Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 97 No 2, Summer 2021

DROWNPROOFING

32

20

YEARS

MODERN-DAY FROM

WWI

TO

PRESENT

DAY

LATER:

HISTORY 56

A

REMEMBERING

MAKER

SOLDIER’S

9 / 11

44

BEST

FRIEND

SUMMER 2021 VOL.97 NO.2

ALSO INSIDE

LEB

RATING

60

CE

TH

E

TH

ANNIVERSARY OF

SALUTE

TO

BLACK STUDENTS MATRICULATING AT TECH PAGE 92

YELLOW JACKETS W H O

SERVE

40

98

“Our neighbors told their children if they ever got in an accident at school and they weren’t home to ‘go find Bill Levins.’”

—Lynn Kimmerly, Friend of the Institute, about her father William Andrew Levins, Class of 1924, was successful in business, committed to his community, and adored by his family. He moved in enviable circles, but didn’t flaunt his connections. “It was only after I told my dad that I was studying The Great Gatsby in college that he told me he knew F. Scott Fitzgerald,” said Lynn Kimmerly, Levins’ daughter.

“My father met Fitzgerald through Zelda Sayre, who, before she married Fitzgerald, had been pinned to one of my father’s friends at Georgia Tech.”

Although forced to leave Tech prior to graduating in order to help his family, Levins remained a proud Yellow Jacket.

“My parents were at a football game on December 7, 1941, and the game was interrupted by an announcement that Pearl Harbor had been attacked,” Kimmerly said. “My father was determined to serve his country, even though he was 38.” Levins sought letters of recommendation and received one from the then-president of Georgia Tech. “It must have worked because my father was accepted into the Army as a major.”

2

After the war, Levins moved his family to Atlanta and became a broker in an investment banking firm. “In 1946, together with another broker, he engineered the largest number of textile mills ever sold at one time in the United States,” Kimmerly said. In addition to his feats in business, Levins was the go-to person in the neighborhood when anyone needed help. “Our neighbors told their children if they ever got in an accident at school and they weren’t home to ‘go find Bill Levins,’” Kimmerly said. “When a secretary at his office had an appendicitis attack, my father rushed her to the hospital and stayed throughout her surgery.”

In memory of her father, Kimmerly and her husband, Ted, have made an estate provision to establish the William Andrew Levins Scholarship, an endowed fund supporting need-based scholarships. “My father would be very happy knowing that he helped another person attend Georgia Tech, the institution he so dearly loved,” Kimmerly said.

Founders’ Council is the honorary society recognizing donors who have made estate or life-income gifts

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE of $25,000 or more for the support of Georgia Tech. For more information, please contact:

404.385.6716 • giftplanning@dev.gatech.edu • plannedgiving.gatech.edu

MILITARY BACKGROUND? LIMITLESS FUTURE. At the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, we believe that pairing the leadership and problem-solving abilities military community members possess with our MBA is a transformational combination.

Whether you want to advance your military career or transition into industry, our Full-time, Evening, and Executive MBA programs can help you achieve your career goals.

Military-friendly Focus Scheller provides a number of resources for military members, including the Veterans Resource Center and Scheller Veterans Club.

Tech Square Innovation Ecosystem Learn in the heart of Midtown Atlanta’s Tech Square, home to the highest density of startups and corporate innovation centers in the southeastern U.S. A Format to Fit Your Life Our three MBA programs allow you to manage personal and professional obligations while earning your degree with day, evening, or weekend classes.

Career Transformation Receive highly personalized career services, including one-on-one coaching, career workshops, recruiting sessions, and more.

“I believe whole-heartedly that veterans have a unique skill set to contribute as leaders in the private sector just as they did in uniform. I have seen my class place very well with elite consulting firms, in the tech sector, and even in banking.

You really can do it all here.”

Marcus H., MBA ‘21 Senior Consultant, Simon-Kucher & Partners U.S.2021 Army3 Veteran GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE VOL. 97 | NO. 2

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD

A

A S W E S T A R T to come out of one of the most challenging years our country has faced, it’s easy to look back with weary eyes on the things we’ve missed: t ime w it h f r iends and family, working side by side with our colleagues, and all the on-campus activities that we as Yellow Jackets cherish. Businesses were lost, parents and educators worked double-time to keep kids learning, and millions lost their lives to a pandemic that few could foresee lasting well into 2021. It was a drastic change for the entire nation.

However, Covid-19 also brought out some of the best things about both our country and the Institute—a spirit of unity, the feeling that “we’re all in this together,” and the value of pitching in

Georgia Tech alumnus Michael Arad, M Arch 99, designed the 9/11 Memorial “Reflecting Absence.”

Lindsay Vaughn Kari Lloyd

EDITOR Jennifer Herseim

ART DIRECTOR Karen Matthes

COPY EDITOR Barbara McIntosh Webb

STUDENT ASSISTANTS Jessica Barber & Zoë Mote

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair Shan Pesaru, CmpE 05 Past Chair/Finance Jocelyn Stargel, IE 82, MS IE 86 Chair Elect, Chair of Gold & White, Vice Chair/Roll Call Magd Riad, IE 01 Vice Chair/Engagement Elizabeth “Betsy” Bulat Turner, IAML 04 Member at Large Annie I. Antón, ICS 90, MS ICS 92, PhD CS 97 Member at Large Cathy Hill, EE 84 Member at Large James Stovall, CS 01 Member at Large Brian Tyson, EE 10

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

ANDERM / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

GEORGIA TEC H ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

COPY DIRECTOR

PHOTOGRAPH

and helping out friends, neighbors, and those in need.

It’s this spirit of unity that also reminds me of another painful time in our nation’s history: September 11, 2001. It’s incredible to think that 20 years ago, I was attending the Kick-Off Classic, which had myself, my brother, and my roommates flying into New York City. It was the first game of the season and we were playing Syracuse. We won 13–7 and left on such a high note— only to watch one of our nation’s greatest national tragedies unfold there a mere two weeks later.

Despite the attack, we rallied together as a nation and as Yellow Jackets both on campus and around the world. We continue to reflect and remember that which we lost—yet we also look forward toward a brighter future. Should you visit where the World Trade Center once stood, you’ll be able to see the work of fellow Jacket and architecture alumnus Michael Arad, who designed “Reflecting Absence” as a serene, public space for contemplation and remembrance.

As Georgia Tech alumni, you’re helping to build the future of the world.

Always keep that exceptional spirit of unity with you as you go forth in White & Gold.

Sincerely,

PRESIDENT

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

Dene Sheheane, Mgt 91

VP STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

DENE SHEHEANE, MG T 91

4

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Jennifer Abrams, PP 17; Archel Bernard, STC 11; Jason Byars, ME 96; Alina Capanyola, IE 10; Duane Carver, CmpE 10; Aurelien Cottet, MS AE 03; Andre Dickens, ChE 98; Lizzie Donnelly, IA 08; Matt Dubnik, Mgt 03; Robyn Gatens, ChE 85; John Gattuso, ME 15; Meghan Green, Mgt 13; James Hamilton, Mgt 93; John Hanson, IE 11; Joy Jordan, ChE 92; Jeanne Kerney, CE 84; Mary Beth Lake, ID 04; Antonio Llanos, CS 95; Matt Mason, IE 01; Anu Parvatiyar, BME 08; Antai Peng, PhD EE 96; Anna Pinder, ME 03; Debra Porter, ME 86; George Ray, Mgt 09, PP 09; Jim Sanders, IE 88; Stacey Sapp, IM 80; Paul Shailendra, CE 01; René Simon, MBA 18; Chad Sims, BA 15; Mary Lynn Smith, EE 88; Kenji Takeuchi, ME 94; Kate Tyler, MS CE 09; Jef Wallace, Mgt 94, Kristin Watkins, Mgt 13, Sam Westbrook, IE 99, Sheetal Wrzesien, CS 94

ADVERTISING Justin Estes (404) 683-9599 justin.estes@alumni.gatech.edu

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE (ISSN: 1061-9747) is published quarterly by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313.

Periodical postage paid in Atlanta and additional mailing offices. © 2021 Georgia Tech Alumni Association

POSTMASTER Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313 bioupdate@gtalumni.org. (404) 894-2391

VOLUME 97 ISSUE 2

FEATURES

SEMPER FIDELIS The reality Lt. Col. Michelle Macander, IA 00, faced on the ground would often conflict with the Marine Corps’ official stance on women serving in combat roles.

“When the tactical commander needs something, they’re not going to stop and say, ‘What is Congress’ opinion about whether this person is authorized to be here?’” Macander says. “They’re going to ask, ‘Where is the nearest engineering unit? Because we have something that needs to be done now.’”

COVER ILLUSTRATION

CHARLIE LAYTON

PHOTOGRAPH

JODI PAQUIN

44

50

56

MODERN-DAY HISTORY MAKER

UP, UP, & AWAY

FROM WWI TO PRESENT DAY

Some people have angels

Fascinated by flight,

Georgia Tech alumni

resting on their shoulders.

Georgia Tech alumni soar

have a proud legacy

Lt. Col. Michelle Macander has

in the military, becoming

of military service that

a former Georgia Tech ROTC

some of the world’s

stretches over more

officer resting on hers.

best aviators.

than a century.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

5

VOLUME 97

DEPARTMENTS

ISSUE 2

6

NEW MARCHING ORDERS When George D. Clark Jr., IE 63, walked into his local V.A. facility for healthcare, he walked out with a new mission. Every week, he and his dog volunteer at the hospital to bring calm and comfort to veterans.

PHOTOGRAPH

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

KIMBERLY MARSH PHOTOGRAPHY

CONTENTS

10

AROUND CAMPUS Talk of Tech 14 InVenture Prize 18 New Space, Same Important Mission 20 By the Numbers: GTRI Research 22

24

ON THE FIELD Who’s Got Tickets?

He Sure Does 26 Drownproofing 32

36

IN THE WORLD We Can Do That (Mars Edition) 38 Remembering 9/11 40 Jacket Copy 42

64

ALUMNI HOUSE Ramblin’ On 66 Rolling Out the White & Gold Carpet 68 The Future of Biotech 71 Staff Spotlight 72 Ramblin’ Roll 74 In Memoriam 82

92

TECH HISTORY 60 Years. Celebrating Our Past, Continuing Our Legacy 92 A Soldier’s Best Friend 98 GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

7

FEEDBACK

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WE RECEIVED SEVERAL LETTERS IN RESPONSE TO THE ARTICLE

SLIDE RULES AT TECH IN THE SPRING 2021 ISSUE. BELOW IS A SAMPLE:

In the Spring 2021 edition of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine appeared an article “Slide Rules at Tech” by Ms. Jennifer Herseim, Editor of the magazine. I found it interesting that others, unknown to me anyway, had a deep abiding interest in what I have always called “obsolete technology.” I still have the slide rule I carried to class at Tech from 1958 through Winter Quarter 1963. But I have even more of them that I have found in antique stores and similar places in all the years since. My original slide rule was a K&E 4081 Log Log Duplex Decitrig (with my name and department written on the underside of the case flap).

I must, however, confess that I bought it in the bookstore of Texas A&M in 1957, the year before I transferred to Tech. I still have it and the manual that came with it.

—GEORGE D. CLARK, JR., IE 63, PRESCOTT, ARIZ.

I JUST FINISHED READING AND ENJOYING THE ARTICLE BY JENNIFER HERSEIM ON SLIDE RULES. MINE WAS SUCH A PART OF MY LIFE AT TECH THAT I DECIDED TO ADD IT TO MY OTHER GT DÉCOR (PICTURED ABOVE). IT IS ATTACHED WITH VELCRO AND COMES OFF IF ANYONE WANTS TO EXAMINE IT. THE GT WALL IS IN MY TV ROOM AND BRINGS BACK MANY MEMORIES. —GINGER ROUSE McGUFFIN, TEXT CHEM 66

SEEKING CLARITY ON WELL-BEING

BEST ONE YET

I N T H E P R E V I O U S I S S U E , we cov -

1979 book by Richard Mitchell Less

THIS IS THE BEST ALUMNI MAGAZINE

ered Georgia Tech’s new strategic

Than Words Can Say, where Mitchell

that I have ever received in 37 years!

plan, including a brief summary of

decries the use of “non-speak writing.”

Outstanding useful information on a

six new focus areas. The section de-

The section on well-being found on

broad range of current topics that was

scribing Tech’s focus on well-being left

page 18 of the last issue is a “perfect

so well laid out and explained. Some

PRESTON STEVENS, ARCH 52,

example,” writes Stevens. He asks,

serious—Ethics, and some fun—ACC

ARCH 53, with a question.

what process will measure well-being

Champs.

metrics?

—LINDA HENSON SORROW, IE 84

Stevens pointed to lessons from the 8

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

We’re proud to partner with Georgia Tech Alumni Association. To learn more about Liberty Mutual auto and home insurance, please call us at 1-888-618-2146, or visit libertymutual.com/gtalumni.

AUTO

|

HOME

|

RENTERS

|

UMBRELLA

|

MOTORCYCLE

|

CONDO

|

WATERCRAFT

Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116 USA. Equal Housing Insurer. ©2018 Liberty Mutual Insurance 12399195 PERB10013 CW 2018/04 GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021 9

VOLUME 97

AROUND CAMPUS

ISSUE 2

10

PURPOSE IN THE PARADOX Standing 40 feet tall, Koan was designed by the late architect and Georgia Tech alumnus John Portman. A koan is a paradox or riddle used in Zen Buddhism to challenge the mind.

PHOTOGRAPH

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

ALLISON CARTER

14

TALK OF TECH

18

2021 INVENTURE PRIZE

20

NEW SPACE, SAME IMPORTANT MISSION

22

GTRI RESEARCH

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

11

AROUND CAMPUS

GEORGIA TECH AMONG NATION’S TOP GRADUATE PROGRAMS GEORGIA TECH’S GRADUATE PROGRAMS rank among the nation’s best, according to the latest rankings released by the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools. The College of Engineering is in the top 10 again, and the Industrial and Systems Engineering program ranks No. 1 for the 31st year. The following are some of Tech’s top rankings this year.

ENGINEERING #8

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (AMONG ALL UNIVERSITIES)

#4

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES)

11 E N G I N E E R I N G D I S C I P L I N E S R A N K E D I N T O P 10 N A T I O N A L LY #1

#2

#4

INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING BIOMEDICAL AND CIVIL (UP FROM NO. 3)

AEROSPACE AND CHEMICAL (UP FROM NO. 5)

#5

MECHANICAL, COMPUTER (UP FROM NO. 6), AND ELECTRICAL (UP FROM NO. 6)

#6

NUCLEAR (UP FROM NO. 9) AND ENVIRONMENTAL

#7

MATERIALS (UP FROM NO. 9)

BUSINESS #28

#17

SCHELLER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS FULL-TIME MBA PROGRAM

SCHELLER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

#5

#7

#9

#2

BUSINESS ANALYTICS (RANKED IN

INDUSTRIAL AND

#8

COMPUTER SCIENCE

#7

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

#26

MATHEMATICS

#9

THEORY

#28

PHYSICS

#10

SYSTEMS

#20

CHEMISTRY

IVAN ALLEN COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

#29

PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS

INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

#11

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND MANAGEMENT

ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

2021 FOR THE FIRST TIME)

INFORMATION SYSTEMS (UP FROM NO. 7)

PRODUCTION/OPERATIONS (UP FROM NO. 8)

LIBERAL ARTS

SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTICS (UP FROM NO. 12)

#45

#4

12

SCIENCES

PART-TIME MBA

4 BUSINESS DISCIPLINES R A N K E D I N T O P 10 N A T I O N A L LY #4

COMPUTER SCIENCE

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

GLC VIRTUAL EVENTS

Let us provide the planning & technical event support you need.

Turnkey event planning and support from start to finish.

Advanced technical knowledge and expertise.

A variety of technology and hosting platforms to fit your needs.

Custom built support packages tailored to your event.

MEETINGS. CONFERENCES. TRAINING.

Conveniently Online or On-site. pe.gatech.edu/virtual-meetings 404-385-6203 meetings@pe.gatech.edu

TALK OF TECH

THE KENDEDA BUILDING EARNS LIVING BUILDING CERTIFICATION

BY BLAIR MEEKS

THE KENDEDA BUILDING FOR INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN has earned Living Building Challenge certification, the world’s most ambitious and holistic green building achievement. The certification from the International Living Future Institute independently verifies that the Kendeda Building is among the greenest in the world.

“We feel a responsibility to lead by 14

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

example,” says Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95. “This building—which is a tribute to the power of human ingenuity to find new solutions to our greatest challenges—aligns with our longstanding vision for our campus to serve as a laboratory for innovation to inspire and develop tomorrow’s leaders who advance technology and improve

the human condition.”

The Living Building Challenge (version 3.1) requires a 12-month performance period, during which time the project must prove it is netpositive for energy and water. This means it must generate more energy from onsite renewable sources than it uses, and also collect and treat more rainwater onsite than it uses for all

DEANS HUSBANDS FEALING, ISBELL ELECTED TO AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES T W O O F G E O R G I A T E C H ’ S D E A N S have purposes, including for drinking.

Meeting all seven Petals in the Living Building Challenge—Place, Water, Energy, Health + Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty—the Kendeda Building is the first Living Building Challenge–certified building of its scale in the southeastern U.S., where a warm, humid climate poses many challenges. In spite of this, over the performance period, the building generated 225% of the energy needed to power all of its electrical systems from solar panels on its roof. It also collected, treated, and filtered 15 times the amount of water needed for building functions.

“We partnered with Georgia Tech on this transformational project because the institution is full of worldclass problem-solvers. Students passing through the Kendeda Building today will be the engineers, architects, scientists, product designers, urban planners, and policymakers of tomorrow,” says Diana Blank, the founder of the Kendeda Fund, whose $30 million grant to Georgia Tech made the building possible. “By raising the bar for building performance, we are encouraging Georgia Tech to keep reaching higher. We want students and faculty to embrace the challenge, continually asking, ‘How can we improve on this?’”

The project’s goal is to support Georgia Tech’s mission while transforming the architecture, engineering, and construction industries in the southeastern U.S. by advancing regenerative building and innovation, and by showcasing synergies between environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic development.

KAYE HUSBANDS FEALING

been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

On April 22, the academy announced that Kaye Husbands Fealing, dean and Ivan Allen Jr. Chair of t he Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and Charles Isbell, dean and John P.

CHARLES ISBELL

Imlay Jr. Chair of the College of Computing, are part of the 2021 class of

Dean Husbands Fealing was

New Fellows and International Hon-

named to the list of those in Leader-

orary Members. Susan Lozier, dean

ship, Policy, and Communications

and Betsy Middleton and John Clark

under Public Affairs and Public Poli-

Sutherland Chair of the College of Sci-

cy. Dean Isbell was named to the list

ences, was elected to the 2020 class,

of those in Mathematical and Physi-

making three of the Institute’s eight

cal Sciences in the Computer Sciences

deans members of the academy.

category.—PATTI FUTRELL

CRESSLER, ROMBERG HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS IEEE AWARDS was honored as a co-recipient of the 2021 IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal for outstanding contributions in signal processing.

Cressler is the third faculty member from ECE to receive this honor. Previous recipients include Ronald W. Schafer (1992) and James D. Meindl

JOHN D. CRESSLER (LEFT), PHYS 84, AND JUSTIN K. ROMBERG (RIGHT), both facul-

(1990, while with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).

ty from the Georgia Tech School of

Cressler is the Schlumberger Chair

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Professor in Electronics and the Ken

(ECE), have been awarded with two

Byers Teaching Fellow in Science

of the most prestigious honors pre-

and Religion at Georgia Tech. He

sented by the IEEE, the world’s largest

has been the associate director of

technical professional organization

the Georgia Electronic Design Center

dedicated to advancing technology

since 2015.

for the benefit of humanity.

Romberg is the fourth faculty mem-

Cressler was honored with the

ber from ECE to receive this honor.

2021 IEEE James H. Mulligan, Jr.

Previous recipients include Thomas

Education Medal for a career of out-

P. Barnwell (2014), Ronald W. Scha-

standing contributions to education in

fer (2010), and James H. McClellan

the fields of interest to IEEE. Romberg

(2004).—JACKIE NEMETH

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

15

TALK OF TECH Georgia Tech Professor Mitchell Walker (front) will serve as director of the Joint Advanced Propulsion Institute (JANUS).

testing and data translation to create electrical propulsion that powers space travel.”

For the last 25 years, electric propulsion researchers have known that ground testing was an issue. Until now, however, there has never been a dedicated group of researchers across multiple fields from different universities working together to solve the problem.

T E C H S H A R E S $ 15 M I L L I O N F R O M N A S A T O A DVA N C E D E E P S PA C E E X P L O R A T I O N

“JANUS is important because we are bringing together the people who are experts in all the pieces of the

E V E R Y F E W Y E A R S , NASA cre-

the country. According to the origi-

problem,” Walker says. “Together,

ates Space Technology Research

nal proposal, the vision of JANUS is

we as researchers can work side by

Institutes (STRI) in areas it believes are

to enable and proliferate the flight

side to actually have a complete an-

going to be strategic for future tech-

of high-power electric propulsion

swer and understanding of what to

nology and space missions. Today,

systems.

do next. We can then give our elec-

that area is electric propulsion—the

Beginning this October, JANUS

tric propulsion testing answers to the

use of electrical energy to acceler-

will tackle core challenges to electric

community—not just NASA, but the

ate propellant to create thrust. The

propulsion ground testing. Other on-

Department of Defense and all the in-

technology yields extremely effi-

the-ground challenges will also be

dustrial players. If we get this right in

cient thrusters to power space flight

examined, including pressure in the

the U.S., this is going to be an inter-

for gateway launches to the moon or

vacuum facility, material erosion and

national standard for how to do the

even shuttling massive loads of cargo

deposits, and electrical circuits

testing. And it’s going to move

to Mars.

that don’t exist in space the way

everyone forward.”

Georgia Tech, along with 11 part-

they do on Earth. Walker aims

Serving alongside Walker

ner universities and 17 researchers,

to overcome these infrastruc-

are four leads who focus spe-

will receive $15 million over five years

ture issues to better understand

to fund the Joint Advanced Propul-

how researchers can test the engines

fundamental studies (Joshua Rovey

sion Institute (JANUS)—a new STRI

on the ground and extrapolate that

and John Williams), physics-based

to develop strategies and method-

data for use in space.

modeling and integration (Richard

ologies to surmount limitations in

“The challenge is that in order to

ground testing of high-power electric

get electric propulsion devices big

propulsion systems.

cifically on diagnostics and

Wirz), and pressure electrical facility effects (Benjamin Jorns).

enough to push spacecraft and cargo

Over the next three years, Walker’s

Mitchell Walker, professor in the

to their destination fast enough for fu-

team will use uncertainty quantifi-

Daniel Guggenheim School of Aero-

ture NASA missions, the engines will

cation and sensitivity analysis of the

space Engineering, is the principal

be bigger than what we know how to

overall thruster performance and life

investigator and will serve as director

test on the ground,” Walker says. “JA-

models to drive and accelerate the

of JANUS, leading an interdisciplin-

NUS will address the infrastructure

modeling and experimental inqui-

ary team of researchers from across

challenges to ensure accurate ground

ries.—GEORGIA PARMELEE

16

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

FACULT Y NEWS A S T R O N A U T S A N DY M A G N U S J O I N S FA C U LT Y IN APRIL, Sandra “Sandy” Magnus,

flew in space on the STS-112 shut-

PhD CerE 96, joined Georgia Tech’s

tle mission in 2002, and on the final

faculty as a professor of the prac-

shuttle flight, STS-135, in 2011. In ad-

tice. In her new role, she will have a

dition, she flew to the International

joint appointment between the Dan-

Space Station on STS-126 in Novem-

iel Guggenheim School of Aerospace

ber 2008, served as flight engineer

A F T E R A N AT I O N A L S E A R C H , the

Engineering, the School of Materi-

and science officer on Expedition 18,

Georgia Institute of Technology has

als Science and Engineering, and

and returned home on STS-119 after

selected Bert Reeves, Mgt 00, as its

the Sam Nunn School of Internation-

four-and-a-half months on board. Fol-

next vice president for Institute Re-

al Affairs.

