounter I won a car! The show aired in November 2013. It would have been a great experience just to appear on the show, but winning a car put it over the top indeed. —Carol (Healy) Bloomberg, CE 80
MISTRESS OF PATIENCE’S LONG(ER) HISTORY
YOU KEEP REFERENCING this recognition diploma as being awarded in the 1940s and early 1950s before fading away. As you can see from the photo, it was awarded as late as 1980, when I got my MS IM degree and my wife received her degree. —Ed Caldwell, AE 74, MS IM 80
AROUND CAMPUS
AHOOGA!
The Georgia Tech Auto Show, held on March 29 this year, was started in 2003 by Sterling Skinner, ME 91, MS ME 95, a laboratory manager in mechanical engineering, and David Lynn, M ID 06, a lecturer in the School of Industrial Design.
J AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM BUILT BY YELLOW JACKETS
ALUMNI HELPED STUDENTS DESIGN, FUNDRAISE, AND BUILD AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM AS PART OF A VERTICALLY INTEGRATED PROJECT.
BY JENNIFER HERSEIM
JUST A SHORT DRIVE from campus is a classroom like no other, with a forest floor, a clear roof, and no walls. This outdoor space was created by Georgia Tech students and the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) with help from more than a dozen alumni.
“Projects like this really show you the long-term impact of the work you’re doing,” says Christian Coles, Arch 16, a designer with CHASM Architecture and part-time lecturer in the School of Architecture, who served as an advisor to the project. “Georgia Tech in partnership with different organizations around Atlanta can truly make the city a force for good.”
The classroom, which includes design elements that honor the Bush Mountain neighborhood where it’s located, will foster community engagement and environmental education. It’s part of a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP), which brings together students and advisers from various disciplines to work on
ambitious, multi-year projects with community partners around Atlanta.
ALUMNI SUPPORT
The WAWA Outdoor Classroom Project originated from a conversation between Jennifer Hirsch, senior director of Tech’s Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education (SCoRE), and Darryl Haddock, special projects director at WAWA.
The goal of the project has been to seed the seven “petals,” or imperatives, of Georgia Tech’s living building—The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design—in surrounding neighborhoods.
“We wanted it to be a project that
was about community leadership, and we wanted it to reflect the community’s history and their vision for the future,” Hirsch says.
From the beginning, alumni were eager to be involved.
The “magic” behind VIPs is the collaboration across academic areas, says Frank Wickstead, MS BC 11, parttime lecturer in the School of Building Construction and managing partner at Alair Buckhead. Wickstead served as the project’s lead construction advisor. “It should be part of the academic process to make students work with other disciplines and on real-world projects. That’s so valuable,” he says.
That type of collaboration wasn’t
Lauren Riehm, ARE 23, was an early member of the VIP as a student. Riehm volunteered during the classroom build days.
always the norm, adds Juan Archila, Arch 02, M Arch 04, Tech’s director of academic and research facilities infrastructure, who co-taught the VIP with Hirsch. “In my day, we were very siloed. It was only in the professional world where I started meeting fellow alumni who might have only been a class year before or after me,” he says.
Alumni were also key community partners. Janelle Wright, M CRP 23, an environmental justice programs manager, was the project’s lead from WAWA, which happens to be cofounded and run by alumna Na’Taki Osborne-Jelks, CE 98.
“The power of the VIP is to connect students and the community,” Wright says. “Building this structure in the forest serves as a way of addressing environmental inequity while also serving some of the needs we have as an organization to bridge people’s gaps into green space.”
Jimmy Mitchell, CE 05, sustainability manager for Skanska and the lead builder for the Kendeda Building, was a project advisor and helped students connect with industry partners who donated funding, materials, and time to the build. In addition to Skanska and Randall Brothers, industry partners included companies and organizations run by other alumni: Wickstead (Alair Buckhead); Kate Henry (Aulick Engineering), CE 08; Shannon Goodman (Lifecycle Building Center, cofounded by Goodman
and Mitchell), MS Arch 98; Justis Brogan (McCarthy Building Companies), ME 04; Thomas Gambino (Prime Engineering), CE 79; and Bob Chambers (Smith Curie Oles), CE 79, MS CE 80.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Early on, the VIP team recognized the importance of the outdoor classroom reflecting the cultural heritage of the Bush Mountain neighborhood, a largely African American community that includes historic practice fields that were once used by Atlanta’s Negro League baseball teams. Coles worked with students and WAWA to
incorporate Afrofuturism into their approach. “The idea is to connect the past, present, and future through cultural innovation,” Coles says.
Markers along the pathway to the outdoor classroom will include oral histories, which share stories of the neighborhood and its history. “The richness of design, especially from an Afrocentric perspective, is to bring the community into it and allow their voices to be heard,” Coles adds.
A ribbon-cutting celebration on April 12 brought together alumni with recent graduates who had worked on the project and the students and community members who will see the outdoor classroom in use.
“At Georgia Tech, we’re about progress and service. We’re usually good at the progress side of things, but here’s an example of a service-based project, where the students really listened to what WAWA and the community wanted,” says Mitchell.
Members of the VIP: Building for Equity and Sustainability during a ribbon-cutting on April 12.
# 21
GEORGIA TECH SHINES IN LATEST GRADUATE PROGRAM RANKINGS
THE U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKS TECH’S GRAD PROGRAMS AMONG
*Editor’s note: Not all Georgia Tech colleges, schools, or programs are ranked each year by the organization.
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A SIGNIFICANT GRANT WILL SUPPORT THE INSTITUTE’S RESEARCH INTO MAKING CELL THERAPIES MORE AFFORDABLE.
GGEORGIA TECH stands on the brink of a medical revolution, fueled by a monumental award from the Marcus Foundation. This transformative $40 million endeavor, with a principal investment of $20 million from the Marcus Foundation, promises to make high-quality, life-saving cell therapies more affordable, reliable, and accessible than ever before.
This was among the final initiatives personally directed by Bernie Marcus, HON PhD 15, the philanthropist, entrepreneur, and The Home Depot cofounder, before his passing in November 2024. Marcus invited Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95, to his home to discuss Georgia Tech’s capability to usher in a new era of regenerative medicine.
“His challenge to Georgia Tech was clear: Use our engineering expertise to make cell therapies more accessible and cost-effective and develop cures for incurable diseases,” Cabrera says.
The funding will ignite innovation at Georgia Tech’s Marcus Center of Excellence for Cell Biomanufacturing, formerly named the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing, which has been bioengineering potential cellular cures for more than seven years. It will enable Tech engineers to advance work at the center and within the National Science Foundation–funded Engineering Research Center in Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), to develop automated bioreactor systems that eliminate the need for costly cleanrooms.
Marcus/CMaT Director Johnna Temenoff compared the current
GEORGIA TECH’S $40M MEDICAL MISSION
BY MICHELLE AZRIEL
state of cell therapies to the early days of the automobile industry. She explained that this new injection of funds will allow the team to shift from handcrafted production to an assembly-line approach.
“I firmly believe that for us to make good on the promises of these biotechnologies to improve healthcare worldwide, we must be able to manufacture them in a more reproducible and cost-effective manner. Georgia Tech’s distinctive strength lies in our engineering expertise, allowing us to tackle difficult biological problems,” Temenoff says.
The impact of this award extends beyond the laboratory. It has the potential to significantly boost Georgia’s bioeconomy, making the state a hub for advanced therapy development and biomanufacturing. It will attract jobs and top-tier talent to the region.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY TO BE NAMED IN HONOR OF THE CARTERS
THE NAME HONORS FORMER PRESIDENT AND ALUMNUS JIMMY CARTER AND FORMER FIRST LADY ROSALYNN CARTER.
GEORGIA TECH’S School of Public Policy will be named the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, Cls 46, HON PhD 79, and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. At the recommendation of President Ángel Cabrera, the Georgia Board of Regents approved the naming at its April 16 meeting.
“The Carter family is a true gem of Georgia, demonstrating what can be accomplished through a focus on public service, resilience, and a desire to improve the human condition,” says Cassidy Sugimoto, the Tom and Marie Patton Professor and School Chair in the School of Public Policy. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to honor the Carters for their work since the founding of the Carter Center in 1982, focused on preventing and resolving conflicts, enhancing freedom and democracy, and improving health.”
Jimmy Carter, who attended Georgia Tech as a student in 1942, received
the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Service and Progress at Georgia Tech in 2002 and the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage at Georgia Tech in 2017. The School of Public Policy partnered with the Carter Center on the two-year naming process, and Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were engaged and personally supportive.
“My family and I are honored by Georgia Tech’s naming of the School of Public Policy after my grandparents,” says Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. “Georgia
Tech was extremely important to my grandfather, and I am so glad that this institution chose to celebrate my grandparents’ decades-long partnership of service.”
“Georgia Tech always held a special place in President and Mrs. Carter’s hearts. In fact, Mrs. Carter kept a Georgia Tech blanket draped across a chair in her office at The Carter Center—a sweet reminder of her very favorite Tech student—and it still sits there today,” says Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander. —MEGAN McRAINEY
TECH TOPS LIST OF “NEW IVIES” THE INSTITUTE AGAIN TOOK THE TOP SPOT FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON FORBES’ NEW IVIES LIST.
GEORGIA TECH has again been recognized among Forbes’ New Ivies, highlighting its favorable standing among executives and hiring managers.
The survey of more than 380 C-suite leaders, vice presidents, and other managers revealed the 10 public and private colleges that “are attracting the best and the brightest” and graduating students who are “outpacing most Ivy Leaguers in the eyes of employers.”
Employers are increasingly valuing students from the list of “new Ivies,” with 38% saying they are more likely to hire graduates from non-Ivy public colleges than five years ago. Forbes evaluated colleges based on three criteria: size, selectivity, and test scores. The survey was distributed to subscribers of Forbes’ C-suite newsletters. Tech was also recognized in 2024 on Forbes’ list of new Ivies.—STEVEN GAGLIANO
ATLANTA UNITED’S EFRAÍN MORALES BALANCES SOCCER AND STUDIES AT GEORGIA TECH
BY STEVEN GAGLIANO
LLIKE MANY KIDS, Efraín Morales grew up with a dream of becoming a professional athlete. As a Suwanee, Georgia, native, he also dreamed of attending Georgia Tech. Now, as a defender for Atlanta United and an undergraduate in the Scheller College of Business, Morales does both.
With the Five Stripes 2025 season underway, Morales splits his time between the pitch and campus in pursuit of a finance degree. Each day for Morales begins at the club’s training facility early in the morning. After that, he’ll attend classes, study, or find time for a nap. His schedule isn’t that of a typical college student.
“It’s pretty difficult at times. With
soccer, there are days you have some free time, but some days you have no time at all, so whether it’s doing a little bit of work on the plane or at the hotel, you develop a routine and figure it out,” he says. “The balance between on- and off-field work helps to develop yourself and build character, and I think that’s important for life outside soccer.”
Morales has been affiliated with Atlanta United since its 2017 inaugural season, starting as a member of its youth academy program. He inked his first Major League contract with the club at 16 as the first player to sign from the Academy’s U-12 team. Rising through the ranks, he made his Major League Soccer debut during the 2024 season, eventually earning three starts, two of which came during the club’s
run in the U.S. Open Cup.
As he developed as a soccer player, he also pursued his dream of attending Tech. “Since sixth grade, I’ve wanted to go to Georgia Tech. I’m the son of immigrants, and my parents are big on education. They both came to the United States and went to university as well, so that’s something that’s been instilled in me from a young age. We knew before I signed my contract here that, regardless, I was going to get a degree and an education. I think it’s important for building myself, not as an athlete, but as a person.”
Growing up in the area, Morales toured and attended events at the Institute, and with friends and former teachers on campus, he felt at home the first time he stepped on campus as a student. During his time balancing life as an undergraduate and a professional athlete, Morales has been grateful for the help of his professors to ensure he never misses an assignment or falls behind. In January, Morales met with noted soccer fan and Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95.
He hopes his classmates and all fellow Yellow Jackets will cheer him on this season. “An Atlanta United match is one of the best sporting events you can get in the country, so if you’re a fan or even if you’re new to the game, it’s something worth checking out,” Morales says.
A PATCHPALS WINS PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD AT ACC INVENTURE PRIZE
A TEAM OF biomedical engineering students represented Georgia Tech at the ACC InVenture Prize Competition in South Bend, Indiana, pitching an invention that could improve wound care for chronic patients and efficiency in healthcare systems.
Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy is commonly used to treat the 6.5 million people affected annually by chronic wounds, but dressing changes can be frequent and time-consuming. PatchPals aims to cut the time it takes to treat each patient by up to 30% by automating a critical step of the process using artificial intelligence.
BY STEVEN GAGLIANO
Initially developed by Aya Samadi, BME 24, and Deniz Onalir, BME 24, for the pair’s capstone design project in Spring 2024, PatchPals would allow nurses and technicians to take a photo of a wound, outline it, and upload it to the device, which begins cutting a precise piece of foam in 15 seconds. Typically, nurses must manually cut foam to fit each wound, which can be inexact.
The project began with the goal of creating a better bandage for everyday cuts and scrapes, but conversations with medical professionals led them to think more broadly.
“Each time we share our device with professionals in the field, they all have the same reaction, saying, ‘Finally.’ It’s
validating and rewarding to know that we were able to identify a real problem in healthcare and provide a potential solution,” says Samadi, now a biomedical engineering graduate student. “By eliminating the biggest bottleneck in the wound care process, we’re not just saving nurses’ time, we’re ensuring patients get the treatment they need, without the wait.”
Through demos at the Emory Wound & Hyperbaric Center and other medical facilities, the team has been able to refine its product and understand its potential place in the wound care market.
Following Onalir’s graduation, Samadi recruited two new team members, Valeria Perez, BME 24, and Hayden Johnson, BME 24, both now master’s students in biomedical engineering, to help develop the product. PatchPals is the subject of a clinical study at the Emory Wound & Hyperbaric Center. As the device evolves, the team credits the Institute’s resources for the ability to reach this milestone.
“Georgia Tech has an amazing atmosphere around research and development and entrepreneurship. Without the AI makerspace or the BME design shop, we wouldn’t be able to do any of the exploratory research into wound segmentation, automated cuttings, or create our prototypes,” Johnson says.
PatchPals was selected by the judges during the on-campus portion of the competition to represent the Institute at the ACC final, where the team received the People’s Choice Award—a $5,000 prize to continue the development of their invention. The alumni community helped secure the award by texting in votes.
A THIS PACIFIER COULD MONITOR BABIES’ VITALS IN THE NICU
THE BABY-FRIENDLY DEVICE IS DESIGNED TO MEASURE ELECTROLYTE LEVELS IN REAL TIME.
BY CATHERINE BARZLER
A SMALL BUT POWERFUL invention could make life in the NICU easier for the tiniest patients.
Newborns must have their vitals checked frequently, and one of the most critical measures of newborn health is electrolyte levels. Right now, the only way to monitor electrolytes is to draw their blood multiple times a day. This can be painful and frightening for babies, and challenging to perform for medical staff, who can have trouble drawing blood from tiny, underdeveloped blood vessels.
Now, Georgia Tech researchers have developed a pacifier designed to monitor a baby’s electrolyte levels in real time, potentially eliminating the need for repeated invasive blood draws.
W. Hong Yeo, associate professor and Harris Saunders, Jr. Endowed Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering,
came up with the pacifier idea at a pediatric technology conference.
“I wanted to come up with a noninvasive solution for constant electrolyte monitoring, and I decided to focus on something babies like: pacifiers,” says Yeo, who directs the Wearable Intelligent Systems and Healthcare Center (WISH Center) at the Institute for Matter and System.
Yeo purchased a few pacifiers and started brainstorming potential designs. He realized that if he and his team could figure out how to collect a baby’s saliva with the pacifier, then they would likely be able to attach flexible membrane sensors using his existing miniaturization technologies.
The team constructed a tiny tunnel, or microfluidic channel, into the body of the pacifier. The opening at the pacifier’s nipple draws saliva into the channel, which then guides the saliva through the device and into a reservoir equipped with ion-detecting sensors.
127,000
LIPID-PROTEIN BINDING INTERACTIONS AVAILABLE ON BIODOLPHIN, WHICH WAS DEVELOPED AT TECH AND IS THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE, OPEN-ACCESS DATABASE OF PROTEIN-LIPID INTERACTIONS.
The sensors react to sodium and potassium ions, constantly measuring their levels.
Hojoong Kim, a research professor at the WISH Center and program manager of the KIAT-Georgia Tech Semiconductor Electronics Center (which Yeo directs), developed special electronic circuits specifically for the pacifier device. “To make the pacifier wireless, we designed an ultrathin, membrane-based electronic circuit,” Kim says.
The system sends data wirelessly, so physicians can use a smartphone or tablet to receive a real-time, continuous flow of information about a baby’s vitals at any given moment.
“Once we get it into hospitals, I think the device will be a gamechanger for pediatric health monitoring,” Yeo says. “As far as I know, this is the only device in the world that can measure a baby’s electrolyte concentrations continuously.”
20,000 POUNDS A MONTH 5,000 SQUARE FEET
INCREASE IN FOOD SUPPLY BY A NONPROFIT IN GWINNETT COUNTY, THANKS TO A SENIOR CAPSTONE PROJECT IN INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING THAT WAS DESIGNED BY EIGHT STUDENTS.
SIZE OF GEORGIA TECH’S CENTER FOR INCLUSIVE DESIGN AND INNOVATION, WHICH IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF BRAILLE BOOKS IN THE COUNTRY.
