Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 98 No. 4 Winter 2023

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

— J. Ben Wauford, ARCH 1979, M. ARCH 1981, and Christopher W. Broderick

“My dad taught me the power and grace of giving.”

A NOTE ON FAILURE

TTHIS PAST FALL, I spoke to a class of Stamps President’s Scholars. These students represent the pinnacle of academic excellence and leadership. As the top 1% of first-year students, they receive a full ride and set the bar for success extremely high. I’m sure I learned more from them than they did from me, and I was honored to have the opportunity. Meeting these bright “alumni-in-residence” reminded me of my first days at Tech. There was a moment early in my career as a student when I could hardly see myself in a classroom with that much knowledge, let alone speaking to them as an adult many years later.

Weeks into my first quarter, I quickly realized that the days of high school were long gone. My first real challenge was calculus. Despite hours of studying, I couldn’t seem to raise my grade, and after weeks of suffering in silence, I failed. I was not accustomed to failure. The stakes felt impossibly high, and my life seemed off-track. I began to question whether I

belonged at Tech at all.

Failure is something we all face. Sometimes things will go from bad to worse. We will make a mistake or get in over our heads. That’s part of life. The silver lining in failure is how it offers opportunities we may not otherwise have.

I knew I had a choice to make. I could accept defeat and shelve my goals at Tech or take a serious look at what went wrong and map out a new plan to succeed. Despite my fear, I chose the latter.

People say that Tech teaches us how to persevere. That’s true, but I would take it further and say, Georgia Tech teaches us how to respond to failure.

After failing calculus, I put pen to paper and mapped myself out of the hole that I was in. I learned how to make a plan and stick to it. In my planning, I found the math lab. I learned that Tech had the tools I needed to succeed. All I had to do was ask for help.

Beyond showing us how to face failure, Tech provides a lifetime of resources to help us when we need it. From career advice to networking events, there are always Jackets ready to help each other when times get tough.

I would not be where I am today had I not failed. As you’ll read in the following pages, many others will say the same.

Failure is part of the process, and I’m grateful that Tech taught me how to face it with strength.

Go Jackets!

DENE SHEHEANE, MGT 91 PRESIDENT GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE

STUDENT ASSISTANTS

Riddhi Bhattacharya and Sadie Mothershed

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Chair

Magd Riad, IE 01

Past Chair/Vice Chair of Finance

Shan Pesaru, CmpE 05

Chair Elect, Vice Chair/Roll Call Elizabeth “Betsy” Bulat, IAML 04

Vice Chair

Tommy Herrington, IM 82

Member at Large Annie I. Antón, ICS 90, MS ICS 92, PhD CS 97

Member at Large Jason Byars, ME 96

Member at Large Brian Tyson, EE 10 Member at Large Amy Rich, MBA 12

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jennifer Abrams, PP 17; Latanza Adjei, IE 98; Sybrina Atwaters, EE 94, MS HSTS 09, PhD HSTS 14; Archel Bernard, STC 11; Michael Bogachek, IE 00; Jasmine Burton, ID 14; Duane Carver, CmpE 10; Aurélien Cottet, MS AE 03; Elizabeth Donnelly, IA 08; Matthew Dubnik, Mgt 03; Adam Fuller, Mgt 93; 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; Antonio Llanos, CS 95; Matthew Mason, IE 01; Randolph McDow, IE 95, MS PP 03; Meredith Moot, Mgt 08; Antai Peng, PhD EE 96; Anna Pinder, ME 03; George Ray, Mgt 09, PP 09; James Sanders, IE 88; Stacey Sapp, IM 80; Jacquelyn Renée Schneider, BC 06, MBA 18; Rene Simon, MBA 18; Chad Sims, BA 15; Courtney Robinson Smith, Mgt 00; Mary Lynn Smith, EE 88; John R. Spriggle, ME 02; Kenji Takeuchi, ME 94; Maurice Trebuchon, IE 86; Sheetal Wrzesien, CS 94

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TRIAL AND ERROR

Failure can lead to growth and positive change, yet it’s still difficult to have open conversations about our mistakes. These Yellow Jackets open up about personal and professional failures and moving forward.

FEATURES

F+ ROOM FOR ERRORS

These Jackets encountered failure, often multiple times, and turned their struggle into success.

FAIL FAST

Young startup founders must learn to embrace failure. Three veterans of Tech’s CREATE-X program share common setbacks and how failing opened new doors of opportunity.

DEPARTMENTS

INSIDE MISSION CONTROL

After years of preparation, a group of Georgia Tech students will finally be in control of the Lunar Flashlight spacecraft, guiding it around the Moon on its search for lunar ice.

PHOTOGRAPH CANDLER HOBBS

MARILYN’S INFLUENCE

TECH’S

FIRST WOMEN FROM LATIN AMERICA

I READ YOUR ARTICLE [“From 1952 to 2022,” Vol. 98, No. 3] and thought it was wonderful because there is so much history that is unknown when it comes to the early years of women at Georgia Tech. I started Tech the fall of 1976 and joined Alpha Gamma Delta sorority that fall. There were several sisters that were members before me that were from Puerto Rico and maybe other Latin American places, I am just not sure.

—CHRIS USRY-ARNOLD, TEXT 81, OF VILLA RICA, GA.

I WAS VERY IMPRESSED with the variety of stories [in the Fall 2022, Vol. 98, No. 3 issue]. I started at Tech in September of 1952 as a co-op Mechanical Engineering student, co-oping with The Timken Roller Bearing Company (now The Timken Company) in my home town of Canton, Ohio. The photo on pages 6–7 of the vintage mailboxes brought to mind a situation I encountered in my first quarter at Tech. It seems there were four Mark Millers enrolled at that time: me, Mark A., as well as a Mark B., a Mark C., and a Mark D. (Go figure!) To handle this, the postmaster decided to have all mail put into one box and left it to the four of us to sort among ourselves.

The next item has to do with the photo on page 69 that was part of the story about Cristina Easterbrook. On the floor in front of her I noted a copy of Look magazine from September of 1952. That issue is very significant to me as it was what finally convinced me to choose Georgia Tech over the University of Cincinnati. I was having a problem deciding and both schools were sending requests for me to confirm with them. When I saw that issue of Look with Marilyn Monroe wearing a Tech sweater on the cover, I knew I had to go to Tech. (I was very disappointed on my arrival to find she wasn’t anywhere on campus.) Thank you for a great issue of the Alumni Magazine. It brought back some great memories.

—MARK A. MILLER, ME 58, CANTON, OHIO

ROOMMATES REUNITED 51 YEARS LATER

YOU MAY REMEMBER A LITTLE STORY that was in the Spring 2017, Vol. 93, No. 1 of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine (feedback section, page 8) about my daughter, Tiffany Poole, IE 04, incredibly and with near zero chance, meeting my 1971 college roommate Jim Markley, CE 73, and his wife, Debbie, on an elevator in Washington, D.C. Jim was my last roommate and was living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Jim and I had not seen or talked to each other since my graduation. The Markleys and Tiffany were all headed by chance to the same wedding rehearsal. As a follow-up to that story, my wife, Iris, and Tiffany and I added two days to the front of an Alaska inside passage cruise in August 2022 to spend two incredible days at Jim and Debbie’s beautiful home in Idaho. “Fat Harv” (as he was known at Tech and not due to his weight) is now retired and enjoying the fruits of a successful career. Harv knew and befriended a lot of people while at Tech. We kept our room door in Matheson Residence Hall open when we were inside to make it easy for his friends to stop by. I learned from his incredible personality and people skills, and those skills benefited my career immensely.

JACK POOLE, ME 71, OF AUGUSTA, GA.

(L-R) Jim Markley, CE 73, and Jack Poole, ME 71

DEAN DULL PAID MY TUITION

ENJOYED READING “100 Years of the Dean of Students” article in the Summer Issue [Vol. 98, No. 2]. Thought I’d pass on a couple of my experiences with Dean Dull.

I started a very successful yard business in central Florida when I was 12, and by age 18, had saved enough money to pay my way through Tech. Imagine my surprise when I was called into Dean Dull’s office at the start of the winter quarter my sophomore year for him to inform me that my tuition check had bounced. “Impossible!” I proclaimed. But a phone call home confirmed that my dad had drained my savings (he had to open the account for me as a minor and it was still a joint account) to invest in his business and lost it all. I was devastated. Dean Dull personally paid

THE “OLD CHURCH”

I ENJOYED the article about ghost buildings in the Fall issue [Vol. 98, No. 3]. Here is one more for you:

The Hemphill Church of God (the “Old Church”) was home to DramaTech from 1968 until 1992, when it moved into the Dean James E. Dull Theater. The church was torn down after DramaTech moved. While I was there, one wing of the building had long been condemned. That wing was known to be haunted. So when we moved DramaTech to its new home, Eddie Maise decided we should also move the ghost. He left an open, empty box labeled “Ghost” out overnight, taped it up the next morning, moved it into the new theater, and opened it up. So we do move our traditions from building to building as we progress.

CHRIS JORDAN, ME 90

my $310 winter quarter tuition so that

I could stay in school. A week later, I sold my classic sunburst-finished Gibson acoustic guitar (now worth over $100,000) to pay him back and interviewed for a job as a dorm counselor for spring quarter. I got the job, and worked my way up to RA for Matheson/Perry. Tech and the Housing Department were very good to me, and essentially funded my degree.

As captain of the cheerleading team from 1972 to 1973, I was called into Dean Dull’s office every Monday following a home football game. It seems that the student section loved the colorful cheer “Differential Y,” but Dean Dull admonished me multiple times for leading the cheer. Many years later, my wife and I attended a play at the Dean Dull Black

Box Theater to see our daughter, who had a starring role in the production. We were thrilled to see the Dulls at the show. I jumped up and down with excitement and shouted, “Dean Dull! Dean Dull! I’m Wayne Kerr! Do you remember me?” The dean gave me one of those comedic, long, dry, sarcastic stares, and finally asked, “How could I forget?” What a hoot!

—WAYNE KERR, ABIO 73, MS ABIO 74, OF STOCKBRIDGE, GA.

Dene Sheheane,

AROUND CAMPUS

EUREKA HAPPENS HERE

At almost 7,000 square feet with over 500 different tools, the Flowers Invention Studio is the largest student-run makerspace in the country. In here, students have the freedom to experiment, create, and make mistakes.

PHOTOGRAPH ASHLEY RITCHIE

GEORGIA TECH–LORRAINE REBRANDS AS GEORGIA TECH–EUROPE

THE GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY has announced that Georgia Tech–Lorraine, the Institute’s first international campus, will now be known as Georgia Tech–Europe (GTE).

The change reflects the growth of the Institute’s presence in Europe and aligns with its strategic goals to amplify impact, champion innovation, connect globally, and expand access.

The rebrand will create a more recognizable name and expand Georgia Tech’s reach in the region and greater Europe. That expansion will mean greater partnerships with European institutions and opportunities for increased student involvement with European industry.

“Georgia Tech–Europe is a strategic evolution in the Institute’s international presence and global reach,” says Steven McLaughlin, Georgia Tech’s provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “The rebrand

allows us to further grow our footprint and expand our education, research, and innovation throughout the region, greater Europe, and the world.”

Since 1990, Georgia Tech–Lorraine has served more than 11,000 students from all over the world and proudly played host to some of the finest academic programming, schools, and research centers in Europe. Located in Metz, France, the Georgia Tech–Europe campus is strategically located in an area that borders Luxembourg,

BY SUSIE IVY

Germany, and Belgium. The campus is in proximity to several European Union (EU) institutions, including the judicial body of the EU and many European Commissions located in Luxembourg, and the headquarters of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

In addition to Georgia Tech–Europe, a main campus in Atlanta, and online learning options, Georgia Tech also has a campus in Shenzhen, China.

THE CHANGE WILL CREATE A MORE RECOGNIZABLE NAME AND EXPAND THE GEORGIA TECH PRESENCE IN THE REGION AND GREATER EUROPE.

Georgia Tech-Europe’s campus is located in Metz, France, less than 90 miles from Paris.

GEORGIA TECH SCHELLER ESTABLISHES NEW YOUNG ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD

AT THE GEORGIA TECH SCHELLER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, a new Young Alumni Advisory Board (YAAB) has been created and members kicked off their inaugural meeting in early October.

The mission of the YAAB is to support Scheller’s Strategic Plan while increasing the engagement of young alumni. Like the existing Scheller Advisory Board members, YAAB members will also offer networking and mentoring opportunities to students and alumni and philanthropic opportunities for its members. This new board will act separately from the existing Scheller Advisory Board but will receive invaluable knowledge, mentoring, and feedback from that board’s members.

Daniel Diaz, MBA 21, a manager at the Southern Company, is the chair of the new board.

The idea to bring in young alumni to help determine the course for

Scheller came about when Dick Bergmark, IM 75, HON PhD 22, started looking at the rankings of other business schools and noticed a commonality among a few of those with high rankings—they all have young alumni advisory boards.

“My first look into the rankings indicated that our engagement with young alumni was not providing them with the access or forum to engage with Scheller, a business school that they clearly cared for. I took this to several young alumni and probed them for what we could do to improve engagement. Most of them felt we needed to create a structured forum for them to contribute, and that should be through a young alumni advisory board. I don’t think I came up with the idea as much as I was fortunate to be in a position where I could facilitate creating it with the support of the Scheller Advisory Board,”

says Bergmark.

Bergmark is quick to recognize that the true work behind the scenes came from the Advisory Board Exploratory Committee, which spent six months compiling data, studying peer institutions, running focus groups, and creating surveys for young Scheller alumni who had graduated within the past 10 years. With the help of Mary Grace Herrington, director of development, the committee was formed with Bill Magee, IM 85, as the chair. Members included Bergmark, Dennis James, Mgt 92, Michelle Mabery, MBA 14, and Jacquelyn Renée Schneider, BC 06, MBA 18, with Teresa Smith, IM 83, Tommy Lester, MBA 11, and Tony Kimani, MBA 14, joining later for team interviews. They met regularly and produced a framework for eligibility requirements, mission, and bylaws. LORRIE

BURROUGHS

11,000 $35,750

THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS SERVED BY GEORGIA TECH–LORRAINE, NOW CALLED GEORGIA TECH–EUROPE, SINCE 1990.

AROUND CAMPUS

A MAKERSPACE LIKE NO OTHER

WHEN CRAIG FOREST, ME 01, returned to Georgia Tech in 2008 as a professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, he began teaching some of the courses he had taken as a student here, including a senior capstone course. Eager to emphasize an authentic, collaborative, and tactile approach to design, Forest gathered the support and resources needed to convert an unused mailroom on the second floor of the Manufacturing Related Disciplines Complex into the first iteration of The Flowers Invention Studio, which opened in March 2009. The studio has since experienced a major redesign, thanks to a generous commitment from Beth and Fort Flowers, ME 83.