REEVES NAMED VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTE RELATIONS

lowing her assignment on ISS, she

lations. Reeves joins Georgia Tech

Her position will primarily focus on

served at NASA Headquarters in the

from the Georgia General Assem-

research advocacy, leadership, and

Exploration Systems Mission Direc-

bly, where he served as a member

mentorship to students, as well as of-

torate. Her last duty at NASA, after

of the House of Representatives,

fering guidance to faculty related to

STS-135, was as the deputy chief of

and the Marietta law firm Smith,

the Astronaut Office.

Schnatmeier, Dettmering & Reeves,

“We are beyond excited to have

LLP. There, he served as an attorney

Dr. Magnus join the College, given

and partner. Reeves is a graduate

her deep domain expertise in aero-

of Georgia Tech, having earned his

space engineering and on-the-ground

Bachelor of Science in management

NASA experience,” says Raheem

with dean’s list honors.

Beyah, dean and Southern Company Chair of the College of Engineering. “I know she will serve as an inspiration to both our current and prospective students who dream of becoming astronauts one day.”

issues in aerospace engineering.

EGERSTEDT NAMED DEAN OF ENGINEERING SC HOOL AT UC IRVINE

Before joining NASA, Magnus

MAGNUS EGERSTEDT, Steve W. Chad-

worked for McDonnell Douglas Cor-

dick School Chair and professor in the

poration from 1986 to 1991, as a

School of Electrical and Computer En-

“The school is extremely pleased to

stealth engineer, where she worked

gineering, will become dean of the

welcome Dr. Magnus to our faculty.

on internal research and develop-

Henry Samueli School of Engineering

She brings incredible experience and

ment and on the Navy’s A-12 Attack

at the University of California, Irvine,

knowledge in aerospace and defense,

Aircraft program, studying the effec-

effective July 19.

which will be valuable to our students

tiveness of radar signature reduction

and faculty,” says Mark Costello,

techniques.

Throughout his 20-year tenure at Tech, Egerstedt has served as a

chair of the Daniel Guggenheim

Prior to joining Tech, Magnus was

Schlumberger professor, Julian T.

School of Aerospace Engineering.

the principal at the consulting firm

Hightower chair in Systems and Con-

“Our students will have a unique op-

AstroPlanetview LLC. She has re-

trol, and executive director for the

portunity not only to be taught by a

ceived numerous awards, including

Institute for Robotics and Intelligent

former NASA astronaut, but to also

the NASA Space Flight Medal, the

Machines. Under his leadership as

have the opportunity for one-on-one

NASA Distinguished Service Medal,

chair, the School of Electrical and

mentorship with her as she also joins

the NASA Exceptional Service Med-

Computer Engineering has remained

the AE School’s Mentor in Residence

al, and the 40 at 40 Award (given

the largest program of its kind, with

program.”

to former collegiate women athletes

more than 100 faculty members,

to recognize the impact of Title IX).

2,400 students, and over $60 million

—KELSEY GULLEDGE

in annual sponsored research.

Magnus was selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in April 1996. She

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

17

AROUND CAMPUS

2021 INVENTURE PRIZE

BY STEVEN NORRIS

AYA AY O U B I C A L L S I T “ H U M A N I TA R I A N couture.” The fourth-year industrial design student’s unique garment took home top honors at Georgia Tech’s 13th annual InVenture Prize competition, which pits student innovations head-to-head.

Ayoubi says she had to learn how to sew to execute her vision—an inflatable, reversible, and waterproof jacket that transforms, through a series of zips, into an air mattress or a sheltering garment to protect a person from the elements. She says the garment is geared to provide safety and dignity to homeless populations.

Not only did Ayoubi’s Delta Jacket win the $20,000 first place prize awarded by the judges, Ayoubi also took home the People’s Choice Award and an additional $5,000 after a public vote during the airing March 17 on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Along with the cash prizes, the winner receives a free U.S. patent filing from Georgia Tech, valued at $20,000.

Delta Jacket will also be accepted into the CREATE-X Startup Launch program, which will provide

18

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

additional seed funding and access to legal assistance and expert mentors to build a successful startup company.

“Winning the InVenture Prize means I could help, potentially, hundreds of thousands of people, so thank you,” said Ayoubi.

During her winning pitch, Ayoubi explained the strategy of selling the Delta Jacket to outdoor enthusiasts as a means of creating access to the product for the homeless—with the donation Delta Jacket is an inflatable, waterproof jacket that transforms of a jacket to a person into an air mattress or could be used as a shelter. in need, for every jacket purchased. Ayoubi has also been the country. The software and app are in contact with several nonprofit oralready being tested by Georgia Tech’s ganizations, including the Red Cross, makerspaces on campus. who have expressed interest in her “We’ve been approached by other garment. colleges and universities who want to “The Red Cross has already comuse StartProto,” says Felbinger. mitted to distributing 1,000 units of Two-time InVenture Prize winthe Delta Jackets as soon as it’s manuner Dev Mandavia, BME 18, returned factured,” she said. as one of three judges during this Two team members from Startyear’s live broadcast. He adjudicatProto took the second-place prize of ed the competition with Blake Patton, $10,000.

IE 93, founder of Tech Square VenEngineering students Zach Cloud tures in Atlanta, and Nashlie Sephus, and Tim Felbinger developed a digital MS ECE 10, PhD ECE 14, applied scisafety and analytics system that can be ence manager for Amazon’s Artificial used to organize access and safety proIntelligence. tocols in makerspaces at schools across “This year we’ve seen how important innovation is for changing how we work and live,” said Patton.

Aya Ayoubi, an industrial design major, “If these students are any indication, won not only first place, but also the Peoour future’s bright.” ple’s Choice Award.

I NVENTURE

PRIZE

FIN AL IS T S

DELTA JACKET WON FIRST PL ACE IN THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION. TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER FINALISTS.

is a first-of-its-kind

BCase

TEAM BLOCK TRANSFER

is developing a

CADe

TEAM SPOT HARNESS

TEAM STARTPROTO

accessible, discreet,

has developed

mobile application

has prototyped

wants to assist

and secure birth-

a new type of

that makes

a wearable device

schools’ makerspac-

control storage that

decentralized stock

Computer Aided

that uses sensors

es through their

attaches directly to

transfer agent

Design (CAD)

and vibrations to

unique safety and

the back of a

protocol for global

software more

help blind dogs

analytics system that

mobile phone.

financial markets.

accessible and

navigate their

can be used to track

easier to navigate.

environment

and control access

safely.

to tools in shared environments.

Tech Trendsetter.

Impassioned Innovator.

“At Cox, we’re always encouraged to learn and grow. Having an innovation mindset means being curious and agile.

I love that my role allows me to work on a wide range of projects, blending strategy, emerging tech and AI work.”

James Martin, Product Strategy Manager, Cox Automotive Georgia Tech MBA Alum, Class of 2018

TECH CAREERS AT

Join our high-flying tech team today.

CareersAtCox.com

Make your mark

AROUND CAMPUS

NEW SPACE, SAME IMPORTANT MISSION: SERVING TECH’S MILITARY FAMILIES

IN A NEW SPACE ON CAMPUS, GEORGIA TECH’S VETERANS RESOURCE CENTER IS DEDICATED TO SERVING TECH’S STUDENT VETERANS, ACTIVE-DUTY MILITARY, AND THEIR DEPENDENTS.

BY JENNIFER HERSEIM room with state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology. A plaque inside the entrance notes that the space is a testament to Georgia Tech’s commitment to serving veterans on campus.

David Ross is the director of the Veterans Resource Center, a gathering place for student veterans.

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

SCOTT DINERMAN, STC 03

20

employment.”

Before last year, the Veterans Resource Center that Ross directed was not so much a “center” as a suite of services. But in 2020, through the generous support of two alumni families—Susan S. and John H. Traendly, ME 68, MS IM 73, and Mary B. and Lawrence J. Montgomery, ME 78—the VRC gained its own space.

Located beside the Molecular Science and Engineering building in the BioQuad, the VRC includes dedicated study space, lockers, and a conference

PHOTOGRAPH

W I T H A 2 0 - Y E A R C A R E E R in the U.S. Air Force followed by 15 years in higher education and a doctorate in education, David Ross, director of the Veterans Resource Center (VRC), has what student veterans are looking for: a guide to the collegiate world and a soldier who understands them.

“The student veterans here are focused and driven,” Ross explains.

“They’re looking for how to take the experience they’ve had in the military coupled with a degree from Georgia Tech and translate that into

THE MISSION: ENGAGE, ENABLE, AND EMPLOY Georgia Tech is ranked as one of the country’s best colleges for veterans. Most of Tech’s student veterans served in the military for 4 to 6 years, Ross says. He sees the mission of the VRC as engaging with students to help them understand their benefits under the G.I. Bill, finding supports to enable their success at Tech, and finally, helping them transfer their skills into employment. “Fortunately, these graduating students are highly sought-after,” Ross says. “They have that work ethic and leadership from the military coupled with that degree from Tech—companies want that.”

A welcome reception will take place at the VRC Aug. 24. Visit www.veterans.gatech.edu for information.

OFFICIAL PRIVATE AVIATION PARTNER OF THE GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

WH EN “ I GOT OU T ” TAKES O N A WH O L E N EW M EAN I N G

OGARAJETS is an established global company with over 40 years in business. We offer comprehensive, concierge-level service for aircraft acquisitions and sales with a fully developed team of experts who each play an important role in every personalized transaction. We take pride in being an Atlanta company, having multiple Tech grads on our team, and putting their rigorous work ethic into everything we do. Let us help you create time and foster confidence.

oga ra j ets .co m

|

+1 770 95 5 35 5 4

AROUND CAMPUS

BY THE NUMBERS: PROTECTING THE NATION NOT ONLY IS THE GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH INSTITUTE, with its eight state-of-the-art laboratories, the Army’s largest University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC), but it’s also the

$663 66.3%

second largest of all 15 UARCs. In fiscal year 2020, the U.S. Military and Department of Defense contributed more than 90 percent of GTRI’s research awards.

MILLION

S P ON SO R E D R ESE AR C H AWAR DS F Y2 0

IN GTRI SPONSORED RESEARCH AWARDS IN FY20.

GT RI RESE ARCH REVENUE* BRE AKDOWN BY MILITARY BRANCH 22.32%

GTRI

OTHER DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

33.7% OTHER

20.24% NAVY

Total: $1 Billion

*$575 million IN RESEARCH REVENUE FOR FY20.

GEORGIA TECH

9.07% OTHER SOURCES (NON-DOD FEDERAL AGENCIES, PRIVATE, STATE AND LOCAL GOV’T)

26.24% AIR FORCE

22.13% ARMY

SUPPORTING OUR ARMED FORCES

H E R E ’ S A N I N S I D E P E E K A T T H R E E W A YS G T R I ’ S R E S E A R C H I M PA C T S O U R T R O O P S .

F R O M T H E G E O R G I A T E C H R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E 2 0 2 0 & 2 019 A N N U A L R E P O R T S .

DETECTING INVISIBLE THREATS

troops have to enter the contaminat-

Collector for Areal Deployment (Bio-

Weaponized bioaerosols that carry

ed areas wearing personal protective

CAD) so that soldiers do not have to

harmful bacteria and viruses are a se-

equipment and physically collect

expose themselves to potentially dan-

rious concern for American troops on

samples to be tested in a lab. GTRI

gerous biological agents. Bio-CAD

the ground. To detect these threats,

researchers created the Bioaerosol

also significantly speeds up detection

22

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

FEDERAL PROGRAM TAPS TEC H’S PROBLEM SOLVERS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

time. Bio-CAD is a low-SWaP (size, weight, and power) device that can be attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), such as a drone.

Thanks to a Department of De-

BUILDING A BETTER UH-60 BLACK HAWK SIMULATOR

fense (DoD) program that recently

For many years, GTRI has support-

graduate and graduate students

ed the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter,

have a chance to serve the country

the Army’s primary medium-lift utility

by finding solutions to current na-

transport and air-assault aircraft.

tional security threats. The National

expanded to Georgia Tech, under-

Now, a new simulator installed in

Security Innovation Network (NSIN),

GTRI’s Huntsville (Alabama) Office

established in 2016, joined the Geor-

will enhance those efforts on a broad

gia Tech campus community in 2020.

innovators. NSIN will offer its own

range of issues—including efforts to

NSIN’s mission is to create alliances

programs, events, and resources to

overcome the challenges of Degrad-

between communities of innovators

student entrepreneurs as well. These

ed Visual Environments.

to establish a network of problem

include fellowships, employment and

solvers.

recruiting events, training workshops,

The simulator provides full helicopter controls and can show pilots,

“The threats to our national securi-

Patrick Reynolds

and more. They will also feature

researchers, and other users visual

ty are constantly evolving. Our goal

hackathons, the first of which was

environments generated by a broad

is to support our military and civilian

held in February. The NSIN "Mad

range of sources, including light detec-

defense personnel confronting these

Hacks: Fury Code" hackathon chal-

tion and ranging and electro-optical

challenges by developing a network

lenged participants to develop new

sensors.

of problem solvers that includes

approaches to helping crewed and

academic innovators and entrepre-

autonomous battlefield vehicles to

A ROBOTIC ASSISTANT FOR THE MARINES

neurs,” says Patrick Reynolds, NSIN

survive cyberattacks and other

University Program Director at Geor-

electronic-warfare assaults.

ARTI is a four-wheeled robot de-

gia Tech.

signed to per form autonomous

Another NSIN opportunity for

“Because Georgia Tech is so high-

students is X-Force, a program that

inventory management tasks at the

ly ranked academically and widely

connects undergraduate and gradu-

Marine Corps Logistics Base in Alba-

known for its entrepreneurial eco-

ate students with operational military

ny, Georgia. Using sensor feedback

system, we want to tap top-tier talent

commands. Students accepted to the

and onboard software, ARTI creates

here and engage them in solving

program will work with a sponsoring

maps of warehouse interiors. Human

cybersecurity threats and other na-

command to address specific, real-

users can then mark points of interest

tional defense problems in new

world security issues.

on those maps that ARTI can auton-

ways.”

omously navigate to while avoiding

To connect with these students,

NSIN will also be in the classroom this fall. Hacking for Defense is a se-

both stationary and moving obstacles.

NSIN will coordinate with existing

mester-long for-credit course, where

When using human personnel, the

entrepreneurial support programs

Tech subject matter experts and DoD

Marines generally perform monthly

like CREATE-X, Startup Exchange,

end-users work with students to de-

inventory checks because of the de-

and ATDC, as well as with oth-

velop products for existing security

mand on their resources. However,

er Georgia Tech resources for

problems.—ALBERT SNEDEKER

ARTI can execute inventory checks daily, with more consistency and accuracy than a human worker could.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

23

VOLUME 97

ON THE FIELD

ISSUE 2

TICKET SWARM Alumnus Brad Edwards’ collection has swarmed from a few Georgia Tech football ticket stubs to more than 2,000. A proud Yellow Jacket fan and a bit of a sports historian, Edwards launched the website www.GeorgiaTechTicketStubs.com, so that anyone can look back at Tech’s football games—one ticket at a time.

PHOTOGRAPH

24

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

BRAD EDWARDS, IE 06, MS STAT 07

26

GOT TICKETS? HE SURE DOES.

32

DROWNPROOFING

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

25

ON THE FIELD

GOT TICKETS? HE SURE DOES.

BRAD EDWARDS, IE 06, MS STAT 07, BOASTS THE LARGEST ONLINE COLLECTION OF GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKET STUBS IN THE COUNTRY.

T

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

country—to display them.

He’s still chasing his dream of owning a ticket from all 1,304 football games Tech has played.

“That’s the goal. I don’t think I’ll ever achieve it, so it’ll give me the ability to keep the hope alive and keep collecting my whole life.”

TICKET TO HISTORY The oldest ticket stub in Edwards’ collection is from 1917. The game was coached by legendary John Heisman and it completed Edwards’ collection of ticket stubs from games including all of Tech’s paid coaches. He finally found the 1917 ticket stub in a lot of other game tickets on an auction site.

“I got into a bidding war and

Edwards split the cost of an auction lot with a fellow collector to get this ticket from 1917.

SCOTT DINERMAN, STC 03

26

that I did with my dad,” Edwards says.

“My dad grew up without the Internet, so that was his way of keeping track of the score and what happened.”

Edwards put that ticket stub in a shoebox. He kept adding to the shoebox after every Tech game, until one day in 2011, he saw ticket stubs for sale online. “I thought it would be cool to have a ticket from every Tech football game ever played.”

He started hunting down rare tickets on obscure auction websites and meeting fellow collectors. Today, Edwards has 2,024 tickets and the count keeps growing. He created the website GeorgiaTechTicketStubs.com—which boasts the largest online collection of Tech football ticket stubs in the

PHOTOGRAPHS

THE GAME LOOKED OVER BY H A L F - T I M E . The Yellow Jackets were trailing the No. 7–ranked Virginia Cavaliers by double digits.

As the players returned to the field, 14-year-old Brad Edwards felt destroyed.

He was in the stands with his father, Henry Edwards Jr., IM 72, holding out hope that Tech could pull out a win after the demoralizing first half.

Edwards comes from a long line of proud Georgia Tech fans. (His grandfather was even a freshman team quarterback on the 1928 National Championship team.) So witnessing the first half of that October 17, 1998, game against Virginia was particularly grueling.

But the game wasn’t over. The Jackets returned in the second half with an unexpected touchdown that spurred a late-game comeback. By the final whistle, Tech had clinched the victory 41-to-38, and thousands of fans streamed onto the field to celebrate.

Later that night, Edwards and his father wrote a note on the back of their ticket stub. “We would always do that after games. It was a fun bonding thing

BY JENNIFER HERSEIM

Brad Edwards has more than 2,000 Georgia Tech ticket stubs in his collection.

ultimately lost,” he says. “But I got in touch with the guy who won. I think he was looking for an Ohio State ticket and we split the cost of the whole thing.”

Collecting ticket stubs isn’t cheap.

The most expensive one Edwards purchased is a 1927 press ticket at Notre Dame signed by legendary football coach Knute Rockne. Edwards wouldn’t reveal the cost, but he said it required a conversation with his wife, Molly. “She’s supportive. She went to the University of Georgia so that throws a bit of a wrench into things, but she knows how much I love Tech football.”

The ticket artwork and designs are often a window into current events at that time, Edwards says.

For example, during World War II, a 1942 ticket shows the time zone stamped with “E.W.T.,” or Eastern War Time. During the war, Congress instituted a national daylight-saving time as an energy-conservation measure.

Tickets during that period also included patriotic images geared toward the war effort.

Tickets from 1933 showcased Georgia’s bicentennial celebration. And during the 1960s’ space race, the 1965 season tickets included a design of a

STATS ON THE STUBS Each ticket adds up to alumnus BRAD EDWARDS’ dream of owning a ticket from every Tech football game ever played.

Tickets from

90 % 86 %

of all games back to 1927 and

of all games back to 1920

2 , 024

tickets spanning 966 of Tech’s 1,304 all-time games (74%)

At least ONE TICKET from every paid-football-coach game in GT history

At least ONE HOME TICKET from every season back to 1920

TICKET from every

TECH BOWL GAME Ticket from every “CLEAN, OLDFASHIONED HATE” GAME back to 1925 (the Jackets-Bulldogs series was paused from 1917 to 1924)

At least ONE TICKET from every

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

27

ON THE FIELD Yellow Jacket dressed in a spacesuit.

PUNTING ON THE FIRST DOWN? COACH COLLINS WOULD NOT APPROVE. In addition to his 1917 ticket and his stub from the ’98 game against Virginia, Edwards’ favorite tickets are a 1925 ticket against Penn State, which was played at Yankee Stadium; a 1921 ticket against Penn State where the teams played at the New York City Polo Grounds (home to the New York Yankees and Giants at that time); and the 1999 Georgia game where Jasper Sanks fumbled and Tech won in overtime. “I remember it just being crazy.”

When Edwards first launched his website, he also wrote game synopses underneath tickets. He would search old newsreels on microfilm at the Decatur Library for articles describing the games.

“The way they talked about football and the rules has changed,” Edwards says. Some of the strategies would shock today’s fans.

“Teams in the 1920s would punt on the first down because they thought their defense was better than their offense. Today, no one would ever do that. They’d fire the coach immediately!”

Although he has less time these days to write synopses—by day, Edwards is chief technology officer at Sunrise Technologies, a Microsoft Business Applications partner—he looks forward to one day catching up.

“When I retire, I might get back into writing the game synopses. I’d like to provide a place where everyone can go and read about every game Tech’s ever played.” Now that’s the ticket.

28

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

The 1999 Georgia game where Tech won in overtime is one of Edwards’ favorites in his collection.

MOST WANTED CAN YOU HELP EDWARDS FIND THESE TICKETS? 1978 VS. AIR FORCE Played in the snow at Air Force, Eddie Lee Ivery set the NCAA rushing record.

1952 VS. ALABAMA The last ticket Edwards needs to fill out the ’52 National Championship season.

1913 TICKET A ticket from the first season that grandstands were added at Grant Field.

DEVELOPING THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL CHANGE THE WORLD

ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND Supporting student-athlete scholarships and building Everyday Champions

EVERYDAY CHAMPION SCHOLARSHIPS

The 2020-21 academic year has presented challenges unlike anything we’ve faced as a Georgia Tech athletics family. The resources provided through the Athletic Scholarship Fund ensure the GTAA remains stable through turbulent times. Please consider a gift to the Athletic Scholarship Fund and help us achieve our mission of building Everyday Champions.

STUDENT-ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIPS $10,258/31,370 IN-STATE/OUT-OF-STATE TUITION

$2,594

MANDATORY STUDENT FEES

$9,658

ROOM / HOUSING

$5,328

BOARD /MEAL PLANS

$31,838/$52,950

$3,200

PERSONAL EXPENSES

$800

BOOKS & SUPPLIES

Estimated Cost of Attendance for the 2021-2022 academic year. Tuition, fees and personal expenses are all estimates.

An Everyday Champions Scholarship is a 4-year commitment at the Full Scholarship Level ($31,250) for a total of $125,000. Donors will receive the opportunity to meet, mentor, and nurture a personal relationship with a GT studentathlete. In addition donors will receive all the benefits of the Jack Thompson Giving Society.

GIFTS TO THE ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND EARN 3 POINTS PER $100 THROUGH 6/30/2021 (UP FROM THE USUAL 2 POINTS)

YOUNG ALUMNI YELLOW JACKET CLUB The Young Alumni Yellow Jacket Club is an inclusive and diverse organization that offers the opportunity to get involved with GT Athletics through a flexible experience geared towards young professionals. Membership also provides an opportunity to give back, get engaged, and benefit from social and career networking opportunities to advance personal and professional ambitions. Get access to exclusive events such as tailgates, happy hours, speaker series, and other GT athletics events! Not only does the organization provide opportunities to build your personal and professional network, but 100% of all funds raised go to provide scholarships for student-athletes. Individuals are considered Young Alumni for the first ten years after graduation. Young Alumni discounted season tickets are only available for the first five years after graduation. Join today with a donation to the A-T Fund, or the purchase of a Young Alumni season ticket through the GT Ticket Office.

TO LEARN MORE VISIT www.atfund.org/yjc or call (404) 894-5414

SPORTS SHORTS B O S H N A M E D T O B A S K E T B A L L H A L L O F FA M E

CHRIS BOSH BECAME THE FIRST YELLOW JACKET PL AYER E V E R E L E C T E D T O T H E B A S K E T B A L L H A L L O F FA M E .

G E O R G I A T E C H H A L L O F F A M E R and Olympic Gold medalist Chris Bosh, Cls

Jackets’ run to the NCAA championship game in 2004.