NEW IMPLANT MAY HELP PATIENTS
REGENERATE THEIR OWN HEART
A NEW HEART VALVE PROMOTES TISSUE REGENERATION, POTENTIALLY ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR REPEATED SURGERIES.
BY CATHERINE BARZLER
EEVERY YEAR, more than 5 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with heart valve disease, but this condition has no effective long-term treatment. When a person’s heart valve is severely damaged by a birth defect, lifestyle, or aging, blood flow is disrupted. If left untreated, there can be fatal complications.
Valve replacement and repair are the only methods of managing severe valvular heart disease, but both often require repeated surgeries.
Tech researchers have created a 3D-printed heart valve made of bioresorbable materials and designed to fit a patient’s unique anatomy. Once implanted, the valves will be absorbed by the body and replaced by new tissue that will perform the function that the device once served.
The invention comes out of the labs
of faculty members Lakshmi Prasad Dasi, MS CE 00, PhD CE 04, and Scott Hollister in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Tech and Emory.
“This technology is very different from most existing heart valves,” says Dasi, the Rozelle Vanda Wesley Professor in BME. “We are moving away from using animal tissue devices that don’t last and aren’t sustainable, and into a new era where a heart valve can regenerate inside the patient.”
Dasi is a leading researcher in heart valve function and mechanics, while Hollister is a top expert in tissue engineering and 3D printing for pediatric medical devices.
“In pediatrics, one of the biggest challenges is that kids grow, and their heart valves change size over time,” says Hollister, who is professor and Patsy and Alan Dorris Chair in Pediatric Technology and associate chair
VALVES
Left: Research scientist Sanchita Bhat and PhD student Srujana Joshi use a heart simulation setup to test the heart valve prototypes. Above: Scott Hollister and his team use special 3D printers to create devices made of biocompatible materials.
for Translational Research. “With this new technology, the patient can potentially grow new valve tissue and not have to worry about multiple valve replacements in the future.”
GROWING INTO THE HEART
Although 3D-printed heart valves currently exist and bioresorbable materials have been used for implants before, this is the first time the two technologies have been combined to create one device with a resorbable, shape-memory material.
“From the start, the vision for the project was to move away from the one-size-fits-most approach that has been the status quo for heart valve design and manufacturing, and toward a patient-specific implant that can outlast current devices,” explains Sanchita Bhat, PhD BioE 23, a research scientist in Dasi’s lab. The researchers hope this can revolutionize treatment for heart valve patients—and that it will usher in a new era of more tissue-engineered devices.
HOW HIGH CAN YOU GO?
Kendall Ward, a sophomore from Villa Rica, Georgia, competes in the high jump at the 2025 Georgia Tech Invitational, held in April. Ward took first place in the women’s high jump, clearing a height of 1.77 meters.
INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
SINGING THE FIGHT SONG AFTER A VICTORY HAS BECOME A BELOVED TEAM TRADITION FOR GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL.
BY PETE CROATTO
“I“I’M A RAMBLIN’ WRECK from Georgia Tech,” the fight song has declared since 1905. The song hits differently if you’re on the football team.
It nestles into the soul, turning three verses and 148 words into a spiritual experience. As star running back Jamal Haynes says, Georgia Tech football without “Ramblin’ Wreck” would “feel almost abnormal.”
The song has a firm place in Tech football lore: It is sung after every win. But it’s an emotional ballast for the team in good times and bad.
Haynes was a redshirt freshman in 2022, when the Yellow Jackets lost a winnable game in the middle of a 5-7 season. He remembers singing “Ramblin’ Wreck” huddled with his teammates and, amidst the gloom, feeling its impact.
“A lot of the times when I sing the song, I kind of get chills,” Haynes says. “It feels like you’re surrounded by family. Especially after a game where people might be injured. It brings everything into perspective. It really reunites us as a Georgia Tech family.”
That includes the fans. Haynes and ace linebacker Kyle Efford both associate “Ramblin’ Wreck” with beating the then-undefeated University of Miami last season, which prompted fans to flood the field while the song provided a soundtrack for their jubilance.
Singing “Ramblin’ Wreck” with the crowd after a win is a communal experience, Efford says. “We’re all here, we’re all together, we’re all family,” he explains. “We all want the
same common goal. Not a lot of people get to experience that—just to have a crowd that is in tune with you. It changes your whole perspective on the game and gives you much more to play for,” he says.
For Efford, singing the fight song loud and proud is also a chance to release the emotions that come with 60 minutes of focus and intensity. After a win, “it’s a natural high,” he says.
The song also serves as a rite of initiation. First-year players are expected to learn it before the season starts. (Georgia Tech’s band visits the practice field during training camp to teach the song.) Efford and Haynes say it’s taken seriously. If you can’t be bothered to learn this tradition, which is important to this team, how can I trust you on the field?
“Ramblin’ Wreck” is easy to learn but tricky to sing. Employing a mix of tenor and baritone helps, says head football Coach Brent Key, Mgt 01. There are parts that get “a little screwy,” including the string of four “helluva”s in the second line of the first verse.
“I think the song is perfect,” Haynes adds. “I feel like it’s a good representation of the past of Georgia Tech, the present of Georgia Tech, and the future that it holds.” Haynes’ only complaint: He would like more slamming of UGA.
Key was a four-year starter at guard for Georgia Tech. “Ramblin’ Wreck” is “probably instilled in him,” Efford says. He’s right: Whether Key leads the sing-along or serves in the sweaty, battered chorus, he has drunk to all the good fellows who come from far and near.
“From the very first time I sang it, I embraced it,” Key says. That was despite growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, rooting for the Crimson Tide and banishing “the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave.” When Key came to Tech, he started yelling for engineers and cursing Georgia. He’s looking forward to one day teaching his daughter, Harper, age 6, the tradition. She doesn’t know the song, yet. “I don’t want her saying ‘helluva’ that much,” Key says. Another tradition he wants to bring to Tech is to win, which will provide even more opportunities for everyone to cheer on the brave and bold. “It’s all full circle,” Key says.
GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL WON ITS 10TH ACC CHAMPIONSHIP FOLLOWING YET ANOTHER 40-WIN SEASON.
GGEORGIA TECH BASEBALL clinched its first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship in 20 years with an 8-2 triumph at No. 20 Duke in May. Drew Burress went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored, and Brady Jones and Jaylen Paden combined to toss a six-hitter. The game was extra special, being Coach Danny Hall’s final regular season match. This was the program’s sixth regular-season championship (fifth outright) under Hall’s leadership.
Top-seeded Tech went on to play No. 16-seeded California to open postseason play in the ACC Tournament in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships in Durham, N.C. Tech scored a record seven home runs to power past California with a final score of 10-3. Tech set a new postseason single-game program record, tying the record for the most home runs in the history of the ACC tournament and standing as the most homers hit against an ACC opponent this century. Tech advanced to the semifinals but dropped a 9-4 game to No. 5–seeded Clemson.
The Jackets advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 36th time in program history as the No. 2 seed of the Oxford, Miss. regional, where they placed third. ACC Freshman of the year, Alex Hernandez led the team with eight RBI in postseason play, setting the new freshman record for RBI in a single season, at 69. His six RBI in the Jackets’ victory over
Western Kentucky were the most in an NCAA Tournament game since 1996. Coach Hall was honored with his fifth ACC Coach of the Year award. —GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS
A LUXURY STAY
for Georgia Tech Families
Located 1.5 miles from campus, Downtown Atlanta’s newest hotel invites you to enjoy a new era of hospitality.
HALL ANNOUNCES COACHING RETIREMENT
TECH’S LONGTIME HEAD BASEBALL COACH ANNOUNCED HE WOULD STEP AWAY FROM COACHING FOLLOWING THE 2025 SEASON.
LLEGENDARY GEORGIA Tech
baseball head coach Danny Hall announced back in March that he is stepping away from coaching.
Hall’s 1,452 wins in 38 seasons as a head coach (including six seasons at Kent State and 32 at Tech) rank
ninth in NCAA Division I history. The total includes 1,244 wins at Tech.
“I have made a decision to step away from coaching at the end of this season,” Hall says. “My family and I have been blessed beyond belief for 32 wonderful years of wearing the White and Gold.
“The coaches, players, athletics
directors, staff, and alumni have all been a huge part of our success. I have great memories of being a part of our players’ careers, but especially cherish having the opportunity to see my sons, Carter and Colin, play here and earn Georgia Tech degrees. Tech is special and Tech baseball players are true Tech men. Thank all of you for the memories that will last a lifetime.”
Hall arrived at Georgia Tech in 1994. He has guided Tech to eight Atlantic Coast Conference regularseason championships, six ACC Tournament titles, 25 NCAA Tournament berths, and three College World Series in his 32 seasons at the helm of the Yellow Jackets. His 1,244 wins at Tech are a school record, he has been named ACC Coach of the Year five times (1997, 2000, 2005, 2019, and 2025) and was the Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 1997. Since his arrival on The Flats, a staggering 146 Yellow Jackets have been selected in the Major League draft a total of 163 times.
In recognition of his astounding accomplishments, Hall was inducted to the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2023 and named an honorary alumnus by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association in 2024.
“Danny Hall is one of the most legendary head coaches in the history of college baseball, and Georgia Tech is proud and fortunate to call him one of our own,” Tech’s former Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt says. “On behalf of the entire Tech community, I thank Coach Hall for all that he has done for the Institute, its fans, and, most importantly, the hundreds of baseball student-athletes that he has mentored here over the last 32 years.”
—GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS
BLAIR NAMED WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
BLAIR TAKES OVER FOR NELL FORTNER, WHO ANNOUNCED HER RETIREMENT IN MARCH.
KKAREN BLAIR, who helped lead Maryland to multiple Big Ten championships in her seven seasons with the Terrapins, has been named the seventh head coach in Georgia Tech women’s basketball history. Tech’s former Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt appointment in April after previous coach Nell Fortner announced her retirement.
“We set out to find a coach that has an es tablished record of success at the highest level—both on the court and on the re cruiting trail—and Coach Blair certainly fits that bill,” Batt says. “She has added to her list of achievements at every stop of her coaching career, including the last seven seasons at Mary land, where she helped
lead the program to three Big Ten championships [and] annual NCAA Tournament berths, and played a big role in consistently landing some of the nation’s top-ranked recruiting classes. Coach Blair is the right person to build on Georgia Tech women’s basketball’s legacy of success.”
Blair served as associate head coach at Maryland for the last five seasons, following two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Terrapins. Maryland won at least one game in 5-of-6 NCAA Tournaments with Blair on the bench, advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2021, 2022, and 2025, and earned a spot in the Elite Eight in 2023.
Known as one of the nation’s top recruiters, Blair helped Maryland land four top-20 recruiting classes.
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association named Blair the NCAA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020 Silver Waves Media named her one of the Most
Impactful Assistant Coaches in Women’s Basketball in 2022.
Prior to her seven successful seasons at Maryland, Blair served as associate head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University for three seasons (2015–’18).
“I’m so grateful and excited to be the women’s basketball head coach at Georgia Tech,” Blair says. “Tech is a special place, on and off the court. The Institute has a long tradition of women’s basketball success, with a great foundation in place, thanks to the leadership of Coach Nell Fortner. I want to continue to build on that momentum and success to take the program to even greater heights.”
One of the most decorated players in SMU women’s basketball history, Blair was a three-year starting point guard as a member of the Mustangs (1995–’99). She led Southern Methodist University (SMU) to three NCAA Tournament berths, was a two-year team captain, and earned second-team all-Western Athletic Conference honors in 1998. A native of Richland, Mich., Blair graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from SMU in 1999.
—GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS
THE PEARL IS SUSTAINABILITY
Read about the husband-and-wife team who started Georgia’s first floating oyster farm. Their mission goes beyond bivalves—they’re committed to increasing awareness about the benefits of sustainable aquaculture.
FOR THE LOVE OF OYSTERS
GEORGIA’S OYSTER INDUSTRY IS JUST STARTING TO MAKE WAVES. THE SUSTAINABILITY-MINDED COUPLE BEHIND TYBEE OYSTER COMPANY IS LEADING THE WAY. COLLEEN M c NALLY ARNETT
OONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE of the oysters eaten in Georgia today are locally sourced, despite the state’s history as a leading oyster producer in the early 1900s. On track to produce close to 250,000 oysters this year, the Tybee Oyster Co., run by two Georgia Tech alumni, is helping revive the state’s industry in a sustainable way. Perry Solomon, CE 99, and Laura Solomon, IE 00, are not who you
might expect to be pioneer oyster farmers. A native of Tybee Island, Perry earned his master’s degree at the Marine Corps University and flew fighter jets for 20 years in the U.S. Navy before returning to his hometown, with his family in tow, as a captain for Gulfstream Aerospace. Meanwhile, Laura expanded her career in education, nonprofits, and consultancy.
Along the way, they traveled and ate their way across the world, developing a fascination for global
foodways—specifically oysters—and sustainable mariculture. Their shared passion eventually led them to bring the best practices for oyster farming back home, literally.
In 2022, the husband-and-wife team launched Tybee Oyster Co., becoming Georgia’s first floating oyster farm. From the dock at the Savannah Boathouse, the couple typically commutes five miles by boat to their 7.5-acre lease on Bull River multiple times a day to raise, harvest, and sell oysters. They are so dedicated that they cross rival lines to source seeds provided by UGA Oyster Hatchery on the nearby Skidaway
River. (The Solomons’ oldest daughter is also a student at UGA. “A real failure for the alumni magazine,” Perry quips. “Just playing. We’re super proud of her.”)
Instead of using congested interstates and GPS to get to work, the Tybee Oyster Co. team navigates with tide charts and weather forecasts. (Last fall, just as the farm was gaining momentum, sadly half of their crop was lost due to Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene.) Their coworkers, so to speak, are phytoplankton and algae, which are oysters’ main source of food.
As filter-feeders, oysters naturally play a crucial role in environmental protection by improving water quality and biodiversity and bolstering strong ecosystems.
This science is why the Solomons’ mission goes far beyond growing bespoke bivalves for the region’s top chefs and most-discerning diners; they’re also committed to increasing awareness of the ecological benefits of sustainable aquaculture.
To do the latter, Laura regularly swaps her coveralls and work boots to put her teaching hat back on. When she’s not on the farm or with
her family, she serves as the director of Growth and Planning for the Tybee Island Maritime Academy (the state’s only Georgia Department of Education STEAM-certified K-8 school). In 2024, she also founded a nonprofit called ECO Georgia with Katie Holliday, a science teacher at the academy. Together, they have brought the real-world lessons of aquaculture into the classroom, fostering the next generation of oyster fans.
Of course, students aren’t the only ones who can benefit from learning more about oysters. Given the infancy of Georgia’s industry, the Solomons
Perry and Laura Solomon launched Tybee Oyster Co. in 2022, becoming Georgia’s first floating oyster farm.
“WATER HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF OUR RELATIONSHIP,” SAYS LAURA SOLOMON.
have spent many hours engaging with local thought-leaders, from politicians to chefs to journalists, both on land and by boat rides, so more people can experience the farm firsthand.
In line with their mission, the Solomons hosted the inaugural Georgia Oyster Revival in Savannah, an event that raised $20,000 for ECO Georgia. They are also active in nonprofits like Oyster South and Shell to Shore, an Athens-based oyster shell recycling
program. And, earlier this year, Laura served as the alumni keynote speaker for Georgia Tech’s Sustainability Showcase, where she emphasized how oysters help coastlines become more resilient against threatening storms, sea level rise, erosion, and poor water quality. Next up, she is participating in the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership’s class of 2025, one of 30 leaders chosen to help confront environmental issues statewide.
Back at home, one issue that oyster farmers have advocated for is the length of Georgia’s season, traditionally open during the cooler months of October through June. Recently, the Georgia Board of Natural Resources approved a new rule to extend the harvest season year-round, while also
introducing strict conditions for time and temperature controls, cold-chain management procedures, trained personnel, recordkeeping, and more.
“Some people are more risk-averse. Some people see innovation as a way to move the needle. You inherently have conflicting opinions, but it’s also an opportunity to work collaboratively with policymakers and regulators and truly build an industry,” Laura says. “While it can be very frustrating, I’m grateful that we have a voice in it.”
After all, coastal Georgia is their home and where the couple first crossed paths as teens. As high schoolers in the mid-’90s, Laura and Perry met on the beach briefly the summer before starting at Georgia Tech. When they showed up for freshman
orientation a few weeks later, they were surprised to find each other in the same small group.
“We ended up signing up for a lot of the same classes,” Perry recalls. Since they both could exempt out of Calculus I and II, they enrolled together in a tougher math class and held each
other accountable. They were also both drawn to water activities; Laura rowed and Perry sailed. “Water has always been part of our relationship,” Laura adds, as have Georgia Tech and their shared love for problem-solving.
While neither of them works in the fields they studied as undergrads,
they credit the Institute’s rigorous curriculum for preparing them to confidently pursue their new careers as oyster farmers. “A degree from Georgia Tech proves you can do something hard,” Perry says. “You’re a self-starter, you can learn, and you’re capable of overcoming obstacles.”
THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER
When you order a dozen on the half-shell at a restaurant, the raw shellfish arrive shucked and ready to eat, elegantly arranged on ice, and belly-side up. However, the experience shouldn’t end there. Before slurping down the meat, pay attention to these clues about the oyster’s origin. Here, Perry and Laura Solomon share tips to become a bivalve aficionado.
TINY MIRACLE
Take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty. Like leaves, snowflakes, or human fingerprints, no two oysters are identical. The shape, size, and texture of every shell is unique. When wet, the shells may appear iridescent—a quality that can get lost when they’re dry.