The studio is a premier example of an academic “makerspace”—a workshop dedicated to a collaborative and accessible approach to design and fabrication of all kinds. Currently, the studio occupies almost 7,000 square feet of shop space and includes over 500 unique tools that span the gamut of manufacturing and design. There are sewing machines, laser cutters, and an 8-foot-high wall of 3D printers; there are tools for welding, milling, sanding, and sawing; there’s a bike repair station, and a store for purchasing raw materials on-site.

What is most remarkable about the Invention Studio is that the day-today management and maintenance is handled by a dedicated team of student volunteers. In 2010, students took over the running of the studio

and it has remained so ever since. This makes the Invention Studio the largest student-run makerspace in the nation. The student-run model for an academic makerspace is rare, but for Forest and others, it’s what makes the Invention Studio so successful.

“If you trust students, if you empower them, they’ll blow you away,” Forest says. “That’s what we did that was really special. We trusted them, we empowered them, and we made it safe.”

Any student or faculty member of Georgia Tech can use the makerspace without charge and that includes access to all the tools and a select amount of materials. For newcomers, getting acquainted with the space is made easy in part due to the assistance provided from Prototyping Instructors—or PIs. The PIs, identified by colored armbands, are student volunteers who are highly trained and eager to lend their support to any project someone might be working on.

Teddy Koutsoftas is a junior industrial design major and a current PI. He sees only benefits to having students staff the space.

The Flowers Invention Studio, a 7,000-square-foot makerspace, is free for any Tech student or faculty member to use.

“You have to do a lot of training, and there are a lot of tests,” he says. Koutsoftas also believes that new students are more at ease venturing into a new space and seeing their peers ready to help them.

Additionally, there are intangible benefits to working as a PI. Amit Jariwala, PhD ME 13, director of Design and Innovation at the Woodruff School, believes the experience that student leaders gain will help them postgraduation. “The studio is an incredible collaboration platform, and I have witnessed numerous students form groups and find their cofounders for their startups within the space.”

Collectively, almost 150,000 hours were spent in the Invention Studio last year, the equivalent of each of Tech’s 17,000 undergraduates spending a full day in the shop.

IAN SARGENT

PHOTOGRAPHS

ASHLEY RITCHIE

WILL ROPER, PHYS 01, MS PHYS 02, joined the Defense Innovation Board, an advisory panel for the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Roper is a professor of the practice in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.

JENNIFER CHIRICO, MGT 97, PHD PP 11 , joined Georgia Tech’s Office of Infrastructure and Sustainability as the inaugural associate vice president of Sustainability. She will lead the implementation of the Institute’s Sustainability Plan and the Climate Action Plan as well as help guide the future of sustainability at Tech.

FRANK ROTHAERMEL was named one of the “Favorite Professors of the MBA Class of 2022” by Poets&Quants The online publication covers U.S. and international business schools and management education. Each year, they ask MBA students to submit names of their favorite professors.

SOFTBALL, ARMY ROTC CONDUCT LEADERSHIP TRAINING AT FORT BENNING

ON SEPT. 24, the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps’ (Army ROTC) Stinger Battalion invited the Georgia Tech softball team out for a day of leadership and team-building exercises.

The core focus of the Army ROTC is to develop future leaders through discipline and training events. The Yellow Jackets softball team, along with a few of the cadets from the battalion, split into squads to tackle two different training events: the Field Leaders Reaction Course (FLRC) and the Speed Course.

The day began with a brief explanation of the values of leadership in the Army and how the squads would be assessed during the first event. Next, the squads split off to begin the

FLRC. Each squad rotated through mission obstacles that required quick thinking and teamwork. For each iteration, a different squad leader was in charge. The obstacles ranged from moving an injured person across treacherous gaps to delivering payloads across makeshift bridges. Each of the iterations was graded by a senior cadet from the program.

“It was awesome working with Tech’s softball team and sharing leadership knowledge with them,” says cadet Jay Fluet, who helped grade participants during the exercises. “One of the best skills you can gain

from the Army is how to lead a group of your peers, and getting to share what I’ve spent three years learning and developing felt like coming full circle.”

The opportunity to develop leadership skills and teamwork was invaluable, and the team embraced the Army spirit of pushing through difficult circumstances and excelling in stressful environments.

“I think we learned a lot about each other and our communication and teamwork strategies,” says Yellow Jackets infielder Meghan Cassidy.

—EVELYN AYERS

A WISH COME TRUE FOR SAMMIE

TOGETHER with the organization Dream On 3, Georgia Tech studentathletes and coaches wanted to make sure Sammie Padgett, a 12-year-old girl with a chromosome condition, would have a weekend she would never forget—so they welcomed her to campus for Homecoming.

Padgett was born with a rare chromosomal disorder that makes her prone to seizures and that has affected her development. This often left her feeling isolated and excluded, but she’s found joy through sports and competing in the Special Olympics.

She is a huge softball and volleyball

fan, and, as it turns out, also a big fan of the Yellow Jackets.

Padgett’s weekend started with the Tech softball team, where she took part in practice and warmups. Then, it was on to visit with the nationally ranked volleyball team, and Sammie got to hang out in the locker room before the Jackets played the University of Virginia. Homecoming weekend at Tech wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Bobby Dodd Stadium. Padgett was fitted for her own cheerleading uniform and joined the cheer team for pregame traditions.

STEVEN NORRIS

Georgia Tech softball players train with Georgia Tech ROTC cadets at Fort Benning.

12-year-old Sammie Padgett joined Georgia Tech cheerleading for pre-game traditions this Homecoming.

Georgia Tech is excited to introduce a new campaign that will build a foundation to support our students, advance our research and innovation, enhance our campus and our community, and expand our impact at home and around the world.

Learn more about our goals at transformingtomorrow.gatech.edu

PHOTOGRAPH

TOP 10 IN THE NATION

Georgia Tech Volleyball played inside McCamish Pavilion for the first time on Oct. 9 against Pitt. This fall, the Yellow Jackets ranked in the top 10 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Women’s Poll. Since 2020, Georgia Tech Women’s Volleyball has been listed in 49 straight top 25 polls.

BY SHELLEY WUNDER-SMITH

H“HE WOULD RATHER WIN THAN BREATHE.”

That was the late New York recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski describing Jose Alvarado as a high school basketball player. It was that drive to win that made Josh Pastner, coach of Georgia Tech men’s basketball, recruit Alvarado for his team in 2016.

Three years passed, and Alvarado was on and off the Yellow Jackets’ injury list. Going into the 2020-’21 season, Tech had not won an ACC title since 1993 and had not played in the NCAA Tournament since 2010. Pastner was counting on Alvarado, now a senior point guard, to be the linchpin of a long-hoped-for championship year.

But things began inauspiciously. During Operation Basketball, the ACC’s media day, Tech was picked to finish ninth out of the league’s 15 teams; the team opened their season by losing the first two games, at home, to Georgia State and Mercer University.

“We were just sick about it,” Pastner says. “And our next game was against Kentucky. So the coaching staff stayed in the office until 4 a.m. after both of those games, and we retooled everything, including changing our entire offense.”

This pivot revitalized the team, and they handily won the next two games against No. 20 Kentucky and Nebraska—which were then followed by an uneven string of wins and losses. By the time the Yellow Jackets arrived in Clemson, South Carolina,

for their rematch against Clemson, they held a record of 9-7 overall and 5-5 in the ACC, and the opportunity for postseason play was in serious jeopardy. This was a game Tech needed to win.

Jackets fans will probably never forget how the Clemson game ended. With Tech up by one point—72–71— and eight seconds left in the game, Alvarado was fouled. Despite his 87.8% free-throw average, he missed both shots. The Tigers won the game when Clemson player Nick Honor heaved a Hail Mary 3-pointer that banked in at the final horn.

The two-hour bus ride back to Atlanta was silent.

“So we’re on the bus, and no one is saying anything. We get back at 1 or 2 in the morning, and Jose goes down to the arena and starts shooting free throws,” Pastner says. “He’s on the floor crying and shooting free throws, and he tells me he isn’t leaving there until he’s made 100 free throws.”

“The feeling that I felt when I missed those free throws, I didn’t want to feel like that ever again,” Alvarado said in a later interview. “I literally stood in the gym probably until 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning, and he [Coach Pastner] did not leave my side. I… shot free throws and just doubted myself. And he was there… and said, ‘I still want the ball in your hands. ’ ”

A day later, the Yellow Jackets played Pittsburgh. The team had zero margin for error: One more loss, and the chances for making the NCAA

Basketball Coach Josh Pastner remembers the moment after the Clemson defeat when Alvarado turned the loss into a drive that led to the Jackets’ historic winning season.

Tournament would be next to none.

Pastner remembers Alvarado saying to him before the game, “Coach, I will forever regret this unless we win every single game from here on out.”

That’s exactly what Tech did, beginning with the game against Pitt. The team marched victoriously through all six of their remaining regular season match-ups. Then they won twice more, against Miami and Florida State, to take the ACC title and advance to

play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years.

What caused this turnaround for the Jackets, you might ask?

Pastner has an axiom he instilled in his team: EPIP—Every Possession Is Precious. He coached his guys to fight for the ball every second of every game, the way Alvarado had always played, even in high school.

“That’s why Jose was in the gym after the Clemson game, shooting free

throws. He just wins; that’s what he does, and he carried the team with him in that,” says Pastner. “We can’t take any possession for granted, and I really appreciated that they played with that mentality.”

Today, Alvarado, who graduated in 2021 with a degree in Literature, Media, and Communications, plays guard for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.

“[That whole season] was a beautiful journey that really fit into what the team and our program and Georgia Tech is all about,” says Pastner. “As a student—or a student-athlete—at Georgia Tech, you’ve got to be tough, you’ve got to be gritty, and you’ve got to have that internal drive. To get off the ropes and keep fighting back. That’s what you do at Tech, and Jose and our team mirrored that. And the rest is history.”

“WE CAN’T TAKE ANY POSSESSION FOR GRANTED, AND I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT THEY PLAYED WITH THAT MENTALITY,” SAYS PASTNER.

THE POWER OF POSITIVITY

FORMER YELLOW JACKETS AND NFL STAR PRINCE “PJ” DANIELS, MGT 13, IS TEACHING THOUSANDS TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY

BY EMBRACING

EEVER THE OVERACHIEVER , Prince “PJ” Daniels taught himself how to ride his bike without training wheels at age five, just a day after having a dream that he could do so. (“If you can picture a vision and stay focused, you can make it a reality,” he notes.) But growing up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, he was also exposed to the importance of mindfulness and spirituality by his father (a black belt in karate) and four uncles, who religiously practiced meditation. As a result, he not only understood the importance of staying focused on a goal and persistently pursuing it from an early age, he also understood the importance of staying grounded.

Watching legendary running backs like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Emmitt Smith as a child, Daniels quickly developed a young love of football in the years that followed. But his parents refused to let him play until he could prove he could balance his athletic workload, school commitments, and social life. “They taught me that education was the most important thing,” he says. “So it wasn’t until high school in Houston, Texas, that I really got to go all-in on sports. But

MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION.

BY SCOTT STEINBERG, MGT 99

then finding a way to both make good grades and play well became a game to me—and I started progressing at an exponential rate.”

His prospects only continued looking up when a Georgia Tech recruiter happened to watch him play—only to see Daniels run an 80-yard touchdown after jumping over his fullback, who’d just thrown a block. But by the time he finally reached GT, he was shocked to realize that he’d only be one of a squad of many star players…and that he’d have to prove himself all over again. “I went from being a high school standout to being seventh on the running back chart,” he explains. But Daniels was not deterred.

“I made up in my mind that no one was going to steal my dream from me,” he says.

So after spending months running from one end of Georgia Tech’s campus to the other for workouts while teammates drove instead, his hard work eventually paid off. After starting as a walk-on for the Yellow Jackets, the management major went on to become the fourth-leading rusher in school history, racking up over 3,300 yards along the way.

Afterwards signing to the Baltimore Ravens, Daniels enjoyed three years of life-changing action, only to then be sidelined by a career-ending injury.

“I didn’t understand the proper way to take care of my body, or get the right

therapy as a professional,” he muses. “When I was forced to retire prematurely, I experienced a self-identity crisis because I had all these amazing skill sets, but nowhere to put them,” Daniels says.

Feeling guilty, ashamed, and embarrassed, Daniels soon experienced depression and a self-identity crisis, which led to troubling thoughts and a suicide attempt.

His uncles stepped in. They convinced him to live for a time at a monastery in Arkansas. There, Daniels was able to recover and bounce back. “I was empty inside and needed time to understand who I was as a person,” Daniels explains. “My last lifeline was mindfulness and meditation.”

Eventually coming to understand the need for transition, and that change begins internally (“it’s important to understand where you are mentally, emotionally, and psychologically”), Daniels took things day by day. As a result, he says, he was able to learn how to breathe, let go of what he’d lost, and slowly, steadily get back to good. “As a go-getter, it bothered me that my career plan did not pan out,” he admits. “But thanks to the skill sets mindfulness helped me gain and refine, I’ve been able to rebound from setbacks and achieve in other areas of life.”

Determined to give back and share these insights with student-athletes like his former self, Daniels released the book Mindfulness for the Ultimate Athlete in 2020. Designed to help others become more self-aware and understand that nothing is impossible when you believe in yourself, he also launched Game Beyond the

“Staying positive even in the face of setbacks is so important, as is making a point to regularly check in with yourself and consider: Who am I—and am I doing what I believe that I’m supposed to be? “ says Daniels.

Game, a coaching platform that helps athletes find purpose and vision in life off the field. A celebrated motivational speaker, Daniels now regularly tours colleges nationwide, speaking on topics like perseverance, overcoming obstacles, and resilience.

“It’s not only important to believe that you can achieve your goals,” he says, “It’s also important to create a

personal system for practicing positivity. Staying positive even in the face of setbacks is so important, as is making a point to regularly check in with yourself and consider: Who am I—and am I doing what I believe that I’m supposed to be? It’s a simple but powerful technique that can help sustain and carry you through hard times…and we all experience those sometimes.”

J BATT BECOMES TECH’S NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

BATT JOINS TECH FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, WHERE HE LED SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGNS AND OVERSAW DAY-TO-DAY

OPERATIONS AS A MEMBER OF THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT’S EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM.

BY INSTITUTE COMMUNICATIONS

OON OCT. 24, J Batt joined Georgia Tech as its new director of athletics. Previously, Batt was executive deputy director of athletics, chief operating officer, and chief revenue officer for athletics at the University of Alabama.

“We’re excited to welcome J to Georgia Tech. His leadership experience at one of the most competitive programs in the nation and his extraordinary track record in fundraising and revenue generation will bring great value to Georgia Tech,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera ahead of Batt’s first day.

As athletic director, Batt reports directly to Cabrera and serves as a member of his cabinet. He is responsible for planning, developing, administering, and advancing Georgia Tech’s intercollegiate athletic programs with a focus on building an environment that inspires and empowers student-athletes to be champions in academics, competition, and life.