06, has been elected to the Naismith

While at Tech, Bosh was named

Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

the ACC Rookie of the Year and a

Bosh is the first Yellow Jacket player

Freshman All-American by the U.S.

ever elected to the Basketball Hall of

Basketball Writers Association. He

Fame.

was made the fourth overall pick in

A member of the Gold-medal-win-

2003 by Toronto in the NBA Draft

ning USA Basketball team at the

and went on to earn two NBA ti-

2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Bosh

tles in back-to-back years with the

became part of Georgia Tech basket-

Miami Heat, where he played six

ball’s return to national prominence in

seasons. He was an 11-time NBA All-

the mid-2000s. In his one season on

Star and also was a member of the

The Flats, Bosh earned second-team

USA bronze medal team at the 2006

All-ACC honors and was the scoring

World Championships.

and rebounding leader for a Yellow

This year’s Hall of Fame class

Jacket team that advanced to the

includes 16 new members, includ-

quarterfinals of the National Invita-

ing nine honorees from the North

tional Tournament.

American and Women’s committees

Though he entered the NBA Draft

and seven directly elected enshrinees.

following his freshman year, he

The Class of 2021 will be enshrined

helped set the stage, along with fu-

in Springfield, Massachusetts, on

ture Tech Hall of Famers Jarrett Jack,

Saturday, September 11.—GEORGIA

Mgt 14, and B.J. Elder, Mgt 12, for the

TECH ATHLETICS

WINNING THE LONG GAME

GEORGIA TEC H BEAT UGA IN THE LONGEST BASEBALL G A M E I N P R O G R A M H I S T O RY.

FOR THOSE WHO STAYED UP to watch all 14 innings, elation finally set in after five hours and 37 minutes—the longest game in Georgia Tech’s history.

Justyn-Henr y Malloy’s sac fly and Luke Waddell’s run gave Georgia Tech baseball the 14-inning 7-6 victory over Georgia late into the night May 18 to sweep the midweek series at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.

The previous longest game in Tech program history was in 2011, when Tech played NC State at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 15 innings that lasted five hours and seven minutes.

30

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

B O B BY D O D D R E T U R N S T O F U L L C A PA C I T Y BOBBY DODD STADIUM will operate at 100% capacity and full on-campus tailgating will return for the 2021 football season.

“Thanks to encouraging trends regarding the number of people becoming vaccinated and the declining spread of Covid-19, as well as updated guidance from public health

GOLDRUSH WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR HIP HOP

experts, we’re grateful and excited to announce that we will be able to welcome Georgia Tech fans back to full

GEORGIA TECH GOLDRUSH, the official

The hip hop routine holds a spe-

stadium and tailgating operations on

dance team of the Institute, won the

cial place in the dancers’ hearts, as

campus this fall,” Georgia Tech Direc-

National Dance Association’s (NDA)

it has been in the works for nearly

tor of Athletics Todd Stansbury says.

national championship in the virtual

two years. The pandemic forced the

“We will continue to prioritize the

D1 hip hop division. Goldrush beat

2020 event’s cancellation, but the

health and safety of our entire com-

out four other schools from across the

2020–2021 squad saw this as an

munity, but are confident that we can

country in two rounds of competition.

opportunity to perfect and update

maintain a safe environment while

Goldrush also was awarded third

the routine with their eyes set on the

bringing back the full college football

place in the D1A jazz division.

2021 competition. “Most of our sea-

gameday experience that we all know

son typically consists of cheering on

and love on The Flats.”

This is the squad’s first time taking home the top prize.

and supporting various athletic teams,

Georgia Tech football plays six

“Everyone has been so flexible,

while the work we do to prepare

home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium

patient, and understanding as things

for our own competition really is all

this fall, beginning with its 2021 sea-

were constantly changing and restric-

happening in the background,” add

son opener versus Northern Illinois

tions were being placed,” says Sarah

coaches Claudia Cole and Taylor Ed-

on Sept. 4. In addition to these home

Rohlfsen, a fourth-year environmen-

wards. “It’s great not only seeing the

games, Tech will also host “May-

tal engineering major and member of

team’s hard work rewarded, but also

hem at MBS” versus North Carolina

Goldrush. “To win a national cham-

being able to share that with support-

on Sept. 25. It will be the first game

pionship, especially in a year where

ers near and far.” Outside of their

in a six-year series that will see the

we could have easily given up and

competitions, Goldrush can be seen

Yellow Jackets play one home con-

tried again when things were more

performing at every home football

test per season at Mercedes-Benz

‘normal,’ has been such a gratifying

and men’s and women’s basketball

Stadium from 2021 to 2026.—GEOR-

experience.”

game.—GRACE WYNER

GIA TECH ATHLETICS

VO L L E Y B A L L W R A P S U P S U C C E S S F U L SEASON WITH NCAA TOURNAMENT NO. 23–RANKED Georgia Tech volley-

Championship.

ball won its first NCAA Tournament

Tech later saw its most successful

match in nearly 17 years, with a 3-1

season in more than a decade come

(25-21, 16-25, 25-21, 25-19) victory

to a close with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-

over Lipscomb in the opening round

18) loss to third-seeded Minnesota in

of the 2020–21 NCAA Volleyball

the second round.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

31

IN THE POOL

DROWNPROOFING

BY C ARSON VAUGHAN

T

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

“THIS TECHNIQUE IS BETTER AND CHEAPER THAN ANY INSURANCE OR LIFE-SAVING GADGET A MAN CAN BUY,” SAYS LANOUE.

CHARLIE LAYTON

32

their “drownproofing” course at Tech, and though Beard hadn’t passed every test, the term itself triggered his better instincts. He remembered all the hours he’d spent in that old campus pool, the rigorous training he and his peers had endured: the underwater obstacles, the pint-sized swim coach barking orders. He slowed his breathing, “got my mind settled down,” he

says, and began to alternate between a back float and—when his strength returned—a slow front crawl, off and on, back and forth, swallowing one creeping doubt after the next, relaxing again whenever the cramps returned, until finally the houseboat was in reach.

“They were all partying and carrying on,” he says. “I don’t think I even said anything about it—but I never forgot it. I knew I was in trouble.”

Nearly 60 years later, after a career in investment banking, Beard noticed a discussion on the GT Swarm chat forum about drownproofing, a term he hadn’t heard in years. He posted a short note about his own harrowing experience on that lake near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, so long ago, and how “the GT drownproofing course… saved my life.”

“I did that mainly to give credit to [coach] Freddie Lanoue,” he says. “I

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE SUN WAS JUST BEGINNING T O S E T when the propeller snagged the towrope and the mosquitoes swarmed the idle runabout. Back at the houseboat, still tethered to the dock, the celebration was in full swing: cold drinks and fresh barbecue and so many toasts to the bride-to-be. Little did they know the groom had literally jumped ship; that he and his best friend, unwilling to endure another blood-sucking bite, had chosen to swim several hundred yards back to the party rather than wait for help; that they’d spent all afternoon swaddled in the Arkansas heat, skiing and boating and hamming it up, and were now foolishly racing to shore from the middle of the lake, several drinks deep.

“I just dove in with him,” says Ed Beard, IM 57. But of course, his friend was a competitive swimmer, and Beard was not, and roughly halfway back, “I just gave out.” His 23-year-old ego couldn’t propel him any further.

His adrenaline was drained. He was cramping and beginning to panic.

“Johnny,” he sputtered. “I’m in trouble.”

His friend, a fellow Phi Delta Theta, circled back. He reminded Beard of

LANOUE HIMSELF WAS A NATURAL “SINKER” HE SAID, ALL MUSCLE AND BONE. DROWNPROOFING COULD KEEP YOU AFLOAT INDEFINITELY—EVEN FOR FELLOW SINKERS.

may be here posting today because of that course.” * * * B O R N I N Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1908, Frederic Richard Lanoue, a self-described “Spartan disciplinarian,” sparked a revolution in water safety. “Although his voice suggested a permanent cramp in mid-stream and his physique was more suitable for right guard than Australian crawl,” reported the Knoxville News Sentinel following one of his numerous speaking engagements in January 1954, “Fred was a surprising hit with the audience…And he was interesting, too.”

He wore exclusively second-hand clothes and a gap-toothed smile, and though he barked orders like a drill sergeant, his hairline receding a little further each year, his students adored him.

“He was emphatic about every statement he made,” says Ed McBrayer, AE 68. “He was quick to tell you if you were doing something wrong, and rewarded you if you did something right.”

Though once a competitive swimmer, Lanoue himself was a natural “sinker,” he said, all muscle and bone.

He couldn’t float—not without a great deal of effort, anyhow. And thus in 1938, as a young swimming instructor at the Atlanta Athletic Club, he began

developing a system he called “drownproofing,” or “a new survival technique that can keep you afloat indefinitely,” he wrote in his popular 1963 book for Prentice Hall, the educational publisher—even his fellow sinkers. In its most basic sense, drownproofing is a method of controlled breathing that allows one to conserve energy while suspended in water, no matter the circumstance: wet clothes, body cramps, rough seas, and more. But while Lanoue’s instruction was often physically punishing, a fortified mental fitness was the ultimate goal.

“This technique is better and cheaper than any insurance or life-saving gadget a man can buy,” Lanoue once

said. “What we’re trying to accomplish is a change from fear of water to respect for the water.”

When Tech opened its new swimming pool at the Heisman Gym in 1939, the college hired him as the head swim coach. With Lanoue at the helm, Tech would win four SEC championships within the next decade and change, and in 1958, he would be elected president of the College Swimming Coaches’ Association.

But just one year after he arrived at Tech, he also began teaching a quarterly drownproofing course—what he would ultimately consider his crowning achievement—to everyone who enrolled at Tech. The course proved so popular, so obviously practical, that it remained in the school’s course catalog until 1986, decades after Lanoue had died and his successor, Coach Herb McAuley, EE 47, took the reins.

“It was intense, but I don’t remember anybody throwing shade at the course,” McBrayer says. “Everybody thought it was a great thing to learn, and they were very proud that they had been through it.”

Tech students often spoke of drownproofing like a rite of passage, like boot camp—and for good reason. Lanoue’s primary objective was to keep his students above water in the event of an emergency, but he didn’t stop with a GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

33

IN THE POOL

simple bob alone. Each course grew increasingly more difficult. Students eventually found themselves lashed to a 10-pound weight, sinking to the bottom of the deep end with their hands and feet tied together, tasked with staying afloat for a minimum of one hour.

In perhaps the most extreme exercise, students were instructed to jump feet first off the diving board, push off the bottom, and swim the entire length of the 25-yard pool. And then back again.

Underwater. Lanoue developed the test to simulate a particularly extreme boating accident in which one might need to swim out from beneath a flaming oil slick.

McBrayer still remembers the euphoria that washed through him just before he passed out—so eerily similar to the way Lanoue had once described it. He made it all the way down, and halfway back, the pressure mounting with every kick, every stroke, his blurry peers hovering poolside, and when his heart finally threatened to punch straight through, he felt a sudden, uncanny relief.

“I started feeling like I don’t really care if I go up or not,” he says. “And the next thing I knew I was gagging and coughing on the side of the pool, and two guys had me by the arm.”

McBrayer was one of just two out of the 20 students in his class to earn an ‘A’ that quarter, but Lanoue successfully taught thousands the basic tenets of drownproofing during his nearly 25 years at Tech. In fact, in 1954, he reported the following results in an article written for the Water Safety Congress and syndicated in papers 34

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

After Title IX passed in 1972, women petitioned to be permitted to take drownproofing at Tech.

throughout the country: Of the 4,000 Tech students who had completed the course, 3,800 could swim a mile “unclad;” 3,600 could swim a mile fully clothed; 3,200 could tread water for 45 minutes with their hands tied behind their backs; 2,500 could recover a body from a depth of 11 feet and tow it another 60 yards; and all of them could swim before graduation.

But Lanoue didn’t save his drownproofing course for Tech students

alone. He also taught Naval Cadets and Peace Corps volunteers as a “water safety consultant,” and was hired to conduct private and public drownproofing seminars across the country.

According to the UPI, both the British Royal Family and President Kennedy took great interest in his work, and the diminutive coach became so locally adored that Celestine Sibley, the celebrated Atlanta Constitution columnist, called it the “Fred Lanoue cult.”

“In Atlanta, there is a sizable community of citizens who think that the Georgia Tech swimming coach, Fred R. Lanoue, is the greatest man in the world,” she wrote in a June 1963 review of his book, Drownproofing: A New Technique for Water Safety.

“They speak of his genius, his toughfibered intelligence, his patience, his imagination.”

Sibley then praised the book herself, calling it “a fascinating revelation of how much research and study is going on locally in water safety.” Drownproofing reached thousands beyond the Heisman Gym, as did the serialized version later published in The Atlanta Constitution. But it was never quite enough—not for Lanoue.

He often reminded his audience that

DID YOU TAKE DROWNPROOFING? Share your drownproofing stories and read about other’s stories at www.gtalumni.org/drownproof.

“EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT THING TO LEARN, AND THEY WERE VERY PROUD THAT THEY HAD BEEN THROUGH IT,”

With hands and feet tied, students jumped into the pool to learn Fred Lanoue’s (right) water survival techniques. Drownproofing was listed in Tech’s course catalog until 1986.

SAYS M C BRAYER.

notoriously tough outfit finally agreed.

But Lanoue’s mission on the island was cut tragically short. On the first day of training, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was rushed to the naval hospital in Beaufort, where he soon passed away. He was just 57 years old, and left behind his wife, his two grown kids—a son in the Navy and a daughter in the Peace Corps—and a 12-year-old daughter, too, a future leader in the women’s self-defense movement and Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee.

Tech no longer offers a drownproofing course, nor does the Navy teach Lanoue’s exact methods; it does, however, still require cadets and personnel to pass a series of related “swim qualifications.” But Lanoue’s legacy lives on, not just in the family he left behind, but in all the students who continue to heed the memory of his

roughly 7,000 Americans drown ever year, and claimed that at least 6,500 could survive by practicing his drownproofing technique. And so the “Spartan disciplinarian” kept at it, spreading the gospel of water safety wherever and whenever he could: to Mobil Oil Company employees in Lafayette, to children with physical disabilities at Georgia’s Warm Springs Foundation, and on the very day he died, to the Marines stationed at Parris Island in South Carolina.

Lanoue began lobbying for the Marines to implement his training program nearly a decade before, shortly after five soldiers drowned in a tidal stream during a controversial night maneuver. Almost a decade later, the

voice and utilize his time-honed techniques still today. Students like Ed Beard, who never quite perfected the bob but carried forever the cool head his instructor taught him—not a fear, but a respect for water that kept him alive when his body threatened to shut down. Students like Ed McBrayer, who now jumps at every opportunity to teach his friends and family the techniques Lanoue taught him. And every surviving member of the “Fred Lanoue cult” who still swears by the blunt and wise words of that balding and barrel-chested pitbull of a man.

“Never mind pretty little swimming pool situations. What is the worst situation you might run into from a swimming standpoint?” Lanoue once told a reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader. “…Any ‘drownproofed’ person can handle this situation with ease. Can you?”

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

35

VOLUME 97

IN THE WORLD

ISSUE 2

LIFTOFF! Astronaut Shane Kimbrough, MS OR 98, launched from Cape Canaveral for the International Space Station on April 23. Kimbrough is commander for NASA and SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission. This is his third trip to space.

PHOTOGRAPH

DR. EDGAR TORBERT

38

WE CAN DO THAT (MARS EDITION)

40

REMEMBERING 9/11

42

JACKET COPY

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

37

MARS 2020 MISSION

WE CAN DO THAT (MARS EDITION)

DOZENS OF GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI HELPED MAKE HISTORY BY CONTRIBUTING TO NASA’S 2020 MARS MISSION. CHECK OUT A FEW OF THOSE YELLOW JACKETS MAKING GEORGIA TECH PROUD.

MESSAGE AND A (SAMPLE) BOTTLE

IAN CLARK, AE 03, MS AE 06, PHD AE 09 SYSTEMS ENGINEER FOR SAMPLE CLEANLINESS, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER WHILE ON MARS, Perseverance will collect sediment and rock samples to be retrieved on a future mission. When those sample tubes return, scientists will eagerly look inside them to help answer the question: Was there life on Mars? To be confident that the samples are, indeed, Martian and not contaminated by Earth, Ian Clark was responsible for ensuring the rover met unprecedented requirements for cleanliness. Clark’s team had a “budget” of fewer than 10 parts per billion of total Earth-based organic compound in each15-gram sample. It was no easy task, considering signatures of life are all around us, Clark says. “On Earth, we exist in an immensely thick soup of organic compounds,” he says. “A single skin cell would have broken our budget.” The team had to re-envision the manufacturing process for the rover, everything from creating new protocols for protective gear to designing entirely new types of cleanrooms. “We had to build what is easily the cleanest thing we’ve ever sent to another planet. And quite possibly the cleanest thing humans have ever made,” Clark says.

While Clark was working to limit traces of Earth on the rover, he did leave his mark on the mission in a big way. While he was working on the rover’s supersonic parachute, he and others had the idea to embed a secret message in the orange and white pattern of the parachute. Very few people at NASA or JPL knew of the secret message until a press conference after the landing. A few hours later, Earthlings cracked the binary code, revealing the message: “Dare mighty things” and the coordinates of JPL in California.

When Clark and others learned that the Mars mission would include onboard cameras imaging the parachute as it deployed over Mars, they seized the opportunity to have some fun and inspire those watching on Earth. Clark thought of several ways to encode information into the parachute, but in the end, used binary code. Choosing a message was harder than the encoding, Clark adds. “Because of the space we had, it had to be concise, but meaningful.”

He remembered how former JPL director, Charles Elachi, always pushed the message, “Dare mighty things,” which was a famous line from a speech by President Theodore Roosevelt.

“As engineers, the work we do inspires us, but the ability to share that inspiration and engage message to get out there.” As this Mars mission continues, Clark is already busy preparing for the next one, which will launch later this decade to retrieve the samples from the surface of Mars. He says he’s excited to build the next generation of missions that will “dare even

38

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

EDGAR TORBERT

mightier things.”

PHOTOGRAPH

the public—that’s always in the back of my head,” Clark says. “It seemed like a worthwhile

FIRST 5 SOLS ON MARS

L U K E W A L K E R , A E 0 9 , M S A E 12 , M B A 12

ACTUATORS AND MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS ENGINEER, INTEGRATION LEAD FOR THE FIRST FIVE SOLS ON MARS ONCE PERSEVERANCE touched down on Mars, Luke Walker was responsible for getting the rover ready for surface operations within the first five sols (solar days on Mars). Walker has worked on the Mars mission since 2015 and taken on several roles, including working on the flight system systems team as Actuators and Motor Control Systems Engineer. In this role, he made sure the mechanisms on the rover, including the rover’s arm, could be controlled safely and effectively from Earth.

6 CRUCIAL MINUTES BEFORE TOUCH-DOWN

M A L L O RY L E F L A N D , A E 12 ENTRY, DESCENT, AND L ANDING MECHANIC AL ENGINEER

SAY CHEESE!

BRETT HANNAH, ME 06 MECHANIC AL ENGINEERING LEAD FOR THE PIXL INSTRUMENT PIXL, which stands for Planetary Instrument for

E X A C T LY W H AT C O U L D G O W R O N G in the six minutes

X-ray Lithochemistry, is one of the high-tech in-

leading up to Perseverance’s landing? As Entry,

struments that hitched a ride on Perseverance. In addition

Descent, and Landing Mechanical Engineer, Mallory

to identifying chemical elements at a tiny scale, which

Lefland spent five years working on the design and test-

can help detect signs of ancient life, PIXL takes super

ing of the landing behavior of the rover, including testing

closeup images of rock and soil textures. Brett Hannah,

all the possible scenarios that could happen in the critical

mechanical engineer at JPL, contributed to the design and

moments before the rover made contact with the surface.

research behind PIXL.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

39

IN THE WORLD

20 YEARS L ATER: REMEMBERING 9/11 FROM WITHIN THE PENTAGON RETIRED AIR FORCE GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE, CE 77, WAS A COLONEL WORKING IN THE PENTAGON WHEN A PLANE HIT THE BUILDING ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001.

R

RETIRED FOUR-STAR AIR FORCE GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE, CE 77, delivers. It’s been a tradition of his ever since he worked his way through Georgia Tech as an ROTC student sorting mail in the campus post office, a job he held for four years.

As Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he was NATO’s ranking military officer and reported directly to the President. During his extensive career, he had eight major commands spanning from an F-16 squadron to the NATO Alliance. Breedlove grew up in Forest Park, Ga., and currently serves on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board and is a distinguished professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, where he helps teach multiple courses on global issues and leadership.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Gen. Breedlove was a colonel working in the Pentagon. Here are his memories of that day: I was the senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Jim Roche. That morning he was having a breakfast meeting with several senators in a small private dining area when a young officer ran into my office. He grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and said, “Sir, we’ve had a horrible accident. You need to see the news.”

The first plane had struck one of the [World Trade Center] towers. I interrupted the breakfast to tell the Secretary.

“There’s a clear blue sky,” he replied. “How did this happen?”

Back in my office, I alerted the Air Force operations center, which was already on top of the issue. Our senior leaders began thinking about how to respond, including sending a field hospital to New York City. Of course, at this time, no

40

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

AS TOLD TO GEORGE SPENCER

one knew how tragic this was going to be.

When I saw the second airplane hit the other tower, I went back to Dr. Roche and said, “Mr. Secretary, it’s not an accident. We need to get our congressional members back across the river to Congress, and we need to get to the bunker.”

Gen. Jumper, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, came in.

While we were watching a replay of the second impact, the Pentagon shook. We heard screaming and smelled acrid smoke. You could taste as well as smell it. People flew toward the emergency exits, screaming, “We’ve been bombed! It’s a bomb!”

I reached under my desk for the buzzer that was there in the event of nuclear attack. Pressing it summons Security Police to escort the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force to the bunker. The police came in less than a minute, and we went out single-file. Unfortunately, the bunker was toward the middle of the building where the fire and smoke were. People were screaming and running in the other direction.

The most poignant moment came when someone yelled, “We’ve got wounded! We’ve got wounded!” Uniformed military people turned around and headed back toward the trouble. That made me feel good about my brothers and sisters in the service.

Down in the bunker, most of the communications were completely knocked out. Things were orderly but hectic. We began to get combat air patrol airborne. We heard one commercial plane was not answering directions and was still headed to D.C. The heroes on that airplane saved us from having to do something horrible—we might have had to

PHOTOGRAPH

ROB FELT

Retired Gen. Philip Breedlove is a distinguished professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was a colonel working in the Pentagon.

shoot down an airplane full of Americans.

Smoke started coming into the bunker because its ventilation system was not well thought out when it was designed in the 1940s. So we went back through the smoke and confusion to reach helicopters that flew us to a classified location.

Six hours passed before I could get ahold of my family to tell them I was alive, because all communications were being used to direct the recovery situation, and 36 hours passed before I could return home.

We lost soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines in the Pentagon, and two brothers from my church were on the fateful airplane that hit the Pentagon. It was a horrible, horrible day.

My next-door neighbors were a Turkish family who had become American citizens. When I got home, my son suggested we take the flag that flew in front of our house and put it on their porch. We wanted to make sure people saw that, at

least in our hearts, this was not about Muslim or Arab people but about terrorists and that our neighbors were as American as the rest of us.

America came together because we were under attack.

What you see now are two political parties tearing this country apart. It would serve us all well if Americans would realize how much we have in common with each other, no matter what race we are or where we were born.