LOCAL FLAVOR
Just as wine experts can identify terroir, the taste—or merroir—of an oyster is influenced by its habitat. Some varieties are sweeter, while others taste more salty. Tybee Oyster Co.’s oysters are nicknamed Salt Bombs because of the extra briny quality of the Atlantic waters. (Tybee Island gets its name from the Euchee tribe’s word for “salt.”) Likewise, a shell’s colors and stripes offer hints about the oyster’s history.
WILD GUESS
Can you tell how the oyster was raised? Off-bottom oysters, grown in floating cages like Tybee Oyster Co.’s, typically boast bigger, deeper cups, making them a preferred canvas for chefs. Wildcaught or bottom-culture oysters, however, may appear more gnarly with stronger shells and tiny holes drilled by predatory snails.
FROM THE BOOKSHELVES
ENJOY THESE LATEST TITLES FROM ALUMNI AUTHORS.
BUSINESS
PEAK PROPERTY PERFORMANCE
BILL DOUGLAS, ME 87
Drawing from more than three decades in technology and real estate, Bill Douglas teamed up with systems architect Drew Hall to write a bold, actionable playbook that introduces the 5C Framework—a step-by-step model for leveraging data, AI, and digital infrastructure to unlock asset value and operational excellence.
BUSINESS
LEADERSHIP MATTERS: AN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING AND SUSTAINING INDUSTRY MELINDA (ROSS) TOURANGEAU, EE 88
In Leadership Matters, Tourangeau describes the importance of industrial engineering and operational excellence through a series of compelling real-world case studies. She develops the idea of how daily operations make or break an industry, stitching together an important professional development book for industry leaders.
RELIGION
AS YOU GO
D. VICTOR DAWSON, IM 75
Dawson writes about how to share your faith and live out the great commission in Matthew 28:19. As a global business owner and entrepreneur, he shares stories of how each person can spark a conversation that impacts eternity.
FICTION WILL-O’-THE-WISP
RICK HOBBS, PHYS 69, MS PHYS 70, AND MIKE HOBBS
Hobbs and his brother, Mike, co-authored Will-o’-the-Wisp, which explores the dimensions of a realm where actions reverberate through the ages and where past and present are connected in unexpected ways. This is Hobbs’ fifth novel. His second book, The Realm of Misplaced Hearts, won the 2016 Maine Literary Award in Speculative Fiction.
MYSTERY
THE ART OF THE KILL
LEE GIMENEZ, ID 74
Gimenez’s 19th novel, The Art of the Kill, was published in 2024. This page-turning mystery is the 10th novel in Lee’s highly acclaimed J.T. Ryan Thrillers. In 2024, The Art of the Kill was nominated for “Best Thriller” by the International Thriller Writers Association. Lee was a Finalist for the Author Academy Award and is a U.S. Army veteran.
TECHNOLOGY
THE GUARDIAN: A SPACE-BASED NEUTRAL PARTICLE BEAM – A POWERFUL GUARDIAN OF PEACE
MICHAEL TOOLE, MS ESM 76, MS PHYS 76
The Guardian advocates for international collaboration in the development of Neutral Particle Beams (NPBs). Through a deep dive into the history and impact of NPB technology, Toole characterizes the future of space, defense, and international cooperation.
BUSINESS
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
OF
LARGE SOFTWARE-INTENSIVE SYSTEMS
MARVIN GECHMAN, IE 57
Gechman is culminating his 57-year career with Project Management of Large SoftwareIntensive Systems, a textbook guide to manage and successfully deliver large, complex, and expensive systems. The book details how to seamlessly integrate systems, control the software development process, satisfy customers’ requirements, and deliver on time and within the budget.
BUSINESS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT LESSONS LEARNED: A CONTINUOUS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK
MEL BOST, PHYS 69, MS NE 70
This book covers the important role a project management office (PMO) plays in promoting lessons learned. Project managers learn how to improve processes by applying lessons learned. The book emphasizes “actionability,” or producing a process improvement that can be acted upon by anyone in the PMO or project team.
SCIENCE
THE JOY OF QUANTUM COMPUTING: A CONCISE INTRODUCTION
JED BRODY, MS ECE 99, PHD ECE 03
The Joy of Quantum Computing: A Concise Introduction aims to bring quantum computing to the masses and just might reveal the nature of reality in the process. Through explorations of famous algorithms and a visit to Schrödinger’s cat, Brody systematically demystifies quantum mechanics, all while avoiding complex mathematics. This book is “a feast for the reader’s inner nerd” and is accessible to anyone with knowledge of high school algebra.
TECHNOLOGY
UX FOR ENTERPRISE CHATGPT SOLUTIONS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DESIGNING
ENTERPRISE-GRADE LLMS
RICHARD MILLER, PSY 87
This practical guide helps users get the most out of ChatGPT in a UX-centered approach. Miller is a veteran in the UX and conversational AI fields, having implemented multiple AI models for Oracle on Slack, Teams, and the web. Miller teaches the reader how to have purposeful interactions with AI and refine their prompts to increase productivity.
NON-FICTION
PROSE TO THE PEOPLE
KATIE MITCHELL, PP 15, MS PP 16
This stunning visual homage to Black bookstores around the country chronicles the Black bookstore’s past and present lives. Combining narrative prose, eye-catching photography, one-on-one interviews, original essays, and specially curated poetry, Prose to the People is a reader’s road trip companion to the world of Black books.
MEMOIR
90 AND COUNTING
ELIGE SMITH, EE 60
In 90 and Counting, Smith takes the reader on a journey with him through his 91 years of life. Since graduating from Tech, Smith has worked on the NASA Moon Landing program, NASA worldwide communications, the Indian Health Service, the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, and Bell Aerospace Co. At 91, he is in great health and looking back on a fabulous career and life.
WALLSCOULDTALK IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK Tech
FROM THE MUNDANE TO THE THEREEXTRAORDINARY, ARE COUNTLESS STORIES THESE WALLS COULD TELL.
ince its founding on October 13, 1885, hundreds of thousands of graduates have passed through the hallowed halls of Georgia Tech. And that number will accelerate with the Institute’s goal of doubling the number of degrees granted and non-degree learners by 2030. Given the size of the school’s extensive campus, which spreads over 400 acres and 236 buildings, there are countless stories these walls could tell.
From billion-dollar businesses founded out of dorm rooms and late-night debates fueled by new scientific breakthroughs, to lifelong friendships and marriages made, Tech is not just an institute of higher education. Rather, it’s a cultural landmark that’s served as a launchpad for more celebrated careers and relationships than you can count on a scientific calculator—or a slide rule, if you’re partial to those.
Here are just a few of the many anecdotes, which continue to resonate across the Institute’s walls today.
OUT OF THIS WORLD
L. W. “Chip” Robert Jr. Alumni House
who are in their 80s and live in Athens. What he didn’t realize is just how much it meant for them to hear him talk about me, which was really special.”
It was a doubly cool experience, Gatens notes, given that she mostly had the run of the entire Alumni House, which was quiet that Friday. “I was expecting, you know, hey, you can have this little office over here,” she chuckles. “But like I said, even having served on the Alumni Board of Trustees, I wasn’t expecting them to roll out such a red carpet.”
It’s common for Tech undergrads to first set foot on campus as a means to further their sky-high ambitions. But few take it so literally as Robyn Gatens, ChE 85, who currently serves as director of the International Space Station and acting director of the Commercial Spaceflight Division at NASA Headquarters.
Every time crews are launched to the ISS, it’s her job, along with other senior NASA leaders, to conduct flight readiness reviews with the team. But having to run one virtually from the Alumni House? Even for such an accomplished professional—who was recently named to the school’s Engineering Hall of Fame and honored as part of its Pathway of Progress: Celebrating Georgia Tech Women installation—well… Having to do so during the ceremony weekend this past March was a first.
“It was our 10th Commercial Crew flight to the space station on that Friday, and the one that would hand off with the Crew-9 crew (which included Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams) so they could return home,” she says. “Normally I would be in Florida, but I wasn’t going to miss the occasion. So I reached out to [Alumni Association President] Dene and asked if I could borrow a spot in the Alumni House, and they gave me the big conference room entirely to myself. He actually got a big kick out of that and ended up telling the story at the ribbon-cutting the next day,” she says with a laugh. “What was very cool was I had my parents there
Ironically, the story is even more meaningful for Gatens, she observes, given that she couldn’t have predicted any of it when she first set foot on campus in 1981. “As a kid, a lot of people say they want to work for NASA, but it wasn’t even on my radar,” she chuckles. But her first husband, whom she met at Tech,was headed for Huntsville. At the time, there were no chemical plants located there, but there was the Marshall Space Flight Center, which just happened to be hiring. Cue a near-four-decade career that’s seen her working on everything from life-support systems for space stations to managing teams of commercial space flight engineers.
“I’m the first woman in my position at NASA,” she proudly beams. “These days, I really enjoy talking with students at campuses across the country and mentoring women. It’s really important to me to pass along lessons learned and to encourage the next generation.”
Asked if she has any advice for other aspiring rocketeers, Gatens simply notes that it helps to stay calm, unflappable, and focused on finding solutions, no matter what tricky situations you might find yourself in. She also recommends taking new opportunities as they come.
“You can never predict exactly where life will take you… don’t be afraid to walk through doors when they open,” says Gatens. “Don’t try to plot out your perfect path, either, because it will change. And through it all, make a point to rely on those problem-solving skills that you’re cultivating at Tech. You’re going to use them over and over throughout life and business.”
—Scot t Steinberg, Mgt 99
A rare native Atlantan Walter Henderson, Phys 93, associate director for the Materials Characterization Facility and principal research scientist for the Institute for Mat ter and Systems, jokes that he grew up in “the Stone Age.” But the work that he does managing 12 research leaders who train more than 800 fellow scientists to do over 40,000 hours of work that contributes nearly $400 million in research funding to Georgia Tech each year? That’s positively “Space Age” in nature.
He also notes that they have a surprising amount of fun on the job. For instance, Henderson smiles, consider that time when fast food giant Arby’s asked the team to create the world’s smallest ad by using technology to etch an advertisement onto a sesame seed back in 2018. “We were approached by an ad agency who wanted to earn a Guinness World Record for the smallest sign on the market,” he chuckles. “We used a focused ion beam to do it. It’s a bit like using a laser to inscribe things, except instead of a light beam, it’s this beam of gallium metal ions that you use to etch into samples such as the seed, which also featured the Arby’s logo.”
FUN WITH SCIENCE
Marcus Nanotechnology Cleanroom and Materials Characterization Facility
in the Marcus Nanotechnology Building. In any event, you can still find the ad on YouTube. I just wish I’d had a better agent: I didn’t get any royalties at all, not even, like, a year of free Arby’s.”
The ad was then set up at one of their restaurants with an electronic microscope for viewing, given that it was basically about as wide as a human hair, Henderson notes. The agency also made a follow-on internet commercial. “My claim to fame is that I suited up in a bunny suit for them to shoot the video, and some footage in the clean room itself,” he says. “But the actual work was done in our basement-floor Microanalysis lab
It’s not the only time that the facility—a typically serious scientific setting—has been put to equally unique or interesting purposes, though. “For instance, we’ve been asked to analyze pieces of clothing and conduct forensics for criminal investigations,” notes Henderson. “Given our advanced research equipment, we’ve also been asked to review everything from moon rocks to frogs’ tongues—and practical applications that companies can derive from their scientific properties. On top of it, they’ve also had us test samples and run mechanical property analyses for the Library of Congress and [on] trade secret items for different companies or matters of national security for the government.”
While life inside the lab is fairly routine, Henderson notes, it’s definitely more interesting and varied than some might suspect. “There are certainly moments,” he says. That said, just don’t ask him what happened to the original seed, which has since gone AWOL. “I don’t know what happened to it…or if someone ate it,” he muses. “But I still have a bottle of sesame seeds in my office, so we could always make a new one.”
—Scott Steinberg, Mgt 99
Researchers etched the world’s smallest ad onto a sesame seed.
ECHO OF THE PAST
Third Street Tunnel
For John Cork, Text 65, graduation often felt like a distant pinprick of light at the end of a long tunnel.
Cork, who moved to Atlanta in 1961 from a small town in Alabama, set his sights on a textile degree not so much to fulfill his career goals but to ensure he passed his classes.
“Coming from a small town and a small high school, I wasn’t prepared for the academic rigors, and the Textile school allowed me to get through and get out,” says Cork, who would go on to use his degree in a long career in the fiber industry.
During his first year at Tech, Cork lived in Howell Hall, adjacent to I-85, and he quickly discovered the best shortcut on campus—the Third Street Tunnel.
“Just down the street, hang a block right, and you were at the tunnel,” he remembers. “It was a bit spooky with the traffic overhead echoing off the walls.”
When the sun dipped below the stands at Bobby Dodd, students would head to the tunnel, a pipeline for Yellow Jackets looking to cross underneath the interstate and be deposited at the rear of The Varsity.
“Equally important, it put you one block from Duffy’s
Tavern,” Cork says. “The bad news was you had to show an ID to get in. The good news was a Tech ID was accepted, even without a birthdate on the card.”
Plenty of watering holes on the other side of the highway kept Tech students hydrated and fed through the quarters. Manuel’s Tavern had a $1 beer special one day of the week back in the ‘60s, and Al’s Corral offered $1 pitchers.
“Fortunately, most of us didn’t have cars, so we all just walked back through the tunnel,” Cork remembers.
In 2008, the Third Street Tunnel was closed, three years after the renovation and reopening of the Fifth Street Bridge, which connected campus to Tech Square.
—Jennifer Herseim
Cybersecurity is
one of the single largest operating concerns for businesses (and business leaders) worldwide today. But back in 1992 and 1993, when Chris Klaus was a student residing in Smith Hall and the Graduate Living Center, respectively, the field (like the internet) was largely unknown to most. Ironically for Klaus, who was a student when he founded Internet Security Systems, which later went public and was acquired by IBM for roughly $1.3 billion, the fundamental concept of entrepreneurship itself was also largely unknown.
SECURING THE FUTURE FOR TOMORROW’S ENTREPRENEURS
Smith Hall and the Graduate Living Center
“At the time, most people didn’t even know what a startup was,” he chuckles. “I remember having to explain
the concept to my roommates, who mostly weren’t amused about having to share the phone line with someone who was constantly taking customer calls. And for that matter, a fraternity who couldn’t figure out what I was doing with my time and de-enrolled me for not paying dues or showing up.” Still, Klaus persevered and even benefited from the curiosity inherent to a technology founder surrounded by high-tech solutions and systems at every turn.
Founded at Tech Learn about more ventures that were started at Tech. Follow Georgia Tech Alumni Association on LinkedIn.
“I remember discovering that you could use the phone systems at Georgia Tech to basically call anywhere from your dorms free at a time when long distance calls were as much as $1 per minute,” he says with a smile. “It definitely inspired me to look more closely at concerns relating to areas like hacking, phone phreaking, and internet security.” In fact, his early work creating Internet Scanner at Tech, a cybersecurity package that tested hundreds of network vulnerabilities and security weaknesses, even caught the eye of other industry luminaries at the time. “I remember spotting a vulnerability in Sun Microsystems’ network technology back in the dorm room days,” he recalls. “After calling the company to let them know, later I received an email from a corporate representative asking for more details, which I provided. It wasn’t until years later that an FBI agent I bumped into at a convention mentioned that the [email] was a scam and I’d been socially engineered by infamous hacker Kevin Mitnick.”
Thankfully, all worked out for Klaus in the end. With the world of digital defense still something of the Wild West at the time, he released the first version of his software as shareware (a try-before-you-buy model) online while at school—and became an overnight sensation. “It kind of went viral,” he remembers. “I released it and later on went to my English class…at which time my professor, who was big on futuristic tech, was telling us all about this internet scanner thing that just got released. It turns out it was my program!” And after Klaus received his first check for
$1,000 from an Italian research group, which got sent to his mailbox at the Student Center, he knew there was no looking back. These days, the veteran founder—once named to Fortune’s 40 Richest Under 40—heads up Fusen, a startup accelerator that pairs students with founders, mentors, investors, and early-stage funding. You may also recognize his name, which adorns Georgia Tech’s Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building, or from his work cofounding CREATE-X, Tech’s flagship entrepreneurship program. But most recently, word of his accomplishments is still ringing across halls around campus from this year’s Commencement address, where he personally agreed to cover the incorporation costs for any graduating student seeking to launch a startup.
“People didn’t really understand what I was up to as an entrepreneur back in the day,” he says. “In fact, I once got called into the Dean of Students’ office because she had a huge printout of internet logs and was suspicious of what I was doing on my computer. Amusingly, it just happened to be running all sorts of cybersecurity scans from my IP address.” Klaus says he found support from those who were willing to take a chance, believed in him, and grasped the importance of what he was doing early on.
“One time an advisor pulled me aside and asked: ‘Hey, have you thought about commercializing this stuff?’” he notes. “And that one question was the impetus for me to go, you know what, I hadn’t, but now that you’ve asked me, I’m sitting here in math class going, man, if I could just charge $1 per vulnerability I find, this could be a huge business!” Acknowledging this, Klaus reminds us that one simple act of kindness, or one simple act of risk-taking, can be a powerful driver of change in someone’s life.
Interested to find ways to help create positive change and uplift others in a similar predicament as he found himself while at Tech, it struck Klaus that his own journey started with a simple prompt in the form of that question. “And so I kind of looked at my own journey and thought I’d ask graduates: ‘Hey, if you could do a startup, any startup, what would it be?’ Hopefully the spark of asking them that question and convincing others to take a baby step toward entrepreneurship will lead to a lot of folks leaning in and making an effort to solve a lot of problems…and will create more pathways to opportunity for folks going forward.”