Batt was named the top candidate by Cabrera following a national

search led by Parker Executive Search. The selection process included interviews with a committee comprised of a coach, senior athletics administrator, student-athlete, student-athlete alum, and faculty member who recommended a set of finalists for consideration by the president. The board of trustees of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association voted unanimously to approve Cabrera’s proposal to appoint Batt.

Batt joined the University of Alabama Athletics team as senior associate athletic director in 2017. He was responsible for guiding revenue

generation, including charitable giving, ticketing, Tide Pride, and other revenue sources. He was promoted to COO and senior deputy athletic director in 2021 and to executive deputy director, COO, and chief revenue officer in 2022. Batt oversaw the successful development, implementation, and launch of the Crimson Standard, Alabama Athletics’ 10-year, $600 million capital initiative. He also provided day-to-day leadership of the department as a member of the athletics executive team and served as the sport administrator for men’s basketball.

“J has been such a strong leader as part of our executive team at Alabama. He has incredible vision and has done an outstanding job overseeing many areas of the department, beginning with development when he arrived in 2017,” says Greg Byrne, University of Alabama athletic director. “He has done a masterful job with the operations of the department. J has been involved in all of our major decisions and has provided constructive insight and feedback to make us better. His experience working directly with our student-athletes, our coaches and athletics staff, university leadership, and fan base has prepared him well for this moment. ...Georgia Tech made a home-run hire with J.”

Previously, Batt was senior associate athletic director at East Carolina University (ECU) and executive director of the Pirate Club, a position he held from 2013 to 2017. As a member of the ECU athletics executive leadership team, Batt oversaw a development operation that increased total fundraising in 2016 by more than 60% over ECU’s previous best year. He served as an associate AD and executive director of the Terrapin Club for the University of Maryland from 2011 to 2013. He joined the Terrapin Club staff in 2009 and served as executive director beginning in September 2011. Before his tenure at Maryland, Batt worked in athletics fundraising at James Madison University, the College of William & Mary, and his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A member of the Tar Heels’ 2001 NCAA champion men’s soccer team, Batt graduated from UNC with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications and a master’s degree in sports administration.

LEE PLACES IN TOP 10 FOR TENNIS SINGLES

AFTER A STRONG FALL SEASON, Georgia Tech’s Carol Lee broke into the top 10 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. In total, four Yellow Jackets appeared in the singles rankings and Tech placed a doubles team in the final fall national rankings.

Lee, who was ranked No. 16 in the preseason singles rankings, posted a successful fall campaign to jump to No. 10. Lee went 9-4 in singles play, highlighted by a run to the semifinals of the ITA National Fall Championships. Lee sealed her place in the fall finale tournament by reaching the title match of the ITA Southeast Regionals. She went 5-1 in regional play, collecting all five wins in straight sets before falling in the final in three sets.

Lee was joined by three teammates

in the singles rankings as freshman Alejandra Cruz was introduced into the rankings at No. 104. Mahak Jain sits at No. 109 and Kylie Bilchev comes in at No.111.

In doubles action, Tech’s team of Lee and Kate Sharabura sit tied for No. 53 after producing a 5-1 record in fall action.

The pair claimed the ITA Southeast Regionals doubles title to clinch a spot in the ITA National Fall Championships. Lee and Sharabura went 5-0 in regional play. Georgia Tech returns to the courts in January when it opens the spring slate.

GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS

BRENT KEY NAMED TECH’S 21ST HEAD FOOTBALL COACH ALUMNUS

AND

FOOTBALL

LETTERWINNER BRENT KEY, MGT 01, WAS PREVIOUSLY THE YELLOW JACKETS’ ASSISTANT HEAD COACH, RUN GAME COORDINATOR, AND OFFENSIVE LINE COACH.

BRENT KEY, MGT 01, a Georgia Tech alumnus and football letterwinner, was named the Yellow Jackets’ head football coach on Nov. 29, 2022.

Key takes the reins of the program after leading the Yellow Jackets to a 4-4 record over the final eight games of the 2022 season as interim head coach. “I am very excited that Brent Key will be our next football coach,” says Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “As an alum, he understands and cares deeply about this place and our extraordinary student-athletes. He’s not only incredibly competitive but will do everything he can to make sure students grow as athletes, professionals, and human beings. I also

want to thank A.D. J Batt for his dedication to our program and all the time and care he’s invested in the past few weeks to evaluate our program, conduct a thorough national search, and make sure we found the right football head coach.”

Key is the fifth alumnus to serve as the Yellow Jackets’ head coach, joining William Alexander, CE 1912 (head coach from 1920–44), Bill Fulcher, IM 57 (1972–73), Pepper Rodgers, IM 55 (1974–79) and Bill Curry, IM 65 (1980–86). “I am so proud and grateful to be the head coach at my alma mater, Georgia Tech,” Key says.

Key played offensive line for the

Jackets from 1997 to 2000. Prior to being named Tech’s interim head coach on Sept. 26, replacing former football head coach Geoff Collins, Key was in his fourth season as the Jackets’ assistant head coach, run game coordinator, and offensive line coach. Key returned to Tech in 2019 after three seasons as offensive line coach at Alabama (2016–2018). His coaching resume also includes a successful 11-year stint at the University of Central Florida, one season as an assistant coach at Western Carolina, and two seasons as a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech. He and his wife, Danielle, have a daughter, Harper.

GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS

Brent Key returned to Georgia Tech in 2019 as part of the Yellow Jackets’ coaching team.

HEPPLER INDUCTED

INTO GEORGIA GOLF HALL OF FAME

AT THE HELM of Georgia Tech’s golf program for 13 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, 18 appearances in the NCAA Championship, and 70 tournament titles overall, Bruce Heppler was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame on Oct. 7, 2022. He brings the total number of Georgia Golf Hall of Fame members to 127.

“What a tremendous thrill to be honored in this way,” says Heppler. “To be recognized by the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame is even more meaningful when you think about the history, from the Jones family, the Masters, the Tour Championship, and all the great players, coaches, and teachers this state has produced, not to mention the tremendous college programs that exist in this state.

It’s quite an honor. But this doesn’t happen without the hard work and support of countless people, from our players to our administrators and our donors, and I thank them for all they’ve done for our program.”

Heppler has guided the Yellow Jackets’ program to every NCAA Regional since 1998, and 19 times to the NCAA Championship finals, where four of those teams advanced to match play. In his 28th year on The Flats, Heppler has guided teams to 13 ACC titles, most recently in 2019, and 70 tournament titles overall. Since 2000, Georgia Tech has finished outside the top 10 in national polls only four times.

Heppler has annually recruited and developed talented players from across the globe, and 14 of his players have competed on the PGA Tour, several of whom remain active

today. Three of Heppler’s players— Matt Kuchar, Bryce Molder, and Troy Matteson—have earned national player of the year honors, while 21 players have been named first-team All-American.

In addition, three of his Tech players—Kuchar in 1997, Andy Ogletree in 2019, and Tyler Strafaci in 2020—have won the U.S. Amateur Championship. The victories by Ogletree and Strafaci made Georgia Tech the first school to have teammates win the national title in back-to-back years.

Heppler has been recognized for his leadership many times over the years. Among the honors are the ACC Coach of the Year 10 times, more than any other ACC coach in conference history, as well as the

Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) National Coach of the Year in 2002. The GCAA inducted Heppler into its Hall of Fame in 2013, and he was named a Georgia Tech Honorary Alumnus in 2018.

—GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF APRICOT LANE FARMS

FROM FAILING FARM TO OASIS

When Molly Chester, Mgt 00, and her husband, John, purchased 130 acres in Moorpark, Calif., the land was devoid of life and nutrients. Now, at 240 acres, Apricot Lane Farms is thriving and so too are the Chesters.

Molly and John Chester brought life back to a depleted farm using regenerative farming techniques and a good deal of sweat equity.

LANDING IN HER PLACE

HOW PASSION TRUMPED THE FEAR OF FAILURE AND LED MOLLY CHESTER, MGT 00, TO BUILD APRICOT LANE FARMS INTO A DYNAMIC, MULTI-LAYERED AGRICULTURAL OPERATION.

BY DANIEL P. SMITH

SSOMEWHERE, buried beneath the excitement and enthusiasm, fear existed. It sat under the weight of a project requiring many years of labor and many more hands. It bubbled below uncertainty and unpredictability and mundane discussions of liabilities.

But the fear—of failure, of risk, of challenges—never consumed Molly Chester.   Passion never allowed it.

Working as a private chef in Southern California, Chester yearned to grow the food she wanted to cook with, a desire which manifested itself in a plan to purchase land and create a small farm filled with a carefully curated selection of produce and animals.

“Maybe 10 acres,” Chester thought.

Pursuing land alongside her husband, the Chesters found enthusiastic partners, and the scope of their “little farm” project swelled.

In 2011, Chester gazed upon a 130-acre parcel in Moorpark, California, a fast-growing community located about 45 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Dilapidated, hardened, and devoid of life, the land’s ramshackle condition could have compelled Chester to run the other way. Instead, she charged ahead.

“I had such a desire to do this work,” she says.

Over the last 11 years, Chester has spearheaded the growth and development of Apricot Lane Farms into a thriving agricultural ecosystem. Now consuming more than 240 acres, Apricot Lane Farms features cows, chickens, sheep, and pigs, 70 varieties of fruit trees, orchard and garden departments, a culinary program, a farmers’ market operation, and more.

“A team with many little teams inside of it,” Chester calls it.

Life on the farm might seem an odd turn for a woman born in Pittsburgh, raised in Marietta, Ga., and educated in Atlanta. Chester, however, holds vivid, inspiring memories of visiting her grandmother’s rural Pennsylvania home.

“The images and smells of that land stick with me even today,” Chester says.

Some idealistic notion of farm life, however, did not lead Chester to Apricot Lane Farms and a LinkedIn profile that simply reads “farmer.” After graduating from Georgia Tech in 2000, Chester worked for a lawyer and then a production company in Baltimore, where she maintained a modest

PHOTOGRAPHS

COURTESY OF APRICOT LANE FARMS

backyard garden at her home.

“That’s where I came alive and realized I’d rather be the person with the talent instead of the person managing the talent,” she says.

Chester enrolled in culinary school in New York City, graduated in 2006, and soon after moved with John to Southern California. Now “the person with the talent,” Chester crafted dishes high in flavor and nutritional value for private clients. Encountering difficulties sourcing the quality ingredients she sought for her meals, a reality she traced directly to the health of the soil, Chester charted plans to become a responsible producer.

Apricot Lane Farms’ initial 130-acre project quickly expanded—30 acres here and 54 acres there—while adding livestock and new varieties of fruits and vegetables. Governing it all was the painstaking effort of bringing life, nutrients, and biodiversity back to the battered land, which had been over-farmed for the previous five decades. John, in fact, likened the farm’s purchase to buying a bank that had been robbed.

Without any previous farming experience, the Chesters built a lively, biodynamic organic farm through heaps of patience and sweat equity, including using ecologically regenerative farming methods, such as planting cover crops, rotationally grazing animals, and creating compost to improve the soil. It’s a riveting story captured in John Chester’s

award-winning documentary film

“People were into what we were doing,” Chester says. “Be cause of the film, they were inspired to grow their own food at home and connect more with the natural world.”

While Chester could look upon a promise fulfilled, she acknowledges the effort’s cost. In regenerating the land, Chester admits she and John overlooked regenerating themselves.

“We were exhausted and overwhelmed,” Chester says.

Working with business coaches, counselors, and wellness coaches, the couple have since developed the infra structure to cultivate health for themselves and their business. They introduced structure and systems to business operations like HR and com munications and clearly articulated their vision to their swelling team.

“We needed to create health within ourselves to fulfill the goals and dreams we had for the land,” Chester says.

Today, Apricot Lane Farms—the land as much as its people—enjoys a fruitful existence. Chester relishes dai ly connections with the natural world, which enrich her life and stimulate her creativity, a reality evident in the recent publication of

“When you’re in a place where you love what you do, there’s no question of quitting or failure,” she says. “You’re deeply committed because you love it.”

“WE NEEDED TO CREATE HEALTH WITHIN OURSELVES TO FULFILL THE GOALS AND DREAMS WE HAD FOR THE LAND,” CHESTER SAYS.

IN THE WORLD

F+ ROOM FOR

IT’S TOUGH TO LIVE WITHOUT EXPERIENCING FAILURE

.

Failure litters our personal histories, an ingredient naturally sprinkled into young lives aiming to become wise souls. It pops into our relationships and careers. It appears, sometimes unexpectedly, and halts progress, rattling self-confidence and inviting self-doubt.

At work and at home, unfair and unrealistic expectations can drive thoughts of failure, of not living up to the expectations fair or not others have of us. We feel the pressure, whether from bosses or partners or self-created, to forge ahead. Though defeat might seem inevitable, it’s possible the scoreboard isn’t as tilted as we imagine. Perseverance and hustle, after all, are worth a few points in the game of life.

Many times, we shield our failures from others, even those closest to us. A failure, we surmise, ignites questions about our credibility, our commitment, or our capacity. It makes us seem less than. Too often, it snowballs into additional defeats.

Truth be told, though, failure can be our greatest ally. If we can overcome the inevitable struggles and adversity appearing in our lives, we can emerge stronger, tougher, and more prepared to confront life’s next hurdles. Failure, in fact, can be a gift fuel to motivation, a learning experience to inform future movement, and a compass to a better life.

These Yellow Jackets encountered failure, often multiple times, and turned their struggle into success.

KATHY PHAM, CS 07, MS CS 09, IS SENIOR ADVISOR AT MOZILLA, A FACULTY MEMBER AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE U.S. DIGITAL SERVICE AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

THIS IS A STORY about the distortion of failure and success.

It seemed I was at peak life—recently married and working at a big tech company in Silicon Valley.

News of my mother’s cancer diagnosis, however, rattled that life. As a child of Vietnamese refugee parents who sacrificed much for their kids, there was no question I would be there for my mom throughout her cancer journey. I accompanied her to every treatment and appointment possible, frequently flying between cities to be at her side.

Through abnormal hours and long nights, I worked from the hospital and a remote company office, addressing workplace tasks alongside drips of chemo cocktails and blood transfusions. I remained a productive, engaged employee, knowing I had colleagues counting on me. Despite my ability to work and remain supportive of my mother, I felt a double standard at my company.

While management often encouraged employees to take breaks for yoga and rock-climbing, caring for an ill family member wasn’t viewed in such generous terms.

Throughout my career, I’ve watched caregivers overcompensate in their professional lives to prove to their companies and

organizations they are just as committed and passionate as other employees.

In my case, I doubled down to excel at the company, all while continuing to be present and supportive for my mother. I stuck to my convictions and, as a result, learned even more about the professional I desired to be.

Later, as I reflected on failure in the workplace, I noticed so many perceived failures were not failures at all. Balancing work and caretaking, rather than being seen as a

detriment or something that takes away from one’s effectiveness, shows strength and resilience. It’s a success, not a shortcoming.