I can’t tell you how proud I am of my Georgia Tech pedigree. My civil engineering education gave me a framework for how to attack and solve problems. It prepared me extremely well for my 39 years of military service, especially for my last job as the commander of 28 nations’ military forces in NATO. Georgia Tech people fix things. We solve problems. We create solutions.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

41

JACKET COPY

FROM THE BOOKSHELVES CHILDREN’S BOOK

FINANCE

REINVENTING BANKING AND FINANCE

BY A L E S S A N D R O H A TA M I , C E 8 3 , A N D H E L E N E PA N Z A R I N O

BUSINESS

THE MAKING OF A BUSINESS LEADER

BY R O N N A S H , I E 7 0

MEET THE GEARS A FA M I LY O F E N G I N E E R S C A R E E R DA Y

BY J O S H B R A D B U RY, C S 9 9

RECENTLY NAMED

NASH DELIVERS an in-

WRITING UNDER the

by Invest opedia as

sight into his rise from

pen name “Sparky

their 2021 “Best Over-

young, tentative em-

Riggs,” Bradbur y

all” book on banking,

ployee to distinguished

uses his children’s

this book dives into the

CEO. He guides read-

series Meet the

digital revolution of the

ers through lessons

Gears a Family of

fintech industry and its effect on fi-

in information technology, encour-

Engineers to explain the various fields

nancial professionals. Readers of

aging early leadership skills in order

in science and engineering. This in-

various interests can explore topics

to reap increased success in the future.

stallment teaches about the role of

such as artificial intelligence, machine

software engineers and their impact

learning, and blockchain. Insight

on everyday life.

from expert authors Panzarino and Hatami guides readers through this dynamic and innovative industry.

PHYSICS

DY N A M I C S : T H E O RY AND APPLICATION OF KANE’S METHOD

MANUFACTURING

D E S I G N F O R E XC E L LENCE IN ELECTRONICS M A N U FA C T U R I N G

BY C H E RY L T U L KO F F, M E 8 9 , A N D G R E G C A S W E L L

MYS TERY

S H A D E S O F S I L E N C E

BY A M Y “ L I Z ” L A Z A R U S , I E 9 0

A V A L U A B L E T O O L for

BY C A R L O S M . R O I T H M A Y R , A E 8 3 , P H D A E 07, A N D DEWEY H. HODGES, EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF A E R O S PA C E E N G I N E E R I N G AT GEORGIA TECH

those in electronics, this

IN HER THIRD SUSP E N S E N O V E L , Lazarus

book for teaching stu-

book provides the best

provides readers with a

dents in engineering or

practices for custom-

thought-provoking tale of

physics the skills neces-

er satisfaction, profits,

a resilient woman faced

sary to analyze motions

and product reliabili-

with an unexpected loss,

of complex mechanical

ty. Tulkoff’s and Caswell’s expertise

a new friendship forged in tragedy,

systems such as spacecraft, robotic

combine to yield a comprehensive

and recurring societal themes that con-

manipulators, and articulated scientif-

dive into improving manufacturing

front us all.

ic instruments.

processes, use environments, and reliability within the industry.

42

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

THIS IS THE IDEAL

GLC VIRTUAL EVENTS

Let us help you create an engaging online event experience.

Guidance in translating event needs to the virtual environment.

Interactive networking experiences.

A Hybrid Option to include a presenter with attendees on-site and virtually.

Custom built support packages tailored to your event.

MEETINGS. CONFERENCES. TRAINING.

Conveniently Online or On-site. pe.gatech.edu/virtual-meetings 404-385-6203 meetings@pe.gatech.edu

MICHELLE M A C A N D E R , I A 0 0 , IS TH E F I R S T W O M A N T O LEAD A M A R I N E G R O U N D COMBAT BATTALION.

44

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

LT. COL. MICHELLE MACANDER IS ENGINEERING A NEW PATH FOR WOMEN IN THE MARINE CORPS.

MO DERN DAY H I S TORY MAKER STORY BY KRISTIN BAIRD RATTINI PHOTOGRAPHS BY JODI PAQUIN

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

45

SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY HAVE AN ANGEL ON THEIR SHOULDER LOOKING AFTER

ON HER FIRST DAY OF NAVAL ROTC AT TECH, LT. COL. MICHELLE MACANDER MADE UP HER MIND TO BECOME A MARINE.

THEM. Lt. Col. Michelle Macander has a Marine officer resting on hers. Throughout Macander’s esteemed 20-year career in the Marine Corps, the booming voice of retired Lt. Col. Aaron Potter, the former Marine officer instructor in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at Georgia Tech, has echoed in her head and guided her actions. “He would always say, ‘Don’t believe your own press release,’” Macander says. “You have to stay humble in the Marine Corps. It isn’t about you; it’s about serving the Marines you have the privilege of commanding.”

Over the past two decades, Macander’s meritorious service at home and abroad as a combat engineer officer and in other roles has propelled her through the ranks of the Marine Corps at a time when the Corps itself was re-evaluating the role that women could play in combat. In 2018, 46

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

Macander was the subject of more than a few press releases when she became the first woman commander of a Marine ground-combat battalion. This was not just any battalion: It was the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, the oldest, largest, and most decorated Marine division.

As she accepted the flag at her historic change-ofcommand ceremony in June 2018, “I felt mostly sheer excitement,” she says. “I didn’t know what was coming, but I was really proud to be able to be there.”

IF THE FATIGUES FIT, WEAR THEM Macander’s family has a proud history of military service.

Her grandfather, an uncle, and her father all served in the Marines. “When I was a kid, I would sneak into my dad’s bedroom and try on his uniform because I thought it was cool,” she says.

There was no pressure on Macander and her five siblings to carry on the military tradition, but she was intrigued by the prospect. In high school, she applied to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., just two hours south of

her home in Clifton Park, N.Y., and toured the campus.

Looking for a more traditional college experience, Macander instead enrolled in the chemical engineering program at Georgia Tech. A standout runner in high school, she earned a walk-on spot for Tech’s cross-country and track teams as a freshman. As the year wound down, a fellow track team member suggested she consider joining Tech’s Naval ROTC program. “I was interested in the challenge of it,” she says.

“The Marine Corps is the toughest service, and that appealed to me.”

That’s how she wound up in the office of then-Captain Aaron Potter. “My job was not only to train Marine officers but to recruit them,” Potter says. “Michelle was gift-wrapped; she just walked into my office. You can search high and low for someone like her and never find them. She had a stellar academic record and a presence of mind that you could see clearly the moment she walked in.”

A week later, Macander was in uniform and in formation. “The second I stood in formation on that first day of ROTC,” Macander says, “I knew I wanted to be a Marine Corps officer.”

Macander admits she needed some shaping. “I required a firm, steady hand, and that’s what Capt. Potter provided,” she says. Potter kept her moving when she struggled on hikes under heavy gear. When she switched her major from chemical engineering to international affairs, he applauded the move for the perspective it would give her on the Marines’ role on the global stage.

As she progressed to Officer Candidates School and then The Basic School, Macander had another Tech cheerleader keeping her company: Khalilah Thomas, BC 00, her best friend from ROTC. “I joke that at The Basic School she took my idea for a job,” says Thomas, now a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps’ Senate Liaison OfY OU CAN fice in Washington, D.C. The job: combat engiS EARCH HIGH neer officer. It appealed to A ND LOW FOR Macander immediately.

S OMEONE LIKE “The easy way to describe H ER AND NEVER the job is that I build things and blow things up,” she F IND THEM.” says. “I joke that I had this ball of C4 explosive in – LT. COL. my hands, and the clouds AARON POTTER

“

parted and the sun beamed down on me and I saw my future. But the part that really appealed to me was the building part of it. The demolition part is fun for a few seconds.

But seeing that something you built is still standing years later feels much better.”

EXPERIENCE ON THE GROUND While she was in The Basic School, the attacks of 9/11 happened. “I remember thinking, ‘This fundamentally changes everything,’” she recalls. In 2003, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, she found herself in Tikrit, Iraq, supervising the repair of a bombed-out runway so that C-130 cargo planes could land safely. “I vividly remember standing on top of my Humvee and watching the first C-130 land and just holding

IN 2011, MACANDER WAS OPERATIONS OFFICER OF THE 8TH ENGINEER SUPPORT BATTALION IN AFGHANISTAN.

my breath,” she says. “If anything bad happened, I was the one who certified it. It not only landed fine, but the pilot said it was one of the smoothest landings he’d ever had.”

The repair work had been anything but smooth: Her crew came under enemy fire. “My training kicked in,” she says.

“We made sure all of the Marines were out of their equipment and back in the bunkers we had just established to get them to safety.” The incident earned her the Combat Action Ribbon. It would not be the last time in her career that the reality Macander faced on the ground conflicted with the official Marine Corps position at the time that women could not serve in combat roles.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

47

“When the tactical commander needs something, they’re not going to stop and say, ‘What is Congress’ opinion about whether this person is authorized to be here?’” Macander says. “They’re going to ask, ‘Where is the nearest engineering unit? Because we have something that needs to be done now.’”

In Kuwait, Macander met Lt. Col. Lauren Edwards, a Marine a step ahead on the career ladder who became a close friend and mentor. “Michelle is incredibly smart and talented,” Edwards says. “Watching her do some amazing things, especially things I was never allowed to do, is like being a big sister getting to be so proud of your little sister.”

After two overseas deployments, Macander next followed in Potter’s footsteps by serving as a Marine officer instructor at the University of Colorado in Boulder for three years. Her work there with undergraduates and enlisted Marines reignited her passion for the Corps. “It reminded me of why I wanted to join the Marine Corps in the first place,” she says.

She pivoted from teacher to student, spending a year at Expeditionary Warfare School to learn the higherlevel planning skills necessary to manage large battalions as an operations officer. She soon implemented those skills in 2011 when she became operations officer of the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, which covered all of Helmand Province, the largest in Afghanistan and the focus of a military surge.

She coordinated her battalion’s work on power generation and water purification and construction of roads and bridges, including one that had been damaged by the enemy and left Marines stranded on the other side.

As her Helmand deployment wrapped up, she was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. “It was a lot of trial by fire

AT THE END OF HER COMMAND, MACANDER POSED NEXT TO HER PHOTO AND THOSE OF HER PREDECESSORS.

While stationed at Marine Corps Engineer School in North Carolina, she invited an important person in her life to the Marine ball: her girlfriend, Julie Brown, whom she’d met in Boulder and stayed on a “just friends” basis for several years. “That was kind of my coming out party for the Marine Corps,” she says. “At that point, I vowed I was never going to hide who I am.” When Macander returned to Expeditionary Warfare School as an instructor in 2014, the engaged couple moved to Quantico, Virginia, together. They married in May 2015.

Other significant changes were taking place in the military around that time. In 2013, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted the ban on servicewomen in combat, requiring all branches to implement the policy by January 2016.

The Marine Corps appealed, but finally opened all positions to women in April 2016.

“I thought, ‘It’s about THE DEMOLITION PART I S F U N F O R A F E W time,’” Macander says.

SECONDS. BUT SEEING T H A T S O M E T H I N G Y O U “You can tell me I’m too slow, too short, or not BUILT IS STILL STANDI N G Y E A R S L A T E R strong enough to do someFEELS MUCH BETTER.” thing. But you can’t say I – LT. COL. MICHELLE MACANDER can’t do it because I’m a woman. It’s just absurd.” when I first got there—a lot,” she says. “To leave there being Positions that had long been off-limits were now open told, ‘Job well done,’ was really important to me.” to Macander and the women coming up behind her in the ranks. In 2017, she submitted her name for commandLONG-OVERDUE CHANGES er of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. “She was the best By the time Macander returned stateside in 2012, the milchoice,” Thomas says. “If the Marine Corps was going to itary’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy had been rescinded. do something intentional, to have a truly diverse force to

“ 48

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

maximize its talents, there was no other choice for them to pick.” Thomas was on hand when her best friend assumed command of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and accepted the flag at the change-of-command ceremony at Camp Pendleton, California, in June 2018.

A HISTORIC COMMAND Macander’s top priority in her historic posting was to ensure the combat readiness of the 1,300 Marines under her command. “I had to be ready at a moment’s notice to deploy the battalion,” she says. “I had to make sure the Marines are always mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared to do that.”

In a typical week, she’d lead Marines on hikes, observe training sessions, frequently mentor the leadership team, and visit the maintenance shop that keeps the battalion’s heavy equipment in peak condition.

Every time she entered her office, she passed a line of 60plus photographs of her predecessors, dating back to 1941. “I knew I had this legacy that I needed to uphold,” she says. “I had to live up to these gentlemen that were staring at me every day.”

Macander faced one enormous challenge, however, that those gentlemen never encountered: Covid-19. Her command was winding down as the pandemic was ramping up in spring 2020. “Other people can lock down and go offline, but the Marine Corps doesn’t have that option,” she says.

“We had to be creative in how we went about our training.”

Exercises took place in smaller groups. Marines were quarantined for two weeks in their barracks before deployment.

There were zero reported cases in her battalion when she handed over the flag to her successor in June 2020.

Before leaving Camp Pendleton, she took a photo in front of her newly hung picture on the wall of past commanders.

“It’s 60-something men, and then there’s me,” she says. “It MACANDER ASSUMED C O M M A N D O F 1 S T C O M B A T E N G I N E E R BATTALION DURING A C E R E M O N Y I N J U N E 2 0 1 8 .

MICHELLE MACANDER QUICK FACTS

GRADUATED FROM GEORGIA TECH IN 2000 WITH A BACHELOR’S IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

SERVED AS A COMBAT ENGINEER IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

OPERATIONS OFFICER OF 8TH ENGINEER SUPPORT BATTALION DURING DEPLOYMENT TO AFGHANISTAN

AWARDED THE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL WITH TWO GOLD STARS

represents my place in this history; I’m exceptionally proud to be a part of it.”

“Michelle is a real inspiration to many women in the Marine Corps,” Edwards says. “There are lots of people who, because of the things Michelle has done, can see themselves in the organization and what their next step can be.”

The picture of Macander’s next career step is still coming into focus. She just completed a year of strategic studies at the Naval War College and has started a military fellowship at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C. “I’ll be soaking up as much information as I can,” she says, “and getting some experience outside the typical Marine Corps path.”

She’ll have the voice of Lt. Col. Potter guiding her along the path. He, among many others, is eager to see where it leads.

“There’s going to be a lot more from Michelle, I’m telling you,” he says. “She is going places.”

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

49

, p u &

, p u

AWAY

GE O RGIA TECH A L U MNI S OAR IN THE M I L I TARY by

50

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

JENNIFER HERSEIM

YELLOW JACKET FLYING CLUB

F O R M E D I N 19 4 5 , YJFC IS THE NATION’S OLDEST COLLEGIATE F LY I N G C L U B .

J . M . H o f fm an ( bot to m l e f t ) s t ar te d Te ch’s f l y i n g c l u b af te r r e t u r n i n g f r o m WWII.

I F A Y E L L O W J A C K E T M A S C O T is not enough of a hint, there are plenty of other signs that Georgia Tech students and alumni are fascinated with flight. In fact, Tech is home to the nation’s oldest collegiate flying club, started by student veterans in 1945.

Jackets have also taken flight in the military—in the most literal sense of the phrase—becoming some of the world’s best aviators.

Aviation and military service have a long history at Tech, beginning in 1917 when the School of Military Aeronautics opened on campus in response to World War I. The U.S. War Department selected several universities, including Tech, to be ground schools for pilots.

Enthusiasm for flying really took off on campus, however, after World War II. In 1945, J.M. Hoffman returned from the war and enrolled at Tech to pursue a degree in architecture.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF YELLOW JACKET FLYING CLUB

Hoffman approached a professor about starting Georgia Tech’s first flying club, which last year marked its 75th anniversary.

While the pandemic temporarily grounded celebrations, the Yellow Jacket Flying Club (YJFC) plans to host an event to mark the milestone anniversary at the Delta Flying Museum in Atlanta in the spring of 2022.

One of the unique benefits members of Tech’s flying club enjoy is access to club-owned airplanes, says Alec Liberman, YJFC’s president and one of the club’s flight instructors.

“Good luck finding another college that owns one airplane, let alone four,” he says. Liberman graduated high school with his commercial pilot’s license, but no previous flying experience is required to join the club.

“We have people of all levels, from alumni who are former Air Force and who want to get back into smaller aircraft to students who have never touched an aircraft before,” Liberman says.

Students, staff, and alumni are all welcome. The one commonality in the group is a shared love of flying.

“It’s a totally different feeling seeing the world from above,” Liberman says.

MAHDI AL-HUSSEINI

ARMY MEDEVAC HELICOPTER PILO T

PP 18, BME 18, MS CS 20

“ D U S T O F F ” P I L O T S fly the Army’s elite helicopter ambu-

lances. (Originally DUSTOFF was the term used for casualty evacuation from a combat zone via helicopter.) Their mission is to go anywhere, under any conditions, to transport wounded soldiers from the battlefield to the hospital.

It’s that mission, not the flying (although that’s cool, too), that won over Triple Jacket Mahdi Al-Husseini. He first learned about the mission while he was a student at Tech, interning for the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Lab (USAARL) in Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he met two DUSTOFF pilots.

“They told me about the phrase ‘DUSTOFF, Would Go, ’ and basically, I was hooked,” he says.

The phrase comes from a pilot named Charles Kelly, who was killed during a medevac mission in Vietnam. It was his “can-do” attitude that convinced Al-Husseini to become an Army medevac pilot. “No matter the situation, no matter the environment, we do our job to ensure others can live,” Al-Husseini says.

DUSTOFF pilots are expert aviators, who must be ready to fly at a moment’s notice. One of the special operations

that they perform is a hoist maneuver. They keep the aircraft hovering while a person is lowered from the back of the helicopter to load a patient onto a stretcher. “It’s a crazy thought, to be honest,” Al-Husseini says. “Any improper input from the controls could result in oscillation, and you could have a person under the aircraft spinning and going up and down.”

Even held steady, downwash created by the rotor blades can cause the stretcher to oscillate. Al-Husseini and his former Tech roommate, Joshua Barnett, Phys 18, invented a device that counteracts this oscillation. The SALUS device attaches between the stretcher and the hoist line and uses reaction wheels to create a counterforce, which stabilizes the stretcher. The device has won several awards and was acquired by Vita Inclinata Technologies earlier this year. Barnett and Al-Husseini have other aviation safety devices in the works, but Al-Husseini is also interested in creating an innovation pipeline between students and Army soldiers.

“There’s a saying in the Army that if soldiers aren’t complaining, something’s wrong. I want to take that innate talent, creativity, and awareness that soldiers have and work with

“

FOR ME, IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE MISSION, WHICH AT THE END OF THE DAY IS SAVING PEOPLE’S LIVES.”

52

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

T h e SA L U S dev i c e s t abi l i ze s a s t r e t ch e r i n a m o ck h o i s t o pe r at i o n.

students to help them solve problems.” His unit in Hawaii has begun partnering with students at universities.

Al-Husseini gets his deep commitment to public service from his family and his hometown of Douglasville, Ga. “I’ve had such a tremendous outpouring of support from my family and from my Douglasville community,” he says. “It shaped me. It continues to make me want to give back.”

While he loves flying, his motivation always goes back to public service. “For me, it’s always been about the mission, which at the end of the day is saving people’s lives. Flying, like engineering, is another way to accomplish that mission.”

A F A I L E D R I D E in an F/A-18 Super Hornet was the final

confirmation Jenny Lentz Moore needed to become a fighter jet pilot. She was invited to ride in the backseat of the aircraft when she was a Nuclear Power Instructor in the Navy.

But just before she and the pilot were set to take off, the ride didn’t end up happening. Standing on Virginia Beach that day, she thought to herself, “Well, apparently the only way I’m going to fly in an F/A-18 is if I fly it myself.”

Four years later, she sat in a Super Hornet—this time in the pilot’s seat. “I remember lining up on the runway and thinking, well here I am. I’m getting my F/A-18 ride finally.”

Moore had dreamt of the day since middle school. She was the type of kid who jumped off cliffs into rivers with friends and raced cross-country with her track teammates. “I always wanted to go fast,” she says. But even at top speeds, she knew her feet weren’t meant to stay on the ground.

She applied and was accepted into the Air Force Academy, but in the end, she chose Georgia Tech because of its reputation in aviation and aerospace. “I knew that so many astronauts and aviators had come out of Georgia Tech,” Moore says. “If I wanted to [become a pilot], I knew I could still do it after Tech.”

Moore joined the Georgia Tech track and field team as well as the school’s first female swimming and diving team.

Her track team would often run near the Chattahoochee River, close to Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Teammates would tease her because, at the sound of an engine overhead, Moore would stop midrun to search the sky for the plane.

Earning her aerospace engineering degree from the Institute was one of the hardest things Moore says she’s ever done. She learned how to push herself, but also when to get help. “I was the student who instead of agonizing over a lab, I would go to the teacher’s aide and my classmates. I needed that network of resources to survive Tech. That’s served me throughout my entire career and adult life.”

Just as at Tech, in flight school, she put in extra work to learn how to fly. “Some people are natural aviators. I was not

“

YOU GO FROM ZERO TO 150 MPH IN A VERY SHORT DISTANCE. IT’S INCREDIBLE.”

FORMER U.S. NAVY FIGHTER PILOT & FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR

M o o r e e ar n e d h e r c al l s i gn “ J u n o ” f r o m V FA - 2 2 t h e “F i gh t i n g Re dc o ck s ”be c au s e s h e was pr e gn an t w i t h h e r s o n at t h e t i m e .

one of them,” she recalls. Her perseverance paid off, and in 2013, she joined her first fleet squadron, the VFA-22, also known as the “Fighting Redcocks.”

She flew in combat missions in Syria and Iraq before transitioning from active duty in 2017 and from the reserves in 2020.

Today, Moore is the training operations manager and lead F-35 instructor pilot at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Teaching pilots how to fly the F-35, one of the country’s most sophisticated aircraft, merges several of her passions. “I love airplanes. I love flying. And I love teaching,” she says.

One thing she does miss from her days piloting fighter jets, however, is the catapult shot that launches fighter jets and their pilots off an aircraft carrier at top speeds.

“You go from zero to 150 mph in a very short distance. It’s incredible during the day; it’s terrifying at night.”

JENNY MOORE AE 05

RICHARD TRULY AE 59, HON PHD 09

FORMER ASTRONAUT AND RETIRED VICE ADMIRAL IN THE U.S. NAVY Truly and other pioneers in spaceflight inspired generations of future Yellow Jackets to dream of one day becoming an astronaut. But when he was growing up, there was no such thing.

In high school in Meridian, Miss., Truly took the ROTC exam and earned a Navy ROTC scholarship that paid for his education at Georgia Tech. About halfway through his schooling, he decided he wanted to fly.

“The choices then were submarines, surface, or flying. Flying seemed like a great adventure, so I signed up,” he says.

“Astronauts hadn’t been invented yet. I had never flown an airplane or flown in an airplane at that point.”

After graduating, Truly became a Navy fighter pilot and then applied for test pilot school.

At the time, the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) was starting. Unbeknownst to Truly, his commandant at test pilot school (the famed Chuck Yeager) included the students in Truly’s class as eligible for a position at MOL. Truly was accepted. He worked on classified missions with MOL until the summer of 1969, when MOL was canceled and he was sent to NASA. “I graduated from Tech and suddenly I found myself at the right age and the right time and it just all fell into place,” he says.

Truly joined NASA between the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions. “At the time, I didn’t really appreciate being part of the historic beginning of the space shuttle program. I was just a kid that wanted to fly. It was fantastic.”

Some parts of flying in space are similar to being in a commercial airplane, Truly says. “In an airplane you look out and here goes Colorado Springs and there goes Denver. In the shuttle, you look out and here goes Italy, here goes Greece.”

But then, you’re reminded of the wonder and awe of spaceflight, Truly says.

“I remember the colors of the Earth, the green land and the blue sea and the white clouds. And I remember flying over the Himalayas, which were already snow-covered in November. I remember floating over them. It was just incredible.”

“

I WAS JUST A KID THAT WANTED TO FLY.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM GILLIES

A MAGNET FOR ASPIRING AVIATORS AND ASTRON A U T S , Georgia Tech has produced a total of 14 astronauts,

including one of the first military astronauts to join the Manned Orbital Laboratory: Richard Truly, retired vice admiral in the U.S. Navy, former fighter pilot, and test pilot.