—Scott Steinberg, Mgt 99
BLACK POWDER AND BROTHERHOOD
The Flats
In the fall of 1969, two freshmen from Jacksonville, Florida—Greg Lynn, Mgt 73, and Theodore Ruskin, IE 73—moved into the fourth floor of Smith Hall. “We went to high school together, so we chose to be roommates,” Lynn says. That floor became the start of a lifelong friendship, and a launching pad for innovative, wild, and crazy fun.
“ We were just a few of the engineering students with a pocket full of pens and short hair,” Ruskin says. Smith Hall wasn’t always a quiet place to study. “The dumpsters behind Brittain Dining Hall were occasionally set on fire, and students would shoot off bottle rockets,” Lynn says.
Af ter sledding down Freshman Hill on a cafeteria tray on a particularly icy day, Lynn injured his leg. “I spent a week in the infirmary and had to drop out of school for a little while.” When he returned, the duo moved to the now-demolished South Gate Apartments. “That was our big headquarters, and Larr y Patrick was the organizer of it all—the Ramblin’ Raft Race and the pep rallies.” (Patrick, Text 73, died in 2015.)
The plotlines were wild, the crowd louder. “T-Man would come to the rescue, riding in on the Wreck. They’d throw me in the back of the car and haul me off,” Lynn says, laughing. Lynn and Ruskin used creativity, pranks, and pep rally skits as a shield against the threat of the Vietnam War draft.
Eventually, their good-spirited tomfoolery made its way to The Flats. The most memorable skit involved explosive black powder. “We brought some black powder that was supposed to be remotely ignited when G-Man fell to his death, but it didn’t work correctly,” Lynn says. To make matters worse, President Nixon was in town that weekend.
The team dreamed up pep rally stunts that only sleepdeprived students could pull off. Lynn became “G-Man,” the villain. Ruskin became “T-Man,” the caped hero. “We would do skits where T-Man would come in and save the day, kind of like Batman and Robin,” Ruskin says.
“The Secret Service found out about the explosives and thought the president was in danger. It got some attention,” Lynn says.
Af ter Lynn and Ruskin graduated, the pep rallies continued. “They got more outrageous. I believe there was some rappelling and zip-lining off the Student Center. It got to a point where it was a bit too dangerous and somebody in administration ended things.” The pep rallies may have ended, but their friendship hasn’t.“We had our little craziness, and other generations of Tech students had theirs,” Lynn says. “I’ve got nothing but fond memories of it,” says Ruskin. —Sharita Hanley
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Sometimes, a house is more than just a roof overhead. Here are stories of places Yellow Jackets have called home for four—or more—years.
RIP: Techwood Dorm
By Joanna Xiao, Aerospace Engineering Student
In 1992,
the Yellow Jacket football team was celebrating its 100th anniversary, BellSouth Mobility was selling a Tech-themed blue and gold Motorola phone, and Peter Stewart, CE 96, was wandering through campus in search of McDaniel Dormitory. He had chosen his freshman dorm arbitrarily, scrolling down the list until he found one with a name that “sounded good.” When he approached a group of upperclassmen for directions, they started laughing, “Oh, you mean Techwood?” They pointed him across the street to a large U-shaped building surrounded by barbed wire fences, and that was when Stewart knew he was about to get a “rude awakening.” What he would come to find out, however, is that he was also about to join one of the most exceptional communities at Georgia Tech.
Last Residents Let Loose McDaniel Dorm, more commonly known as Techwood Dorm, was part of a larger complex called Techwood Homes, the first federally funded housing project in the U.S. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Atlanta to officially dedicate the site, and people began to move in the following August.
In preparation for the 1996 Olympics, Techwood Homes—and along with it, Techwood Dorm—was set to be demolished and replaced with athlete and other, mixed-income housing. When the 1992 Techwood residents heard they were going to be the last people living in the dorm, they decided they were going to make the most of it.
Stewart remembers, “All the rules flew out the window. We had one of these RA meetings where everyone shows up one evening, and they said, ‘Guys, we have news. This whole thing is getting torn down next year.’”
Some residents took to the halls to play soccer, football, or Frisbee.
Others decided to speed up the demolition process, tearing down the walls between rooms to form giant suites. As long as the electricity and plumbing remained intact, the residents were free to do what they liked.
Although residents of years past couldn’t get away with quite as much, Techwood students had built up a longstanding culture of fun. In 1976, residents banded together to raise $4,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Fund by playing 1,176 hours of Monopoly. Many Techwood parties featured an indoor pool, which they created by taking a door off of one of the bathroom stalls, blocking the entrance to the shower, and turning on all the showerheads at once.
Scott Wilkinson, EE 90, PhD EE 96, remembers coming up with fake names for every resident to submit to the Blue Print, with his alias being “Bright Eyes.”
“When you put 400 people together with essentially nothing to do, they get very innovative. And we came up with all sorts of interesting things there,” Wilkinson laughs.
Club Techwood
Techwood famously had a built-in backdoor entrance to Junior’s Grill, the restaurant where Wilkinson used the code “dress two cheese side” to order a cheeseburger with two patties and a side of fries. Blair Meeks, assistant vice president of External Communications at Georgia Tech, lived at Techwood from 1984 to 1985 and still thinks fondly of Junior’s French toast coated in cinnamon sugar. Unfortunately, by the time Stewart moved in, Junior’s was in the process of moving to the Bradley Building near Tech Tower, and the shortcut wasn’t used as frequently.
Luckily for Stewart, Junior’s wasn’t the only restaurant that Techwood residents had a special connection to. Techwood was the closest dorm on campus to The Varsity, which Meeks says came in handy when the campus went on “V-runs.”
“Late at night, they would send out this message about a V-run and you try to get over to the Varsity,” Meeks explains. “We were, I mean, the closest people to that place. So, we could sometimes beat the crowd to get there.”
Stewart and his friends came up with their own Varsity tradition, visiting the restaurant during “dead week” (the week before finals) to pay for their meals using giant bags of pennies. According to Stewart, the restaurant staff would take the payment at the declared value, never bothering to count the coins.
When 1993 rolled around, Stewart and the rest of his cohort were offered rooms in the newly constructed Undergraduate Living Center (ULC), now known as Nelson-Shell Apartments. When the ULC opened its
doors, its first residents fell into two categories: college athletes and former Techwood residents.
Stewart says that once everyone moved into the ULC, no one wanted to leave. He ended up spending all four years at Georgia Tech living with the same group he moved in with and remained very good friends with his roommates and the people who lived next door. In 2023, they even had a 25-year reunion celebration.
Stronger for It
When asked if they would want to live at Techwood again if given the choice today, Stewart, Wilkinson, and Meeks gave a resounding “No.”
Stewart responded that he’d probably settle for being friends with all the Techwood kids, and Wilkinson joked, “I have standards now. I didn’t have any standards then.”
Stewart believes that his time at Techwood was a character-building experience and that it helped him and every other resident build resilience.
“It was a point of pride to make it through Tech,” Stewart says. “And it was a point of pride to make it through Techwood.” As Stewart reflected on his experience, he had one big takeaway: “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Despite that, all three expressed gratitude for their experiences. Meeks emphasized how living on the outskirts of campus solidified the group’s “band of brothers” camaraderie. He gave a special shoutout to his RA, Ken Buxton, IE 89, for being “the nicest, most supportive and helpful guy.” Wilkinson, who has been a guest speaker with the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering several times since he graduated, notes how Tech has changed since he attended. He praises the attention that has been given to students’ wellbeing. Although Tech had fewer support programs for students in the ’80s, Wilkinson says that “Techwood was a heck of a community” and that many residents found a reprieve from the intensity of Institute life there.
My Tech Dorm Scan the QR code to share your student housing memories.
Clockwise from left: Move-in day in 1986. Wilkinson, pictured in his dorm room, remembers that students were responsible for building their bed frames themselves at Techwood.
Home on the Road
Ann
Mac’Kie, CS 24, racked up credits and miles simultaneously as she completed her Online Master of Science in Computer Science while traveling across the country.
Ann Mac’Kie, CS 24, took remote learning to heart after starting
Georgia Tech’s online master’s program in computer science in fall 2021. With her husband, Vince Caldwell, and puggle, Buddy, as travel companions, Mac’Kie logged 28,000 miles, visited 20 national parks, and stayed in 20 Airbnbs while she simultaneously completed her online degree and worked remotely
as a data scientist and machine-learning engineer.
“During the pandemic, I heard about digital nomads and was envious,” Mac’Kie says. “I wanted to travel more than just two weeks a year.” She and her husband switched to remote jobs in June 2022. They took off soon afterward with Buddy in their sedan from
Digital nomad Ann Mac’Kie visited 20 national parks, including the Grand Teton National Park, all while pursuing her online master’s. Below, Mac’Kie with her husband, Vince Caldwell, and their dog, Buddy, at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
their home in Jupiter, Florida, for the first of three four-month road trips. “I felt so free,” she says. “I thought, ‘Why have I not done this more?’”
Mac’Kie completed her assign -
ments while Caldwell drove. “The asynchronous program was fantastic,” she says. “I could do school anywhere.” Their first loop took them out West. They took off-road vehicles down sand dunes in Idaho, took a 20-mile hike in Grand Teton National Park, and stood in awe at the rim of the Grand Canyon. She attended the virtual memorial service for her grandfather while in Yellowstone National Park, which they’d visited together when she was 8. “It was transcendental to be in Yellowstone then, a place where I have such special memories with him,” she says.
Their most memorable Airbnb, in Hildale, Utah, near Zion National Park, included not only lodging but a farm, yoga studio, and school. “I attended a professor’s office hours for network science while the school kids were running around in the front yard,” she says. On their second loop, along the East Coast up to Pennsylvania, they learned to ski and snowboard in the Poconos. Their third loop, through California, started with a rattle: a 5.1 earthquake centered just 4 miles from their shared lodging in Ojai. “The hosts really looked after us,” she says. They meditated at sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park and were amazed by the scale of the trees at Sequoia National Park. “I realized my homework or worries of the week are not that big or that serious in comparison,” she says.
Mac’Kie celebrated her graduation in December 2024 with family at an Airbnb in Dahlonega, Georgia, a town known for its Christmas decorations. She’s looking forward to a trip to Acadia National Park. “I used to always put things off,” she says. “But now, I prioritize adventure.”
—Kristin Baird Rattini
Tech Breaks Ground on New Residence Hall
For the first time in 20 years, Georgia Tech is building a new residence hall. The Curran Street Residence, to be located on the west side of campus, will include eight residential floors, communal indoor and outdoor spaces, and a “front porch” area to connect with campus.
At the March 5th groundbreaking, students and campus leaders celebrated the milestone for campus growth. President Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95, noted the role campus housing often plays in the student experience.
“I travel across the country talking to alumni and the one place they all start in reflecting on their time at Georgia Tech is their first-year dorm,” he said.
The new housing facility is intended for first-year students and will rise along Northside Drive between Eighth and Ninth streets. The 191,000-square-foot building will contain around 860 beds with rooms configured for double occupancy. The project is scheduled for completion in 2026. —Kristen Bailey
Renderings show the Curran Street Residence Hall, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
For 43 years, Miller Templeton’s apartment building was almost exclusively rented out to Yellow Jackets.
By Daniel P. Smith
Near the intersection of 10th and Center Streets, on the northern edge of the Georgia Tech campus, sits a two-story white frame house.
Once upon a time, a magnolia tree rested out front, adding a touch of Southern charm and flair to an otherwise unassuming and unexceptional residence. Today, as in many years past, the multi-unit property seamlessly blends into the Home Park neighborhood like hundreds of other dwellings.
But to Miller Templeton, 469 10th Street NW is anything but ordinary.
For 43 years, Templeton, Phys 61, MS ANS 63, owned the property and for nearly three decades (1995–2023) he called 469’s Unit #3 home. The one-bedroom apartment afforded Templeton shelter, of course, but so much more.
High character, low rent
Templeton, then Tech’s assistant dean of students, purchased the property in 1980 for $110,000. He says the home was constructed around 1916 to house workers at the now-defunct Atlantic Steel, an industrial site later transformed into the Atlantic Station retail development.
The four-unit apartment building housed generations of Tech students. They overlooked the underwhelming accommodations because the location and Templeton’s below-market rental rates proved too enticing to ignore.
“Ends didn’t meet until I moved into Miller’s house,” says Randy McDow, IE 95, MS PP 03, who lived in two different units at 469 from 1998 to 2004.
Templeton, after all, was far more interested in empowering human lives than maximizing rental income.
“Plus,” he jokes, “it wasn’t like staying at the Ritz-Carlton.”
In 2013, John Michael McCaffrey, ME 22, remembers paying $120 a month for a room at 469, an attractive rate for a first-generation college student pinching pennies. When McCaffrey fractured his arm in a cycling accident, Templeton—completely unprompted—gave McCaffrey a multi-month break on rent.
“That’s Miller, as big a heart as you’ll ever find. He has this unbelievable way of figuring out who needs a hand and reaching out,” says McCaffrey, whose older brother, William Grant McCaffrey, ME 13, lived at 469, too.
Templeton, who owned multiple properties around the Home Park neighborhood, eschewed leases and security deposits, almost exclusively renting to people he knew personally. For strangers, Templeton insisted on a high GPA and a personal recommendation from someone he trusted.
“Birds of a feather usually flock together,” says Templeton, who always maintained a waitlist of prospective tenants.
The landlord life
Though patient and understanding, Templeton nevertheless faced challenges as a landlord at 469, namely maintaining a property built when Woodrow Wilson inhabited the White House. Templeton, who encountered constant plumbing and electrical issues and uninvited vermin, was grateful for a multi-talented handyman and speedy exterminators. He also made investments to modernize the property, including devoting a sizable sum to central heating and air.
As college students go, though, his
tenants rarely stirred up problems.
“Parties weren’t the vibe of the house,” McCaffrey confirms.
Most issues Templeton faced were minor, if not a bit endearing or even comical. During Tech’s annual ME 2110 Design Competition, for instance, students would be tasked to build mechatronic robots, and 469, home to many mechanical engineering students over the years, would be consumed by electrical cords and the hum of motors.
Though he prohibited pets, Templeton recalls one tenant begging to keep the dog he rescued from a local shelter. Templeton obliged and Addie became a staple at 469.
And sometime around 1996, someone hand-painted an 8-by-4-foot mural of the Atlanta cityscape in Unit #1. The mural remained untouched for decades.
A few times, Templeton recalls visiting apartments late at night to quell musical jam sessions. Occasionally, he issued a warning about garbage or noise or packing the basement with “random stuff.”
The perks of owning 469
Over his 43 years owning 469 10th
Street, Templeton estimates he hosted over 200 tenants. He engaged regularly with most of them, jogging, enjoying dinners at Rocky Mountain Pizza, and steering them to Tech programs and resources.
“Associating with young people keeps you young,” says Templeton, who retired from Tech in 1998 after 30 years, the last 13 as director of the Office of International Education.
In 2023, Templeton sold the property and moved into a retirement community. It was time to go, he says.
Still, Templeton, now 85, remains in touch with many of his former tenants. Some have stayed in the Atlanta area, others have moved around the country and even the world, graduating from 469’s cramped quarters into homes of their own. They’ve become parents, even grandparents, and have captured professional success in varied fields—engineering, technology, academia, business, and more.
Templeton relishes knowing them when the relationships, not the rents, enriched his life.
“I loved having this reservoir of really interesting human beings to interact with, and 469 gave me that,” he says.
(Top L-R) James Clawson, Phebe Clawson Connors, Jacob Adams, Catie Newell, Tahirah Elliott, Travis Elliott, David Reid, David Connors, (Kneeling) Drake Tolliver, (Bottom L-R) Miller Templeton, Chris Baucom, Anna Fincher Pinder, Justin Crowell, Karen Feigh, Gary Yngve. Pictured on the porch of 469 10th St. in the early ‘90s.
Watch a timelapse of nightfall from the best view on campus. Go to Instagram @GTalumni.
WORDS BY JENNIFER HERSEIM | PHOTOS BY BEN HENDREN
A better view might not exist than watching the Tech letters flicker on at the top of the tower as you settle in for an eight-hour study session before an exam the next day. If you’ve pulled an “all-nighter” at Georgia Tech, you know just how vibrant the Institute can be long after the last class whistle.
On the next few pages, see familiar places captured in a new light before and during finals. Over three nights, our photographer documented a wide array of life at Georgia Tech, from students eating pancakes at Midnight Breakfast and studying at the Library to cheering “To Hell With georgia!” at a softball game and packing up a dorm room for the summer. On the next few pages, experience Tech at night and reminisce about the late nights you spent on campus.
Above: There’s no shortage of prime study spots in Crosland Tower, which reopened in 2019 after renovations.
Left: Students study Tuesday evening, April 22, during “dead week,” the week before finals.
Right: The media bridge connecting Crosland Tower and the Price Gilbert Memorial Library is aglow at night.
CROSLAND AFTER DARK
THWg: CLEAN OLD-FASHIONED HATE
Top: Rain didn’t deter fans from cheering on Georgia Tech Softball in their Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate game. Despite a late comeback effort, the Jackets fell 5-2.
Above: (L-R) Nathaniel Butler and Griffin Hatcher cheer from the stands during softball’s evening game April 22.
ALL-NIGHTER BINGO
Did you take a shower in the CULC during an all-nighter? Visit @GTalumni on Instagram to fill out the Bingo card.