Today, both in the teams I lead and in the classes I teach, I create conditions that challenge our culture and norms around “failure” in the workplace. My hope is that when a company pledges to support well-being, that commitment empowers us to become not only better employees, but also better parents, better children, and better versions of ourselves.

“As I reflected on failure in the workplace, I noticed so many perceived failures were not failures at all.”

AN

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

ARCHITECTURE AT CLEMSON UNIVERSITY, LYNDSEY DEATON, ARCH 07, IS ALSO THE COFOUNDER OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

OF

COLLABORATIVE, WHICH PLANS, DESIGNS, CONSTRUCTS, AND BUILDS LOCAL CAPACITY ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE PROJECT SOLUTIONS WITH

LOW-RESOURCED

COMMUNITIES.

IN 2014, I left my position with the Army Corps of Engineers after nearly six years, excited and energized to bring sustainable development to low-income communities around the globe. I sold my possessions, moved to rural Uganda, and accepted two no-fee projects to get my upstart consultancy going. I was the first in my family to attend college and a fan of practicality, and diving into entrepreneurship terrified me. Still, the potential impact I could have

on people and the planet proved too enticing to ignore.

Arriving in Uganda, I tossed my bags stuffed with reference manuals and a solar-powered MacBook into a car. After driving six hours to a small town, I hopped on the back of a motorcycle for another hour-long ride. It was then, on a bumpy road through the Ugandan plains to a village without electricity or running water, I realized I was in way over my head.

In a part of the world where people made bricks in their backyards and framed their houses with trees cut from a local forest, my technical skills had little to no relevance. I knew nothing about culturally appropriate design and regional construction techniques—and that recognition generated panic and stress. How could I ever produce something meaningful for this community?

I felt destined to fail. And in one sense, I did fail. My consultancy

lasted all of three months before I returned to pursue my PhD in Architecture at the University of Oregon to learn the intricacies of working with underserved communities.

But for those three months in Uganda, I also thrived.

Desperate to offer something worthwhile, I listened to villagers and empowered them to be the designers. Leaning into the programming process and stressing relevant sustainable design strategies, I then played the role of technical facilitator. We developed a phased master plan and strategy for a 450-student, net-zero-energy primary and nursing school in the remote village of Nabikabala.

While my trip to Uganda led to a shuttered consultancy business, I found progress in other ways. In the midst of failure, I discovered validation, hope, and confirmation that I was on the right professional path.

WITH CLEAN HANDS–SAFE

HANDS, FAILING —and failing fast—was absolutely central to the development of the technology and, later, the business. In fact, if we didn’t fail, we never would have succeeded.

Over seven years, we tested hundreds of prototypes with frontline clinicians. In its own way, each was a failure—and our first prototype spectacularly so. Yet we worked arm-in-arm with clinicians, incorporated new technologies, and examined new approaches to drive improvements. It was an exhaustive process, and at times, I wondered if we would ever unlock the code.

We persevered by looking at each failure as a learning opportunity. Eventually, we landed on technology that was both well received by staff and produced repeatable reductions in infections. When hospitals used our technology and followed our data path, we saw an average 65% reduction in hospital infections. We solved a problem that’s been plaguing healthcare for centuries.

Having a credible solution was only the first step. Next, we had to sell it. We created a sales team with over 100 years of collective healthcare sales experience. Excited and optimistic, we went to market

relying on a familiar formula for healthcare sales.

And it bombed. After all, hospitals evolve, markets move, and technologies shift. We were within two weeks of running out of cash and shutting our doors. We considered throwing up our hands and acknowledging defeat, but, really, that wasn’t in our DNA. We had persevered before and we could do it again.

We embraced the spirit of experimentation and learning, applying a process that worked on the technical side to our sales and marketing. We tested A-B models. We analyzed results, accepted

feedback, and forged ahead. Within six months, we grew over 1,000 percent. We became right by becoming wrong fast enough.

Today, Clean Hands–Safe Hands is a profitable, sustainable business and the dominant player in its category. Each year, the technology saves more than 500 lives.

Failure was a near-constant companion on our journey, present through seven years of product development and into our days as a fledgling startup. Every misstep informed and motivated the next. Every failure brought us closer to success. By constantly being wrong, we actually thrived.

HOW TO REBOUND FROM FAILURE

For some, failure proves paralyzing. Other people, however, use it as a catalyst for growth. Defeat and struggle become tools for learning, invitations to pursue new endeavors, and opportunities to discover how far we might go. Resilience expert Sonia Alvarez-Robinson, executive director of Strategic Consulting and head of the Resilience Employee Resource Group at Tech, champions the latter approach.

“When we work to overcome failure, we open ourselves to so much that can push us forward — a stronger sense of our personal strength, discovering new possibilities, fortifying relationships, and gaining a deeper appreciation for life,” says AlvarezRobinson, who also leads a five-week “mini-mester” course for students on resilience.

To bounce back from failure, she suggests using these strategies to fuel recovery and growth.

BUILDING RESILIENT JACKETS

Which of these strategies worked for you as a student?

Connect with the Georgia Tech Alumni Association on LinkedIn to take our poll and share your best strategies with current Yellow Jackets.

EMPLOY MINDFULNESS AND REPROGRAM DEFEATIST THINKING.

“Failure can cause us to beat up on ourselves and go toward negative messaging that harms our self perception,” AlvarezRobinson says. “Pay attention to the chatter in your mind and remind yourself what you’re good at, proud of, and optimistic about.” Jotting down positive reflections can help reprogram the mind to focus on positivity, restore confidence, and define steps toward redemption.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE.

Alongside positive self-talk, Alvarez-Robinson urges people to surround themselves with encouraging, supportive voices when they encounter adversity and struggle.

“This often means re-evaluating who is in your inner circle, setting boundaries, and knowing who you need around you when you’re experiencing moments of failure,” she says. “Even those who love you might not be good for you as you’re facing adversity.”

CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES.

Sometimes, failure is the result of things outside of one’s control. Let those things go, Alvarez-Robinson directs.

“Devote your efforts instead to things you have partial or total control over, like your effort. This is how you can learn and salvage a situation,” she says.

PUT FAILURE IN ITS PROPER PERSPECTIVE.

Quite often, people build failure into something bigger than it is and rush to the worst-case scenario. A failed midterm exam, though, rarely cripples one’s job prospects. And a divorce doesn’t mean you’ll die alone. Respond by identifying realistic remedies and a path to recovery, so that failure drives positive outcomes— namely progress, learning, and resiliency.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, I never could have imagined where I am today.

In 2007, I began college as a biochemistry major at The Ohio State University. After my father lost his job that December, I transferred to Kent State at the end of the academic year to be closer to home and to help with finances. Between school and working 40 to 60 hours per week at a labeling factory, I couldn’t handle the workload. I dropped out after a semester to focus solely on work, which included additional gigs in

landscaping and at Arby’s.

Though I stepped up and did what I had to do for my family, I felt like I was just existing, directionless and without purpose. It felt like failure.

About six months after leaving school, a friend encouraged me to volunteer at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland. It seemed like a fun opportunity; it turned out to be life-changing. I fell in love with aerospace engineering and outreach. Space had always fascinated me but never popped up on my academic radar. Now, it was there, like a career bull’s-eye, and a target I never would have recognized if not for leaving Ohio State.

When my father resumed working, he pushed me to return to school immediately. I enrolled at The University of Akron to get an aerospace engineering degree. With a newfound purpose, I aced my classes, started the Akronauts Rocket Design Team, led educational outreach, interned multiple times at NASA, and published

three papers. I applied to three aerospace engineering graduate programs, including Georgia Tech, convinced I had done everything right. All three rejected me.

As I saw it, the rejections left me with two options: to retreat or go all in. I decided to go all in, confident I could overcome this latest setback.

I worked as an engineer at Ohio’s NASA Glenn Research Center and also spent four months at SpaceX. I was determined to prove I belonged at a top graduate program, where I could surround myself with smart people and use them to drive me. I was admitted to Tech through the online program initially before finishing my master’s degree on campus. After working in Russia and at NASA Johnson, I returned to Tech last spring to complete my PhD.

The struggles I faced as a college dropout were critical. They allowed me to reflect and discover my passions. Fifteen years ago, I didn’t see this path, but defeat provided clarity, drive, and purpose.

FORBES’ 30 UNDER 30 HONOREE IN SCIENCE, KENNETH SMITH, MS AE 18, HAS HELD VARIOUS POSITIONS WITH NASA, WORKING ON PROJECTS TO BRING HUMANS TO THE MOON AND NEXTGENERATION SPACECRAFT. AS KSMOOTH THE ENGINEERING DUDE, THE OHIO NATIVE ALSO PROVIDES STEM DEMONSTRATIONS TO ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

MICHAEL E. TENNENBAUM, IE 58, HON PHD 16, IS THE FOUNDER OF CARIBBEAN CAPITAL & CONSULTANCY CORP. AND THE VISIONARY PHILANTHROPIST BEHIND

THE TENNENBAUM INSTITUTE AT GEORGIA TECH. IN HIS DEBUT BOOK, RISK: LIVING ON THE EDGE, TENNENBAUM EXPLORES THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION OF RISK-TAKING TO ONE’S BUSINESS AND PERSONAL LIFE.

IN 1962, at the age of 27 with a negative net worth, a wife, and young child, I rushed to Wall Street. A poor, small-town boy, I arrived with big dreams, which were a fit for the big stock speculation frenzy then starting. Six years later, I was a multimillionaire; and I thought this was normal.

Within a year, I had lost most of my wealth.

Instead of being the genius I considered myself, I discovered I was a child of my time and had had the wind at my back. Alongside the financial losses, my sense of potency evaporated, and selfdoubt and frustration gripped my mind. I considered quitting my career, but an ex-professor deterred me.

“You’ll always wonder if you would’ve eventually succeeded,” he advised.

I became determined to temper fearlessness with discipline and to build the emotional capacity to deal with losses and mistakes as just part of an aggressive temperament.

I adjusted my activities to seek big profits with limited risk. I absorbed the realities of the market, understanding that the economic and investment context of the

time is the major factor determining investment results. When I found investments meeting my criteria, I moved forward, consistently analyzing information and exercising patience. I committed myself to being objective in accepting risk, and enduring losses as part of the life I would lead. This mindset served me well for the rest of my life. Despite embracing risk-taking throughout my career, I hate losses and I don’t recommend anyone try

to experience failure; the angst and anxiety it delivers is painful. But mere mortals cannot live a life of risk-taking without suffering losses. Learning to cope with failure contributes to one’s development and ultimate success.

I learned to accept losses as a by-product of risks I ran in my drive to succeed. Experience is what you get right after you needed it. As my main mentor told me, “If you’re not having some losses, you aren’t trying hard enough.”

FACING FAILURE

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY 39 MORE TIMES

Science is all about experimentation, trial and error, and inching toward progress one failed experiment after another. With persistence and a little luck, an unexpected breakthrough might come along that leads to a discovery.

For the makers of WD-40, that moment came on their 40th attempt. The name stands for water displacement and the number of tries that it took to perfect their formula. Every engineer has a can in their garage, but did you know that WD-40 has a Georgia Tech connection? A 1916 mechanical engineering graduate named Reginald Fleet and his brother were the largest stakeholders in the Rocket Chemical Company, which was founded in 1953. The company later changed its name to WD-40 for its main product.

THE TREES WILL ALWAYS LISTEN

In the 1969 film Paint Your Wagon, Clint Eastwood, consumed with what he believes is the unrequited love of Ms. Seberg, walks alone in a breezy meadow and literally talks to the trees. I remember watching that scene and saying to myself, “Well I’ll be! I’m not the only one who does it!” I had begun talking to the trees six years before when, as a freshman, I was struggling to keep my head above academic water. One evening, I visited the crosswalk at Tech Tower and had a serious conversation a conversation that all struggling freshmen have at one point where the result is either to quit or to persevere. I chose the latter.

This conversation was between me and the trees. I know it sounds strange. I know trees are vegetation, but I also know the trees were there, alive, and ready for a conversation when I really needed a receptive ear.

Every September, when a new academic year rolls around, I reflect warmly on the crosswalk, the conversation, and how, when I really needed some help, the trees of Tech Lawn were there for me. —Stephen C. Hall, IM 67, Retired Colonel USAF, Georgia Tech Professor of the Practice, Literature, Media, and Communication

FOLLOWING A DECORATED COLLEGIATE CAREER AT GEORGIA TECH, ROBERTO CASTRO, IE 07, SPENT NEARLY A DECADE ON THE PGA TOUR (2012–2021) AND RECORDED 43 TOP-25 FINISHES. RECENTLY RETIRED FROM PROFESSIONAL GOLF, THE HOUSTON NATIVE WORKS AS A DIRECTOR AT CAPTECH

CONSULTING, WHERE HE FOCUSES ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORTS CLIENTS IN THE FIRM’S SPORTS PRACTICE.

IT TOOK ME FIVE YEARS to earn a spot on the PGA Tour, and that road, like the game of golf itself, was filled with highs and lows. Once I finally made it as a card-carrying member of the PGA Tour, I hoped to be there long-term.

In 2016, I reset my mindset to focus entirely on winning golf tournaments. All my practice and preparation was geared toward playing great and

giving myself chances to win. At the BMW Championship that September, I played near-perfect golf for four days, and I led after the first and second rounds. In the end, I finished third, six strokes behind winner Dustin Johnson.

In one sense, the BMW tournament was a complete success—my highest finish ever at a top-tier PGA Tour event. In another sense, though, it seemed like a failure. I played as well as I could and still lost. I wondered if I might ever win, especially with a new generation of super-talented players charging behind me. I felt like a BlackBerry in an iPhone world— good, but not good enough to compete with the new generation.

The BMW led me to a personal reset. I asked myself if I was focusing my efforts on the right problem. Over the next couple of years, I embraced a process of

redefining success for myself, and setting clear objectives and standards for where I was heading. I made the decision to live intentionally and take my next steps with purpose and clarity.

In 2021, I retired from professional golf at age 35. It was time to write a new chapter.

Had I not ventured down this road of self-reflection beginning in 2016, I fear I would have languished in a middle ground. Was hanging on to the Tour for another few years what I really wanted? With two young children at home, was that the best path to reaching my long-term professional and personal goals?

Failing to win the BMW Championship served as a catalyst to determining success on my terms and building the life I wanted. In losing, it turns out, I actually found the path to winning.

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“GEORGIA TECH WAS AN ENDURANCE CONTEST”

QUOTATIONS FROM GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI INTERVIEWED OVER THE YEARS BY THE LIVING HISTORY PROGRAM

“I had a B in my first chemistry course going into the final exam. Didn’t pay too much attention to the final exam and when I wound up with a D in that class, it was a great wake-up call to find out what happened. I found out you needed to take a final exam in college a little more seriously than in high school and that chemistry was a tough course.”