Truly piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-2) in 1981 and served as commander of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983. In a career with an impressive list of highlights, he also served as the first commander of the Naval Space Command; he oversaw the rebuilding of the space shuttle program as NASA’s associate administrator for space flight; and later he led the Georgia Tech Research Institute as vice president and director (1992 to 1997).

54

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

ELECTRIFYING TECH. BMW PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES

GET THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS. At BMW we made it our mission to design a versatile Plug-In Hybrid fleet with the power and performance that make each vehicle worthy of being called the Ultimate Driving Machine.® With a BMW plug-in hybrid vehicle, you get the power of choice – how you want to drive, where you want to charge, and when you want to charge. The benefits extend further with reduced fuel costs, and even single occupant HOV lane access in some states. Living an electric lifestyle has never been easier.

Visit your local Atlanta Area BMW Center to learn more.

BMWatl.com @bmw_atl Atlanta BMW Centers

Exclusively distributed by BMW of North America, LLC. ©2021 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW Name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

FROM

WWI PRESENT TO

DAY J U LY 1917

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI HAVE A PROUD LEGACY OF MILITARY SERVICE THAT STRETCHES OVER MORE THAN A CENTURY. HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR STORIES.

The School of Military Aeronautics opens. A number of

1918

Campus is converted to the Supply Officers

faculty members and students

Training Center after

also leave school to enlist in

the Aviation School

the military, including George

closes. The entire

C. Griffin, CE 22, MS IM 57, and

campus is in uniform.

William Alexander, CE 12.

56

BY ERIN PETERSON

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

A SALUTE TO THE THOUSANDS OF TECH ALUMNI WHO HAVE SERVED.

A six-month training

JUNE 1918

program called the Department of Military Science is initiated

The Student Army Training

O C T. 1 1918

Corps is set up under the National Defense Act of 1916. Programs begin

at Tech by the U.S.

with a national swearing-in

Training Department to

ceremony for the Army, Navy,

develop training tech-

and Marines. This concludes

niques for soldiers.

in December 1918, one month after Armistice Day.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

57

S E P T. 1919

Georgia Tech sets up a Disabled Veterans Program sponsored by the Federal Department of Rehabilitation. Its purpose is the re-education of wounded soldiers. 100 immediately enroll.

Compulsory ROTC

DEC. 1919

units in Coast Artillery and Signal Corps begin at Georgia Tech.

1926

FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS members of the Georgia Tech community have served their country with honor and distinction. Their stories of service— including some of their efforts beyond the military—are both remarkable and inspiring.

People from Georgia Tech have served in every branch, including the newest military branch, the United States Space Force. They have earned Purple Hearts and Medals of Honor. Two of the 40 men in U.S. history who have served as Chief of Staff of the Army—Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood and Gen. James C. McConville, MS AE 90—trace their histories back to Georgia Tech.

Here, we share just a few of their stories and accomplishments.

Tech’s Naval ROTC program begins. begins

WWII NIGHT SCHOOL ALUMNA

The Daniel Guggenheim

MARCH 1930

School of Aeronautics is established with a $300,000 grant from the

CAMILLE BERRY

Daniel Guggenheim Fund.

1935

The Naval Armory is built. built

58

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

C A M I L L E B E R R Y was working in the Georgia State Employment Office in 1942 when she learned that a shipyard in Brunswick, Ga., was building “Liberty ships” to transport supplies for the troops. The company was frantically searching for workers.

“I wanted to do my part in the war effort,” she recalls about her decision to apply for a job. “They immediately hired me.”

Trained as a secretary, she was able to start immediately in the company’s safety office. It wasn’t long before the head of safety engineering—himself a Georgia Tech graduate—suggested that Berry enroll at Georgia Tech’s Evening School of

“

I wanted to do my part in the war effort.”

BERRY WORKED ON “LIBERTY SHIPS” TO SUPPORT THE WAR EFFORT DURING WWII.

Applied Sciences to get the training she needed to become a certified safety engineer. She did, she passed the required exams, and she was promoted to assistant to the head safety engineer.

The work, though satisfying in many ways, was grueling.

The days were already hot and steamy, and the riveters— who became the face of the war effort at home through the iconic “Rosie the Riveter” posters—wore heavy, one-piece uniforms. The clothing was designed to protect them from sparks from the acetylene torches they used during their shifts. It was one of Berry’s jobs to make sure that workers followed the proper protocols.

“Every day, we put on our hard-toed shoes and hard hats and walked through the ship they were building,” she recalls.

Berry reminded workers to keep their uniforms zipped all the way to their necks, despite the heat. When they didn’t, the sparks from the torches could land on their necks and chest, sticking to them and burning them. “Then, they’d have to run into the first-aid station to be treated,” she says.

While there were occasional injuries, for which Berry filled out insurance paperwork, Berry was proud that there were no major injuries on her ship, even with the urgency of the effort.

Berry marvels at the remarkable work that she and her colleagues were able to do, particularly since so few had been trained in the work before the war. “All kinds of people worked in the shipyard—pharmacists, farmers, even the director of a symphony orchestra who formed a shipyard orchestra and chorus.” Berry, a talented singer, performed two solos on the ship’s launch day.

The day that the ship was unveiled, the governor came and his wife christened the ship, Berry recalls. “We had a great big celebration.” After, they rolled the ships into the water.

M I L D R E D D E L A N E Y S L E M O N S A R N A L L C H R I S T E N I N G T H E S H I P.

Coach William Alexander, CE 12, assumes responsibility for

S E P T. 1940

Selective Training and

S E P T. 1941

physical fitness for all students who are not in basic

Service Act of

military courses. Earlier, he

1940 establishes

hired Fred Lanoue to assist in

the draft.

developing fitness programs. programs

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

59

ARMY VETERAN

VANCE GAMMONS

VA N C E G A M M O N S , I E 5 8 , was steeped in military culture early on: He attended high school at Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee, and he was part of the Army ROTC at Georgia Tech.

After commissioning in the Army, he trained to become a helicopter pilot. His first assignment was in Korea, where he says he gained an appreciation for how other people lived. In his first tour in Vietnam, he transported a range of leaders, including some who specialized in psychological warfare.

During his second Vietnam tour, while he was flying in a helicopter with only a young second lieutenant, the helicopter was hit by a bullet. “We were at a low level, just over the trees, and we took a bullet through the bottom of the helicopter,” he recalls. Fragments of the bullet went into Gammons’ right hand, and it also took out the cables that controlled the tail rotor. “[We] flew a little sideways back to a strip and landed safely,” he says.

He attributes his successful landing to the military’s rigorous training and discipline. “If you are injured, and you have something that’s necessary for you to do, your training teaches you what you need to get it done,” he says. “I did what I was taught.”

“

Gammons returned to the United States and spent time recuperating, teaching others to fly, and undergoing additional training to become a fixed-wing pilot. He went on to do one more tour in Vietnam, where he commanded an assault aviation company. After his final tour, he spent another 12 years supporting ROTC programs at universities and in other recruiting efforts.

By the time Gammons retired in 1982, he had received the Distinguished Flying Cross, 26 Air Medals, and a Purple Heart.

Military service allowed him to see much of the world and immersed him in many cultures. He says he has been grateful not just for the chance to learn how others live, but also for what that allowed him to internalize about what it means to live in the United States. “I could look at the circumstances around me, wherever I was, for what they were. And I could appreciate them. And I could also be appreciative of the United States of America.”

Your training teaches you what you need to get it done.”

OUR FALLEN SOLDIERS While all those who served sacrificed, some made the ultimate sacrifice to our country. Every September, the Georgia Tech ROTC places American flags in honor of victims of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks and in honor of 1st Lt. Tyler Brown, Mgt 01, HTS 01, who was killed in action on Sept. 14, 2004, while serving in Iraq. Brown was student body president while at Tech. In addition to his leadership, he was an avid runner. The Tyler Brown Pi Mile course is named in his honor, as well as several scholarships and the ROTC Outstanding Leadership Award.

60

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

STORIES OF COURAGE

The G.I. Bill

Six Georgia Tech alumni were Vietnam

becomes law

prisoners of war. These vignettes are

through the

adapted from a 2001 article, “Tech’s POWs,”

by Kimberly Link-Wills, in this magazine.

Servicemen’s

JUNE 1944

Readjustment Act of 1944.

C A P T. R E N D E R C R AY T O N , T E X T 5 4 POW 1966–1973

“We spent a lot of time trying to figure out ways of beating the system, of communicating with other people…. [The hardest part was] the sheer boredom of the whole thing, interspersed with moments of sheer terror.” Crayton retired as a Navy captain in 1984.

Col. Blake Van Leer is named Tech’s 5th president and becomes the first

COL. RICHARD DUTTON, IE 51 POW 1967–1973

J U LY 1944

engineer to hold the position.

Dutton and Capt. Glenn Cobeil were struck by an enemy missile while flying an F-105. “[When we] arrived at the Hanoi Hilton [Hoa Lo Prison]...Glenn was alive,” he wrote in a compilation of stories collected for the POW Network. “I never saw him again.”

C A P T. J I M H I C K E R S O N , C E 5 6 POW 1967–1973

“That experience taught me a whole lot about me and about my

Alumnus David McCampbell is awarded the Medal of Honor.

JAN. 11 1945

country, a lot more than I probably ever would have known if I hadn’t gone through it.”

LT. M A R K G A R T L E Y, P H Y S 6 6 POW 1968–1972

Shot down by friendly fire, Gartley was released in 1972 thanks to efforts from his mother, an anti-war activist. “I was in a difficult situation,” he said of the choice to either go home or follow the code of conduct that stated that no soldier could honorably return home unless all prisoners were released. “I made that choice the best I could.”

LT. C O L . O R S O N S W I N D L E , I M 5 9 POW 1966–1973

“When I left home, my son had just turned four. When I returned home, he had just turned 11.” Swindle received two Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, and two Bronze Stars.

Anticipating an influx of students due to the G.I. Bill, Van Leer establishes the Veteran’s Guidance Center and secures

1945

additional housing for returning veterans in Marietta and Chamblee.

Enrollment goes from some 2,000 to more than 5,000.

C O L . WAY N E WA D D E L L , E E 5 6 POW 1967–1973

Waddell spent some of his time as a POW with Jim Hickerson, who happened to be a fraternity brother from Tech. “Hickerson and I

The Air ROTC is established

slept side by side, elbow to elbow. We had about 20 inches each….

at Tech.

We did a lot of reliving of our Georgia Tech days.” Waddell earned

And alumnus

two Silver Stars.

1946

Thomas McGuire, Jr. is awarded

EDITOR’S NOTE:

the Medal of Honor.

To read the 2001 article, visit www.gtalumni.org/POW GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

61

The Korean War

1950

begins and creates a dramatic increase in defense

MEDAL-WORTHY EFFORTS The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the U.S.

contracting at the

Armed Forces for valor in combat and is the highest

Engineering Exper-

honor of its type. Since 1861, just over 3,500 indi-

iment Station.

viduals have been recognized, including three alumni and Gen. Leonard Wood, who played and coached for Tech’s football team for a month in 1893.

Air ROTC allows

1952

women to attend military training classes.

“HE ALMOST DEFIED REALITY”

And alumnus

Known for his skill flying a P-38, MAJ. THOMAS B.

Raymond G. Davis

McGUIRE, JR., who attended Tech from 1938 to 1941,

receives the Medal of Honor.

was a World War II flying ace and commander of the 431st Squadron of the 475th Fighter Group. Fellow pilots, said aviation history writer Stephen Sherman, “felt that McGuire could do things in a P-38 that were virtually impossible. His skill with the P-38 was so extraordinary, he

1964

The Neely Nuclear

almost defied reality.” McGuire died in 1945 and was awarded the Medal

Reactor is completed.

of Honor posthumously in 1946.

T H R E E D E C A D E S O F VA L O R A 33-year veteran, GEN. RAYMOND G. DAVIS, CHE 38, assistant commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He received the Medal of Honor in 1952 for leadership at North Korea’s Chosin Reservoir. Davis, then a lieutenant colonel, led his battalion through fierce firefights, marched over mountains in a snowstorm, and rescued Fox Company, 2nd battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. The Marine Combat Readiness Building in

1965

Mandatory ROTC

Quantico, Va., and a school in Stockbridge, Ga., are named for him.

service is dropped.

“ FA B L E D F I F T E E N ” L E A D E R CAPT. DAVID McCAMPBELL, who spent one year at Tech in 1929, was a Navy flying ace and commander of Air Group 15 in the first and second battles of the Philip-

1984

The Engineering

pine Sea in 1944. The group was later dubbed the “Fabled Fifteen” for

Experiment Station’s

its successful efforts. McCampbell was considered the Navy’s “Ace of

name is changed to

Aces.” Pres. Franklin Roosevelt presented him with the Medal of Honor in

the Georgia Tech

1945. The guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG-85) and a pas-

Research Institute.

senger terminal at Palm Beach Airport are named in recognition of him.

McCampbell died in 1996.

LEADERSHIP FOR THE NATION AND FOR GEORGIA TECH Georgia Tech alumni include dozens of high-ranking flag

JR., AE 78, flew the F-14 Tomcat and served as the ninth

officers, as well as several alumni with stellar military

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a Distin-

careers who have returned to the Institute.

guished Professor of the Practice and CISTP Senior Fellow.

Retired four-star GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE, CE 77,

Retired MAJ. GEN. RONALD JOHNSON, MS OR 85,

served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and

served as COO of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (US-

the U.S. European Command Commander. He is a Distin-

ACE), the second-highest-ranking senior engineering staff

guished Professor of the Practice and CETS Senior Fellow.

officer for USACE. He is a Professor of the Practice in ISyE

Retired U.S. Navy ADM. JAMES A. “SANDY” WINNEFELD

and Faculty Leadership Fellow at Georgia Tech.

CONTINUING THE LEGACY

The next generation of YELLOW JACKETS carries on Georgia Tech’s proud legacy of military service.

CHLOE BABCOCK

U.S. SPACE FORCE CAPTAIN

C A P T. C H L O E B A B C O C K had been in the Air Force for a few years, working in space operations, when rumblings of a new military branch became reality. The U.S. Space Force was established in 2019, and Babcock transferred into the branch to continue as a space operations officer who focuses on orbital warfare.

While aspects of what has now become Space Force have been around for decades and governed by the Air Force, the strategies that motivate Babcock’s work in orbital warfare have advanced significantly in recent years. “In the 1980s and 1990s, we didn’t have adversaries or hostile acts in space; we were [mostly] the only players there, so we weren’t thinking in terms of war in the space domain,” she explains.

“That’s changed a lot in the past decade, and we now, as a space community, have to think of it as something to protect and defend.” She is inspired by the words of President John. F. Kennedy, who proclaimed that space would not be “governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace.”

Because the Space Force is quite new and nimble compared to other branches, Babcock has been able to carve out a career path that specifically suits her. While much of her work is classified, she is pursuing a master’s degree in operations research at Tech to help her make a big impact in her

MAY 2003

role while accelerating her career trajectory. “Because [the Space Force] does work at such an immense scale, any optimization that we can make that can save us 1 or 2 percent can be worth millions. That’s money we can use to fund other areas,” she says.

She says she’s particularly grateful to be at Georgia Tech because her operations research program is known to encourage its students to think expansively about what is possible. “It’s easy to be given a system or a problem and say, ‘this is how we solved this problem in the past,’ ” she says.

“But in operations research at Georgia Tech, they’re always pushing you to think about a different way of solving a problem. There might not be a checklist, so you have to think creatively.”

For a new role in a new branch in a new realm, this innovative approach may be just what is needed. “I think there’s something in the human spirit that makes us look up and ask: ‘What else is out there?’ And I’ve been learning and absorbing and preparing for the next step,” she says. “It feels like we’re on the cusp of something big.”

Babcock is one of Tech’s first students to transfer to the Space Force.

2020

Memorial plaques

New Veterans

commemorating Tech’s

Resource

veterans are dedicated along

Center opens

Wardlaw Center’s walkway.

on campus.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

63

VOLUME 97

ALUMNI HOUSE

ISSUE 2

PARTY ANIMALS The 2021 President’s Dinner was unlike any other. Guests enjoyed an evening at Zoo Atlanta, complete with dining, dancing, and live demonstrations. Did you know that Georgia Tech researchers are building better “soft” robots by watching how elephants use their trunks to lift heavy objects? It’s a big tusk, but someone’s got to do it.

PHOTOGRAPHS

SCOTT DINERMAN, STC 03, AND SHERETTA DANIELLE

66

RAMBLIN’ ON

68

ROLLING OUT THE WHITE & GOLD CARPET

71

THE FUTURE OF BIOTECH

72

ADVENTURE AWAITS

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

65

ALUMNI HOUSE

RAMBLIN’ ON TOWARD THE FUTURE

THE CLASS OF 2021 GOES FORTH TO BE BOLD IN WHITE & GOLD.

BY KARI LLOYD

THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION’S best-loved graduation party, Ramblin’ On, was held at Bobby Dodd Stadium in April to celebrate the class of 2021. Graduates had plenty of photo opportunities with both the Alumni Association’s Wreck and Buzz, as well as goodie bags, treats, food, and drinks, courtesy of the Alumni Association, Atlanta United, and Chick-fil-A. After a short speech by Alumni Association President Dene Sheheane, Mgt 91, congratulating the new grads on earning their Tech degrees, fireworks exploded against the Atlanta skyline, bringing graduates’ final year on campus to a spectacular close.

Commencement in May was also held at the stadium, where students collected their diplomas from President Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95. Graduates heard from alumni, including Jocelyn Stargel, IE 82, MS IE 86, Stacey Dixon, MS ME 95, PhD ME 00, Paul Judge, MS CS 01, PhD CS 02, and Ryan Gravel, Arch 95, M Arch 99, M CRP 99, and received a gift from the Alumni Association as a welcome for becoming a lifetime Yellow Jacket.

After earning that coveted degree from Georgia Tech, these graduates deserved a stadium-sized party. Ramblin’ On is the annual shindig thrown by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association to celebrate Tech’s newest class of Yellow Jackets as they head out into the world.

66

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

YO U G R A D U A T E D , NOW WHAT?

SCAN AND GO

There are plenty of ways you can stay involved with Tech, whether you just graduated or you’re a long-standing alum.

GT CONNECT

Connect with fellow

Build the next

Jackets on GT

generation of Jackets

Connect.

through Roll Call.

Book a trip with the

Get the inside scoop

Travel program.

on Homecoming.

Find local Ramblin’

Take your professional

Connect with your fellow Yellow Jackets both personally and professionally through the GT Connect portal. Develop relationships that can lead to further professional opportunities, hire fellow Jackets, and discover mentoring opportunities.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT The career development website is home to everything you need to advance and develop your career. Participate in professional development programs, learn how to start your own business, or even find a new job or tips for switching careers.

ROLL CALL For 75 years, Roll Call has been one of Georgia Tech’s greatest traditions. Supporting Tech’s academic mission helps create millions of dollars in merit- and need-based scholarships for students, fund groundbreaking research, and develop world-class instruction and an innovative campus environment.

ALUMNI NETWORKS Georgia Tech’s Alumni Networks are as

Wrecks with Alumni

game to the next level

Networks.

with Career Development.

diverse as the Institute itself. Groups can range from professional, cultural, and sports all the way to regional organizations.

TRAVEL Want to see the world with your fellow alumni? The Alumni Association’s Travel department can do that. Book cruises, tours, or trips to sports events, or explore educational opportunities while you ram-

No matter where you go, you’re never too far from Tech. www.gtalumni.org.

ble with your fellow Jackets.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

67

ALUMNI HOUSE

ROLLING OUT THE WHITE & GOLD CARPET

NEW LEADERS TAKE OVER AT THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.

BY KARI LLOYD T H E G E O R G I A T E C H A L U M N I A S S O C I A T I O N is delighted to welcome our newest members of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee. These dedicated volunteers will join the existing governing board and meet

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

quarterly to determine new initiatives to further the Alumni Association’s mission. Read on to get to know these inspiring individuals, their history with the Institute, and a peek into their student lives at Tech.

WHERE COULD YOU BE FOUND ON CAMPUS AS A STUDENT? SAC/CRC – I was a student worker who assisted with the administration team’s IT needs, the CRC website, and a membership database I coded from scratch.

I loved my job. My supervisor, Gayle Kreckman, and I got to see the fantastic building transformation from SAC to CRC while I worked there.

MAGD RIAD, SHAN PESARU, CmpE 05, CHAIR

I E 01, C H A I R E L E C T & CHAIR OF GOLD & WHITE, VICE CHAIR/ROLL CALL

P E S A R U is the chief executive offi-

RIAD is the president of Marmi Nat-

cer of Sharp Hue. He currently lives

ural Stone, running the day-to-day

in Atlanta with his wife, Nichole, and

operations of one of the nation’s

daughter Neela. In his role as chair,

largest stone suppliers to architects,

Pesaru brings to the table his passion

designers, and homeowners. During

for all things Tech and over 20 years

his time at Georgia Tech, he was a

of experience as both an entrepreneur

member of FASET as well as an active

and a technology expert. Pesaru pre-

participant in the Student Government

viously served on the Young Alumni

Association and Student Foundation.

Council and has served on the Associ-

He has served as both a vice chair and

ation’s Board of Trustees for over seven

FAVORITE FOOD TO GRAB AT TECH?

years. In 2015, he was recognized as

Junior’s.

Association for over six years. He cur-

an Outstanding Young Alumnus.

68

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

on the Board of Trustees for the Alumni rently lives in Atlanta.

ELIZABETH “BETSY” BULAT TURNER,

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW YELLOW JACKET?

IAML 04, VICE CHAIR/ ENGAGEMENT

Get involved and cherish the friendships you form—they may become some of the most import-

B U L AT T U R N E R has been a partner

ant in your lifetime.

at Martenson Hasbrouck & Simon LLP in Atlanta since 2016 and focuses on labor and employment litigation and related business-compliance matters.

the Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2015

She was recognized in 2017 as an Out-

and was a member-at-large on the Ex-

standing Young Alumna. She served on

ecutive Committee from 2016 to 2017.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW YELLOW JACKET? You are not defined by your grades!

Yes, you should try to do your best,

TYSON joins the EC for a two-year term

about yourself and your resiliency

as a member-at-large. He is manager of

of successful entrepreneurs will tell

I E 8 2 , M S I E 8 6 , PA S T CHAIR/FINANCE

EC MEMBER- AT-L ARGE

but remember that you learn more from those challenges. The majority

J O C E LY N S TA R G E L ,

B R I A N T YS O N , E E 10 ,

you how their failures or missteps helped them become the success that they are today. Learn from those challenges and you will go far.

STARGEL is the past chair of the Alum-

Clean Energy Planning and Implementation for Puget Sound Energy. While a student, Tyson was in the ANAK Society, the Ramblin’ Reck Club, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Student Government Association. Tyson was

ni Association Executive Committee

recognized in 2021 as an Outstanding

and was the first woman of color to

Assurance program. She held several

serve as the chair of the Association.

positions within the company, including

Stargel is the founder and managing

director of External Affairs for Southern

partner at Stargel Consulting in Atlan-

Company Gas. She also serves as chair

ta. In 2015, she retired from Southern

of the Engineering Advisory Board and

Company Services, where she was re-

as an emerita member of the ISyE Ad-

sponsible for managing the Business

visory Board.

Young Alumnus. He lives in Seattle.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD AT TECH? Wingnuts for their panoply of options and accessibility through Buzz funds.

WELCOME, NEW GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TRUSTEE MEMBERS JENNIFER A B R A M S , P P 17, is a performance improvement specialist at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta.

LIZZIE D O N N E L LY, I A 0 8 , is senior development manager at King’s College London in the United Kingdom.

MATT DUBNIK, M G T 0 3 , is chief engagement officer of Forum Communications in Gainesville, Ga., and a member of the Georgia House of Representatives.

ROBYN GATENS, C H E 8 5 , is director of the International Space Station for NASA. She lives in Ashburn, Va.

JOHN GATTUSO, M E 15 , is the chief executive officer at FIXD in Atlanta.