SERVING SMILES
Top left: Tara Adams and Dean of Students
John Stein serve food during Midnight Breakfast, the finals week tradition that started in 1998.
Top right: Students wait outside the John Lewis Student Center for breakfast April 28.
Above: Lagrina Simmons with Tech Dining flashes a big smile during the event.
Next page top: Buzz joins students for Midnight Breakfast.
“A STROLL PAST BRITTAIN”
Below: Sweaty and loud, Midnight
Bud is a semi-secret tradition during finals week. Starting outside Brittain Hall at 10 p.m., Yellow Jackets join in on a raucous rendition of the fight song before running down Techwood Drive to end at the North Avenue Apartment courtyard for more singing and performances.
BACK TO STUDYING
Below: Georgia Tech’s “unaffiliated musicians” crossing North Avenue after running to the North Avenue Apartments the Monday of finals week, April 28.
WALKING UP TECHWOOD DRIVE
Right: The porch in front of Theta Xi fraternity welcomes students back from their dash to North Avenue Apartments.
THREE CHEERS FOR FINALS
Left: Midnight Bud is a chance for Yellow Jackets to release finals week stress with singing, cheering, and a few collective yells.
11:23 p.m.
Right: Crosland Tower is open 24 hours a day when school is in session.
UNDER THE STARS
Below: On Thursday, May 1, stargazers glimpsed the moon through breaks in the clouds at GT Astronomy’s Public Viewing Night outside the Howey Physics Building.
LATE NIGHT SNACKS
Right: On Tuesday, April 22, the line of Tech students begins to form outside the Cook Out fast food restaurant on
Northside Drive.
Above: The Campus Recreation Center stayed open and busy April 22, the Tuesday evening before finals week started.
Left: The evening of May 1, which was the last day of finals, parents hauled mattress covers and bags of belongings to cars outside the Eighth Street Apartments.
JUMP SHOTS AT THE CRC
BYE FOR NOW
ALUMNI HOUSE
CONGRATS, 2025 GRADUATES!
On April 17, graduates laughed, played, made memories, and celebrated their accomplishments at Ramblin’ On, a fun-filled lawn party welcoming them into the alumni family.
MEET THE LEADERS SHAPING THE ALUMNI COMMUNITY
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND WELCOME NEW TRUSTEES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026.
ON JULY 1, 12 new trustees will join the Georgia Tech Alumni Association governing board. Alumni from all six colleges make up the board, which includes the Executive Committee and 36 trustees.
These esteemed individuals, who live all throughout the United States, work hard to further the mission of the Alumni Association. Get to know them and see if you can guess each one’s favorite campus building.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
RITA BREEN, PSY 90, MS IE 92, is chair of the Alumni Association. Breen is the executive director of Corporate Responsibility at Georgia Power Company and vice president of the Georgia Power Foundation. She lives in Marietta, Ga.
Favorite building: “SAC. It was a place to unwind and get rid of stress! It also helped me to pay for my education. When I learned that GT/SAC had no recreational fitness classes, I met with Kirk McQueen, who ran intramurals, and offered to start a program. He agreed but didn’t have the capacity to promote it and instead, offered to pay me for each student I recruited. I made sure the classes were full! It was a new revenue stream for SAC, and it covered my tuition.”
SAM WESTBROOK, IE 99, joins as vice chair of the Executive Committee and will become chair in fiscal year 2028. Westbrook is an executive vice president at Holder Construction. He lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: “Bobby Dodd Stadium. It’s where some of my best memories were made. I love that it’s in downtown Atlanta, the tradition, and excitement of the games, and most importantly, there were no exams or failed classes there.”
JIMMY MITCHELL, CE 05, is chair-elect, vice chair of Roll Call. Mitchell is the sustainability manager at Skanska and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: “As a student, it was Bobby Dodd. But now, as a civil engineer graduate, it is The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design because I was fortunate to be a lead for building it, thanks to my 20-year career in construction for Skanska. Without a doubt, that is my favorite building on campus both because I was involved and know everything about it and because it is one of the best examples of sustainable design and construction in the world.”
TOMMY HERRINGTON, IM 82, is past chair, chair of Finance. Herrington is a retired executive for Gay Construction Company. He resides in Roswell, Ga.
Favorite building: “The old athletic dining hall that was tucked under the East Stands of Bobby Dodd Stadium until 1981. It was my favorite spot because it was an all-you-can-eat refuge, where one could decompress from the rigors of the daily grind.”
NEW ASSOCIATION TRUSTEES
AT-LARGE MEMBERS
MEREDITH MOOT, MGT 08, joins the Executive Committee for a one-year term as an At-Large member. Moot is a senior client partner at Korn Ferry, and lives in Atlanta. Favorite building: “You cannot beat Tech Tower. It’s absolutely iconic and such a special part of the Atlanta skyline. We certainly make a statement to the city and world.”
ALEX MUÑOZ, MGT 88, joins the Executive Committee for a two-year term as an At-Large member. Muñoz is co-owner and management consultant at CSR–Atlanta LLC, and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: “The old Management Building (across the street from what was known as the SAC). I have lots of great memories of classes with Dr. Willie Belton.”
AMY PHUONG, IA 05, MBA 14, will serve the second year of her twoyear term as an At-Large member of the Executive Committee. Phoung is the vice president, Government Relations for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: “Skiles Walkway. It was my favorite ‘building’ to bump into friends and catch some fresh air in between classes and club meetings. I also spent a lot of time at the Student Center.”
KENJI TAKEUCHI, ME 94, joins the Executive Committee for a two-year term as an At-Large member. Takeuchi is president of Goodware LLC and lives in Atlanta. Favorite building: “I have many fond memories of SAC and SAC fields, where I would regularly blow off steam with friends, participate in intramural sports, exercise, and get short relief from the countless study sessions.”
Derek Goshay, IE 93, is a retired corporate vice president at Genuine Parts Company and lives in Marietta, Ga.
Favorite building: The Student Center
Ryan Greene, ME 00, MS Econ 01, is a managing operating partner at Francisco Partners Consulting and lives in Ponte Vedra, Fla.
Favorite building: Tech Tower
TJ Kaplan, PP 13, is principal at JL Morgan Company, Inc., and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: The CRC
Kayla Kelly, Econ 16, is an instructional consultant for the University of the District of Columbia and VP of The Kelly Group LLC and lives in Washington, D.C.
Favorite building: The CULC
Sabrina McCorvey, IE 90, is senior director, Continuous Improvement at Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US and lives in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Favorite building: The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority House
Mihir Pathak, ME 08, MS ME 10, PhD ME 13, is cofounder & COO of Acreage, founder & CEO of Pathak Ventures, and COO & CFO at
Mayvenn, and lives in Downington, Pa.
Favorite building: The Clough Roof Garden
Josh Roberts, IE 02, is COO of Piedmont Healthcare and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: Tech Tower
Sonia Sardana, IE 12, is chief transformation officer at Innova Solutions and lives in Princeton, N.J.
Favorite building: The Campanile
Rani Tilva, BA 18, is talent strategy and succession senior manager at The CocaCola Company and lives in Woodstock, Ga.
Favorite building: Brittain Dining Hall
Hayley Tsuchiyama, ChBE 18, is director of Group Strategy at CRH and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: Bobby Dodd Stadium
Ben Utt, IM 81, is a retired principal at 464 Capital Partners and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: Hyundai Field
Liz York, Arch 90, M Arch 95, is president of Healthy Design Collaborative and lives in Atlanta.
Favorite building: The Kendeda Building
CONNECTING BEYOND TECH’S WALLS
YELLOW JACKETS CONNECT AND KEEP THE TECH SPIRIT ALIVE AT SOCIAL IN THE CITY EVENTS.
BY SHARITA HANLEY
AROUND THE WORLD, Georgia Tech is known for its top-tier education and rigorous academic programs. But Yellow Jackets know that Tech is as much a community united by a shared mission to improve the human condition as it is a world-class institution.
One of the many ways alumni stay engaged and foster those connections is through events like Social in the City. These gatherings brought together more than 280 Yellow Jackets in cities across the United States to reconnect, share memories, enjoy great food and drinks, and continue to build a sense of community beyond campus.
This year, events took place in the following cities:
San Diego, Calif.
On February 21, Californiabased Ramblin’ Wrecks cruised along the San Diego Harbor passing playful sea lions, Navy ships, scenic skyline architecture, historic landmarks, and the Coronado Bridge.
Houston, Texas
Houston-based Yellow Jackets gathered at Bumpy Pickle, the city’s largest recreational outdoor pickleball and sand volleyball court facility, February 27. Everyone spent time playing on the courts, whether they were familiar with the sport or not.
Seattle, Wash.
On March 6, alumni enjoyed a night of unlimited bocce ball and authentic Bavarian fare, which included a variety of 20-plus beers on draft.
Washington, D.C.
The next day, March 7, Yellow Jackets in Washington, D.C., spent their night bowling and playing bocce ball at Rhein Haus, a German biergarten known for its bocce ball courts, bratwurst sausages, pretzels, and schnitzels.
New York, N.Y.
On March 14, alumni in New York City cruised along the Hudson and East Rivers for two and a half hours and experienced picturesque views of the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Empire State Building.
I love the opportunity to organize events so that alumni can still feel connected to Georgia Tech even though we may live far away,” says Micah Myerscough, CS 11, a Seattle Regional Ambassador. “I also enjoy making sure that new graduates have a community they can connect with. Getting to meet new alumni in the area and reconnecting with others I see occasionally is my favorite part of Social in the City events.”
New York City alumni enjoy a delicious dinner and great company aboard the cruise.
Yellow Jackets enjoy a picturesque view of the Statue of Liberty.
Yellow Jackets gather in Houston to play pickleball and sand volleyball.
Tech alumnae ready to play pickleball at this year’s Houston Social in the City event.
REKINDLE MEMORIES
PREVIEW THIS YEAR’S HOMECOMING EVENTS AND MAKE PLANS TO TOUR CAMPUS, ENJOY TRADITIONS, AND CHEER ON THE YELLOW JACKETS.
SCHEDULE
*
THURSDAY, OCT. 23
Reconnect with classmates and reminisce about your favorite campus memories.
Old Gold Society Reunion Party, Class of 1974 and prior 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center, Grand Ballroom
50th Reunion Party, Class of 1975
6:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center, Grand Ballroom
FRIDAY, OCT. 24
See what’s new at Georgia Tech. Throughout the day on Friday, the following bus and walking tours will be available.
Tour of Coda at Tech Square (walking)
Meet at Coda at Tech Square front entrance, 753 West Peachtree Street
Save the date for October 23–25 and celebrate decades of Tech pride at Homecoming this year.
Campus Bus Tours
Meet at Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center lobby, 800 Spring Street
Campus Walking Tour / Hidden Gems Tour (walking)
Meet at Georgia Tech Alumni House front entrance, 190 North Avenue NW
Former President’s House Tour (self-guided)
See the interior of the former President’s House and enjoy a self-guided tour of the main floor and outdoor gardens with special guest, former Georgia Tech First Lady Val Peterson.
FRIDAY EVENING
Enjoy food, drinks, photo ops, and additional festivities Friday night.
Buzz Bash: An All-Alumni Celebration
Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall, 800 Spring Street
After Party Hosted by the GT Black Alumni Organization
Georgia Tech Exhibition Hall, 460 4th St. NW
SATURDAY, OCT. 25
On game day, enjoy Tech’s longstanding Wreck parade (started in 1929) and a pre-game block party, featuring live music and tailgating fun, before cheering on the Yellow Jackets.
Ramblin’ Wreck Parade
sponsored by the Ramblin’ Reck Club 9:00 a.m.
Fowler Street from McCamish Pavilion to Ferst Drive
Helluva Block Party
3 hours before Kickoff North Avenue
Yellow Jackets vs. Syracuse Kickoff TBA
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field
*For the latest dates and times, check GTalumni.org/Homecoming.
“Back in the ’60s and maybe prior to and after the ’60s, Tech had a rifle team. I never shot on the range, but I was enrolled in the Navy ROTC.”
–John B. Carter, Jr., IE 69, former president and COO of the Georgia Tech Foundation
“I was on the team from 1969–1970. I had a great time on the rifle team shooting under the stands. We used Anschutz .22 caliber rifles. I also remember a match with Georgia State.”
–Michael Folsom, IE 73
A PASSING THE TORCH
FOR THE SHERIDAN FAMILY, THE PI MILE 5K ROAD RACE ISN’T JUST A RACE—IT’S A MULTIGENERATIONAL TRADITION THAT KEEPS BRINGING THEM BACK TO CAMPUS, TOGETHER.
BY SHARITA HANLEY
AS LAURA SHERIDAN, MGT 98, laced up her running shoes at the Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race, she wasn’t just preparing for a race. She was retracing decades of memories.
Sheridan first stepped onto campus as a hopeful management major from Roswell, Georgia, armed with a HOPE Scholarship and the encouragement of her parents. “They told me they’d pay for room and board if I stayed in-state,” Sheridan says. “Tech was prestigious and close to home, so I went for it.”
Her journey began in Harrison Hall. “Moving in with a stranger made me realize, ‘This is real. I’m growing up,’” Sheridan says. “It was a turning point.” As a student, she joined Alpha Gamma Delta, ate at Brittain Dining Hall, and worked as a French translator during the 1996 Olympics. “I was hired to translate for guests
from Quebec. I got to go to some of the events and remember the Aquatic Center being built. It was electric.”
After she married her husband, Adam, Mgt 99, MBA 18, they started a family and have nine children. Sheridan spends most of her time supporting the family, and her degree comes in handy every day. “My dad jokes that my management degree prepared me to manage a household of nine kids.”
This year, the Sheridans returned to Tech for the Pi Mile 5K Road Race, a tradition for their family. Four of her children ran, including her two youngest, Mollie, age 8, and Asher, age 6. Both placed first in their divisions.
“I thought I’d have to coach them along since they’d never run that far, but I was behind them the whole time. They were so proud,” Sheridan says. She hadn’t originally planned to run since two of her older sons were at the World Robotics Championships, but then, Isaac, her fourth child, was accepted to Georgia Tech. That
changed everything.
“This was my chance to run around the campus and pray over it. Pray for Isaac’s time there, for the faculty, students, and community. I wanted to be physically and spiritually present.”
As Sheridan ran, she passed buildings full of memories. “So much has changed on West Campus. I passed the Alpha Gamma House and remembered helping renovate it before the Olympics. Students are still here, cooking together, still staying up late and studying, still living life in these buildings.”
When Sheridan was a student, she never imagined that one of her children would attend Tech. “It’s surreal and special to watch him start his journey on the same bricks where ours began.”
For the Sheridans, Pi Mile isn’t just a race. “Every time we run this race, I feel like we’re not just remembering where we’ve been. We’re making room for the next set of footsteps to begin.”
Laura Sheridan (center) and six of her children after finishing their first Pi Mile in 2023. Her son Isaac (second from left) is an incoming student.
ONWARD AND UPWARD
FROM A DECADES-OLD LOGO CONCEPT TO A MODERN-DAY T-SHIRT, ONE ALUMNUS CAPTURES TECH’S SPIRIT IN MOTION.
BY SHARITA HANLEY
WWHEN SHAWN HAIRSTON, NE 83, saw the Pi Mile T-shirt for this year’s race, he stopped in his tracks. There it was—his logo of the Ramblin’ Wreck in motion.
As a student, Hairston was a member of the Ramblin’ Reck Club. “I’ve always had an affinity for the Wreck,” he says. “And I’ve always loved logos. In another life, I think I would have been a marketer. I just love branding and visuals.”
That drive, and a bit of creative envy after seeing a Purdue locomotive logo in motion, sparked an idea. “I saw what Purdue had done and said, ‘Hey, I want to steal that,’” Hairston says, laughing. He partnered with Marya Vernon Elrod to bring the concept to life. “I didn’t draw it. My contributions were insisting the flags flapped and adding some velocity vectors.” Once finished, the logo made its debut as part of the 1995 “Wreck and Roll” football season campaign.
For years, the design quietly faded into oblivion, only making occasional appearances. Then scrolling through Instagram, Hairston saw the logo again on an Alumni Association social media post, featuring the Pi Mile T-shirt. “I signed up for the race immediately. I just had to have that shirt.”
Although this was Hairston’s first time running the Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race, the experience moved him. “I’m 63, and running is not a good thing for my knees, but walking the race
DID YOU KNOW?
gave me a new perspective. Seeing the new parts of campus was a real treat.”
Campus has changed a lot since Hairston walked Ferst Drive to the Cherry Emerson Building. New dorms have been built where lawns once stretched, and student life now pulses across every corner of West Campus. “When I was a student, that whole side of campus didn’t even exist. Now, you could live your whole Tech life over there.”
Walking Pi Mile gave Hairston a clear look at Tech’s forward momentum.
“This place never stops evolving,” he says. “Buildings, students, ideas—it’s all in motion.” That’s exactly what his logo captured, years ago.
Like the Wreck he reimagined, Tech remains in motion. Moving onward and upward.
Thomas K. Gaylord (pictured center), Regents’ Professor in Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has participated in the last 20 Pi Mile 5K Road Races with his students. This year, he placed first in the Men’s 80+ category and finished in 41 minutes and 19 seconds. “The weather was ideal, and my students and I enjoyed it. It was great camaraderie.”
Hairston proudly displays his Pi Mile T-shirt featuring his logo next to Senior Graphic Designer Codie McLanahan.
ONE HELLUVA HOLIDAY PARTY
CONNECT WITH YELLOW JACKETS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON BY HOSTING A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS EVENT.