–Ronald Allen, IE 64, former president of Delta Air Lines and former director of The Coca-Cola Company

“Georgia Tech was an endurance contest for me. It just seemed like as soon as I finished one almost unbearable activity, here came another one.”

–Dr. Lawton M. Nease, IM 65, principal of Nease, Lagana, Eden & Cully, Inc.

“Tech teaches you how to solve problems. One of the problems you had to solve is how to go through Tech.”

–Bill Goodhew, IM 61, retired vice president of Intelligent Systems Corporation

“When I first came into my dorm, there was a pamphlet left by Phi Beta Kappa on how to study. I followed it… I posted it on my wall… I said ‘This is my plan.’”

–Patrise Perkins-Hooker, IM 80, former vice president and general counsel for Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.

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that entrepreneurs are born, not made. Georgia Tech is changing that narrative. Through a specialized curriculum, workshops, and mentorships, the Institute’s CREATE-X program has provided a process that shows entrepreneurs can be made. Since its founding, more than 300 student startups have launched, valuing more than $1.9 billion.

The main mission of CREATE-X is to instill entrepreneurial confidence in their program’s participants. With that confidence, students may feel empowered to launch a startup. But the reality is 90% of startups fail, and the hope is students leave confident enough to risk failure, learn from their mistakes, and try again.

“Entrepreneurship is all about dealing with and adapting to failure,” says Raghupathy Sivakumar, who was the CREATE-X program’s founding director and now serves as Tech’s vice president of commercialization and chief commercialization officer. “The most successful companies are those that have pivoted (and pivoted and pivoted). You could think of each of those pivots as failures, or you can think of them as leading to something else.”

With entrepreneurship being one of the best ways to create change, it’s vital that young startup founders learn to embrace failure.

“If you’re not failing, it means you’re not pushing yourself to do anything innovative,” says Rahul Saxena, CREATE-X’s interim director. “To create the next generation of products that will have a real impact, you have to take some risks. In the end, even if you experience failure, that journey is very important and the secret to innovation.”

We talked to three CREATE-X alumni who are navigating failure in the real world, experiencing everything from embarrassing investor meetings, to closing their company, to having to pivot, pivot, pivot.

Read on to see what they’ve learned from these common setbacks and how they are still thriving in their careers.

THE REALITY IS 90% OF STARTUPS FAIL, AND THE HOPE IS STUDENTS LEAVE THE PROGRAM CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO RISK FAILURE, LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES, AND TRY AGAIN.

THERE’S AN OLD SAYING

RAHMEL BAILEY, ME 21

IF PIVOTING IS WHAT IT TAKES to be an entrepreneur, then Rahmel Bailey has had plenty of practice. It took him four tries to make it into the CREATE-X program, and each time he moved his product in a different direction (or changed it altogether). During his first attempt for admittance his sophomore year, he pitched a money app to the panel of interviewers, and when the group was through asking him questions, Bailey hadn’t been able to answer a single one. Still, he was determined.

“The funny thing is,” Bailey says, “even though I didn’t get in, my mindset was, ‘Well, I’m going to do it anyway.’”

He reached out to some professors involved with CREATE-X to get more feedback on his concept. Over his semesters at Tech, that original idea morphed. What was once a money app became one for loans, then one for helping people find computer science courses. As a mechanical engineering major, he didn’t know anything about building apps, so he decided to teach himself how to code. That experience led to the creation of FYCourse Bootcamp, which offered tutoring services in computer science. “I never looked at these ventures as failures,” says Bailey. “When something is in these infant stages, you don’t have much to lose. As

DETERMINED TO BE PART OF TECH’S CREATE-X PROGRAM, RAHMEL BAILEY DIDN’T LET A REJECTION (OR THREE) GET IN THE WAY OF HIS GOAL.

long as you’re learning, those setbacks

While building up a network of several companies for FYCourse Bootcamp, Bailey discovered the struggle that growing businesses face to attract talent. He decided to use the FYCourse network to help these companies and early-career individuals find each other. The result, FYJUMP, finally earned Bailey his entry into

CREATE-X. Bailey says his time in the program helped him and his team answer those questions that often stump young founders.

“We have this idea, but how are we going to make money? How are we going to build a market? What is our long-term vision? We were able to take our company to the next level because we honed in on those key issues.”

Bailey says his time in the program

was a humbling experience because he realized how much he didn’t know. He advises other entrepreneurs to recognize that it’s going to take time to learn how to be successful.

“Sometimes when we have an idea, we shoot for the impossible goal and fall short,” he says. “It’s good to have a big goal, but it’s also important to be realistic, and try to hit those realistic goals.”

SAMMIE HASEN, BME 21

CURRENT GIG: VENTURE AND STRATEGY ANALYST WITH TECHNEXUS

WHEN SAMMIE HASEN DECIDED to launch a business with her chemical engineer friend, they wanted to focus on creating products they would use themselves. The result was medsur, Inc., a company focused on building feminine technology. The first product they set out to build was a tampon that was truly leakproof. But right away, medsur hit a roadblock. The product would require an FDA-

can be good.”

“I NEVER LOOKED AT THESE VENTURES AS FAILURES,” SAYS BAILEY. “WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THESE INFANT STAGES, YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH TO LOSE. AS LONG AS YOU’RE LEARNING, THOSE SETBACKS CAN BE GOOD.”

FAIL FAST >>>> PIVOT

approval process, which Hasen says was too time-intensive and expensive for college students to take on.

But Hasen says founders must be open to pivoting. So her company did just that. In May 2020, running the business solo, Hasen launched the BCase, a birth control pill case that attaches to the back of a phone. The idea was that your pills will always be with you when your phone alarm reminds you to take them. Hasen officially debuted the product with a telehealth company at World Contraception Day in New York City, where she sold over 100 BCases.

Hasen began receiving feedback that the design was too bulky and

realized the BCase needed a complete redesign. With a new full-time job with Goldman Sachs, it wasn’t something she had time for. When she decided to fold her company in January 2022, she says the first thing she felt was pride.

“Formally, medsur failed,” says Hasen. “But in the entrepreneurial industry, the word failure is not typically seen as a bad word like in other spaces. It’s not something to be scared of or something to shy away from. You learn things through failure that will help you do it better next time.”

Through her entrepreneurial experiences, Hasen learned how to build a brand, handle conflict, network and build relationships, work with manufacturers, and balance timelines and projects. She put that knowledge to good use in her former job as a business product management analyst with Goldman Sachs and now as a venture and strategy analyst with TechNexus. While she’s not closed to launching another business someday, Hasen says she sees herself staying

on the venture capitalist side, maybe someday with a firm that specializes in feminine technology and women’s health.

“Do not tie your company’s performance to your self-worth or let it dictate what you are capable of achieving. Failure is not a true end but the opening of another door for you.”

FACING UNEXPECTED HURDLES WITH HER FIRST PRODUCT, SAMMIE HASEN DECIDED TO PIVOT TO A NEW CONCEPT. ALTHOUGH SHE ULTIMATELY DECIDED TO FOLD HER COMPANY, THE FIRST THING SHE FELT WAS PRIDE.

SETH

SETH RADMAN HAS LAUNCHED MORE THAN 40 APPS OVER THE YEARS AND ONLY A FEW EVER GOT OVER 1,000 DOWNLOADS. HE SAYS STARTUPS SHOULD LAUNCH FAST AND FOCUS ON CUSTOMER FEEDBACK.

RADMAN, ME 17

CURRENT GIG: COFOUNDER/CTO OF INFINITE GIVING

AS A STUDENT AT GEORGIA TECH, Seth Radman founded Crescendo, an interactive music trainer that would go on to gain more than 1 million users in its first two years. In 2019, Crescendo was acquired by Ultimate Guitar, making Radman’s company the first exit from Tech’s CREATE-X program. A little over two years later, another of Radman’s ventures, Upbeat Music App, was acquired by MakeMusic.

Just like any other entrepreneur, however, Radman has experienced his share of setbacks. Of the more than 40 web and mobile apps he’s launched over the years,

“FAILURE IS NOT A TRUE END BUT THE OPENING OF ANOTHER DOOR FOR YOU.”

only a few ever got over 1,000 downloads. He says his first app got just 37, his first product design was terrible, and his first investor meeting was a total embarrassment.

Radman knows you have to be a little crazy to go down an entrepreneurial path. Which is why he actually set out to fail.

“With investor meetings, my goal was to go out and get 10 rejections,” he says. “I say that a bit facetiously, because obviously I wanted to get an investor to give me money.

But I framed it as, ‘I’m not going to consider giving up until I’ve hit X number of rejections along the way.’”

It was his CREATE-X mentors that navigated him over the tough spots, and today, Radman guides other young entrepreneurs as a CREATE-X coach. One thing he instills in his mentees is that the customer is king.

“I see entrepreneurs focusing too much on building technology and not focusing enough on the customer,” Radman says.

“Georgia Tech students have this strong technical background that allows them to build just about anything they want. So many, including myself, lock ourselves up in our dorm rooms and just build because it’s fun and we think it’s cool,” he says.

Instead of spending a year building a custom app that might not be what customers want, Radman suggests what he considers to be the new version of fail fast: Launch fast and focus on the customer feedback.

“Don’t try to perfect the first version of your product. Launch a quick

minimum viable product, which is probably going to fail. But the important thing is the feedback you receive. Why didn’t customers like it? Did your product solve the problem? Or is it not actually a problem?”

But his most important piece of advice? Don’t give up. Radman says some of the nights he was just about to throw in the towel turned out to be one week away from landing a deal that helped him advance his business.

“Startups are a game of persistence. Most people just give up too early. But if you persist long enough, eventually you will run out of things that don’t work and be left with something that does work. Combine that with a little luck, and you’ll be successful.”

“STARTUPS ARE A GAME OF PERSISTENCE. MOST PEOPLE JUST GIVE UP TOO EARLY.”

WORDS OF >>>>

WISDOM

REGARDING COMMON MISTAKES

“Some entrepreneurs feel their product isn’t important enough. But many of the world’s most innovative ventures began by solving small problems, then morphed into something bigger.”

RAHUL SAXENA

“TEST YOUR STUFF OUT ON A SMALL LEVEL. IT’S GREAT TO HAVE AN IDEA. BUT DID YOU BUILD SOMETHING? WAS ANYONE INTERESTED? GET SOMETHING OUT IN THE WORLD SO YOU CAN TEST YOUR IDEA.” RAHMEL BAILEY

“A COMMON PROBLEM IS THE FRACTURING OF TEAMS, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER RELATIONSHIP. DOING A VENTURE IS A STRESSFUL PROCESS. YOU JUST DON’T KNOW WHETHER THOSE RELATIONSHIPS ARE GOING TO WITHSTAND THE STRAIN. WE PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON HOW ENTREPRENEURS SHOULD GO ABOUT FORMING TEAMS. WE TELL THEM DON’T TEAM UP BECAUSE YOU LIKE THE PERSON; DO IT BECAUSE YOUR VALUE SYSTEMS MATCH.” RAGHUPATHY SIVAKUMAR

“It’s easy for founders to have imposter syndrome, especially if you’re in college and having to hold your own in conversations with people who have spent 30 years at a corporation. Remember, you’re the expert in what you’re working on, and you’re the most passionate about your product. Remain confident. Looking back, I’m proud that I kept pushing through those connections even though they were a little bit scary.”

SAMMIE HASEN

“ONE OF MY BIGGEST WEAKNESSES EARLY ON WAS THINKING THAT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THINGS ON MY OWN, AND I SHOULDN’T NEED TO ASK FOR HELP. BUT ONCE I STARTED LEANING ON MANY OF MY CREATE-X MENTORS AND ADVISORS, I STARTED GROWING MORE AS A FOUNDER AND FINDING BETTER WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.”

SETH RADMAN

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ALUMNI HOUSE

HOMECOMING BUZZ

Homecoming weekend, held Oct. 6–9, was packed with activities for multiple generations of Yellow Jackets, including the return of Buzz Bash, an alumni party that was held the evening before the big game. The next day Tech beat Duke in overtime, 23–20. Go Jackets!

SECRET REVEALED: JUNIOR’S FRENCH TOAST RECIPE

HOMECOMING WEEKEND is a chance to reconnect with the people and places at Georgia Tech that hold special memories. This year, alumni who returned relived a delicious mainstay from the past through the re-creation of Junior’s Grill at Buzz Bash. Longtime Junior’s owner Tommy Klemis

alumni and even revealed the secret to his former restaurant’s famous French toast recipe—psst, it’s pancake mix!

After reading “Tender Memories” in the Winter 2022 Food & Beverage issue, Will Turner, Mgt 14, asked the Alumni Magazine to pass along a recipe request to Tommy Klemis.

Hello, I am a proud alum of Tech from the class of 2014. I very much enjoyed the article about Junior’s Grill. I miss it and wish I could still go down there. I was in my third semester when the restaurant sadly closed. My one regret is that my son, who is 5 months old, will never get to eat at Junior’s if he can get into Tech. Since the Alumni Association seems to still be in contact with Tommy, can you get the French toast recipe from him?

Thanks! Will Turner, Mgt 14

TOMMY’S RESPONSE

It’s been almost 11 years since we served our last batch and nothing was ever written down. But let me encourage him and those alumni willing to use a little “trial and error” approach...it’s very basic!

Many high-end restaurants start by mixing eggs, milk, and a little vanilla

extract to dip their French bread...very good! But we needed to feed hungry students fast at a price they could afford, so we took it to another level. We found that using “complete pancake mix” (add eggs and milk to make a heartier mix...fluffier) does the trick. So dip the Flower’s Bakery regular

sandwich bread (day-old holds together better!) into the mix. Now, as to proportions...as I stated earlier, trial and error. Follow directions on any pancake box (complete mix)...Try to keep the batter slightly sticky (a few more eggs if needed), not too thick… definitely not thin. Depending on your small batch, play with it.

You’ll get the results needed after a few trials. Now have your oiled griddle at 360°. Dip your bread in the prepared batter (don’t soak it too long, dip to cover both sides of the bread) and place it on the griddle. After 11/2 to 2 minutes, check to see if it’s golden brown, then turn to the other side and cook for the same time. Again, this is trial and error...you can do it!

Take it off the griddle, add butter, dust with ground cinnamon, pour syrup as needed, and Voilà!

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WARM FELLOWSHIP, HOT FOOD, PRICELESS OPPORTUNITIES

STUDENTS GET A TASTE OF LIFE AFTER COLLEGE AT DINNER JACKETS.

ON A CHILLY NOVEMBER EVENING in Atlanta, a group of Georgia Tech students gathered at the home of Betsy Bulat, IAML 04, for a hot meal and valuable conversation.

“I definitely get a lawyer vibe from you,” she told one of the students interested in pursuing law before she explained a summer internship program that’s offered at her firm. “We

BY MATT SOWELL

love to hire students from Georgia Tech.”