MEGHAN GREEN, M G T 13 , is a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Chicago.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

69

ALUMNI HOUSE

J A M E S S T O VA L L ,

C S 01, EC MEMBER- AT-L ARGE S T O V A L L is a senior vice president of global accounts at Randstad Sourceright in Atlanta. He helped start the Home Depot GT Alumni Network and was president of the Athens GT Alumni Network. He was a student ambassador, a member of the ANAK Society, a member of the Delta Chi

CATHY HILL,

EE 84, EC MEMBER- AT-L ARGE H I L L is a retired vice president at Georgia Power and is currently the president of the Plummer-Hill Group LLC. She has served on the Gold & White Sponsorship Committee and the

fraternity, and a co-op student at Tech.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW YELLOW JACKET?

I loved a chicken fingers basket at Junior’s!

You may learn more about how to succeed in life from your extracurricular

GT Savannah Advisory Board. She

activities (whether it be as

was a member of the Alpha Kappa Al-

a teaching assistant or an

pha sorority, the Ramblin’ Reck Club,

SGA member) than you will

GT Band, and the SGA as a student.

FAVORITE CAMPUS FOOD?

from most of your classes, so get involved!

ANNIE I. ANTÓN,

ICS 90, MS ICS 92, P H D C S 97, EC MEMBER- AT-L ARGE A N T Ó N joins the EC for a two-year

WHERE COULD YOU BE FOUND ON CAMPUS?

term as a member-at-large. She is a

My favorite place to hang out on

School of Interactive Computing at

campus was at the student center,

Georgia Tech, is an adjunct professor

professor in and former chair of the

where I would eat lunch and watch

in the School of Computer Science, and

soap operas; attend AKA sorority

holds a Business, Law, & Ethics courtesy

meetings or GT African American

appointment in the Scheller College of

Association student meetings; or

Business. In 2012, she was appointed

sometimes attend parties in the

by President Obama to the Commission

student center ballroom.

on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.

WELCOME, NEW GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION TRUSTEE MEMBERS ANTONIO L L A N O S , C S 9 5 , is the chief technical officer at LaCalle Group and lives in Miami Lakes, Fla.

70

MATT M A S O N , I E 01, is a partner at Gateway Ventures in Atlanta.

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

RENÉ SIMON, MBA 1 8 , is a senior data scientist at Netflix and lives in Johns Creek, Ga.

CHAD SIMS, BA 15 , is a loyalty manager at FOCUS Brands LLC in Atlanta.

M A RY LY N N S M I T H , E E 8 8 , is the Antenna & Microwave Engineering manager for the Antenna Systems Division of ViaSat, Inc. and lives in Melbourne, Fla.

KENJI TAKEUC H I , M E 9 4 , is the senior vice president of Technology Solutions at Mueller Water Products in Atlanta.

ALUMNI HOUSE

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF BIOTECH

GEORGIA TECH INVENTORS AND INNOVATORS SHOWCASE THE FUTURE OF BIOTECH AT THE FIRST VIRTUAL BIO TECHXPO.

BY KARI LLOYD

THE PETIT INSTITUTE FOR BIOENGINEERING AND BIOSCIENCE held the first virtual Bio TECHXpo March 15–16, exhibiting the next biotechnologies, diagnostics, therapeutics, and medical devices created by Tech faculty and students. The event connected alumni with students and faculty who have venture ideas they want to commercialize, providing alumni with the opportunity to serve as mentors or even investors.

Attendees were invited to virtually “roam the floor” of poster sessions looking for mentorship and investment opportunities. Though investment can take months, two connections from the expo are already helping two different projects with FEA regulatory guidance and operational questions. Tech alumni David Curd, MS ME 89, vice president of Clinical Affairs at Avanos Ventures, and Ward

Broom, ME 84, MS ME 85, MBA 17, principal at Sweeping Rewards, are offering their expertise and guidance with two projects showcased this year. Those projects are from Scott Hollister, the Patsy and Alan Dorris Chair in Pediatric Technology, who developed a pediatric tracheal splint for newborns who have a life-threatening defect closing off their tracheas; and assistant professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Frank Hammond, who developed a VQ Vest for replacing proning—or turning a patient from their back to their abdomen—in ventilated ICU patients.

At this year’s event, Georgia Tech faculty and students clearly underlined how the Institute is leading the way in biotech. Check out a sample of sessions from the expo.

D E V I C E F O R T R E A T I N G A C U T E R E S P I R A T O RY D I S T R E S S S Y N D R O M E MAXWELL WEINMANN AND FRANK HAMMOND,

G E O R G I A T E C H A S S I S TA N T P R O F E S S O R

MECHANICALLY VENTIL ATED ICU PATIENTS suffer from low oxygen levels for one reason: Their lungs are inflamed and cannot transfer inhaled oxygen to the bloodstream. “Proning” can help move blood oxygen to uninflamed parts of the lung, but it requires several nurses and technicians 20 minutes to perform. The VQ vest is a potential replacement to proning that uses pressure to move blood supply and raise oxygen levels.

P O LY M E R I C H E A R T - VA LV E R E P L A C E M E N T S L A K S H M I “ P R A S A D ” DA S I , MS CE 00, PHD CE 04, GEORGIA TECH PROFESSOR & ASSOCIATE CHAIR FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

CURRENT ARTIFICIAL transcatheter heart-valve technology based on animal tissue suffers from limited durability, requiring replacement within 10 years, higher rates of blood clot–related complications, and excessive costs. This polymeric heart-valve replacement is based on biomolecule-enhanced polymers and promises durable and biocompatible artificial transcatheter heart valves that can be mass-produced at a fraction of the cost.

R E V E R S I N G C A N C E R - D R U G R E S I S TA N C E JOHN McDONALD,

GEORGIA TECH PROFESSOR,

A N D N I C K H O U S L E Y,

PHD AP 20

CANCER PATIENTS are frequently treated with chemotherapy. Most patients benefit initially while the cancer goes into remission. Chemo-resistance, however, causes 90% of cancer therapy failures. This new therapy, composed of a delivery technology and a payload, delivers two types of RNA targeted to the tumors to reverse chemotherapy resistance, thereby reestablishing chemo-sensitivity.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

71

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

ADVENTURE AWAITS

MARTIN LUDWIG, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF TRAVEL FOR THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, KEEPS THE TRAVEL DEPARTMENT FLYING HIGH.

BY KARI LLOYD WHEN IT COMES TO PACKING A SUITCASE and heading out the door, Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s Martin Ludwig is a master. Having worked in travel for nearly 20 years, his passport is full of stamps from 80 different countries.

As senior director of travel, he was recently recognized by his fellow Alumni Association staffers with a Golden Teammate Award for embodying the organizational value of

Innovation. During the pandemic, Martin quickly shifted when travel programs began getting canceled, easing concerns for alumni travelers during a difficult time.

He was also instrumental in creating the Alumni Association’s new online travel experience—gtalumni. org/travel—making it easier for you to book your next adventure.

Q: WHAT DREW YOU TO WORKING AT THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION? I used to be a teacher. I moved to Atlanta in 1997, and I thought I didn’t want to teach anymore. I used to do a lot of student activities and took high school kids to Europe. I originally applied for a student activities job at the Alumni Association but didn’t get it. However, they liked me, so they put me in Roll Call.

Q: WHEN DID YOU MOVE TO TRAVEL?

72

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

SCOTT DINERMAN, STC 03, AND MARTIN LUDWIG

The Georgia Tech Alumni Travel Program returns this year with dozens of land tours, ocean cruises, river tours, train trips—just about any way that you like to travel, the Georgia Tech Alumni Travel program has a trip designed for you!

PHOTOGRAPHS

When the travel position opened, we used to just have one events person, who oversaw reunions and maybe eight tours. Travel was just a side piece.

The last president of the Association expanded the program because other larger universities had bigger

Senior Director of Travel Martin Ludwig has traveled to every continent, including Antarctica with Tech alumni.

programs. I applied for the position and started on Sept. 10, 2001.

Q: YOU STARTED YOUR NEW POSITION IN TRAVEL THE DAY BEFORE 9/11?

Yes. My second day on the job was 9/11. We had a group of 40 in the air flying to the U.S. when the World Trade Center was hit. I started getting phone calls from family members. I was thinking, “What did I get myself into?” That group was the last Delta flight in the air toward the U.S. They had to land in the Azores Islands. They had no idea what was happening— they were already on the plane.

It was a crazy time to start in the travel business. But through that, I’ve seen ups and downs. Nothing like this last year, though.

Q: HOW WAS WORKING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC THIS LAST YEAR? Out of all these years, this was the most challenging. I’m in the business of making people happy and selling trips of a lifetime, vacations, and educational tours. Suddenly my biggest challenge became trying to please so many people who were scared, nervous, and who had an investment already put into these trips. I had to work toward getting their money back, moving them around to another trip, and asking them what they were comfortable with. I think the biggest challenge was, “How do I make all these people happy again?”

Q: WHAT’S THE ONE PIECE OF TRAVEL ADVICE YOU’D GIVE SOMEONE? Strongly consider purchasing travel insurance. You never know what’s going to happen. This past year should be an example of that!

MARTIN’S TOP TRAVEL PICKS ALL TOURS ARE AVAIL ABLE AT

IN NORTH AMERICA

IN EUROPE

IN ASIA

Dutch

Circle of Japan

Southwest

Waterways

Ocean Cruise

National Parks

River Cruise

April 14–25,

April 27–May 5,

April 22–30,

2022

2022

2022

FOR SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS

IN SOUTH AMERICA

FOR YOUNG ALUMNI

Indianapolis

Wonders of Peru

Destination Dubai

500

and Amazon

(Ages 22–35)

May 27–30,

River Cruise

Sept. 24–Oct. 1,

2022

Oct. 21–Nov. 1, 2021

2021

FOR RETIRED ALUMNI

FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

Passage Along

Classic Europe

the Danube

Graduation Tour

River Cruise

May 17–27,

Oct. 11–23,

2022

2021

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

73

RAMBLIN’ ROLL

CL ASS NOTES & ALUMNI UPDATES

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

STACEY DIXON, MS ME 95, PHD ME 00, challenged graduates at this spring’s commencement ceremony to educate themselves, encourage others, and pursue a life of service. Graduates also heard from alumni PAUL JUDGE, MS CS 01, PHD CS 02, managing partner of Panoramic Ventures and cofounder of Pindrop, and Atlanta Beltline creator RYAN GRAVEL, ARCH 95, M ARCH 99, M CRP 99, as well as from Delta CEO Ed Bastian.

PHOTOGRAPH

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

CHRISTOPHER MOORE

74

DUNKIN APPOINTED C I O O F E N E R GY D E PA R T M E N T ANN DUNKIN, IE 86, MS IE 88, has been

Agency. She is also a published author,

appointed as chief information officer of

most recently of the book Industrial Dig-

the U.S. Department of Energy. She as-

ital Transformation. Dunkin was named

sumed her role in May. Dunkin was most

one of Computerworld’s Premier 100

recently the chief strategy & innovation

Technology Leaders for 2016, one of

officer focused on state and local gov-

D.C.’s Top 50 Women in Technology for

ernment at Dell Technologies. Prior to

2015 and 2016, and to StateScoop’s

that, she was CIO for the County of San-

Top 50 Women in Technology list for

ta Clara, California. Under the Obama

2017. She was inducted into Georgia

Administration, Dunkin served as CIO

Tech’s Academy of Distinguished Engi-

of the U.S. Environmental Protection

neering Alumni in 2018.

WANT TO SHARE YOUR NEWS? You can submit your personal news, birth, wedding announcements (with photos!), and out-and-about snapshots online at gtalumni.org/life.

The value of 45+ years of experience and $1.6 billion in career sales...

Sea Island, Georgia’s

Market Leader in Exclusive Island Real Estate Al Brown and his elite team are devoted to one simple goal: matching people with properties.

60 Cinema Lane, Suite 120 St. Simons Island, GA 31522

912.268.2671 albrowncompany.com

RAMBLIN� ROLL NASA NAMES GATENS DIRECTOR OF ISS ROBYN GATENS, ChE 85, was named di-

Beginning her career at NASA in

rector of the International Space Station

1985, Gatens has 35 years of experi-

for NASA. Gatens has served as acting

ence at the agency both in the space

director of ISS since August 2020.

station program and in development

As director of ISS, Gatens will contin-

and management of the life support sys-

ue to lead strategy, policy, integration,

tems for human spaceflight missions. She

and stakeholder engagement for the

is the recipient of the NASA Outstanding

space station program. She will also

Leadership and Exceptional Achieve-

support NASA’s Artemis missions and

ment medals. This year, Gatens joined

activities to secure an ongoing U.S. pres-

the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s

ence in low-Earth orbit.

Board of Trustees.

G R I F F I T H R E C O G N I Z E D N A T I O N A L LY F O R E N D O M E T R I O S I S R E S E A R C H & A DVO C A C Y

CLASS NOTES C HRIS ANDERSON , MGT 89, has joined Accenture as a managing director–North America. He will be focusing on large communications and media clients.

GISELE BENNETT, PHD EE 95, was appointed as editor-in-chief for the journal Applied Optics.

LUKE BUMGARDNER, BME 19, a commissioning engineer with Newcomb & Boyd, has been promoted to associate.

BEN COE, ME 80, a mechanical engineer with Newcomb & Boyd, has been promoted to senior associate.

Greenlight Financial Technology, co-founded and led by JOHNSON COOK, MGT 02, announced it has raised $260 million, increasing its valuation to $1.2 billion. Greenlight is a money management platform with a mission to help parents raise financially smart kids.

L I N D A G R I F F I T H , C h E 8 2 , is leading

the profile, Griffith, a professor of bio-

efforts to bring endometriosis—which

logical and mechanical engineering at

has traditionally been dismissed as

M.I.T., describes how her lab uses uter-

a “women’s disease”—into the larger

ine organoids from the uterine cells of

medical community. Endometriosis is a

endometriosis patients to test potential

chronic and painful disorder in which

treatments without having to test on hu-

tissue similar to the tissue that lines the

mans. “That’s really the power of this,”

inside of a uterus grows outside the

Griffith told the paper. “You can take pa-

uterus. Griffith was recognized for her

tients who we know how they respond

research in an April 27 New York Times

or do not respond to therapies, and com-

article titled “They Call It a ‘Women’s

pare and start to understand and tease

Disease’: She Wants to Redefine It.” In

apart why that is.”

76

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

C HARLES “DENNIS” HALL, AE 81, retired after 29+ years of government service with the U.S. Air Force (13 years active duty; 16 years civil service). His last position was as the principal intelligence analyst for the Persistent IR R&D Flight at the National Air & Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He was awarded the Civilian Meritorious Service Award in recognition for his service.

MERCEDES HARRIS, ChE 02, was promoted to sales director in the Microsoft South U.S. Sales Organization.

JENNY HUNTER, CmpE 16, launched Research Lead, a new crowdfunding platform for medical research that highlights potentially life-changing unfunded research.

NASA/AMES RESEARCH CENTER/DOMINIC HART PHOTOGRAPH

CLASS NOTES MITC HELL JOHNSON , MGT 96, has been appointed to chief technology officer at MAXEX, the first digital mortgage exchange to enable the buying and selling of residential loans through a single clearinghouse. As CTO, Johnson will lead all aspects of MAXEX’s product strategy, data, security, and technology, including future development of MAXEX’s digital mortgage exchange and platform.

PAUL KITC HENS, ME 06, has been promoted to partner of Newcomb & Boyd. Kitchens, who began his career at Newcomb & Boyd as a co-op, leads the Raleigh-Durham office.

ARKADEEP KUMAR, MS ME 14, PHD ME 18, a technologist R&D engineer at Applied Materials in Santa Clara, Calif., has been selected as a 2021 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer by SME, a professional association committed to advancing manufacturing and developing a skilled workforce.

ROB MAROHN , MS MOT 01, was named chief information officer of CenExel Clinical Research, a nationwide network of clinical research investigative sites.

PHOTOGRAPH

RON AIRA/CREATIVE SERVICES

NIC K MORGAN , BC 87, MS CE 94, president of JN Morgan & Associates, completed a design-build project in Darlington, S.C. The project includes a life skills center for after-school continuing education and a pediatric clinic.

WYATT ROSCOE, MS ARC H 16, has been featured in Atlanta Magazine’s April 2021 issue for converting vans into “homes on wheels” through his company Inner Space Ships. He started the company in the summer of 2018 after selling his first converted van online.

T E C H A L U M N U S ’ S C O M PA N Y H E L P S N A S A “ S N I F F O U T ” C O V I D - 19 V A R I A B L E I N C . , founded and led

by CEO GEORGE YU, EE 04, MS ECE 07, PhD ECE 08, was awarded a NASA subcontract to prototype a Covid-19 detection device called the E-Nose.

The device can run tests to “sniff out” possible Covid-19 infection from a person’s breath. In April 2020, NASA was

nanosensor array. Instruments that de-

looking for a team to build such a device

tect harmful gases are typically bulky,

to rapidly detect a distinctive Covid-19

but the E-Nose is handheld.

fingerprint from a list of volatile organ-

Yu got his star t as a NASA sub-

ic compounds (VOCs) in breath. This

contractor developing a device that

year, Variable Inc. completed the de-

enabled smartphones to detect harm-

vice, which is now being tested in the

ful gases. He founded Variable, Inc. in

field. The E-Nose works by determining

2012. The Chattanooga-based com-

what the VOC pattern from virus infec-

pany specializes in colorimeters and

tion might be by using a specialized

spectrophotometers.

N O L L J O I N S E N E R GY D E PA R T M E N T E L I Z A B E T H N O L L , M S P P 1 1 , has been

strategic consulting practice specializing

appointed as deputy assistant secre-

in managing energy and environmen-

tary for House affairs in the Office of

tal risks and investments. Before that,

Congressional Affairs at the U.S. De-

she worked for the Natural Resources

partment of Energy. Most recently, Noll

Defense Council, where she oversaw

was the vice president at the Coefficient

federal clean energy policy for the build-

Group, a Washington, D.C.–based

ing, transportation, and power sectors.

MARSHALL JOINS GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY ANDRE MARSHALL, ME 91, MS ME 93, has been named vice president for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development and president of the George Mason University Research Foundation, effective July 1.

Marshall also joins the faculty of the Volgenau School of Engineering.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

77

RAMBLIN� ROLL

OUT & ABOUT

CLASS NOTES Congratulations to WALL ACE SCOTT, MS NE 73, who recently retired!

HOWARD TELLEPSEN , CE 66, was awarded the Landmark Awards Lifetime Achievement Award from The Houston Business Journal.

GO JACKETS! Georgia Tech alumni CAREY BROWN, IE 69, NILES BOLTON, ARCH 68, JEF WALLACE, MGT 94, and JAY McDONALD, IM 68, are all past presidents of the Cherokee Town and Country Club, shown here at the club this spring.

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY CAMILA CAPÓ McLEAN, ARCH 71, and MICHAEL J. “JUD” McLEAN, TEXT 70, EE 75, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their four daughters, nine

DAN TRIMMER, ECON 06, was selected to the 2021 Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite in business law as well as the Legal Elite Young Guns. He was also recognized as a 2021 North Carolina Super Lawyer in the area of construction litigation and was honored as a Rising Star. Trimmer is an attorney at Skufca Law in Charlotte, N.C., where he practices business and construction law.

DANIEL TOON , CE 02, was recognized as a member of the 2021 class of Fellows of the American Concrete Institute.

Toon is chief engineer for United Forming, Inc., in Austell, Ga. He credits his passion for concrete to knowledge and experience gained in Honduras during short-term mission trips in his youth. “Realizing there was this material that allowed the simplest of tools and sweat to make something capable of building just about anything led me to a career in engineering and still sustains me to this day,” he says.

grandchildren, and three sons-inlaws, two of whom Michael handed over the reins of McLean Engineering Company, Inc., to: TODD TAYLOR, CE 99, and Sean Knowles. Camila and Michael met in Bimini on a Georgia Tech Sailing

RIC HARD T YLER, IE 90, joined the board of the PATH Foundation, which since 1991 has been transforming the landscape of the greater metropolitan Atlanta area, including portions of the Atlanta Beltline.

Club trip to the Bahamas in March of 1969. “I still cannot believe that, out of a student body of 7,500, I won the heart of the prettiest of the 50 women Tech students at the time,” Michael said.

78

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

STEFANIE WAYCO, IAML 04, joined Maynard Cooper & Gale as a shareholder to lead its new Atlanta office.

Emily Woods ME 2010 COO & Co-founder, Sanivation Georgia Tech Stamps President’s Scholar

I am grateful I got an engineering degree so I could go anywhere in the world and make a difference in people’s lives, and the training I received at Georgia Tech has helped me do just that. I could have never achieved my dream without Roll Call donors like you who help fund amazing student-focused programs and provide crucial scholarship support.

gtalumni.org/givetoday

RAMBLIN� ROLL

BIRTHS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1.

CLAIRE WOODRING BURTLE, MS PP 14, and husband, Thomas Burtle, welcomed James Alexander Burtle on Sept.

25, 2020. The family lives in Marietta, Ga.

2.

COURTNEY (DREWSKI) CRAPS, EE 11, and JOHNATHAN CRAPS, EE 11, welcomed their child, Abigail Dianne Craps, on Jan. 24. Proud grandpa Kurt Drewski, AE 85, is excited for the next generation’s future Yellow Jacket!

3.

SPENCER KLAGSTAD, AE 12, and LAURA KLAGSTAD, PTFE 13, MS PO 15, welcomed their first son, Remy James Klagstad, on Feb. 2. The family resides in Brookhaven, Ga.

4.

MELISSA (FREEDENBERG) MEYERS, BME 07, and JAMIE MEYERS, CS 07, welcomed baby girl Shira in December of 2020.

5.

ASHLEE (HATCHER) NICHOLS, BC 11, and LANE NICHOLS, MGT 11, welcomed their son, Gregory Lane Nichols III, grandson of Greg Nichols, ME 85, in December of 2020.

6.

KARI NICO, BCH 18, and Dustin Nico welcomed their first son, Davis James, on March 4.

7.

MARC PARADISO, ME 04, and wife, Lauren, welcomed their third daughter, Madeline James, on Oct. 9, 2020.

Madeline joins big sisters GG, 5, and Emma, 2. The family lives in Roswell, Ga.

8.

NICK PETRUS, IE 07, and ANDREA PETRUS, PSY 06, welcomed the birth of their second child, Braden Petrus, on Oct. 18, 2020. Braden joins his brother, Calvin, as diehard Yellow Jacket fans from birth.

80

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

9.

BEN WARD, BC 10, and MELISSA (NORD) WARD, EAS 13, welcomed future Yellow Jacket Evelyn Marie Ward on Oct. 22, 2020.

10.

JOSHUA WILBURN, BIO 09, and wife, Yvonne, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Phoebe Rey Yvonne, on Feb. 12, 2020. The family lives in Carrollton, Ga.

9

10

11.

XIUFENG “MIKE” YANG, PHD CE 13, and wife, Yating Zhang, welcomed their first child, Chloe Yang, on Jan. 5. The family lives in Houston, Texas.

11

WEDDINGS & ENGAGEMENTS 1.

CORBETT KANIFF, CMPE 19, and MICHELLE KANIFF, IE 18, got married on July 11, 2020, at the Cathedral of Christ the King, with the reception at the Biltmore Ballrooms across from campus. The couple relocated shortly thereafter to Minneapolis, Minn., for work.

2. ANTHONY “TONY” LE, EE 06, MGT 06, and ALISON KAO, IE 08, got married on Oct. 10, 2020, on a Zoom wedding with a handful of friends in attendance at Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, N.Y.

1

2

3

4

3.

JACOB WALKER, CE 05, and NEOMA COLE, MS CE 15, are engaged. Tech’s campus played a special part in their courtship as they lived on opposite sides of town and would meet at Tech.

4.