BY SHARITA HANLEY
TTHE WINTER HOLIDAYS may be months away, but the spirit of Georgia Tech knows no season. Last December, Yellow Jackets across five regions of the country gathered in their communities to celebrate Home for the Holidays—a tradition that brings alumni together with current students for festive connection and Ramblin’ Wreck camaraderie. These laid-back events offer something for everyone: campus nostalgia, networking opportunities, good food, and great company.
Christopher Carter, IE 07, hosted a helluva holiday event in Dallas, Texas. “My wife and I are festive and very much into the holiday spirit, so we put up Christmas lights and trees around the house.” That was just the beginning.
THINKING OF HOSTING?
“We made a taco bar, a holiday drink bar, and a dessert bar,” says Carter, a 2023 40 Under 40 honoree, Professor of the Practice, and academic director of Tech’s Project Management program. The setup was a hit with the younger alumni crowd. Once the weather turned chilly, everyone gathered inside.
Guests introduced themselves by class year, degree, career goals, and a favorite Tech memory. Many people mentioned Junior’s Grill and football games at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“The common ground we found as a group was one of my favorite parts of the night,” Carter says. In true Tech fashion, the event also sparked a little friendly competition. “We made a game to determine which engineering major had the most people in attendance; the Computer Science and
Here’s all you need:
Chemical Engineering majors won! Mechanical Engineering came in second place. I’m Industrial Engineering, so I was hoping for higher numbers.”
For Carter, the best part of the night wasn’t the food or the games—it was the people. “I simply loved spending time with like-minded Yellow Jackets. We have a bit of a ‘unique’ personality,” Carter says, admitting his wife noticed and laughed at the “technical and nerdy” conversations the group had. “It’s important for me as an alumnus and a Georgia Tech faculty member to inspire and treat fellow alumni with hospitality.”
Hosting the event gave Carter a chance to do just that, welcome a diverse group of attendees that included the North Texas Alumni Chapter president and a former mentee, who showed up with his fiancée. “It was a real treat having him in my home for the first time.”
You don’t need to be an expert party planner to organize an event. All it takes is a little Tech pride and a genuine desire to bring Yellow Jackets together. “It will be a fun time,” Carter says. “Focus on the relationships, not the prep.”
RAMBLIN’ ROLL
CLASS NOTES & ALUMNI UPDATES
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH GEORGIA
Mike Shannon, MS HPhys 03, PhD NRE 09
GEORGIA TECH
Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
M. Brian Blake, EE 94
ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
Robert Scott, PhD Bio 96
YELLOW JACKETS LEAD ACROSS THE USG
IN MAY, ROBERT SCOTT, PhD Bio 96 , became president of Albany State University, and added his name to a growing list of Yellow Jackets leading higher education institutions across the University System of Georgia (USG). Scott, who returned to higher ed after two decades in the private sector, is one of four Tech alumni currently leading a USG university. He joins Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95, Georgia State University President M. Brian Blake, EE 94, and University of North Georgia President Mike Shannon, MS HPhys 03, PhD NRE 09.
“Coming back to higher ed to lead a USG institution as a Yellow Jacket is incredibly meaningful,” Scott says. “Georgia Tech taught me a lot, but I often say the most impactful thing I learned while earning my PhD was how to look at a problem and develop smart, strategic ways to solve it. This skill served me well during my early career in higher ed and especially so throughout my corporate life. I’m excited to bring those problem-solving skills to Albany State University, which plays such a vital role in the USG, the lives of students, and the economy of Southwest Georgia.”
Prior to this role, Scott was president of research and development at The Kraft Heinz Co. Early in his career, he served as an administrator at Boston College, Spelman College, and Norfolk State University.
Coincidentally, three of the four alumni USG higher ed leaders happen to be married to Yellow Jackets! Scott met his wife and fellow Yellow Jacket, Rosalind (Haywood) Scott, M CRP 93, in the lobby of Fitten Hall during his first week at Tech. In addition to the Scotts, Blake is married to Bridget Blake, ME 95, and Cabrera is married to Dr. Beth Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95.
MUSCLE-UP CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
A GEORGIA TECH ALUMNUS HAS BROKEN THE WORLD RECORD FOR THE MOST MUSCLE-UPS IN 24 HOURS.
DAVID LLOYD GEORGE’S ADVICE for Yellow Jackets is simple: Do hard things.
“Life is inevitably going to be hard at points. If you can develop in yourself the ability to solve hard problems and do difficult things, that will carry you forward. It certainly has helped for me,” says Lloyd George, Phys 24.
He’s put that theory to the test multiple times in his life. Most recently, by completing 2,002 muscle-ups in 24 hours (276 more than the previous record) to set a Guinness World Record. Along the way, he has raised more than $20,000 for the Gary Sinise Foundation, a charity that he chose because he felt inspired by the military, which he once considered joining. “Although I ultimately decided
not to join, I took away admiration and respect for the men and women serving in the military, and I wanted to do something to help honor them,” he says.
Training to break the muscle-up record started months in advance. Though already an avid climber who regularly performed calisthenics in the gym, he developed a rigorous training regimen to break the world record. Since there weren’t any previous training programs for this particular feat, he looked at ultra marathoners for inspiration to recreate the physical stress and volume of activity he would need. During the months leading up to the challenge, he completed 35,001 muscle-ups (he kept a tally).
On April 13, the day he set out to break the record, he arrived at his local climbing gym at 4:30 a.m. Guinness has strict requirements to verify a record, so Lloyd George had to install cameras and equipment and line up independent witnesses for the
challenge. To be valid, he needed two witnesses present at all times to watch the clock and to count his repetitions, and they couldn’t serve a shift longer than four consecutive hours. Lloyd George was meticulous with the logistics and planning. He estimated he would burn 300 calories per hour or roughly 5,000 calories throughout the day. He ate bananas, applesauce, Nutella, and bread, which are high in calories and easy to digest, to stay energized throughout the day, which didn’t end until 12:38 a.m. on April 14.
The hardest part was the last 50 muscle-ups. “At that point, I was really having to dig deep and I thought I was done.” Muscles burning, labored breathing, exhaustion setting in— he was ready to quit, he says. The larger crowd that had cheered him on throughout the day had dwindled to a handful of close friends and family. “They kept pushing me and telling me, ‘you can keep going, keep going.’”
The support made the difference. “Most people have this extra gear that if you really push you can unlock. At the time, I didn’t believe I could, but they had seen me train and they knew I could do it.
“Ultimately, I found this other mode. It unlocked this other side of me and I did the last 50 reps.” He decided to end with 2,002 muscle-ups to be safely beyond the previous record and because it was the year he was born.
This summer, Lloyd George is focusing on quantum computing and theoretical physics for a summer research project and his doctoral program in physics at Duke University. After, he says he’ll be ready for his next challenge. “Maybe the ring muscle-up world record…” he muses.
—Jennifer Herseim
Learn about other record-breaking feats that Yellow Jackets have achieved. Follow @GTalumni on social media.
CLASS NOTES
CHUCK HASTY, CE 91, MS CE 92, retired from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) after almost 34 years of service. Hasty worked on major projects such as the pedestrian bridge at Agnes Scott College, the I-75/I-475 system-level interchange on Macon’s south side, the Sardis Church Road project, and the recovery effort following floods in 2009. Since 2016, he has been working as the assistant state project review engineer within GDOT’s Engineering Services.
RUTHERFORD JOHNSONROMA-RUS, AP 00, MS ECON 03, and Hanna Johnson are celebrating 20 years of their Apostolic Household, the Pontifical and Imperial Household of the RomanRuthenian Church and State.
MARK KONENKAMP, ME 83, is celebrating his retirement after a 37-year career at Hyundai Motor America (HMA), where he most recently served as the southeast manager of Field Engineering. He was the first Tech alumnus to join the company.
IAN LEHN, ME 09, received the Society of Automotive Engineers’ “Contributor of the Year” Award and the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s “Person of the Year” Award for his work in fuel, renewable energy, and philanthropy. His start came from a Tech engineering Capstone project that inspired the creation of his company, BOOSTane.
SPEECH APP INVENTED BY ALUM SUPPORTS
CHILDREN WITH ECHOLALIA
TARUN CHAWDHURY, MS CS 22, and Mousumi Chawdhury created an AI-powered speech app for parents and caregivers to support children with echolalia. The app took second place in the TEDAI 2024 Hackathon last fall in San Francisco. Chawdhury, who is a part-time instructor in Tech’s Online Master of Science in Computer Science program, built the app,
AI4Echolalia, with his wife, Mousumi, their high-school daughter, and their second-grader, who was diagnosed with echolalia in 2019. Individuals with echolalia often repeat words or phrases.
The patent-pending app supports speech development as a real-time educational tool while families wait for formal speech therapy.
DAVID SANBORN, PFE 08, and his 8-year-old son, Ethan, successfully pitched Kiid Coffee, a first-of-itskind coffee for kids, to investors on ABC’s Shark Tank. The idea for a coffee drink for kids came to Ethan’s parents, David and Lauren Sanborn, Mgt 07, after their son broke his leg twice in two years. They wanted to boost his calcium intake, but found only high-sugar drink options on the market. When Ethan expressed interest in milk with a splash of his dad’s coffee, David started experimenting. The
result is a powdered mix with a blend of vitamins and minerals like magnesium, vitamin D, and iron that uses organic, water-decaffeinated coffee to retain antioxidants. The amount of caffeine in the drink is less than that of a cup of hot chocolate or a soda.
FATHER-SON DUO PITCH ABC’S SHARK TANK
FIVE YELLOW JACKETS RECEIVE GSPE ENGINEER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
FIVE ALUMNI and faculty members were recognized with Engineer of the Year Awards by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers. Thomas Gambino, CE 79, the founder of Prime Engineering and an emeritus member of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s External Advisory Board, and Lawrence Kahn, Georgia Tech Professor Emeritus in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received Lifetime Achievement Awards. Eric Marks, PhD CE 14,
who is a Professor of the Practice in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, received the Engineer of the Year in Education award. William “Billy” Anderson Brundage III, CE 85, who specializes in dam engineering and civil engineering consulting, received the Engineer of the Year in Industry award. Samuel Dennard, CE 18, a transportation engineer specializing in roadway design for Columbia Engineering, was recognized as the Engineer Organization Volunteer of the Year.
BLAKE NAMED PRESIDENT OF THE YEAR
M. BRIAN BLAKE, EE 94, was named “President of the Year” by the Association of College Unions International. He was recognized for his dedicated support for student activities and the role of the college union in fostering community on campus. As the president of Georgia State University, Blake is involved with students and staff, including key student organizations such as the Student Government Association and fraternity and sorority groups. He was recognized during an awards ceremony on March 16.
CLASS NOTES
ARIEL MARSHALL, PHD CHEM 14, will join Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute’s advisory board. Marshall was recognized in 2024 as part of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s “40 Under 40” program.
P.K. MARTIN, IA 00, was reappointed to the Georgia state Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission.
JOSE MARTINEZ, ME 96, MS ME 97, was appointed the chief information officer and managing director of IT at EXOS IT, a technology services and consulting firm. Previously, Martinez has served in senior roles at IBM and Interactive Intelligence and won the 2021 IBJ CIO of the Year for his work at OneAmerica Financial.
KELLY ONU, MS IS 21, was named one of the IEEE Computer Society’s Top 30 Early Career Professionals for 2024, an award that honors individuals who are driving advancements in computing. Onu credits Tech for playing a pivotal role in her journey, and she volunteers with Mentor Jackets.
HOSSEIN SOJOUDI, PHD ME 12, was selected as the recipient of the University of Toledo’s 2024–2025 Mid-American Conference Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. Sojoudi is the interim chair of the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering.
Gambino
Kahn Marks
Brundage
Dennard
ALUMNA CLAIMS SECOND PLACE ON SURVIVOR
WHEN EVA ERICKSON, PHYS 22, enrolled at Tech, she had no idea her time at the Institute would ultimately lead to her becoming a contestant on Survivor Season 48. Erickson didn’t just survive Survivor. She became one of the most authentic and strategic players of the season—and ultimately the runner-up.
Tech sparked her curiosity about the show. After joining Tech’s hockey team, the Minnesota native found herself part of a Survivor-inspired game. “My teammates were big Survivor fans and created a Survivor drinking game. They made tribes and split us up into two, and we performed challenges against each other. We really got into it,” she says.
Erickson took the win the first time she played the hockey team’s version. That victory left her wondering what the real Survivor was like. Being a Ramblin’ Wreck prepared her in ways she didn’t expect.
“Tech taught me to overcome challenges. Covid happened while I was there, so I really learned how to deal with the punches as they come. I remember in my quantum mechanics class, we only had four students and the professor working together. On Survivor, it’s very similar. You’re starting in a tribe with a few people,
and they are the only people you’re hanging out with. The problem-solving I learned at Tech also came in handy on the island.”
Being the only female student to play on Tech’s hockey team also helped. “I always made sure I was the hardest working one on the ice because I was so much smaller. Hockey taught me to be confident in myself.”
The first day the competition began, Erickson did what any Yellow Jacket would do: She found her place in the colony and formed an alliance with another contestant (Joe Hunter). “I needed to find someone I knew I could trust,” she explained on the show.
In Episode 5, Erickson revealed that she is autistic, a fact she shared with Hunter on day one. The disclosure came after a visibly intense moment during an immunity challenge, when she experienced sensory overload. Despite securing the challenge win for her team, the emotional toll was overwhelming. As her teammates celebrated, she broke down. Hunter, her closest ally, stepped in to comfort her. Then Jeff Probst, the longtime host, asked gently what was going on. That’s when Erickson shared that she had been diagnosed with autism at a very young age.
The tone of the game shifted. Her castmates grew emotional, and Probst, typically unshaken, teared up for the first time in Survivor history.
What made the moment especially powerful was how Erickson framed her diagnosis: Autism wasn’t a limitation, she explained, it was her superpower. From that point on, she leaned into her strengths—strategic thinking, problem-solving, intelligence, and to her surprise, social prowess.
When she reached a fire-making challenge at the final Tribal Council, she relied on her supporters—and told a story that was honest, unexpected, and unforgettable.
As a proud alumna, she embodies what the community is known for: intelligence, resilience, and problem-solving. Erickson didn’t just play the game—she made Georgia Tech proud. —Sharita Hanley
LIEUWEN NAMED EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
TIMOTHY LIEUWEN, MS ME 97, PHD ME 99, was named Georgia Tech’s executive vice president for Research (EVPR). Lieuwen has served as interim EVPR since Sept. 10, 2024. A proud alumnus, Lieuwen has spent more than 25 years at the Institute. He is a Regents’ Professor and holds the David S. Lewis,
Lieuwen served as executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute for 12 years. His expertise spans energy, propulsion, energy policy, and national security, and he has worked closely with industry and the government to develop new knowledge and see its implementation in the field.
Jr. Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.
WEDDINGS
1. PATRICK FIORILLI, MS DM 22, PHD DM 22, and DURI LONG, PHD HCC 21, were married on March 22 at the Simpson House in Kansas City, Missouri.
2. SARAH BARTEL, CHBE 17, and Mitchell Ogilvie were married on February 17, 2024, in Costa Mesa, California.
3. KRISTEN VOSSLER, BIO 19, and ALEX CABRERA, CS 19, were married in Atlanta on April 26. They met at Tech their freshman year and fittingly rolled away from the wedding in the Ramblin’ Wreck.
4. MICHAEL SAVRANSKY, BA 14, and SAMANTHA WILSON, BA 17, were married March 22 in the bride’s hometown of Savannah, Georgia. Their celebration
included a live painter capturing it all on canvas. Sami and Michael initially met while students at Georgia Tech in 2013. They live in Atlanta.
WRECKS AT WORK
ARCHITECT AT WORK
DANNY LE, M ARCH 17, is working on the Concourse D Widening Project at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
AUTHORS AT WORK
In the next issue, the Alumni Association is celebrating Wrecks who have authored books. Send us your on-the-job selfies at GTalumni.org/wrecksatwork.
BIRTHS OUT & ABOUT
SPOTTED IN THE RAINFOREST
Daniel Johnson, ME 85, visited the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve in January this year on the Panama Canal with his Buzz
hat.
LAUREN LEIGH (HERRINGTON) ROGERS, BA 11, and William Glore Rogers welcomed their son, Eli, on Nov. 23, 2024. Proud grandparents are Tammy and Tommy Herrington, IM 82.
IN MEMORIAM
WE REMEMBER & HONOR THE FOLLOWING
When The Whistle Blows is an annual ceremony to remember enrolled students and employees of Georgia Tech who died during the previous year.
1940 s
Bob D. Brown, IE 48, of Saint Simons Island, Ga., on Jan. 12.
Mathias E. Hoffman Jr., CE 48, of Farmington Hills, Mich., on Dec. 27, 2024.
Hugh W. Lowrey, ChE 49, of Austell, Ga., on April 30, 2023.
David R. Nimocks Jr., IE 49, of Fayetteville, N.C., on Dec. 29, 2024.
Wesley C. Paxson Sr., EE 46, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., on Dec. 13, 2024.
T. “Ellis” Peak Jr., ChE 47, of Baton Rouge, La., on March 10.
James P. Strand, IE 49, of Grafton, Wis., on Oct. 1, 2022.
Hugh M. Todd Jr., TE 49, of Dyersburg, Tenn., on Feb. 1.
1950 s
William H. “Bill” All III, IE 56, of Marietta, Ga., on Jan. 23.
Levern Ashley, ME 54, of Friendswood, Texas, on Dec. 17, 2024.