Bulat served as a host for Dinner Jackets, a program organized by the Student Alumni Association that

connects current Yellow Jackets with alumni in the Atlanta area. Now in its 13th year, Dinner Jackets demystifies networking by allowing students to share a meal with a professional.

“I love hosting; it’s such a great opportunity to get to know the students. It benefits me as much as them,” says Bulat.

The meals vary from host to host, allowing students to share a meal made with care and a taste of the host’s style. In Bulat’s case, it was a vegan red lentil dahl, served with rice, fresh salad, and garlic bread.

“Events like these allow you to see a very real perspective on what your future could be like,” says Katy Dickenson, a computer science student who attended the dinner. “You get to spend a little time getting to talk to the host and hear about their career and what different steps have brought them to their current position in life.”

Dickenson says that programs like Dinner Jackets have made a positive impact on her career plans, helping her set goals and discover her passions.

“Programs like this and Expert Jackets, where alumni speak to a group of interested students about their career, and Jackets on the Job, where students travel to a host’s place of work and get immersed in what their day-to-day life is like, really help us connect and get perspective,” she says.

Alumni who live within 20 minutes of Tech’s campus are invited to host a group of six to 10 students. Dinners can take place in a home or at a restaurant. Hosts are encouraged to invite alumni friends and colleagues to join the meal.

DO YOU WANT A TASTE OF DINNER JACKETS?

Dinner Jackets’ host Betsy Bulat shared the recipe for her delicious red lentil dahl below:

INGREDIENTS:

1–2 tbsp coconut oil

2 yellow onions chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp fresh ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp red paprika powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 cups (300 g) dry red lentils

2/3

3 ¼ cups (780 ml) vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, strained 1 tsp salt (or salt to taste)

Pepper to taste

2 tsp sugar Juice of one lemon or lime

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet or saucepan. Add the chopped onions and sauté for four to five minutes until translucent. Once done, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute until fragrant. Add the spices and sauté for another half a minute.

2. Place the lentils in a fine sieve and rinse in cold running water. Then add them to the onion mixture. Pour in the vegetable broth, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Cook covered for eight to 10 minutes or until the lentils have absorbed most of the liquid.

3. Add the coconut milk and strained tomatoes and simmer another five to 10 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

4. Season with salt, pepper, sugar, and lime/lemon juice to taste.

Serve with rice, lemon wedge, and freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.

FISCAL YEAR 2022

REVENUES BUDGET ACTUAL VARIANCE

GT Foundation

$5,313,000 $5,423,000 $110,000 Georgia Tech 483,257 437,421 (45,836)

Advertising & Sponsorships 255,000 147,753 (107,247)

Career Services 31,850 9,129 (22,721)

Tours 100,000 119,092 19,092 Merchandise Sales (Net of Cost of Sales) 1,000 10,057 9,057 Royalties 16,000 71,464 55,464 Event Registrations 222,950 285,328 62,378 Other Sources of Revenue 140,870 140,978 108 Gold & White Honors Gala/Contributions 415,000 408,750 (6,250)

Total $6,978,927 $7,052,972 $74,045

EXPENDITURES BUDGET ACTUAL VARIANCE

PRESIDENT & ADMINISTRATION

$1,882,701 $1,996,204 113,503 Tech Services/Bio 498,850 486,705 (12,145)

CHIEF OF STAFF

HR & Career Services 269,992 277,006 7,014 Business Development 83,000 124,581 41,581 Event Management 1,379,151 1,192,474 (186,677)

ENGAGEMENT

Alumni Engagement 592,885 669,487 76,602 Student Engagement 299,519 261,495 (38,024)

983,862 (28,988)

590,425 572,149 (18,276)

582,610 527,771 (54,839)

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

DDEAR FELLOW ALUMNI, It’s an immense honor to serve as your chair for the 2023 fiscal year. It’s been such a joy to have the opportunity to meet many of you face-to-face. The community we share is part of the success of our Institute and why we named this the “Year of Engagement.”

Engagement bears great fruit. We nurture a sense of belonging by hosting events and other opportunities to meet one another. These interactions create a funnel of

support that extends from Tech to each member of our community on a personal level.

The success of these events, such as last February’s Gold & White Honors Gala, where we raised more than $325,000, helps rekindle a passion for Georgia Tech.

We’ve worked to foster more meaningful connections between alumni and students. By reinvigorating the Student Alumni Association, we’ve helped make space for 4,200 students who will join us as proud alumni after this year's graduation.

Twenty-nine Alumni Networks hosted student send-offs to welcome new Jackets to the Tech family, and more than 1,500 students learned about the Alumni Association during Ramble on the Green, a new welcome event for students.

The Alumni Association has also worked to connect Jackets who have moved away from Tech’s campus. Through virtual platforms, we’ve cultivated community around the globe. One example is the 2022 Pi Mile 5K Road Race, which included virtual runners. Last March, 582 participants ran on campus and 180 participated virtually.

All this progress was made possible through your support. You traveled with us, invited your friends to our events, and engaged online. Together, we raised $7.7 million during the 75th Roll Call (up 10% from last year). Thank you for your commitment to strengthen our networks, communities, and campus.

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

VISION

The vision of the Alumni Association is to build an enduring community with all alumni standing in proud support of Georgia Tech and each other.

MISSION

The mission of the Alumni Association is to champion and serve our alumni and the Institute through programming and engagement that fosters lifelong relationships and philanthropic support.

VALUES

The Alumni Association’s culture, aligned with the Institute, is built on our core values of Community, Excellence, Innovation, Collaboration, Integrity, and Respect.

I hope to see us continue this great work in the future. You can help further this progress by volunteering your time and talents to enrich our community and by continuing to support your colleges and schools. Georgia Tech will always be the home of the best and brightest, and I look forward to what comes next for our community. Thank you for being a part of this journey.

Go Jackets!

MAGD RIAD, IE 01 GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CHAIR FY 2023

Together, we raised $7.7 million during the 75th Roll Call.

CELEBRATING A YEAR OF IMPACT & ENGAGEMENT

IN FY22, THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION LIVED OUT ITS VALUES WITH MEANINGFUL PROGRAMS AND EVENTS THAT BENEFITED STUDENTS AND ALUMNI.

READ A FEW OF THESE STORIES BELOW:

COMMUNITY & INNOVATION

PI MILE 5K ROAD RACE CELEBRATES GOLDEN JUBILEE

The Alumni Association hosted an extra-golden Pi Mile 5K Road Race last year as runners celebrated the 50th annual event. For the first time, the Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race included an in-person event, virtual runners, and satellite races held across the country through Alumni Networks.

EXCELLENCE & INTEGRITY

GOLD & WHITE HONORS GALA SUPPORTS STUDENTS, RECOGNIZES EIGHT

With the theme “Greatness Within,” the 2022 Gold & White Honors Gala raised more than $325,000 for the Association’s student programs while recognizing eight outstanding honorees who represent the best of Tech. The event supports the Student Alumni Association, Georgia Tech Student Foundation, and Ambassadors.

COLLABORATION & EXCELLENCE

DONORS RAISE MORE THAN $7.7 MILLION IN LANDMARK 75TH ROLL CALL

The milestone 75th Roll Call closed the fiscal year with a record-breaking $7.7 million raised in support of current and future Yellow Jackets. From its inception 75 years ago to today, Roll Call continues to be a source of pride for Georgia Tech alumni who participate in the long-standing tradition.

COMMUNITY & RESPECT

COMMEMORATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MATRICULATION OF BLACK STUDENTS

The Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization hosted a yearlong series of events honoring early Black alumni, faculty, and staff, and their profound impact over the last six decades on campus. The commemoration included a Trailblazers’ Recognition, a podcast, a Library exhibit, and a campaign to increase the organization’s scholarship endowment. Celebrations continued with a Black Arts Festival Weekend, a “60 for 60” event recognizing former student-athletes, and the Alumni Family Weekend and Leaders & Legends Gala.

Jay McDonald, IM 68

Joy Jordan, ChE 92, Ronnie E. Mabra, Jr., Mgt 00, and Mica Alexander, CS 17

COMPILED BY JENNIFER HERSEIM AND MATT SOWELL PHOTOGRAPHS BY KAYLINN GILSTRAP

GOLD WHITE 2023&HONORS

The Gold & White Honors are the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s most prestigious awards. These eight esteemed honorees demonstrate the best of Georgia Tech through their commitment and service. This year, a new award called the Spirit of Georgia Tech celebrates a dedicated graduate who demonstrates extraordinary passion and commitment to the Institute. This individual unapologetically lives out Tech’s values and embodies the Georgia Tech spirit. The inaugural recipient is John B. Carter, Jr.

On the next few pages, learn about each honoree and hear the “why” that drives their life of progress and service.

JOHN B. CARTER, JR.,

IE 69

FORMER PRESIDENT/COO, GEORGIA TECH FOUNDATION

JOHN B. CARTER, JR. has dedicated his career to Georgia Tech with more than 30 years of service to the Institute. Carter was president and chief operating officer of the Georgia Tech Foundation from 1999 until 2013, significantly growing the Foundation’s reputation and impact over the 15 years he oversaw operations. He served as the executive director of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association from 1985 until 1999. During his leadership, the Alumni Association received many recognitions, including the National Alumni Association of the Year Award (1989 and 1990) and Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation award for best managed nonprofit (1991). After graduating with a degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech, Carter served for six years in the Navy as a Naval Flight Officer.

HOW HAS GEORGIA TECH MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

SPIRIT OF GEORGIA TECH AWARD

WHY I... CHOSE GEORGIA TECH

Why not! It’s the best of the best.

My experiences at Georgia Tech made me realize you can do whatever you set your mind to. One only had to experience drownproofing as a freshman to realize you can do what you thought was impossible. Jumping in 10 feet of water with your feet and hands tied behind your back while bobbing up and down, taking deep breaths trying to survive for 45 minutes certainly seemed impossible to me. But it can be successfully done.

That drownproofing experience taught me that no matter how difficult the task, including passing ME 320, I could accomplish most anything I set my mind to do. Georgia Tech taught you to develop a plan, work the plan, and if you weren’t successful the first time around, “keep on keeping on.” Never give up!

That attitude, along with a saying my father instilled in me at an early age, “Time, patience and perseverance will accomplish all things,” has enabled me to meet the challenges life brings head-on. There is no doubt in my mind that my almost five years at the affectionately known “North Avenue Trade School” impacted my life many times over. I owe Georgia Tech much more than I can ever repay, but I promise to continue to live the Georgia Tech spirit for years to come.

LESLIE SIBERT, EE 85

RETIRED ELECTRIC UTILITY EXECUTIVE, GEORGIA POWER/SOUTHERN COMPANY

LESLIE SIBERT energizes those around her. Sibert has spent her career engineering better energy solutions for Georgians and giving back to her community through numerous organizations and boards. While an executive at Southern Company, Sibert initiated, developed, and led a multi-year project that created the Tech Square Microgrid, a state-of-the-art microgrid that opened in 2021 and that allows Tech researchers to pursue cutting-edge electrical utility research. Sibert is also a champion for women in STEM. She’s advocated for female engineers at Georgia Power, as well as through her involvement with nonprofits and Georgia Tech’s Women in Engineering. As the first female officer at Georgia Power/Southern Company to lead two critical units, Transmission and Distribution, Sibert is a pioneer for women in STEM and an inspiration for generations of Yellow Jackets.

DEAN GRIFFIN COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

WHY I… GET “ENERGIZED” SERVING GEORGIA TECH

Through my 37-year-career in the energy industry, I’ve been fortunate to be involved with Tech professors who are doing cutting-edge research in electric generation, transmission, and distribution. I was able to provide endorsements and support for key research awards to Tech. It was always rewarding when a researcher’s project led to a product or technology that addressed challenges in the industry. I was also fortunate to live and work in the Atlanta area, which allowed me to serve on numerous advisory boards. All of these opportunities have been a way to stay connected and to give back to Georgia Tech where I could add value.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD?

I am so honored to be recognized for the contributions I have made in my career and my service on campus and in the community. It is an affirmation that I am leaving the legacy I aspired to. Tech has been the catalyst for me to achieve the successes I have had. Tech inspired me to think and act strategically and to always be curious. I am proud to be a Yellow Jacket, and I will forever cherish this prestigious acknowledgment that bears the name of a true servant leader, Dean Griffin.

WHY I… AM PROUD TO BE A YELLOW JACKET

Georgia Tech is always associated with excellence and integrity. You have instant credibility and respect with a degree from Georgia Tech.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD?

It is impossible to describe how much this means to me. I give my time, talent, and treasures to Georgia Tech because I want others to have the opportunity to achieve the same level of success in their lives that I have. This recognition is like the “cherry on top” of what Georgia Tech has done for me. It is incredibly humbling to be included in the list of very accomplished and esteemed Yellow Jacket leaders who have also won this award.

KELLY BARRETT, IM 86

RETIRED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT–HOME SERVICES, THE HOME DEPOT

KELLY BARRETT is a leader who knows how to lay the groundwork for the success of those who come after her. During her tenure at The Home Depot, Barrett helped craft a leadership program that prepared seven of her associates to become officers within the company. Barrett says she is proud of the people she has coached during her career and is thrilled to follow their successes. Before The Home Depot, she served for more than 10 years in senior management and ultimately as senior vice president and chief financial officer at Cousins Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust. Barrett sits on the boards of The Aaron’s Company, Americold Realty, Evertec, and Piedmont Office Realty Trust. She has served as a trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board since 2015 and the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board since 2009, on which she served as chair. A firm believer in giving back to the community, Barrett has served on multiple nonprofit boards, including the YMCA, the Girl Scouts, and the Atlanta Rotary Club.

JOSEPH MAYO PETTIT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

JOSEPH MAYO PETTIT

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

GREG OWENS, IM 82

CEO & CO-FOUNDER, IGAM

GREG OWENS has an instinct for success. He has launched and grown multiple technology companies throughout his career, including IronPlanet, NRTC Automation, and HGR Industrial Marketplace. At 33 years old, Owens was named partner at Accenture, where he founded and led the supply-chain group, managing its growth and cultivating its success. At 38, Owens served as chairman and CEO of Manugistics Group, Inc., a provider of supply-chain and revenue-management solutions, which was acquired by JDA Software in 2005. He served as chairman and CEO of IronPlanet from August 2007 until its acquisition in May 2017 by Ritchie Bros. At that point, Owens shifted to Group President, New Sectors & Ventures for Ritchie Bros from May 2017 until July 2018. On top of it all, he is a member of the Scheller College of Business Advisory Board and chairman of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees.

I feel very strongly that Georgia Tech prepared me for my career. It taught me to break down problems into manageable bites and solve them. In school, that may have been math equations; in business, it was barriers that needed to be solved to improve customer service and speed to market, and to create more efficient costs and better profitability. Georgia Tech was instrumental in providing me with the necessary background, and I feel an obligation to give back and help others receive that same opportunity.