COLIN ZWEBER, CHBE 18, and LINDSEY THOMSON, MSE 17, got engaged under the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., during peak bloom. #letlovebloom

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

81

IN MEMORIAM

WE REMEMBER & HONOR THE FOLLOWING

1940s JAMES E. BALDWIN, CE 49, of

DONALD J. “DONNY” BLAKE, IM

DAVID F.S. GALLOWAY III, ME 58,

Grovetown, Ga., on March 10.

55, of Atlanta, on March 28.

of Pensacola, Fla., on Feb. 22.

ROBERT B. “BOB” GREENE, AE

ROBERT L. BOWEN, CHE 53, of

JACK T. GATHRIGHT, EE 51, of Rock-

45, MS IM 48, of Cocoa Beach, Fla.,

Camden, S.C., on Feb. 25.

wall, Texas, on Feb. 15.

DONALD C. “DON” BROWN, EE

WILLIAM F. “BILLY” GOW JR., CLS

57, of Grinnell, Iowa, on Feb. 16.

52, of Saint Simons, Ga., on March 28.

WILLIAM O. “BILL” BURKE, IM 52,

ISAAC M. “MACK” GREGORIE IV,

of Wrens, Ga., on March 17.

IE 50, of Baton Rouge, La., on Feb. 3.

JOHN C. CERNY, ME 51, MS IM

ROY V. HARRIS JR., AE 58, of Wil-

56, of Atlanta, on March 27.

liamsburg, Va., on March 18.

JOHN B. CONKLE JR., IM 52, of

JAMES R. HEARD, CHE 53, of

Blairsville, Ga., on March 20.

Romeoville, Ill., on April 21.

JAMES A. “JIM” ALEXANDER,

JERRY L. COSNER, CHE 59, of Over-

JAMES J. HILL JR., MS IM 50, of

CHE 59, of San Antonio, Texas, on

land Park, Kan., on March 11.

Savannah, Ga., on April 25.

RICHARD M. CROWNOVER, PHYS

EDGAR A. “AL” JACKSON,

WILLIAM H. ANTHONY SR., IM

58, MS Math 60, of Charlotte, N.C.,

CLS 59, of Natchitoches, La., on

52, of Shreveport, La., on Feb. 23.

on Feb. 7.

March 18.

CLYDE R. BALCH, CHEM 58, of Na-

MARIO J. DE LA GUARDIA SR.,

ROBERT L. “BOB” JACOBS, EE 53,

ples, Fla., on March 2.

CHE 53, of Savannah, Ga., on Feb. 11.

of Roswell, Ga., on Feb. 18.

EDWIN J. BARON, IE 51, of Atlanta,

WILLIAM A. DOZIER SR., EE 56, of

GEORGE D. JOHNSON JR., CHE

on April 9.

Columbus, Ga., on March 10.

57, of Atlanta, on Jan. 30.

WALTER L. BATES, MS IM 58, of

EDWIN S. EPSTEIN III, TE 53, of

WESLEY H. JOHNSON SR., CE 59,

Milton, Ga., on March 13.

Augusta, Ga., on March 11.

MS CE 61, of Decatur, Ga., on Feb. 24.

LOWRY M. BELL JR., ARCH 52, of

HORATIO J. “JIM” FORBES JR.,

FREDERICK L. “FRED” JONES JR.,

Palm Beach, Fla., on April 24.

IM 53, of Canton, Ga., on April 16.

IE 51, of LaGrange, Ga., on March 19.

on Nov. 24, 2020.

JOHN D. PLAXCO, EE 47, of Hoover, Ala., on March 14.

ERNEST D. “ED” SHACKELFORD JR., AE 46, of High Point, N.C., on Jan. 28.

ROBERT W. “BOB” STOVER, IE 45, of Atlanta, on April 4.

1950s Feb. 12.

EDITOR’S NOTE We have changed the format for the In Memoriam section of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. We will include an abbreviated version of each obituary in print, while publishing the full obituaries online under Alumni Updates at gtalumni.org/magazine.

To report a death, please email bioupdate@gtalumni.org.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

83

IN MEMORIAM

J A M E S D . “ DA N ” B L I T C H I I I : DISTINGUISHED BUSINESS LEADER helped lead for 20 years. They started

RICHARD E. “DICK” KERNER, IM 51, of Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 28.

SAUL KURLAT, CHE 50, of Cambridge, Mass., on April 1.

a family and raised their three children in Winder, a community they cherished.

WITT I. LANGSTAFF SR., ChE 50, of

In 1990, they moved to Athens, where

Kingsport, Tenn., on Jan. 18.

Blitch took on the role of Yellow Jacket missionary, with not one convert. He

FRANK B. LIDDELL JR., ARCH 53,

co-founded two businesses, Chardan,

of Memphis, Tenn., on Feb. 21.

Ltd., in Thomson, and South Ga. Apparel in Statesboro. Blitch was president of

PRESTON R. MAXSON, IM 54, of

the Chamber of Commerce in Winder

Lillian, Ala., on April 20.

and charter president of the Rotary Club there and later a Rotarian in Athens. He

CURTIS R. “DICK” MORRIS, IE 52,

was a director of the American Appar-

of Marietta, Ga., on Feb. 25.

el Manufacturers Association and a past chair of its Technical Advisory Commit-

JOSEPH F. MULLING, IM 54, of

tee. Blitch was a trustee of the Georgia

Charleston, S.C., on March 12.

Tech Alumni Association and a member of the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall

ROBERT J. “BOB” O’GRADY, IM

of Fame. A cornerstone of his life was

54, of Concord, Mass., on March 29.

his deep faith. He loved the Method-

JAMES D. “DAN” BLITCH III, IE 53, OF AT H E N S , G A . , O N M A R C H 1 7 . Blitch’s life-

ist Church and at various times chaired

RICHARD C. PETERS, ARCH 55,

the Pastor Parish Relations Committee

ARCH 56, of Sonoma, Calif., on

long interest in business developed early

in both Winder and Athens and was a

Jan. 17.

through a wide variety of jobs. Most

trustee in Athens. Blitch loved all things

important was his beloved hamburger

Georgia Tech. Lifelong friends, the Ram-

GEORGE M. PURCELL, ME 54, of

stand, which he ran for several years to

blin’ Wreck Fight Song, the football

Vero Beach, Fla., on Feb. 1.

help pay for college. While at Georgia

team, and memories of Coach Dodd

Tech, he was president of the Student

were top of the list.

FRED D. REID, IM 57, of Atlanta, on

Council and served on the board of the

Blitch is survived by Dottie, his wife

Athletic Association. He was elected to

of 60 years, and his three children and

ANAK and ODK and was a member of

their spouses: James Daniel Blitch IV and

JACK G. REMSON, IE 58, of Syla-

the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. After

Anne, Elise Blitch Drake and Carl, and

cauga, Ala., on Feb. 26.

graduation, he worked for Kurt Salm-

Bird Daniel Blitch and Anna. He is also

on Associates from 1953 until 1959.

survived by six grandchildren: Kather-

GEORGE A. RITTELMEYER, IM 59,

He received his MBA, with distinction,

ine Daniel Drake, Emily Atkinson Drake,

of Atlanta, on Feb. 6.

from Harvard Business School in 1961.

Elisabeth Callaway Blitch, James Dan-

Blitch fell in love with Dorothy Lee “Dot-

iel Blitch V, Eleanor Frances Blitch, and

LEMAN I. “RUDY” RUDESEAL, EE

tie” Daniel, and they married in 1960.

Bird Daniel Blitch Jr. His parents, Ag-

54, of Atlanta, on Feb. 15.

In 1963, Blitch and Dottie moved to

nes Atkinson and James Daniel Blitch

Winder, Ga., where he joined Barrow

Jr., and sister, Agnes Kennedy, prede-

OSCAR W. “WILL” SIMMONS JR.,

Manufacturing Company, which he

ceased him.

IE 57, of Savannah, Ga., on March 16.

84

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

March 12.

Georgia Tech, he joined the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company as an agent in Miami. In 1962, he became the general agent for the company in Philadelphia, Pa. He headed the Philadelphia agency, one of the largest in the country, for nearly 30 years. Upon retiring as head of the agency he was asked to fill the George Joseph Chair in Agency Management at the American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, Pa., a post he held for nearly 10 years. At

JOHN W. CRONIN, IM 49: REAR ADMIRAL & L E G I O N O F M E R I T M E DA L R E C I P I E N T

Georgia Tech, he was a member of Sig-

JOHN W. CRONIN, IM 49, OF NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA., ON JAN. 25. Born in East Or-

the Korean War, he served on active

also a Scottish Rite Mason.

and reserve duty for over 40 years. As

Cronin is survived by his wife, Anne

ange, N.J., on Christmas Day in 1926,

a rear admiral, he commanded the Na-

Allen Cronin, and their children: William

Cronin’s family moved to Miami, Fla.,

val Reserve Intelligence Program. For

of Atlanta; Jeanette (Robert) Fleck of

in 1933. As a young man, he was ac-

his service he was awarded the Legion

Malvern; Robert and his wife, Kimberly,

tive in outdoor activities and became an

of Merit medal by President Reagan.

of Dover, Del.; as well as a granddaugh-

Eagle Scout. Upon graduation from Mi-

He considered himself a citizen/sailor.

ter, Jamie; her husband, Erik O’Brien;

ami High School, he joined the Navy at

In 1948, Cronin married Anne Allen of

and great-granddaughters Kaeden and

age 17. A veteran of World War II and

Orlando, Fla. After graduating from

Kamren O’Brien.

ma Alpha Epsilon, and Chi Epsilon, an honorary engineering fraternity. He was

K R I S T I K E E L I N J OYC E , M E 9 3 : Y E L L O W JACKET “THROUGH AND THROUGH” KRISTI KEELIN JOYCE, ME 93, OF SPART A N B U R G , S . C . , O N A P R I L 1 7 . Joyce’s

and their extracurricular activi-

favorite thing in life was sitting next to

being team mom of every team,

her husband, Tripp, watching their three

especially her adored Hub City

sons play any sport, any day, any time.

Strikers. Joyce was also a Yel-

A close second was a summer sunset

low Jacket through and through,

off of Ft. Myers Beach. She was happi-

loyal all the way from Grant

est in the water, it didn’t matter where:

Field to the Tech “T” in her at-

beach, lake, or pool. Throw some oys-

tic. Always all in, she was even

ters in the mix and it was a perfect day.

known at home as a consummate nap-

Sak, Kay Hibbard, Kerry Herrig, and

Joyce had an affinity for sailboats in

per. Joyce is survived by her husband,

Jim Keelin, their spouses, her numerous

any form, anything that reminded her

Tripp Joyce, their three sons, Drew, Wil-

nieces and nephews, her mother-in-law,

of her sailing days at Camp Seafarer.

liam, and Wyatt, and one large dog,

Dinah Joyce, her 100-year-old grandfa-

Much of her time was dedicated to sup-

Dixie, that loved to sleep on her head.

ther-in-law, Col. Bill Pruitt, and a plethora

porting the schools her boys attended

She is also survived by her siblings, Kim

of extended family who adored her.

ties. She may be best known for

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

85

IN MEMORIAM

JOHN HENRY SHELLY JR., IM 53,

ROBERT L. “BOB” YOUNG-

of Toledo, Ohio, on Dec. 29, 2019.

BLOOD, IE 58, of Tucker, Ga., on Jan. 15.

MARLIN B. SHIVER, ME 58, of Austell, Ga., on April 17.

1960s MICHAEL A. BEASLEY, TEXTCHEM

ABNER G. SMITH, EE 52, MS EE

69, of Statesboro, Ga., on Feb. 3.

54, of Chantilly, Va., on Jan. 11.

RICHARD A. BURR, IM 68, of CovHARVEY F. “FRANK” SMITH JR.,

ington, Ga., on Feb. 13.

EE 50, of Atlanta, on Jan. 29.

LELAND R. SPEED, IM 54, of Ridge-

FRANK EUGENE “GENE” ALLISON: PROUD YELLOW JACKET FRANK EUGENE “GENE” ALLISON, ME 56, ON MARCH 6. During his time at Georgia Tech, Allison made many lifelong

RICHARD L. BURTON, BC 68, of

friends and also met Joanne Paul, whom

Brunswick, Ga., on Jan. 27.

he married in 1960. Their lives continued together from then until her passing

land, Miss., on Jan. 27.

ROBERT D. “ROBBIE” COHEN, EE

in 2017. Allison was an active member of

WILLIAM E. “BILL” SPIER, IE 52, of

68, of Sonoma and Glen Ellen, Calif.,

his professional organization ASHRAE

South Bend, Ind., on March 12.

on March 18.

and served as president of the Middle Tennessee Chapter from 1969 until

JEFFERSON F. “FRANK” STEW-

WILLIAM G. “JERRY” COX SR., EE

1970. He later started his own business,

ART, TEXT 57, of McDonough, Ga.,

63, of Smyrna, Ga., on Feb. 28.

Allison Engineering Sales Corporation.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, hav-

on Jan. 20.

EDWARD K. “ED” VAN WINKLE

RON D. “RON” DASHER, ME 66,

ing joined through the ROTC during

of Rome, Ga., on April 12.

college, and he later fulfilled his duty

JR., IM 52, of Atlanta, on March 9.

during peacetime through the U.S. Army HARRY E. “BO” FLANDERS, ME

Reserve. He was honorably discharged

RAY H. VENABLE JR., CERE 59, of

64, MS ME 70, of Pensacola, Fla., on

with the rank of captain. Allison was

Bethlehem, Pa., on Feb. 4.

Feb. 1.

a dedicated member of Brook Hollow Baptist Church. One personal project

GRADY C. “CECIL” WALKER, EE

CHURCH W. “BILL” HAMES, IM

that he spearheaded was interviewing

50, of Carrollton, Ga., on March 30.

61, of Roanoke, Va., on March 22.

World War II veterans in the congregation and compiling their stories into

WILLIAM H. “BILL” WASHING-

EDGAR P. “PAUL” HAYES SR., IM

a book. With a group of Tech friends,

TON JR., MS IM 53, of Hoover, Ala.,

66, of Wilmington, N.C., on March 9.

he led an effort to build a new church building in Kenai, Alaska, which was pa-

on Jan. 31.

LARRY PATE WILLOUGHBY, CLS

HARRY A. HUNNICUTT, PHYS 67,

stored by a former college classmate.

of Ballwin, Mo., on Jan. 23.

He later recounted that this experience

57, of Greensboro, N.C., on Jan. 29.

was one of the most rewarding of his life.

STANLEY W. JOHNSTON, EE

Allison is survived by his two sons:

SIDNEY S. “MIKE” WOODS JR.,

66, MS EE 67, of Bainbridge Island,

Andy Allison of Los Angeles; and Ger-

IE 51, of Pensacola, Fla., on March 31.

Wash., on Jan. 23.

ald Allison of Ashland City, Tenn.; two nephews: Steve Cowart (June) and Ross

WILMER T. YOUNG, ARCH 54, of

RONALD G. JONES, PHD CHEM

Cowart (Diane); and many loved cous-

Vero Beach, Fla., on Feb. 3.

61, of Atlanta, on April 15.

ins and their families.

86

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

ANDREW “ANDY” KOHL, CE 67,

FREDERICK H. VON HERRMANN,

of Argyle, Texas, on Feb. 26.

EE 68, of Birmingham, Ala., on March 26.

BENNIE R. MALONE, CLS 68, of Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 20.

CARL D. “DAVE” WATSON, CLS 64, of Pine Mountain, Ga., on

NORMAN D. McCOY, IM 63, of

March 13.

Dalton, Ga., on Feb. 2.

PAUL H. WILLIAMS, CHE 60, of GEORGE L. MILLER, CHE 63, of Sanford, N.C., on April 24.

Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 21.

1970s

GERALD “JERRY” MOSKOWITZ,

KENNETH D. “KEN” BARWICK,

ARCH 68, of Atlanta, on Jan. 31.

MS IM 77, of Marietta, Ga., on July 21, 2020.

LEON EPL AN, OF ATL ANTA, ON APRIL

JAMES L. “JIM” NICOL, BC 60, of Big Canoe, Ga., on April 16.

LEON EPLAN: V I S I O N A RY C I T Y PLANNER

FRANK COOK, IM 76, of Alpharet-

15. Eplan, a man of infectious optimism,

ta, Ga., on March 8.

helped lift the city of Atlanta to new

KENNETH C. “KEN” PRINE,

heights. He received master’s degrees

TEXTCHEM 63, of Saint Augustine,

THOMAS S. “TIM” CROWLEY JR.,

from the University of Tennessee, the

Fla., on Feb. 22.

MGT 72, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.,

University of North Carolina, and the

on Feb. 19.

London School of Economics. He had

JAMES N. “JIM” SHADINGER JR., IE 66, of Carrollton, Ga., on April 28.

JOHN F. SHARPE SR., IM 64, of

a long and illustrious city planning caCLINTON HAROLD “CLINT”

reer as a consultant to cities around the

FORD, MGT 71, of Snellville, Ga., on

country. He was involved in the planning

Jan. 30.

of the MARTA rail system. In 1974, he

Brownsville, Tenn., on April 24.

FRANK W. SHERRILL, CE 64, of So-

was tapped by the newly elected mayWILLIAM B. “BILL” LYLES III, IE 72,

or, Maynard Jackson, to become the

of Greenville, S.C., on Feb. 3.

commissioner of Budget and Planning,

cial Circle and Watkinsville, Ga., on Feb. 18.

GILES R. SMITH, IM 68, of Marietta,

serving in that role from 1974 until 1978.

JAMES E. “JIM” LYNCH, NE 77,

In 1979, he was named the director of

MS ANS 78, of Oak Ridge, Tenn., on

Graduate Studies in City Planning at

March 4.

Georgia Tech. Eplan continued to teach

Ga., on Feb. 23.

and consult until 1990, when Mayor NORMAN M. “MACK” McINNIS

Jackson asked him to return to City Hall

HOYLE SOUTER, IM 63, of Suwanee,

III, IM 70, of Mobile, Ala., on

to help prepare Atlanta for the 1996

Ga., on Jan. 27.

March 21.

Olympic Games. Eplan is survived by his three children, Elise Eplan (Bob Marco-

DAVID E. TATE SR., ME 62, MS ME

WALLACE STEVEN McLEMORE, EE

vitch), Jana Eplan (Craig Frankel), and

64, of Spartanburg, S.C., on April 8.

76, of Vidalia, Ga., on Aug. 27, 2020.

Harlan Eplan (Jen Denbo), as well as

WENDELL E. TURNER, AM 69, of

RAY S. MOORE, BC 71, of Shellman

Buchman Eplan, and his sister, Carolyn

Chamblee, Ga., on Jan. 25.

Bluff, Ga., on March 13.

Goldsmith, predeceased him.

six grandchildren. His wife, Madalyne

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

87

IN MEMORIAM K A R L VO N B I N N S S R . , C L S 7 5 : T E C H ’ S F I R S T B L A C K VA R S I T Y B A S K E T B A L L P L A Y E R KARL VON BINNS SR., CLS 75, OF SALISBURY, MD., ON APRIL 2. Early in life, Binns

gan his career working as a marketing

developed a passion for basketball and

representative for General Foods at

later attended Truett McConnell Junior

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore,

College on a basketball scholarship.

Md. Later, he began a lifetime career

Upon graduation, he was recruited

in higher education, starting with his

on a scholarship to be a Yellow Jack-

alma mater, Morris Brown College,

restaurant in Salisbury. He went on to

et under the tutelage of the renowned

continuing on as assistant program di-

earn his PhD in Organizational Leader-

coach John T. “Whack” Hyder at Geor-

rector in the Hospitality Management

ship from UMES.

gia Tech, where Binns became the first

Department at Bethune Cookman Col-

In addition to his mother, Cather-

Black varsity basketball player. Binns

lege, and concluding his career at the

ine Waymer Binns, he is survived by his

earned a bachelor’s in Hotel, Restaurant

University of Maryland Eastern Shore,

wife, Geraldine Binns; two sons, Karl

and Institutional Management in 1974

where he devoted 26 years to his stu-

Binns, Jr., and Keenan Binns; two daugh-

from Morris Brown College, where he

dents and community. In addition to

ters, Kara Binns and Shayla Binns; two

was inducted into the Morris Brown Col-

being a professor, Binns had a pen-

grandchildren, Kalia Binns and Kaylin

lege Athletic Hall of Fame. He played

chant for entrepreneurship, opening up

Binns; several nephews, nieces, cousins,

for one season in 1975 with the Euro-

the first Black-owned State Farm Insur-

other relatives, in-laws, and friends. He

pean Professional Basketball League in

ance agency in Salisbury. He was also

was predeceased by his brother, Leroy

Düsseldorf, Germany.

the co-owner and operator of Checkers

Binns, Jr., and his father, Leroy Binns, Sr.

After returning to the U.S., he be-

J A M E S W . “ B I L L” R A Y: RETIRED MAJOR GENERAL & FRIEND TO TECH

JAMES W. “BILL” RAY, OF ATL ANTA, O N A P R I L 2 2 . After graduating from

graduation. They remained a loving cou-

Olympics. The dormitory design, with

ple until Bamby’s death in 2012. The

apartment-style living, has helped Tech

two traveled, hiked, and skied most of

in recruiting world-class students. With

their lives.

his extensive experience in construc-

Ray had a long and distinguished ca-

tion management, Ray was responsible

reer as an Army officer, retiring in 1987

for the construction of many facilities

at the rank of major general with more

around the world during his lifetime.

than 34 years of service. Highlights in-

After the Olympics, Ray remained

cluded serving two tours in Vietnam,

with Tech facilities and athletic depart-

serving as Commander of the U.S. Army

ments until December 1996, when he

Corps of Engineers Middle East Division,

went to work for Draper and Associ-

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and serving as

ates as a consulting engineer. Ray was

the Deputy Chief of Staff, Engineer for

a strong supporter of West Point and

the U.S. Army, Europe.

served as the president of West Point’s

high school in 1952, Ray entered the

After retiring from the Army, Ray and

U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Bamby moved to Atlanta, where he

in the summer of 1953. While at West

worked for Georgia Tech, overseeing

Ray is survived by his brother, Lloyd

Point, he met his future wife, Bamby,

the construction of the Olympic Village

(Sonny) Ray, and by his three children,

and they were married shortly after his

and the Aquatic Center for the 1996

Mark, William (Gus), and Karen.

88

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

Class of ‘57 from April 2017 until February 2021.

GERALD J. ORGANT, MS PSY 70,

STEPHEN S. “STEVE” WADE, TEXT

EDITH SEVIER HANNA HOLT, of

of Upper Gwynedd, Pa., on March 12.

82, of Washington, N.H., on April 20,

Homosassa, Fla., on March 25.

2020.

BRUCE M. SAULNIER, MS IS 71, of Cheshire, Conn., on March 21.

JAMES A. “JIM” SHANNON JR., CE 76, of Charlottesville, Va., on March 21.

McIVER WINIFRED HAMM HUFFWILLIAM F. “BILL” WILLIAMS, EE

MASTER, of Spartanburg, S.C., on

87, of Gaithersburg, Md., on

Feb. 1.

March 26.

1990s

JANE WILLIAMS SIDES, of Collierville, Tenn., on March 6.

MICHAEL F. POWER, EE 96, of LanNORMAN “NORM” STEINMAN, AE 70, MS CP 73, of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 27.

JAMES R. “JIMMY” STOREY, CERE 70, MS CERE 76, of Newnan, Ga., on March 2.

ett, Ala., on Jan. 31.

2000s

JAMES H. “JIM” SKELTON, of At-

of Owensboro, Ky., on April 18.

lanta, on March 14.

2010s

SMYTHE, of Roswell, Ga., on April 15.

FRANCES LEE (GAFFORD) SUD-

DAVID S. KENT, ME 11, of Augusta,

DATH, of Atlanta, on Jan. 30.

Ga., on Feb. 14.

CAROLYN (PORTER) TERRELL, of

MARK E. BIERNATH, MGT 89, of Atlanta, on Jan. 31.