M. L. Ayers, Cls 59, of Snellville, Ga., on March 5.
Sami J. Baghdady, MS EE 58, of Belmont, Mass., on Dec. 26, 2024.
David L. “Pat” Barron, Cls 58, of House Springs, Mo., on Jan. 11.
Wallace W. “Wally” Berry, EE 58, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Feb. 11.
Cecil A. Best, IE 59, of Huntsville, Ala., on Jan. 27.
Lester H. “Hobart” Bodkin, IM 58, of Atlanta, on Dec. 19, 2024.
Newman H. Brown, Phys 58, of Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2024.
Shirley S. Campbell, IM 50, of West Lafayette, Ind., on Feb. 23.
Wallis G. Cobb Jr., IE 50, of Ellijay, Ga., on Jan. 8.
Burke C. Combs, Text 51, of Greer, S.C., on Jan. 3.
Joseph W. Cooper III, Cls 58, of Waverly, Ala., on Dec. 30, 2024.
WILLIAM R. “BILL” COLLINS, ME 57, MS IM 63: EMERITUS TRUSTEE OF THE GEORGIA
TECH FOUNDATION
WILLIAM R. “BILL” COLLINS, JR. OF MILTON, GA., ON MARCH 25 . Collins was a graduate of Bass High School in Atlanta and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He completed his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 1957 at Georgia Tech, where he was an active member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Artillery before returning to Tech to earn his Master of Science in Industrial Management in 1963.
He served as president of Pinkerton & Laws Construction Co. before cofounding Collins & Arnold Construction Co. in 1993. He was a member of Dunwoody Baptist Church for almost 60 years.
He received the Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Management Hall of Fame in 2007 and the College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2019. He previously served on the Governor’s Board of Community Affairs. He had many lifelong friends, including those in the “Dodd Boys.”
Collins was an emeritus member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees and a member of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation.
Collins was preceded in death by his beloved wife of almost 62 years, Jacqueline Mobley Collins, and his sister, Anne Collins Hannah (Jim). He is survived by his daughter, Karen Collins Thurman (Mark), and sons, William Michael (Mike) Collins (Suzanne) and Matthew W. Collins (Cathy), all of Milton, Georgia; five grandchildren, two great-granddaughters, and a greatgrandson.
Joseph F. “Joe” Cornelius, ChE 59, of Silver Lake, Ohio, on Feb. 4.
John J. Deely, EE 55, of West Lafayette, Ind., on Jan. 17.
Charles F. Dowdey, ChE 59, of Harrison, Tenn., on Jan. 10.
John W. Durstine, ME 57, of Troy, Mich., on Feb. 20.
Richard W. Faglier Sr., IM 59, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Feb. 28, 2020.
Donald F. Filippelli, IM 58, of New York, N.Y., on Aug. 3, 2024.
Paul M. Flood, IE 58, of Cumming, Ga., on Feb. 25.
Albert R. Fowlkes, TE 55, of Dyersburg, Tenn., on Sept. 23, 2024.
Ralph K. Freid, IM 58, of Somerset, N.J., on March 2.
Leonard S. “Lenny” Frieden, IM 50, of Norfolk, Va., on Feb. 24.
James B. Glover III, ME 51, of Marietta, Ga., on Dec. 23, 2024.
Russell A. Graves, IM 53, MS IM 54, of Athens, Ga., on Feb. 1.
William G. Hamrick Jr., IM 57, of Carrollton, Ga., on Feb. 1.
Arnold W. Harrington, EE 53, of Hoover, Ala., on Jan. 25.
James C. Holmes Jr., IM 52, of Lady Lake, Fla., on Dec. 16, 2024.
GUINN “MOLE” LEVERETT JR., IM 64: FORMER EDITOR OF THE TECHNIQUE
GUINN “MOLE” LEVERETT JR., IM 64, OF BELHAVEN, N.C., ON MARCH 11 . Leverett was a modern-day Renaissance man whose diverse passions and accomplishments left an indelible mark on all who knew him. After graduating from Pike County High School as valedictorian in 1960, he was awarded a full Navy ROTC scholarship to continue his academic journey at Georgia Tech, where he served as the editor of the Tech student newspaper, the Technique. Leverett proudly served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1970 as a supply corps lieutenant.
Leverett earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University, preparing him for his future as a lifelong entrepreneur in the cable television industry. He founded Belhaven Cable TV, Hyde County Cablevision, and Ocracoke Cable TV. As technology advanced, so did Leverett’s passion for bringing cuttingedge technology to the small town that he loved.
In 2000, he pivoted to the retail business, purchasing and helping diversify Riddick & Windley ACE Hardware, which remains his family’s business to this day. Leverett served as the town manager of Belhaven for seven years and was instrumental in many community projects, including the Breakwater Project and celebrating Belhaven as the birthplace of the Intracoastal Waterway. He was a passionate chef, gardener, bird watcher, sports enthusiast, poet, history buff, classical music lover, and prankster. Leverett bravely faced his Alzheimer’s progression, finding joy in porch visits with family and friends.
to creating moments filled with learning, love, laughter, and games of “gotcha” with them.
Leverett remained a devoted husband to his wife of 44 years, Corki, whom he affectionately called Fluffi. His title of “Grandad” brought him great pride, and he dedicated himself
He is survived by his wife, Corliss Jeanne, daughter, Cybele Leverett (Christopher Benson), stepson Trey Johnson (Laurie), stepson Ben Johnson (Amy), six grandchildren, sister-in-law, Pam Darnall Loftis (Dave), brother, Phil Leverett (Sandy), and several nieces and nephews.
David C. Jackson, EE 55, MS EE 61, MS InfoSci 73, of Austell, Ga., on Feb. 1.
Jerry S. Johnson, EE 57, of Marietta, Ga., on Feb. 15.
Clarence E. “Ed” Jones, EE 58, of Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2024.
Eugene C. Knox, AE 57, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Feb. 16.
Benjamin G. Kyle, ChE 50, of Manhattan, Kan., on Jan. 19.
Donald E. “Don” Lillie, Phys 59, of Asheville, N.C., on Jan. 6.
William K. McCaskill Jr., EE 54, MS EE 66, of Palm Harbor, Fla., on Jan. 29.
Edward D. “Ed” McDowell Jr., IE 57, of Bonaire, Ga., on Jan. 12.
Patrick M. “Pat” McEnroe II, EE 59, of Desoto, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2024.
Gene T. Moody, CE 52, of Hazlehurst, Ga., on Jan. 19.
Richard S. “Dick” Myrick, CE 55, of Milton, Ga., on Jan. 10.
Harry G. Nichol, IE 59, of Brentwood, Tenn., on Dec. 28, 2024.
Robert H. Nichols Sr., IM 59, of Young Harris, Ga., on Dec. 20, 2024.
BRADFORD BAKER: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
BRADFORD BAKER, OF ATLANTA, ON MARCH 8. Since joining the Scheller College of Business in 2018, Baker was a dedicated educator and researcher, exploring how individuals and teams navigate proactive behaviors and ethical decision-making in the workplace. His work appeared in leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, the Journal of Applied Psychology, and the Harvard Business Review.
Baker’s research focused on the complexities of speaking up, taking charge, and the unintended consequences of workplace behaviors. He was passionate about understanding both the benefits and potential downsides of these actions, offering valuable insights that shaped academic thought and real-world business practices.
During his time at Scheller, Baker taught Leading People and Organizations and Leading Teams, inspiring
undergraduate and MBA students with his dynamic teaching style and real-world applications of organizational behavior. His dedication to student success earned him deep respect from those he mentored.
A world traveler, he set a record for study abroad experiences during his undergraduate years, visiting 42 countries before graduation. He ultimately explored more than 50
countries, with a deep appreciation for the culture and resilience he encountered across the globe. No matter how far he ventured, he remained closely connected to his roots, which included growing up between Washington State and Montana on the Yakama and Blackfeet Reservations. He cherished summers at his family’s mountain cabin, where he panned for gold and embraced the outdoors.
His commitment to community extended to his home in Cabbagetown, Atlanta, where he was deeply involved in neighborhood life. In an interview for the Humans of Scheller, Baker described his proudest accomplishment as the year he spent caring for his father during his battle with terminal cancer—a testament to his loyalty, resilience, and compassion. In the same conversation, Baker described his life story in one sentence: overcoming adversity to try and be of service to humanity.
—Scheller College of Business
Roy F. Norment, EE 53, of Rome, Ga., on March 8.
Claus B. Othersen, MS ME 58, of Charleston, S.C., on Dec. 7, 2024.
John W. Parrott, ChE 56, MS ChE 58, of Ooltewah, Tenn., on Dec. 31, 2024.
Stuart E. Peace, IM 57, of Suffolk, Va., on Jan. 19.
Paul W. Perfect, ME 52, of Fairhope, Ala., on Feb. 2.
Billy F. Perkins, Text 58, of Huntsville, Ala., on Jan. 31.
William B. “Barna” Pope Jr., EE 51, of Spring, Texas, on Jan. 29.
Wilbur E. Radford Sr., IE 58, of Powder Springs, Ga., on Dec. 15, 2024.
George T. Rosser, ChE 52, of Matthews, N.C., on Dec. 20, 2024.
Neal B. Rothfuss, ME 50, of Utica, N.Y., on July 13, 2023.
John L. Tennant, CE 54, of Keystone Heights, Fla., on Feb. 7.
Clarence B. Tutt, IE 57, of Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 16.
Robert G. “Bob” Vanderhorn, AE 58, of Beaux Arts, Wash., on June 16, 2022.
Paul N. Ware, ME 58, of Rome, Ga., on Jan. 7.
Lowell M. Wheat, AE 54, of Lacey’s Spring, Ala., on Dec. 25, 2024.
Louis A. Williams Jr., AE 52, of Moreland, Ga., on Jan. 24.
1960 s
Charles D. “David” Anderson, CerE 68, of Tennille, Ga., on Feb. 21.
George E. Barrow, MS EE 66, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on March 10.
Charles G. Beadles, CE 67, MS CE 69, of Woodstock, Ga., on Feb. 9.
James F. Benson, ChE 68, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., on Jan. 21.
Ceylon B. Blackwell, IM 65, of Memphis, Tenn., on Feb. 14.
James S. Bomar, IM 61, of Atlanta, on Dec. 11, 2024.
William E. Bradshaw II, EE 64, of Lake Zurich, Ill., on Jan. 31.
Richard A. Capiola, AE 64, of Coupeville, Wash., on June 12, 2024.
Thomas C. “Tom” Chambers III, IM 61, of Homerville, Ga., on Dec. 30, 2024.
Carl E. Childs Jr., Psy 63, of Fort Gaines, Ga., on Dec. 30, 2024.
James E. “Jim” Dunn, MS IM 63, of Chesterfield, Mo., on Jan. 26.
Joseph R. Eastburn, IM 68, of Decatur, Ga., on March 11.
John R. Facey, AE 63, of Clarksburg, Md., on Feb. 9.
Thomas A. “Tom” Ficht, M CRP 63, of Big Canoe, Ga., on Dec. 20, 2024.
Bennie D. Fletcher, Cls 60, of Jackson, Ga., on Feb. 17.
Ronnie D. Foster, EE 63, of Tiger, Ga., on Jan. 31.
Wayne D. Fredrick, Cls 69, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Dec. 7, 2024.
Bernard E. Fulghum, IM 68, of Cherry Hill, N.J., on Feb. 20.
Randall W. Fussell, IM 66, of Jasper, Ga., on Jan. 27.
Ronald W. “Ron” Glockner, CE 65, of Leonardtown, Md., on Jan. 21.
Percival C. “Cab” Gregory III, IM 60, of Greenville, S.C., on Jan. 14.
Fredrick S. “Fred” Hall Jr., CE 67, MS CE 68, of Riner, Va., on Jan. 31.
Ted I. Haney, EE 61, of Lynn Haven, Fla., on March 8.
Douglas A. “Doug” Hartman, IE 61, of Atlantic Beach, Fla., on Dec. 30, 2024.
Robert W. “Bob” Hearn Jr., IM 60, of Macon, Ga., on Dec. 2, 2024.
Donald L. Holbrook, IM 63, of Glenville, N.C., on Oct. 9, 2024.
John R. “Bob” Hudson, IM 65, of Peachtree City, Ga., on Dec. 17, 2024.
Roy E. Johnson Jr., AE 66, MS AE 69, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., on Feb. 19.
Thomas M. “Mike” Kaney, CE 61, of Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 13, 2024.
Peter F. Littlefield, IE 60, of Old Lyme, Conn., on March 7.
Harry J. Littleton, IM 62, of Mountain Brook, Ala., on Jan. 8.
Jerry S. Lund, Bio 68, of Bernardston, Mass., on Feb. 23.
James E. “Jim” Mallett, CE 65, of Fayetteville, Ga., on Jan. 24.
James C. Mathis, IE 66, of Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2024.
Joseph A. “Joe” Matos Jr., MS EE 68, of Springfield, Va., on Feb. 6.
Allen W. McCook, EE 69, of Macon, Ga., on Feb. 18.
THERON D. JENNINGS JR., IM 56: CIVIC LEADER
THERON D. JENNINGS JR., IM 56, OF CARROLLTON, GA., ON DEC. 14, 2024. After graduating from Americus High School with honors, Jennings attended Georgia Tech, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was president of the Tech Management Club. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps through the Naval ROTC program. He served at duty stations in Virginia, North Carolina, and the Mediterranean, and completed 10 years of active and reserve duty, attaining the rank of captain, USMCR. He held management positions with General Motors and Rich’s in Atlanta. While there, he earned a degree in law from Woodrow Wilson College of Law, and was ordained a Deacon at Buckhead Baptist Church. Jennings and his family moved in 1964 to Carrollton, Georgia, where he was employed by Southwire Company for 16 years, finally as vice president
of Administration and assistant to the President. He concluded his business career in the apparel industry, serving Bowdon Clothing Company as general manager and Midwest sales representative. Active in Carrollton civic endeavors, he was a Jaycee vice president and later served as president of both the Carrollton Rotary Club and the Carrollton Chamber of Commerce. He also enjoyed service as director of both Carrollton Federal Savings and Loan and Sunset Hills Country Club. Other community activities included chairing the Carroll Unit, American Cancer Society, as well as the Carroll District, Boy Scouts of America. Statewide, he served as chairman of the Employer-Employee Relations Council of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
John M. “Marshall” McDuffie Sr., TE 61, of Atlanta, on Feb. 28.
Gerald J. “Gerry” Meyer, IM 60, of Pawleys Island, S.C., on Feb. 3.
James L. Milhollin Sr., IM 66, of Maryville, Tenn., on Dec. 26, 2024.
Roy E. Moore, IE 60, of Marietta, Ga., on Feb. 5, 2023.
Donald P. Nahser, EE 62, of Roswell, Ga., on Oct. 27, 2022.
AND BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
A longtime member of First Baptist Church of Carrollton, through the years he was chair of several committees, including Finance, Personnel, and Nominating. In more recent years he served as chairman of Trustees and Deacons. For many years, Theron and his family enjoyed a second home on Lake Martin, Alabama. He and his wife, Sherry, traveled the U.S. and Europe, especially the Mediterranean. He is survived by his wife and three children: Sheron (Mark) Pilcher of Griffin, Jeff (Kathy) Jennings of Roswell, and Nancy (Len) Smith of Highland Lake, Alabama. He has eight grandchildren, along with seven great-grandchildren. Also surviving is his sister, Ann Singer, of Columbus, Ga., a nephew, and a niece.
Weldon A. Nash Jr., ME 65, of Snellville, Ga., on Dec. 26, 2024.
Ray A. Nixon Jr., ME 60, of Marietta, Ga., on Dec. 15, 2024.
James L. “Jim” Oliver II, ID 65, ME 67, of Asheville, N.C., on Feb. 7.
Hugh L. “Lynn” Page, IM 62, of Columbus, Ga., on Feb. 11.
Robert W. Pledger, IE 66, of Gainesville, Ga., on Jan. 22.
William E. “Bill” Ransom, IE 61, of Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 28.
George Sampson III, TE 65, of LaGrange, Ga., on Dec. 5, 2024.
Richard T. Simmons, Phys 67, MS InfoSci 74, of Pensacola, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2024.
Phillip L. Smallwood, Arch 62, of Atlanta, on Feb. 25.
Frank N. Stanley III, IM 64, of Austin, Texas, on Nov. 26, 2024.
Michael F. Stenftenagel, IE 67, of Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 4, 2024.
Danny R. Storey, CE 69, of Suwanee, Ga., on Jan. 7.
Bobby J. Summerville, EE 62, of Fairfax, Va., on Feb. 20.
Jesse R. Teal Jr., AE 66, of Harvest, Ala., on March 10.
Bobby M. Thomas, IE 68, of Cumming, Ga., on Jan. 6.
Roger K. “Ken” Vickery, IE 62, of Snellville, Ga., on Oct. 22, 2024.
Aubrey P. Watson, IM 64, of Weston, Fla., on June 3, 2024.
Michael E. Wilder, CE 69, MS SanE 71, of Stone Mountain, Ga., on Feb. 25.
Stephen B. “Bennett” Willis, MS Chem 65, of Lake Jackson, Texas, on March 1.
James K. “Jim” Wilson Jr., IM 61, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., on Dec. 16, 2024.
Charles H. Wimberly, IM 63, of Mary Esther, Fla., on March 7.
Charles C. Wommack, IM 63, of Atlanta, on Jan. 23.
1970 s
Steven M. Armstrong, IM 78, of Marietta, Ga., on Dec. 31, 2024.
Nelson M. Barnhouse, Phys 72, of Smyrna, Ga., on April 26, 2024.