WHY I… GIVE BACK HOW HAS GEORGIA TECH MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

Georgia Tech has had a profound impact on my life, both personally and professionally. I have a Georgia Tech family and some of my close friends are on the Georgia Tech Foundation Board. These are friendships that were built through Tech but are now a part of my social life. I have learned from many of them, and hopefully I have provided some insights as well.

TOM NOONAN, ME 83

CHAIRMAN, TEN HOLDINGS, LLC

Over the course of his expansive career, TOM NOONAN has founded 10 successful businesses. In addition to incredible passion and vision, Noonan has brought his distinct management style to each venture. He has been widely recognized by industry-leading publications like Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Fortune. He is a founding partner of TechOperators LLC, an early-stage technology investment firm in Atlanta. Noonan is also chairman of TEN Holdings, LLC, a diversified family office investment company. Most recently, he was the vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Energy Management business, following the acquisition of his company JouleX in 2013, where he was co-founder and CEO. Noonan serves on several boards, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Tech Foundation, and the Georgia Tech Athletic Association.

JOSEPH MAYO PETTIT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

WHY I… HONOR THE OLD GOLD & WHITE

Georgia Tech has been in my blood since childhood. When I was young, our family home was on Cherry Street directly across from Rose Bowl Field. We watched Coach Dodd and the team practice from our front porch, and I attended all the football and basketball games with my dad. Honoring the Old Gold and White and the tradition of excellence it stands for is gratifying. Despite many changes over the years, Tech has stayed true to our traditions. Our positive impact has been amplified many times around the world and that makes me proud, and it is why I’m always “Up with the White and Gold.”

HOW HAS GEORGIA TECH MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

Almost every aspect of my life would be different had I not attended Tech. Eventually you leave Georgia Tech, but Georgia Tech never leaves you. My wife of 35 years was my freshman chemistry lab partner. The businesses I built over the years have all been built with Tech engineers, colleagues, fraternity brothers, and classmates. My calendar is comprised of events, activities, and travel with various groups of Tech friends. An important part of our family’s philanthropic mission is directed toward Tech. While I cannot even imagine what my life would be like today without the Institute, I seriously doubt it could be any better. While Tech has impacted me personally in many ways, more importantly, it has positively impacted our city, our state, our nation, and the world. Georgia Tech’s impact is felt in so many ways that benefit society through economic development, technological innovation, in the K-12 mission, job growth, and scientific research and innovation.

JOSEPH MAYO PETTIT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

WHY I… PAY IT FORWARD

I give back because of the tremendous experience and education I received at Tech. Having been the recipient of financial aid to attend Tech and formally recruited by a local alum, I realize that I stood on those before me and that I should pay it forward with my time and service as well as financially.

HOW HAS GEORGIA TECH MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

It has had a more positive impact on me than any other experience. Georgia Tech taught me how to solve complex problems with the help of others. I established so many great personal relationships while a student, after graduation, and even today with the new friends I meet at various Tech boards and functions. And Tech brought me my wife, Jocelyn Stargel! We began dating our freshman year and got married when she graduated in 1982. She is truly the best thing that has happened to me and is my soulmate.

BOB

STARGEL, EE 83 PRINCIPAL, STARGEL CONSULTING INC.

Throughout BOB STARGEL’S career, he’s driven the development of innovative solutions in the consumer product arena as well as helped develop state-of-the-art manufacturing sites and machines for mass-producing products. In 2016, he cofounded Stargel Consulting Inc., a leading consumer products consulting firm. Prior to starting his company, he had a distinguished 33year career at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where he held multiple leadership positions across several divisions, including Engineering, Research, Manufacturing, and Marketing. In addition to his professional achievements, he served on several Georgia Tech boards, including the College of Engineering Board and the Women in Engineering Board. He served as the chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association from 2014 to 2015.

JACKY CHENG, IE 17

SENIOR ASSOCIATE, FINANCE, BRIDGE LOGISTICS PROPERTIES

JACKY CHENG is a proud Asian American alumnus who champions diversity, equity, and inclusion across all areas of his life. Though only five years into his career, Cheng has taken great strides to amplify voices in his community. He served as the vice president of corporate relations for the National Association of Asian American Professionals, where he raised over $300,000 for the larger Asian American community. Cheng has found a passion for service, volunteering for a variety of causes, and building robust corporate and community partnerships across the metro Atlanta area focused on Asian American and Pacific Islander initiatives. And because of his community leadership and professional growth, he has been chosen for the LEAD Atlanta 2023 cohort, an intensive leadership development program organized by Leadership Atlanta. He also serves as president of the Georgia Tech GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Advisory Council.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNUS

WHY I... BELIEVE IN OUR MOTTO

Georgia Tech’s motto of Progress and Service has stuck with me since graduating. Rooted in the desire to continually grow and evolve, progress can be unconventional and non-linear, but Yellow Jackets never cease to amaze me by how much they lead by example as a catalyst for positive change. When times are challenging, focusing on progress keeps me anchored and resilient. On top of that, service was ingrained in me as a student and those experiences helped shape my core values.

HOW HAS GEORGIA TECH MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

I could go on and on about how graduating with a degree from Georgia Tech has equipped me to be a better leader and problem solver, but above all, the single most valuable impact has been the people. From the lifelong friends to the talented professors, students, and alumni that I have come to know, I truly believe that Tech opened countless doors for me and allowed me to build meaningful relationships. It’s the reason why I continue to serve as a mentor and give back as an alumnus. Graduation might look like the finish line, but it’s just the beginning.

HONORARY ALUMNA

WHY I… LOVE GEORGIA TECH

As I reflect on this amazing honor and the many Tech experiences I’ve had, I can’t help thinking about why I came to Tech. Of course, there are a “Buzzillion” reasons, but there’s no better reason than love. Every person in the Tech community has influenced that feeling and grown my love for Tech—God, family, friends, and colleagues. This is a shared honor with all.

PAT WICHMANN CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, GEORGIA TECH FOUNDATION

For nearly 25 years, PAT WICHMANN has been one of Georgia Tech’s most loyal champions, serving as an ambassador of the Institute to countless alumni and friends of Tech. As chief administrative officer at the Georgia Tech Foundation, Wichmann is responsible for day-to-day operations. Over the years, she’s cultivated meaningful relationships with donors and helped alumni give back to the Institute. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2000, Wichmann was assistant executive director at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. When she’s not volunteering at events or helping shape alumni experiences, Wichmann is proudly cheering on the White and Gold.

HOW HAS GEORGIA TECH MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

When I moved to Atlanta, I was deciding between other opportunities and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. John Carter told me that Tech would change my life and provide endless opportunities. He was right! Education has been a hallmark of my life, and to have had the opportunity to work at Georgia Tech has provided me a platform for continued learning. I am grateful for the relationships that extend beyond Tech. Being named an honorary alumna is the exclamation point on my career.

Turning Pointe

A Masterful Career Pivot to Analytics

Principal Data Analyst at Atlassian and Georgia Tech honor graduate, Heather Arentson made the leap from professional ballet to the tech world without missing a beat.

What led you to pursue an OMS in Analytics while working as a professional ballet dancer?

I was ready to leave ballet, and I had always loved math and science. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew that data analytics was a growing field. And I knew that if I was making the investment in a graduate degree, I needed to be in a field that would make me highly employable.

I chose Georgia Tech’s Online Master of Science in Analytics program because its reputation is incredible, and I knew that brand recognition would be important for me in making this massive career pivot.

How did the program help you make the transition?

OMS Analytics has been a rocket ship for my career. Every internship and job opportunity I’ve had has been a direct result of having “Georgia Tech Honor Graduate” on my resume.

If you had told me five years ago that I would be leading projects to transform executive dashboards and rearchitect data tables and schema structures in an enterprise strategy organization, I would never have believed it. But that’s what I’m doing today, and I have zero doubt that the reason I am here is because of the skills, knowledge, and network I gained at Georgia Tech.

What was your biggest takeaway?

The rigor of the program cannot be overstated. The grit that I gained through the different coursework and projects really prepared me for the real-world challenges faced by businesses all over the world today.

Read more about GT alum Heather Arentson’s transition from professional ballet dancer to leading data analyst at pe.gatech.edu/blog/HeatherArentson.

Online Master of Science in Analytics

• Top-5 nationally ranked program

• 100% online and self-paced

• Complete in 24-72 months

• Same faculty and curriculum as on-campus program

• 3 specialized tracks:

- Analytical Tools

- Business Analytics

- Computational Data

• Tuition under $10,000

• No GRE/GMAT required

RAMBLIN’ ROLL

CLASS NOTES & ALUMNI UPDATES

MORE THAN EVER, Georgia Tech’s legacy of progress and service is embodied by the thousands of Yellow Jackets who have proudly served in the U.S. military. Among these distinguished alumni are four Medal of Honor recipients, including the latest Yellow Jacket to receive the honor, Ralph Puckett Jr., Cls 47.

This past November, the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) unveiled plans for a tribute to honor Georgia Tech’s veterans.

“The Veterans Walk of Honor

will be a dynamic space honoring those who have served and recognizing their commitment, service, and sacrifice for our country as well as recognizing Tech’s strong support for our troops and military,” says David Ross, director of the VRC.

The tribute will be in front of the

(L-R) David Ross, Mike Shannon, Ralph Puckett Jr., Ángel Cabrera, and Dene Sheheane at the dedication.

VRC in Tech’s Biotech Quad. Existing plaques on campus dedicated to Tech’s veterans will be relocated to the Walk of Honor. Plans also include a new flagpole and inlay markers representing each branch of the military with a line from the branch’s military song written in Morse code.

The idea for the tribute came from Mike Shannon, MS HP 03, PhD NRE 09, interim executive vice president of Administration and Finance at Georgia Tech, and Ross. Both Ross and Shannon spoke during the dedication, which also included remarks from Pres. Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95, and Alumni Association Pres. Dene Sheheane, Mgt 91. Sheheane announced a partnership between the Georgia Tech Alumni Association and the Veterans Resource Center that will distribute an American flag to the family of a deceased alum who served in the military.

At the unveiling, members of the Tech community honored Col. Puckett, who attended the unveiling. Read more about Georgia Tech’s veterans on the next page and at gtalumni.org/Veterans.

WANT TO SHARE YOUR NEWS?

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

COL. RALPH PUCKETT JR.: MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT

THE COUNTRY’S HIGHEST MILITARY AWARD recognizes individuals whose valor in combat goes above and beyond the call of duty. There is no better way to describe retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr., who became the fourth alumnus to receive the Medal of Honor.

On May 21, 2021, Puckett was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions while serving as commander of the Eighth Army Ranger Company in 1950 during the Korean War.

Puckett attended classes at Georgia Tech in 1947. He graduated from West Point in 1949 and was assigned to Japan, where he became the commander of the only Ranger company

at the time. In Korea, Puckett’s company of 57 Rangers was part of an offensive strategy to advance into the north. They were ordered to secure Hill 205 near Unsan, Korea. Fighting in freezing temperatures with limited supplies, his company fought off waves of soldiers well into the night.    While on the front lines, Puckett ran in front of his command several times, exposing himself to enemy fire so that his Rangers could spot the shooters. He was wounded, but he continued to fight and take care of his company throughout the night. After retiring in 1971, he continued to lead a life of service, becoming the national programs coordinator for Outward Bound, Inc.

MAJ. GEN. SLOAN GILL: FORMER CHIEF OF THE AIR FORCE RESERVE

A 1952 GRADUATE of Georgia Tech, Maj. Gen. Sloan R. “Sandy” Gill’s highly decorated military career includes decades of proud service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. After he died in 2011 at the age of 81, his memorial service made history as the first time that all surviving former chiefs of the Air Force Reserve and the current 3-star general at the time had ever been together at the same time and place. Gill retired in 1989 as chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, where he had full responsibility for the

supervision of all U.S. Air Force Reserve units around the world. He was appointed to his position by President Ronald Reagan in 1982.

COL. JOHN HARDEN: 24 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE

A TRIPLE JACKET, retired Col. John Harden, IM 69, Bio 74, MS Bio 76, spent 24 years in the military, including two years in the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve in 1967 and 1968, and later 22 years as an Army officer. He began his career as an ROTC cadet at age 17 in 1961. Following Sept. 11, 2001, he served as the U.S. Army Theater Dental Surgeon for southwest Asia. He was the chief dental officer in the combat theater. He retired as a colonel in 2003.

WEGRZYN NAMED INAUGURAL

DIRECTOR

OF NEW HEALTH AGENCY

RENEE WEGRZYN, ABIO 98, PHD ABIO 03, was sworn in on Oct. 11, 2022, as the first director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The new agency was established to drive biomedical innovation in support of the health of all Americans. As director, Wegrzyn will set the agency’s foundation, mission, and priorities. She’ll be responsible for the agency’s research portfolio and budget, which will support a range of programs targeted

at preventing, detecting, and treating diseases, including cancer.

Prior to her new role, Wegrzyn was vice president of business development at Ginkgo Bioworks and head of innovation at Concentric by Ginkgo.

She also has experience in the Biological Technologies Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where she received the Superior Public Service Medal for her work.

NAMED CIO OF DEPARTMENT OF STATE

State’s new chief information officer. In addition to leading the strategic direction of information technology, Fletcher will oversee $2.5 billion of programs throughout the State Department.

CLASS NOTES

DONALD BEAMER JR., ECON 05, has been named the City of Atlanta’s first senior technology advisor. He will serve as the mayor’s chief liaison with the technology sector and assist with shaping the mayor’s policy.

DANJUE CHEN, MS CE 10, PHD CE 12, was promoted with tenure to associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

JOHN GUERARD, MS IM 77, and his wife, Julie, have settled in Bluffton, S.C., following Guerard’s retirement after 15 years as director of quantitative research at McKinley Capital Management in Anchorage, Alaska. Guerard has also served as an industry affiliate for the Tech Financial Services Innovation Lab and has recently published two books.

GREGG HUDOCK, CE 96, MS CE 98, has joined Freese and Nichols to lead the water resource design team on projects in Georgia and across the Southeast.

DANA LOWENTHAL, MGTSCI 96, has been recognized as a 2022 honoree for Women at the Wheel, which recognizes today’s top female automotive professionals leading the charge throughout the automotive industry.

ANDREW McINTYRE, BC 01, has been named the senior managing director of development of RangeWater Real Estate.

KELLY

Prior to her new role, she was with the Department of Defense, where she served as principal deputy CIO. She has also held several roles within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of Defense.

ADITHYA MOHAN, MS AE 08, has been promoted to senior manager at Acclaim Technology Services, a family-owned and -run boutique consulting firm specializing in the clean tech sector.

FLETCHER, PHD ENVE 10, will serve as the U.S. Department of

FLETCHER

CLASS NOTES

MELISSA NORD, EAS 13, won the Georgia Association of Broadcasters’ award for Best Meteorologist for Large Market TV.