JACQUELINE (BIGGERSTAFF)

ville, Ga., on Aug. 18, 2020.

Goshen, Ky., on April 1, 2021.

1980s

lanta, on Jan. 10.

SUSAN A. ODOM, PHD CHEM 08,

NOLAN IVIE, BME 10, of GainesDONALD W. TOLBERT, IM 70, of

JEANNE (DELANY) SINGER, of At-

EVAN C. WORK, CLS 10, of Gulf

Gainseville, Ga., on March 22.

Breeze, Fla., on April 21.

MARK ALAN CEARFOSS, CHEM 86, of Smyrna, Ga., on Feb. 10.

2020s JESSE AUSTIN STRINGFELLOW, EE

MICHAEL R. “MIKE” DEFATTA, ME 80, of Huntsville, Ala., on Feb. 19.

ELIZABETH STARR TOWLES, of Atlanta, Ga., and Vero Beach, Fla., on Jan. 25.

20, of Carrollton, Ga., on April 2.

FRIENDS

CHARLES F. “CHUCK” GAZIANO,

MONTE A. BEECH, of Decatur, Ga.,

ME 84, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Feb. 14.

on April 13.

DENNIS H. NAGAO, of Sandy Springs, Ga., on March 19.

SUE WOOLF, of Atlanta, on March 31.

LORA H. HYATT, CHE 87, of Nice-

BUTCH BROOKS, of Arnoldsville,

ville, Fla., on March 13.

Ga., on April 18.

ZIAD NASSAR, ME 84, MS ME 85,

BARBARA GRANT DEEDY, of

of Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 12, 2020.

Duluth, Ga., on March 26.

DANIEL J. REILMAN, IE 84, of

PEGGY (HEARN) FULLER, of Deca-

Northville, Mich., on March 7.

tur, Ga., on Feb. 27.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

89

TECH MARKETPL ACE BUSINESS SERVICES

Michael Whitman Master Plumber GT CE Alumnus

INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS AUTOMATION CamKay Solutions Provides Emergency

SERVING GREATER ATLANTA SINCE 1963 Plumbing, sewer and drain cleaning service. Repiping and trenchless pipe replacement. Water heater service

Electrical Control Services-24/7, Automation

BUZZ DOES!

military discounts. Free estimates.

Reach out to Justin Estes and sign up today!

770-505-8570 | atlantisplumbing.com atlantisplumbing@gmail.com

404.683.9599 Director of Business Development

and leak detection. Available 24/7 and offer senior and

Controls Retrofits, New Installations and Consulting Services. Motion Control Servo Systems, PLC’s, HMI’s, Drives, etc…

President Hugh Thomas, EE '95 678-773-3633 www.camkay.com mail@camkay.com CAREER

WE

GA TECH & THE JACKETS

Turn-key interior pipe replacement, water heating, and plumbing services. Check us out online and call for a free consultation.

Let Segars Engineering tackle your next engineering challenge and score one for your team

Go Jackets!

BUILD A BETTER FUTURE Cox is a dedicated group of people all focused on a single goal: building a better future for the next generation.

How do we do that? By disrupting industries. By treating our employees as our most important resource. And by improving the quality of life in our communities.

Come build a better future with us.

plumbingexpress.com | info@plumbingexpress.net THWg

434-202-7289 | segarsengineering.com

jobs.coxenterprises.com CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGY

ATLANTA SOFTWARE DESIGN CENTER

5 STAR MIDTOWN DENTIST

Innovation is everywhere. Keysight provides solutions to accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world.

BUZZ DOES! Reach out to Justin Estes and sign up today!

404.683.9599 Director of Business Development

90

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

Conveniently located in Colony Square and ser ving the area since 1986. We provide great Cosmetic and General Dentistr y, Or thodontics, Implant, and Sedation Dentistr y. Stephan Drescher DDS (B.S. Biochem ’12) recently joined the practice. Come visit us today!

404 892-3545 | midtownatlantadentist.com info@midtownatlantadentist.com

The Atlanta Software Design Center focuses on Cloud, IoT, Data Analytics and Visualization to build out an Open, Scalable and Predictive software platform. Specific projects include full-stack development, Cloud portal with user authentication, IoT architecture and data management, high performance visualization, machine learning algorithms, software framework for multi-OS deployment: desktop, Cloud/Web, corporate VMs, mobile devices.

510-875-9869 | Jobs.Keysight.com/atl ernest.Wesson@non.Keysight.com

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

LAW AND FINANCE

The Baldwin Group is your best resource to take advantage of your opportunities and overcome your obstacles. We specialize in construction management, from concept to completion. In a time of tight budgets and quicker turnarounds, The Baldwin Group is all the experience you need. We work with you from the beginning to create a realistic project plan. Then throughout the project, we work with you to adhere to the plan so that you achieve your goal: a project completed profitably, on time and in budget.

CONNECT TO WHAT’S NEXT IN WATER Neptune is a technology company ser ving water utilities across Nor th America.

We engineer measurement tools and design sof t ware, net works, and systems interconnected by a smar t net work to make data actionable. Neptune’s exper tise and experience are specif ically focused on the business of water.

IDENTITY THEFT & LEGAL PROTECTION Unexpected identity theft and legal issues happen every day. With IDShield, you’ll have access to “best-in-class” Identity Theft Monitoring/Protection/Restoration services from the licensed fraud investigators of KROLL, the leader in cyber security, data recovery, and personal ID risk

SPECIALIZING IN YOUR PROJECTS; UP TO $1 BILLION & MORE

management. With LegalShield, you’ll have access to a dedicated network of top-rated law firms in every state.

Join our team! neptunetg.com/careers

www.legalshield.com/info/gatechalum Ron Fincher, BSMGT ’88 | Alumni Perks Partner 770-313-1033 | rfincher@gatech.edu

770-671-0300 | techinfo@tbginc.net www.tbginc.net

FOUNDATION REPAIR AND WATERPROOFING Foundation Worx was started by a Georgia Tech engineering alumnus. We pride ourselves on analyzing your foundation and water problems by providing a customized solution. We solve your foundation problems - settlement, wall failure, water intrusion or crawl space issues. Commercial or Residential Jonathan Maguire | MS ISYE 01 404-662-2454 | info@foundation-worx.com www.foundation-worx.com

WHEN EXPERIENCE COUNTS! More than 25 years of experience in the Atlanta real estate market, specializing in North Atlanta. Top 1% of all agents Nationwide! Call a true professional, and wife of a Georgia Tech Alumnus, for all your real estate needs.

Maria Licata, Associate Broker RE/MAX Around Atlanta | 770-861-1009 marialicata@remax.net | marialicata.com

MEGHANN (MURRAY) BRACKETT, REALTOR® With over $20MM sold in the last 12 months, Meghann

BUZZ DOES!

is one of the top real estate agents in the Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, providing best-in-class marketing, excellence in customer service, and

Reach out to Justin Estes and sign up today!

exceptional energy to achieve results. And she is a proud Georgia Tech Alumna!

706-968-1870 www.meghannbrackett.com meghann.brackett@bhhsgeorgia.com

404.683.9599 Director of Business Development

NOW BUILDING IN FORSYTH, FULTON, DEKALB, GWINNETT, AND OCONEE “At SR Homes, our goal is to focus on building you a home that meets your needs both today and tomorrow. We’ll think through the details so you don’t have to.”

-Alex Tetterton, President of SR Homes 678-252-2525 | SRHomes.com info@srhomes.com

STOREY CUSTOM HOMES MAKING DREAM HOMES A REALITY

A family-owned and operated business, with nearly three decades of experience and more than 50 luxury homes built, Storey Custom Homes designs and builds custom homes that exceed homeowner’s expectations.

678-957-0110 | storeycustomhomes.com Danny Storey, CE 1969 drstorey@storeycustomhomes.com

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

91

TECH HISTORY

60 YEARS.

CELEBRATING OUR PAST , CONTINUING OUR LEGACY

S

S I X T Y Y E A R S A G O this September, Ford C. Greene, Ralph A. Long Jr., and Lawrence Williams became the first Black students to enroll at Georgia Tech, making the school the first public university in the Deep South to integrate peacefully, without a court order.

But of course, that’s not the whole story. When statues commemorating these men were unveiled on campus in 2019, the men were on hand to speak, telling stories no one in the Georgia Tech community had heard before— stories of social isolation, discrimination, and how they were actually guarded by plainclothes policemen around campus.

The narrative surrounding how desegregation occurred at Georgia Tech was told from the viewpoint of the

administration, says Jeanne Kerney, CE 84, who serves as president of the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization (GTBAO). “No one ever asked the students how they felt or what actually happened to them.”

To honor the 60th anniversary of Black students matriculating at the Institute, the GTBAO is telling those stories. The organization has planned a yearlong commemoration entitled “60 years. Celebrating Our Past, Continuing Our Legacy,” and during the coming months, the community will remember those challenges early Black students overcame, and celebrate their successes and the contributions they have made to Georgia Tech.

The GTBAO plans to host a series of podcasts with the school’s early Black alumni, as well as early Black faculty and staff. The organization is also collaborating with the Office of Development to create a digital yearbook.

“THE CELEBRATION IS ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE’VE MADE IT THROUGH,” SAYS KERNEY.

92

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

BY KELLEY FREUND

Together on campus: (L–R) Ralph A. Long Jr., Lawrence Williams, and the late Ford C. Green, who died in 2020.

The yearbook will allow Black graduates to connect with fellow classmates or other alumni who live in their area.

And through organizing the yearbook, the GTBAO hopes to gather the names of those who served as officers in early Black campus organizations, as those have never been officially recorded.

“The celebration is about the fact that we’ve made it through,” says Kerney. “But it’s also about capturing the historical narrative of the Black experience at Georgia Tech, as told by students, faculty, and staff. What did we go through, how did we prosper?

Because our story is different.”

Here, a few of those early alumni discuss their time at Georgia Tech and what the Institute means to them today.

The first three Black students to matriculate at Tech in 1961: Long, Williams, and Green.

FIRST BLACK GRADUATE AT TECH

R O N A L D YA N C E Y * , E E 6 5 D E A N J A M E S D U L L gave

20 years before an African-American would graduate

me a tour of the campus a

from Georgia Tech. That infuriated me. I said we’ve got

week before school started.

to do something about that.

He said, “You will be protected by the Georgia Bureau

I also remember an incident when I was 10 years old

of Investigation. They’ll be attending classes. You won’t

riding the bus with my mother. A sign on the bus said

know them, but they’ll be with you.”

“White passengers seat from the front. Colored pas-

I met hostility. Fortunately, having been in demonstra-

sengers seat from the rear.” I sat down in front of my

tions and sit-ins in downtown Atlanta, I had some skills

mother and a white gentleman got on the bus and went

in identifying when a crowd was becoming dangerous.

straight to me and said, “Get out of that seat. There are

I knew how to watch my back, but I never felt like I was

seats in the back.” I went to sit next to my mother and I

alone on campus because of my faith. But to give you

looked at her face. For the first time, I saw on her face

some perspective, the whole time I was at Tech, I only

a mixture of anger, hurt, and rejection. But I didn’t see

saw a Black student twice on campus.

fear. From that point on, that became personal to me.

There were a couple incidents that I look back on now that I feel good about. I remember in 11th grade, I read an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal that said it would be

When I graduated, I said, “This is for you, mom.” *Yancey’s story is collected from a 2019 Diversity Symposium panel discussion.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

93

TECH HISTORY

Through the support of Black alumni, the statue Continuing the Conversation commemorates Rosa Parks at ages 42 and 92.

ONE OF THE FIRST BLACK STUDENTS AT TECH

C H A R L E S M c K I N N E Y, C E 6 9 I H AV E L I G H T E R S K I N , and

I did A work, but got Bs on my coursework and a C

that’s known as “flying un-

for that class. A quarter later I looked up my file, and

der the radar.” I have been identified as the Black guy,

my C had been changed to a D. All right, if that’s the

but I have also been known as an East Indian. Whenev-

environment I’m working in, I’ll just have to take more

er I was identified as East Indian, it was because I did

classes. Let me tell you, I got myself an education.

something really cool. When I did something bad, I was the Black guy.

94

I am a Georgia Tech graduate. You can give me bad grades. But one thing you can’t take away from me is

One year, I turned in cards for class registration, and

my knowledge. I left with a deep understanding of civ-

within 45 minutes I had a note from a social studies pro-

il engineering, its supporting sciences, and personal

fessor in my mailbox, asking me to come see him. When

self-confidence. Georgia Tech is a fantastic place and

I went into his office, he had a large Confederate flag

makes good people. Why did I go to Georgia Tech? Be-

hanging up. He told me I should drop his class, and if I

cause I want to be the best. Why did I send my kids to

didn’t, then I wouldn’t pass.

Georgia Tech? Because I wanted them to be the best.

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE GEORGIA

HAYWOOD SOLOMON , IM 70

TECH AFRO-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION

MY CHILDHOOD NEIGHBORH O O D in southwest Atlanta

Tech Afro-American Association (GTAAA) and served as the organization’s

was a Black, self-sufficient

first president. The GTAAA created study groups for

community with doctors, lawyers, restaurants, and the-

Black students, worked with administrators to set up the

aters. If we left that community, we faced discrimination,

Black House, where students could socialize, and orga-

so it wasn’t something my family did often. But as the

nized a Black History Week. I began to feel more a part

country became more integrated, I knew that someday

of the school in my later years at Tech, when I became a

I would need to be able to function in a multicultural,

teaching assistant and served on the Judiciary Council

multiracial environment. So I came to Georgia Tech.

of the Student Government Association.

There were just five other Black students in my fresh-

All the jobs I’ve had over the years have required

man class, at an institution of over 7,000. At football

me to interact with people of different races and socio-

games, students stood when the band played “Dixie”

economic status. And that’s what I saw at Tech. My ex-

(but my friends and I stayed seated), it was difficult to

perience at the school showed me how to function in

find professors who offered support, and there were no

a multicultural society. Without it, I would have had a

organizations for Black students to turn to for resources.

more difficult time making that transition to the business

My sophomore year, I helped found the Georgia

world.

“MY EXPERIENCE AT THE SCHOOL SHOWED ME HOW TO FUNCTION IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY,” SAYS SOLOMON.

At Homecoming in 1979, Amy (Milburn) Joseph, IM 82, was the first Black student to win the title Ms. Georgia Tech.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

95

TECH HISTORY

TEACHES AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES, HISTORY OF MEDICINE, SCIENCE AND

E V E LY N N H A M M O N D S , E E 76 THE ATMOSPHERE ON TECH’S C A M P U S was always tense.

RACE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

intervene on my behalf.

My experience was extremely hard. I wanted to quit

You felt like anything could set off some racial issue. But

many times. But my mom kept me going. She said if I

mostly, the white students and Black students just stayed

didn’t think I could do the work or the work wasn’t in-

apart from each other. We were in a separate world.

teresting to me, then I could quit. But I couldn’t quit just

Anytime we had to work collaboratively, white stu-

because people didn’t want me to be there.

dents made it clear they did not want to work with

Today, there’s more diversity at Georgia Tech than I

us. And I faced double discrimination being a Black

could’ve ever imagined when I was a student, and the

woman. I remember labs where the guys would hand

atmosphere is much more conducive to producing the

me a notebook and say, “Evelynn, take notes. You

nation’s top engineers. That’s the ultimate goal. We

can’t touch the equipment. You have to take notes.”

want students to feel valued and safe in a place where

When I would complain to the lab director or profes-

they can just concentrate on being innovative and cre-

sor, they would ignore me, or say, “That’s just how it is.

ative engineers and use their talent to change the world

This is what you have to put up with.” They refused to

for the better.

“TODAY, THERE’S MORE DIVERSITY AT GEORGIA TECH THAN I COULD’VE EVER IMAGINED WHEN I WAS A STUDENT,” SAYS HAMMONDS.

FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO GRADUATE WITH A BACHELOR’S IN THE FOUR-YEAR

TA W A N A ( D E R R I C O T T E ) M I L L E R , I M 76 W H E N I E N T E R E D T E C H , the

a job. Tech teaches you how to work hard, if nothing

mentality was, “Look to

else. Not only did I graduate, but I graduated early. I

your left. Now look to your right. Only one of you is go-

realized my Georgia Tech education opened so many

ing to graduate.” I had no idea I was going to be the

doors for my career that today I bleed gold.

one to make it.

96

PROGRAM AT TECH

Three of my four children have a Tech degree, as do

Professors mispronounced my name and ignored

my brother and nieces and nephews, and I have high-

me, white students used the N-word, and once, some

school-age grandchildren I hope will enroll. So we are

of them hung pictures of monkeys on Black students’

now seeing second- and third-generation Black stu-

doors. Many of the Black athletes majored in indus-

dents go to Tech. If we’re talking about “continuing

trial management, so I had support from them, and

our legacy” this year, I want that for my family legacy.

when I joined the Flag Corps, that also served as a sup-

I used to be jealous, hearing other students talk about

port group. But for the most part, I didn’t have time to

how their grandfather attended the school. But time has

think about race. I was on a mission: Get in, get out, get

passed, and now we can participate in that conversation.

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

The Three Pioneers commemorates Tech’s first three Black matriculants: Long, Williams, and Green. A separate statue recognizes Yancey, the first Black graduate at Georgia Tech.

CONTINUING OUR LEGACY What do the next 60 years hold? Kerney hopes they will bring more Black students to Georgia Tech.

“Tech is currently 5 percent AfricanAmerican, and has been that way for a long time,” she points out. “We’re not losing ground, but we’re not really gaining ground, either. Georgia is 30 percent African-American. Surely we can find a few more people who want to come here.”

This past year, the GTBAO was able to provide a student with a multi-year scholarship for the first time. In honor of the anniversary, the organization is kicking off an endowment campaign in order to provide more multi-year scholarships and bring more Black students to Tech.

But what happens once they get here? Kerney thinks the Institute has done a wonderful job creating academic opportunities for minority students—Georgia Tech is consistently rated among the top universities in the nation for the graduation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, physical sciences, and architecture and planning. The Institute’s new Strategic Plan also includes actions focused on further expanding access to

underrepresented minorities, women, and low-income students. The Institute’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office focuses on recruiting and retaining a diverse team of students, faculty, and staff.

“But that student-life aspect is also very important,” Kerney says. “From a culture standpoint and the enjoyment of life on campus, I think that’s where we can improve and help students graduate with more positive feelings about Tech.”

Which is why the GTBAO is asking the administration to consider building a Black cultural center on campus.

It would be a place for students to hang out, where Black campus organizations can keep their records, and where students can learn and celebrate the achievements of their culture.

That last part is a very important point for Kerney, who gets a call about once a month from families wanting to talk with her about sending their child to Tech. “Often the student will say they think Tech will be too hard.

But what makes people think that Tech is not a place where Black people can prosper? Because I can show you too many who have [prospered]. We have to get that story out.”

V IS IT WWW. G TB AO . G TA L U M N I . O RG F O R I N F O R MAT I ON ON H OW T O

FOR THE FUTURE

How can the Georgia Tech community make sure the next 60 years continue the legacy that started with Tech’s trailblazers?

Our alumni interviewees weigh in.

“Don’t abandon your culture. Be supportive of one another and use the organizations available at Georgia Tech today to educate others so we can all live together successfully.”

–HAYWOOD SOLOMON “I hope future students understand that they need to turn around, grab a hand, and pull someone else through. And I hope everyone tries to do that.”

–TAWANA MILLER “Our future has to be fundamentally different. We have to strive for a time when everybody who has the talent to do engineering should be celebrated.

Like Star Trek Discovery, where the engineer is a Black woman. That’s what we want to see.”

–EVELYNN HAMMONDS

SU P P O R T TH E B AO S C H O L A R S H I P C AMPAI GN .

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2021

97

BACK PAGE

A SOLDIER’S BEST FRIEND WITH HIS DOG BY HIS SIDE, EVERY WEEK GEORGE CLARK JR BRINGS COMFORT TO VETERANS LIKE HIMSELF.

O

SUMMER 2021 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE

KIMBERLY MARSH PHOTOGRAPHY

98

lives with them. We also visited patients in the Dementia Special Care wing.

Sometimes their handling of Jack was a little rough.

But Jack was a trooper and never showed any discomfort—he was the long-serving G.I. who understood that sometimes service is going to be uncomfortable, and you just have to gut it out. Every Wednesday, he and I went down to the hospital. One day, a man with Dementia bear-hugged Jack. I was worried how Jack would Clark, with Lucy, who is training to become a therapy dog to react the next week. The bring calm to veterans with P.T.S.D. and other illnesses. following Wednesday, we walked into the room and Jack walked in the veterans’ facility. over and put his head on the guy’s In 2018, my wife and I brought knee. The staff said the man was calmhome Lucy, a Rhodesian Ridgeback er and more relaxed after our visits. puppy who Jack took to immediateI was taught by a retired cavalry ofly. A year later, Jack passed away after ficer that an officer is not just in charge years of providing comfort to veterof his troops. Because he can send ans. I have carried on our mission, and them into harm’s way, he is irretrievsoon Lucy will be ready to help others ably responsible for everything—from in need. Doing something useful and their lunch to their time off. That rebeing able to do it with your dog? It sponsibility doesn’t end on weekends doesn’t get better than that. nor after years away. The teaching was Soldier’s Best Friend is an Arizonarepeated many times by outstanding based nonprofit that provides U.S. leaders under whom I have served. military veterans with therapy dogs, The men I sent into harm’s way years most of which are rescued from local ago are now scattered. I can’t help shelters. For more information, visit them, but I can help the guys and gals soldiersbestfriend.org.

PHOTOGRAPH

ON MARCH 16, 1963, my wife and my ROTC instructor pinned Army second lieutenant’s bars on my shoulders on the baseball field at Georgia Tech.

Almost 53 years later, I walked into the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Prescott, Ariz., and walked away with a solid two-fer: I got healthcare and my canine partner got a job.

Waiting at home was Jack, my Rhodesian Ridgeback certified therapy dog. Therapy dogs work because about 30,000 years ago, our domesticated wolves, Canis Lupus Familiaris, hijacked our human-to-human bonding process. Gazing into each other’s eyes, both the person and the dog experience an increase in the bonding hormone oxytocin and the release of seratonin, the feel-good hormone.

A few weeks after I wandered into the V.A. facility, Jack and I began visiting the long-term patients in the Community Living Center—these were veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other illnesses. We met families in the hospice wing. Jack would let them pet him, bringing SHOW US calm and comfort while YOUR GT PETS! they sat and spoke of Tag @gtalumni their dogs and their on Instagram.

BY GEORGE D. CL ARK, JR., IE 63

GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH | INNOVATIVE CAMPUS BUILDINGS | S T U D E N T S C H O L A R S H I P S

C E L E B R AT E T H E S P I R I T O F T E C H through Leadership Giving - the cornerstone of Roll Call For 75 years, Leadership Circle donors of Roll Call, Georgia Tech’s Fund for Excellence, have established the tone for the future of Georgia Tech. It is the spirit of philanthropy that has sustained the Institute since its founding. And, through this spirit, Leadership Circle donors have provided the resources necessary to make the difference between an experience of average quality and one that is extraordinary for every student and faculty member at the Institute. Give now to demonstrate your commitment to excellence and celebrate the spirit of philanthropy at Tech.

Give to Roll Call today at: gtalumni.org/givetoday Gifts can be mailed to: Roll Call, Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 190 North Ave, Atlanta, GA 30313, 404.894.0778

YOUR LEGACY IS YOUR SIGNATURE. WE PUT OURS ON EVERYTHING WE DO. Led by a team of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Galerie Living is disrupting the senior living industry and transforming the lives of older adults and those who care for them. From concept to development to management, our communities and technology are sealed with the Galerie standard of excellence.

Corso Atlanta - Great Hall

Learn more at galerieliving.com or explore our newest community at corsoatlanta.com.

Village Park and Corso Atlanta are developments of Galerie Living.

Corso Atlanta - Great Hall

CITY HOMES • INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE

Building legacies that last.

Corso Atlanta - Wine & Cheese Room