James D. “Dennis” Bramblett, ME 71, of Marietta, Ga., on Feb. 4.
Everette C. “Clif” Burdette II, Phys 73, MS EE 76, of Champaign, Ill., on Feb. 8.
Martin J. “Marty” Burke III, Mgt 72, of Huntsville, Ala., on Jan. 20.
Robert S. “Bob” Byrne Jr., Math 75, of Ridgewood, N.J., on March 6.
George H. Corry Jr., AE 70, of Columbia, Md., on Feb. 20.
John L. Dillon IV, ME 70, of Braselton, Ga., on Jan. 1.
Richard A. Dun, IE 70, MS IE 71, of Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 25, 2024.
James M. “Jim” Endicott, ME 75, of Greenville, S.C., on June 12, 2016.
Arthur J. Fountain Jr., ESM 71, of Reynolds, Ga., on Dec. 17, 2024.
Thomas P. “Tom” Glanton, MS IM 70, of Carrollton, Ga., on Dec. 3, 2024.
Raymond A. Golz, CE 70, of Canton, Ga., on Nov. 11, 2024.
Harvey S. Gray, Mgt 72, of Atlanta, on Dec. 18, 2024.
Roy Harris Jr., MS InfoSci 74, of Duluth, Ga., on Jan. 11.
Claude E. Head, CE 77, of Rockmart, Ga., on March 15, 2018.
Ronald W. Horton, Math 73, of Jonesboro, Ga., on Dec. 18, 2024.
James C. Jones III, CE 75, of Deland, Fla., on March 4.
Del K. Meek, IM 70, of Canton, Ga., on Jan. 29.
Frank C. Mingledorff Jr., MS SanE 73, of Sopchoppy, Fla., on Jan. 5.
Karl W. Myers, CE 74, MS CE 80, of Cleveland, Ga., on Jan. 11.
Robert L. Rodgers, MS IM 78, of Smyrna, Ga., on Dec. 10, 2024.
Robert W. Rogers, IE 70, of Kingston, Wash., on March 20, 2023.
German D. “Diego” Schaefer, TE 70, MS TE 71, of Marietta, Ga., on Feb. 18.
Taposh Sen, EE 78, of Ann Arbor, Mich., on July 10, 2022.
Terry L. Skinner, ID 76, IM 81, of Avondale Estates, Ga., on Jan. 29.
Thurman H. Slone, MS CE 72, of Jasper, Ga., on Dec. 22, 2024.
George F. Smith, MS ME 73, of Woodstock, Ga., on Jan. 20.
Ronald L. Smith, Mgt 72, of McDonough, Ga., on Dec. 13, 2024.
Bobby G. Solomon, IE 76, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., on Jan. 8.
Robert M. “Bob” Tenanty, CE 74, of Cambridge, Md., on Feb. 10.
Clinton E. Thompson, ME 76, of Milledgeville, Ga., on Feb. 1.
James M. Tumlin, MS CE 70, of Mechanicsville, Va., on Nov. 17, 2024.
Linda S. Voyles, Cls 73, of Ripley, Tenn., on Dec. 4, 2024.
James M. Wall, Mgt 73, of Perry, Ga., on Dec. 16, 2024.
Michael A. Waters, CE 73, of Jupiter, Fla., on Nov. 22, 2024.
Cleveland D. Welch, Text 70, of Athens, Ga., on Feb. 25.
1980 s
Robert J. Beeson, APhys 88, of
Natick, Mass., on Dec. 3, 2024.
Michael L. Blyler, EE 80, MS EE 81, of Hilliard, Fla., on Feb. 28.
Michael E. Bombard, EE 83, of Orangeburg, S.C., on Dec. 3, 2024.
Britt C. Buckner, IM 85, of Temple, Ga., on March 11.
Stephen L. “Steve” Cole, IM 80, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., on Jan. 24.
John A. Deakins Jr., IE 81, of Lookout Mountain, Ga., on Jan. 3.
Meta L. (Goetz) Dreiser, IM 86, of Fitchburg, Wis., on Jan. 28.
William B. “Bill” Folsom Jr., IM 86, of Long Beach, Miss., on April 1, 2023.
Monica A. Harrison-Maples, HPhys 88, of Knoxville, Tenn., on Feb. 22.
CATHERINE LUCILLE WILSON, CHE 67: PROUD ALUMNA & ENGINEER
CATHERINE LUCILLE WILSON, CHE 67, OF HAMPSTEAD, N.C., ON JULY 23, 2024. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and sister. Born to Edwin J. and Catherine S. Wilson on September 24, 1944, in Birmingham, Ala., she and her family later relocated to Marietta, Ga., where most of her childhood was spent. Wilson went on to attend Georgia Tech. She was “a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech and a Helluva Engineer.” She earned a chemical engineering degree in 1966. She was one of nine female graduates out of a
class of 911, less than 1 percent.
After college, she moved to Lynchburg, Va., to accept a job with Babcock and Wilcox, where she designed nuclear reactors. She raised her family there. In later life she lived with her son and family in Hampstead, N.C. She is survived by her two children, Michael Lee Jones (wife Denise Thomas Jones) and Wendy Jones Wright, six grandchildren, her brother, Edwin (Bud) Wilson, and her sister Terrie Wilson Taylor (husband Wilson Taylor). She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Janet Wilson Sealer.
Pao C. Huang, MS Met 85, PhD MetE 91, of Norcross, Ga., on Dec. 18, 2024.
Scott A. Lambert, IE 86, of Norfolk, Va., on Feb. 3.
Susan S. (Selman) McElrath, HPhys 88, of Powder Springs, Ga., on Sept. 18, 2024.
Randolph P. “Randy” Meyer, ChE 80, of Garner, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2024.
Steven A. Siegel, MS InfoSci 87, of Mendham, N.J., on Jan. 15.
Nigel R. Thomas, M Arch 88, of Venice, Calif., on Jan. 17.
Luis A. Vinuelas, AE 82, of Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 13.
1990 s
Deborah A. Caswell, IE 90, of Peachtree Corners, Ga., on Dec. 17, 2024.
Frank F. Fusaro, Mgt 90, of Conyers, Ga., on Feb. 24, 2024.
Gary L. Jones, CE 98, MS CE 00, of Austell, Ga., on Feb. 8.
Nancy A. (Michel) Lambert, ChE 90, of Afton, Minn., on Jan. 21.
Jill K. (Kauke) Perry, Mgt 91, of Dawsonville, Ga., on March 25, 2024.
James A. Riechel, MS CS 95, of Eugene, Ore., on Sept. 27, 2024.
Michael A. Sweat, Mgt 93, of Buford, Ga., on Jan. 16.
2000 s
Ashley J. James, PhD ME 00, of Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 5, 2024.
Harold W. “Whit” Wallace IV, Mgt 04, of Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 22, 2024.
2010 s
Andrew O. Lewis, MS AE 10, of Atlanta, on Aug. 2, 2024.
2020 s
Skylar E. Bernstein, CE 24, of Harlem, Ga., on Nov. 9, 2024.
Joshua M. “Josh” Patrick, ME 23, of Mableton, Ga., on Jan. 30.
FRIENDS
J. R. “Ronald” Burson, of Carrollton, Ga., on Feb. 8, 2023.
Alan Gibson, of Phoenix, Ariz., on Aug. 1, 2024.
Stella W. Grandin, of Evans, Ga., on Jan. 27.
Margaret A. Jackson, of Lithia Springs, Ga., on Dec. 5, 2024.
Robert G. “Bob” Loewy, of Philadelphia, Pa., on Jan. 3.
Naresh K. Malhotra, of Atlanta, on Jan. 7.
Juanita Maxey, of Morrow, Ga., on Feb. 18.
James I. “Jim” Morris, of Casselberry, Fla., on March 5.
Virginia A. Mosis, of Atlanta, on Dec. 21, 2024.
Joseph W. “Joe” Parris, of Pompano Beach, Fla., on March 26.
Barbara A. Rodgers, of Temple, Ga., on Jan. 11.
Alvin Sugarman, of Atlanta, on Jan. 17.
Janice Vaughn, of Dripping Springs, Texas, on Feb. 2.
Carroll P. Wills, of Roswell, Ga., on Dec. 10, 2024.
EDITOR’S NOTE
For the In Memoriam section of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, we will include an abbreviated version of each obituary in print. Full obituaries can be found at gtalumni.org/InMemoriam. To report a death, please email updates@gtf.gatech.edu.
Once
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Yellow Jacket, Always Ahead: The Lifelong Perks of Georgia Tech
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THE OASIS INSIDE AN OASIS
WHILE THE PRESIDENT’S HOUSE ON 10TH STREET IS NO LONGER LIVED IN BY TECH PRESIDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, ITS STORY AND MEMORIES HAVE NOT FADED.
BY JACK PURDY, BA 22
TTHE PREVIOUS PRESIDENT’S HOUSE is hidden in plain sight on Georgia Tech’s campus, tucked away behind the BioQuad and the Ken Byers Tennis Complex, shielded by trees on all sides and a stone wall on 10th Street.
“It’s ‘gi-hugic,’” says Val Peterson, inventing a word to adequately describe the 18-room house. It’s also “cozy and close,” says the former Georgia Tech first lady who lived in the home
for more than a decade with her husband, Tech’s 11th President, G.P. “Bud” Peterson, President Emeritus and Regents’ Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, While Georgia Tech’s main campus can feel like an oasis, removed from the bustle of Atlanta, in a way, the President’s House feels like an oasis inside campus.
HISTORY
Ten presidents and interim presidents
have called the 10th Street residence their home, beginning with Georgia Tech’s fifth president, Col. Blake R. Van Leer, and concluding with the Petersons. Before the 10th Street house, the original President’s House was located on North Ave. and was built by Tech’s second president, Lyman Hall. The North Ave. house was torn down after the tenure of Tech’s fourth president, Marion Brittain. When Van Leer became Tech’s fifth president in 1944, he and his wife, Ella Van Leer,
lived on Clifton Road until the 10th Street house was completed in 1949.
The history of the former President’s Residence property can be traced back to before the Civil War. Abolitionist Solomon Landis built a house on the property in the late 1850s, before his family was forced to flee to Philadelphia during the war. The house was captured by the Union Army and torn down to use the wood to build a hospital north of the property. After the war, the Landis family returned and rebuilt the house (twice, due to a fire), before Fuller Callaway donated $100,000 to fund the construction of the current house.
The purpose of the home was to provide the president of Georgia Tech
and their family a place to live on campus rent-free.
The construction and design were heavily influenced by Tech’s First Lady Ella Van Leer, whose vision was to create a modern twist on a traditional Southern home. Ella held a master’s in architecture from the University of California. Because she was unlicensed, the architectural firm Toombs & Creighton, who were chosen by Callaway, are listed as the official designers of the house.
The final design was a house large enough to host sizeable gatherings but simple enough that it could feel like a normal home. Ella would host the first female students of Tech for Alpha Xi Delta meetings in the early 1950s.
“With an awe-inspiring backdrop of the city of Atlanta, overlooking the campus of this great engineering college, with the foundation laid down for us of integrity of character, we trust that we will be able to set you our loyal Tech alumni and friends, old and new, an example of gracious living and hospitality that will be symbolic of the greater things to come to Georgia Tech,” said Ella in her history of the property.
DESIGN & DECOR
A 1995 mural of Tech Tower Lawn, commissioned by President Emeritus G. Wayne Clough and First Lady Anne Clough, immediately greets visitors when they open the front door. The
mural spans three walls and depicts scenes of campus buildings, civil engineers surveying land, students playing baseball, and even Tech’s best friend, Sideways the dog. Not all of the mural is original.
“At one point there was an issue in the bathroom,” Mrs. Peterson says. “Someone was replacing something in the bathroom, and they accidentally punched a hole through the mural!” The hole went through a tree in the mural on the other side. The mural was retouched so that it’s barely noticeable
to anyone except those with the keenest eyes. A grandfather clock dating back to the 1790s, a gift from an alum, stands in the foyer.
Past the foyer, the main floor includes a study, a living room painted in gold, a dining room painted in blue, and a large kitchen that expanded when the garage was added on.
“I redid the dining room, which was a salmon color. I thought, ‘I can’t raise money in that room!’ So, I turned it blue,” Mrs. Peterson says.
The striking kitchen, with a black-
and-white-checkered floor, includes multiple ovens, ample counter space for preparing food, and a dumbwaiter.
Over the years, the house has undergone changes from the original design and furniture has come and gone. A lap pool used by Tech’s ninth president, John Patrick Crecine, who was an avid swimmer, was installed and then eventually removed. A smaller pool off the courtyard remains today.
PURPOSE AND MEMORY
For more than seven decades, the
President’s House has bestowed Tech’s hospitality to many of the Institute’s most distinguished guests of honor.
Sitting in the living room a decade after they moved out of the house, the Petersons reflect on the countless gatherings and events they hosted in the house. “It’s special,” says President Peterson, leaning against the staircase. “It was special to be invited to the President’s House for an event.”
Those guests included student leaders, newly tenured professors, Georgia governors, legislators, Regents, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and many other special guests. Less well-known than the others, “Calicat” was the name of a cat living on the premises whom the Petersons effectively adopted (or actually, “he adopted us,” Mrs. Peterson says).
“We had the holiday parties, student leadership events, commencement lunches, donor events, along with many other events for the campus community,” remembers President
Peterson. “It was such an honor to live here for ten and a half years. It really, really was,” Mrs. Peterson adds.
One of their favorite memories was the aftermath of the Homecoming win against Virginia Tech in 2009, which was Peterson’s first year as president.
“The front yard was full of students after the game. They carried the goal posts over and they brought these chop saws with them to cut up the goal posts into pieces so they could have them,” remembers President Peterson, who tried to usher the students home. “Val’s upstairs and it was her birthday, so they sang her Happy Birthday!”
Mrs. Peterson took a photo to remember the moment. “They all sang to me and so I had to go back out. So, we went outside and it was delightful,” she says.
FUTURE RENOVATIONS
Today, Tech’s presidents no longer live in the house, due to a change in the University System of Georgia policy
that requires university presidents to live off campus.
While the house no longer serves as a residence for Tech presidents, it still serves as an infrequent event space.
The location and deep connections to Tech’s history make the house a signature space to convene small gatherings or dinners with key stakeholders.
The Georgia Tech Foundation is seeking donor support to renovate, update, and elevate the President’s House to further the facility’s promise as a hallowed event space that will build community and encourage fellowship. The planned renovations include making the property generally more accessible, adding a newly constructed library, and completing a kitchen renovation. The renovations will be funded by private philanthropy. To make a gift in support of the renovation, contact Jim Hall, vice president for Development, at jim.hall@dev.gatech.edu.
THE WRITING ON THE WALLS T
RENOVATIONS TO THE D.M. SMITH BUILDING UNCOVERED 100-YEAR-OLD SIGNATURES OF TECH STUDENTS. WHO WERE THEY?
BY JENNIFER HERSEIM
THE D.M. SMITH BUILDING is set to re-open later this year after a two-year, $26 million renovation. During the renovations, construction crews made a discovery: Underneath a water fountain on the second floor were the neatly penned signatures of three students, etched more than 100 years ago.
Did the students leave their mark hoping to be discovered in the future or were they simply mischievous students scribbling on a wall? Either way, the writing offers a glimpse into the lives of three students who attended Tech a century ago.
When A. Brian Merry signed his name on the wall, he noted his hometown of Augusta, Georgia. Proud of his roots, Merry graduated from Georgia Tech with his degree in Architecture and returned to Augusta, where he cofounded his firm, Merry & Parsons. In 1937, the firm designed the Warrenton Gymnasium-Auditorium, a federal works project that was later listed in the National Register of Historical Places. Merry’s legacy went beyond architecture. He served as the inaugural president of the Richmond County Historical Society, which was founded in 1946 and later became the Augusta Historical Society. In 1967, an elementary school in Augusta was named in his honor. He died in 1953, at age 49. A year earlier, his son had graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in physics.
Next to Merry’s senior photo in the 1925 Blue Print is an inscription that offers a snapshot of what Merry might have been like as a student. “‘B Merry’ never was [a] name more appropriate or better lived up to than here,” it reads. “He led an architectural trio over the radio, presiding over the society meetings, to say nothing of his endeavors to mislead all into believing that his home town is a prominent village. Glee Club president, Architectural Society, Blue Print Art staff, vice president of the Charrette Club, Cotillion Club.”
Beside Merry’s signature is that of Thomas White Cothran Jr., the eldest of seven children, from Greenwood, South Carolina. Like his father, Cothran pursued architecture. At Tech, he was a first lieutenant in the ROTC and a member of the architectural society and Matheson Literary Society. He graduated in 1925. A quote beside his name in the yearbook reads, “Nothing can be done at once hastily and prudently.”
The third signature on the wall belongs to out-of-state student Phil Fred Rosenblath from Shreveport, Louisiana. Rosenblatt was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma and the Architectural Society. Nicknamed “Rosy,” the bespeckled senior’s yearbook photo includes a message that Rosenblath might have left for future Yellow Jackets: “Never let your lessons interfere with your college education.”
The three students signed the wall in 1924, one year after the building was finished and during a period of growth for Tech. Since opening, the D.M. Smith building has seen countless Yellow Jackets walk its halls, including Merry, Cothran, and Rosenblath, who left their marks both figuratively and literally.
A. Brian Merry
Thomas White Cothran Jr.
Phil Fred Rosenblath
A. Brian Merry, Georgia Tech 1925, hometown Augusta, Ga.
Three signatures etched more than 100 years ago were found in this hallway of the D.M. Smith Building.
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