REBECCA OESTERLE, MGTSCI 83, has been named a leadership training committee national vice chair for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). This year, Oesterle was also inducted into the Packaging and Processing Hall of Fame at Pack Expo.

SUZANNE OLDWEILER, MGT 03, has received Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School’s Outstanding Student Award. This recognizes the contributions and efforts of students who demonstrate academic integrity and intellectual curiosity, have a willingness to help others, contribute to the AJMLS and greater communities, engage in student life, demonstrate leadership, and are in good academic standing.

TRACY RYE, MGT 93, MS CP 95, was promoted to assistant city manager for the City of Norcross (Ga.) after serving nearly five years as the city’s community development and planning director.

RUSSELL SMITH, CLS 98, and his wife, Fran, received The Frederick B. Kerr Service Award, an award recognizing Leadership Georgia members who have demonstrated enthusiastic and active support of Leadership Georgia on a continuing and consistent basis. Russell and Fran were members of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2014 and served as program chairs for the Brasstown program in 2016. Russell later served on the Board of Trustees from 2018 to 2021, chairing the Selections Committee.

JACKETS MAKE ‘40 UNDER 40’ LISTS

THE ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE recently announced its “40 Under 40” Class of 2022 and seven Yellow Jackets were recognized. Five alumni and two other Yellow Jackets made the list: Sandeep Ahuja, M Arch 15, Jeremy Duvall, CS 07, MS CS 13, Sean Henry, Cls 19, Tim Hur, IE 05, and Meghan Pietrantonio, MBA 12, as well as Skye

KASSAM’S ARTWORK FEATURED ON JOURNAL

Duckett, vice president and chief human resources officer at Tech, and Mary Bell, who earned a Project Management Certificate from Georgia Tech Professional Education.

Georgia Trend also announced its “40 Under 40” Class of 2022, which includes Benjamin Andrews, Mgt 09, and Donald Washington, MBA 20.

COVER

THE COVER of the  Journal of Chemical Education features original artwork by alumna Kamillah Kassam, BCh 17. Her artwork was selected as part of the American

Chemical Society–wide DEIR Cover Art Program. In addition, she authored the editorial “Moving Beyond Politics: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect.”

BROWN FEATURED IN WSJ

PAUL BROWN, MGT 89, chief executive and cofounder of Inspire Brands, was featured Oct. 8, 2022, in The Wall Street Journal for the newspaper’s “Personal Board of Directors” feature, which talks to top business leaders about the people they turn to for advice.

Brown discussed a lesson he learned early in his career when he invested in a travel portal startup that

soon folded. “This was that big failure moment,” he told the WSJ. “I had to think about what I want to be doing in my career.” He switched gears, focusing on established companies, and in 2018, cofounded Inspire Brands, which owns 32,000 restaurants in 70 countries. Brown has also served on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Tech Foundation, among several other organizations.

OUT & ABOUT

GO! FIGHT! JACKETS!

STEVE RAIBLE, IM 76 (right), with Patrick Scales, son of alumnus HERB SCALES, IM 76, at the Aug. 18 game between the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. This is Patrick Scales’ eighth year as the Bears’ long snapper. Raible is the voice of the Seahawks and a Georgia Tech sports hall-of-famer. He and Herb Scales played football for Georgia Tech.

ALUMNAE AT PARIS FASHION WEEK

WONYA LUCAS, IE 83, and DR. VALERIE MONTGOMERY RICE, CHEM 83, attended Paris Fashion Week as guests for brand Akris. The two were roommates in Fitten Residence Hall as first-year students. Lucas is president and CEO of Hallmark Media. Dr. Rice is president and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine.

CLASSMATES

REUNITE AT WEDDING

MICHAEL WARWICK, MGT 09, ECON 09, MORGAN WOLFE, BME 09, SCOTT LOVEJOY, BME 09, and GEORGE RAY, MGT 09, PP 09, reunited this past September in Steamboat Springs, Colo., to celebrate Wolfe’s marriage to Ryan Sturdevant.

CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT OF TECH

through Leadership Giving - the cornerstone of Roll Call

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 di erence 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: GTalumni.org/GiveToday

Gi s can be mailed to: Roll Call, Georgia Tech Alumni Association 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313 404-385-4483 (GIVE)

BIRTHS

1. GABBY AVERY, IE 17, and JORDAN AVERY, IE 15, welcomed their son, Cohen Eli Avery, on Sept. 12, 2022. They’re excited to cheer on Tech with their little 5th-generation Yellow Jacket.

2. Twin alumnae JESSICA (KIRK) MACDONALD, IE 03, MS IE 06, MS IA 06, and MEGAN (KIRK) HEFFERN, IE 03, MS IE 06, MS IA 06, each welcomed the birth of their daughters one year apart. Claire was born in June 2021 and is the first child for Jessica and Steve MacDonald. June was born in June 2022 to Megan and ROB HEFFERN, AE 04, and joins brothers Kirk (8) and Tate (5). The two families reside in Gambrills, Md.

3. SEKOU LANGEVINE, MGT 05, and OLIVIA LANGEVINE, IAML 13, welcomed their daughter, Kyra, on Aug. 17, 2022.

4. ARMINA KHWAJA MACMILLAN, BA 11, and MIKE KHWAJA MACMILLAN, AE 11, welcomed Noah Khwaja Macmillan into the world on May 26, 2022, in Seattle, Wash. He is very excited to yell THWg!

5. TOM MORRIS, TEXT 68, and Ann Morris welcomed their first great-grandson, David Matthew Morris, on Nov. 15, 2021. His parents are Aaron and Caitlyn Morris, of Dahlonega, Ga.

6. CAMILA (DE MATOS) SAMON, IE 05, and JONATHAN SAMON, ECON 01, welcomed their son, Evan Henry, on Feb. 28, 2022. The family of Yellow Jackets resides in New York City.

7. GEORGE RAY, MGT 09, PP 09, and his wife, Amanda, welcomed Alice Simpson Ray on Aug. 9, 2022, in Atlanta.

8. MAGD RIAD, IE 01, and his wife, Ashley, and big sister Vivienne are pleased to welcome to their family Luca Riad, born on July 13, 2022.

9. CONRAD RYBKA, IE 15, and MORGAN (PAINTER) RYBKA, ARCH 15, welcomed Marian Jane Rybka on June 25, 2022. Marian joins big brother Jace (2) as a future Yellow Jacket!

10. SACHIN SHAILENDRA, CE 01, and his wife, Stacy, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Sophie, on Aug. 15, 2022.

11. & 12. ADAM WADE, EE 94, and Misty Wade, of Alexander City, Ala., celebrated the birth of their grandson Braxton Lee Mock on Sept. 7, 2022. Braxton is the son of Tyler and Alex Mock of Athens, Ala. This year, they also welcomed grandson Danny Brooks Wade (No. 12) on June 30. He is the son of Allen and Cooper Wade of Pulaski, Tenn.

WEDDINGS

1. SYNJYN DAYS, STC 14, and Ashlee Seaman were married on April 2, 2022.

2. ELISA SCHRADER ECHEVERRI, BME 20, and ANDRES RODRIGUEZ, CMPE 20, were married on July 2, 2022.

3. JESSICA KIRK, IE 03, MS IE 06, MS IA 06, married Col. Stephen MacDonald (of the Canadian Army) in December 2019 in Annapolis, Md. The couple resides in Gambrills, Md.

4. MATT MASON, IE 01, and Anne Mitchell were married Oct. 23, 2022, at The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, S.C.

5. PAXTON STEPHENS, BA 19, and GRAYSON HUGGINS, AE 19, MS AE 20, were married on Oct. 8, 2022, in Marietta, Ga. The couple lives in Los Angeles, Calif., with their two huskies.

IN MEMORIAM

1940 s

WILLIAM H. “BILL” BREEN JR., ARCH 49, of Decatur, Ga., on Aug. 28.

EDMUND R. BUTLER, CHE 49, of Brandon, Miss., on July 23.

SCOTT M. CAMPBELL, IM 48, of Atlanta, on Aug. 30.

VIRGIL E. JOHNSON JR., EE 49, of Alexandria, Va., on July 1, 2020.

ROBERT P. PARDEE, CHE 43, of Hereford, Ariz., on Sept. 16.

JOHN W. SEITZINGER JR., IE 49, of New Holland, Pa., on Oct. 6.

FRANCIS B. “FRANK” SHEETZ JR., ARCH 48, of Atlanta, on Sept. 16.

ANTHONY SIDERIS, CLS 49, of Richmond, Ky., on Oct. 1.

LEE M. STERNE JR., CLS 46, of El Paso, Texas, on Aug. 27.

ROBERT S. “BOB” STOOPS, ME 41, of Manhattan, Kan., on July 16.

EDITOR’S NOTE

1950 s

WE REMEMBER & HONOR THE FOLLOWING

MALCOLM C. ALLEN, ME 58, of Hendersonville, N.C., on Sept. 18.

CLARENCE B. BAUKNIGHT, IM 58, of Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 12.

CHARLES M. “CHARLIE” BECKER, IM 58, of Cumming, Ga., on Aug. 17.

LEON L. BENNETT JR., IM 54, of Cumming, Ga., on Nov. 13, 2021.

JOHN K. “JACK” BERNER, ARCH 51, of Fairfax, Va., on Aug. 31.

RICHARD BINION JR., CE 54, of Norcross, Ga., on Aug. 18.

THOMAS M. “TOM” BRIM, IE 57, of Orlando, Fla., on April 16.

THOMAS R. BROWN JR., ARCH 52, of Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 2.

WILLIAM BRUSSE JR., CERE 50, of West Chester, Ohio, on July 21.

JAMES J. BUCKLEY, IE 58, MATH 60, MS IE 64, PHD MATH 70, of Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 20.

JAMES A. “JIM” CAIN JR., IE 52, of Atlanta, on July 27.

CLAUDE M. CANTRELL, IM 54, of Melbourne, Fla., on Sept. 15.

JAMES E. CARROLL, EE 50, of Collierville, Tenn., on Aug. 23.

HARLAN L. CARROLL SR., IM 52, MS IM 55, of Hahira, Ga., on Oct. 12.

SHELBY E. CHAMBERS, IM 57, of Trussville, Ala., on Sept. 6.

HIRAM R. “REESE” CHAPPELL JR., IE 59, of Cumming, Ga., on Sept. 14.

VANCE D. CLEMMER JR., ARCH 53, ARCH 54, of Madison, Miss., on Aug. 20.

WILLIAM T. “BILL” CLINKSCALES III, IM 55, of Lakemont, Ga., on July 19.

OSCAR L. “LARRY” COMER, IM 54, MS IM 58, of Griffin, Ga., on July 28.

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.

WILLIAM “BILL” FULCHER III: FORMER FOOTBALL COACH, LETTERWINNER

SEPT. 23.

Coach Bill Fulcher grew up loving football, playing every position in elementary school and “coaching” the kids in his neighborhood. He played football and baseball, and ran track at the Academy of Richmond County, and then played football at Darlington Prep. He enrolled in 1953 at Georgia Tech, where he walked

LAWRENCE E. DAVIS, ME 59, of West Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 12, 2021.

ARTHUR B. “SKIN” EDGE III, TEXT 54, of LaGrange, Ga., on Aug. 9.

FRED M. FISTER III, CHE 55, of Coventry Township, Ohio, on Sept. 22.

ROBERT W. FRAZIER, EE 54, of Burlington, Mass., on May 15, 2020.

ROBERT G. “BOB” FRYE, IE 50, of Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 6.

ANDREW J. “A.J.” GLENN III, MS CE 57, of Darien, Ga., on Aug. 10.

on to the football team under legendary Coach Bobby Dodd. Fulcher played in a Cotton Bowl and two Sugar Bowls. Bobby Dodd once said Fulcher had speed, agility, and desire. While at Tech, he played for the semi-pro football team, the Daytona Beach Thunderbirds, driving down to Daytona Beach to play on Sunday afternoons. Fulcher graduated from Tech in 1957. He played three seasons with the Washington Commanders. After playing for Washington, he went to Canada to play football until a knee injury ended his football career. He enlisted in the Army in 1959 and then accepted the head coaching position at Screven County High School. In 2012, he was inducted into the Screven County High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Friends of Bill Fulcher Endowment Fund was

established. He served as assistant coach at Georgia Tech in 1963, 1966 to 1967, and again in 1969. He became head coach at the University of Tampa in Florida. In 1972, he was named head football coach at Georgia Tech. Under his two years of coaching, Tech won the Liberty Bowl and compiled a 12-10-1 record. He retired from coaching in 1973. He then began a successful career in real estate and graduated from Augusta Law School in 1980. He was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Bequi Coar; his three children, Mary Dawn (Bob) Street, Allison (Brian) Hippenstiel, and William Marcus (Rock) Fulcher IV; stepson, Geoffrey Coar; brother, Simeon Bell (Mimi) Fulcher; and 11 grandchildren.

GEORGE T. “THOMSON” GUTHRIE SR., ME 58, of Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 21.

MARSHALL L. HELMS JR., AE 59, of Macon, Ga., on Aug. 24.

WILLIAM T. “BILL” HIGGINS, IM 51, of Macon, Ga., on Aug. 22, 2021.

DANIEL R. “DICK” HUGHEY, IE 57, of Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 6.

BOBBY D. JONES, EE 54, of Evans, Ga., on Aug. 5.

ROBERT N. “BOB” KEYSER, ME 59, of New Bern, N.C., on July 31.

FRANK L. LAMB, TEXT 53, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Aug. 22.

ARTHUR P. LAWS, CLS 54, of Atlanta, on Feb. 23.

FRANK W. “BEEF” LEWIS, ME 57, of Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 6.

CHARLES E. LYON, IM 60, of Pearl, Miss., on Sept. 7.

ROBERT E. “BOB” MARTIN, EE 57, of Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 16.

WILLIAM L. “BILL” McLEES, EE 59, of Blairsville, Ga., on Aug. 28.

WILLIAM A. MEEKER, IM 57, of Strasburg, Va., on Oct. 11.

HOWARD L. MERCER, ME 57, of Crossville, Tenn., on Sept. 23.

WILLIAM “BILL” FULCHER III, IM 57, OF AUGUSTA, GA., ON

FRANK B. MILSTEAD JR., EE 51, of Mobile, Ala., on Aug. 17.

McRAY NEWSOM, CE 56, of Atlanta, on Oct. 2.

JOHN T. PATAKY, IM 55, of Lookout Mountain, Ga., on Sept. 13.

TENCH H. PHILLIPS JR., IM 52, of Virginia Beach, Va., on Sept. 3.

PAUL A. PLEAK, EE 50, of Eatonton, Ga., on Aug. 31.

KENNETH R. “KEN” PURDY, ME 56, MS ME 59, PHD ME 63, of Leland, N.C., on Aug. 9.

DONALD H. “DON” RAMSBOTTOM, TE 52, of Portsmouth, R.I., on July 23.

HENRY S. ROWLAND III, IE 57, of Morganton, N.C., on Aug. 29.

LEO K. SHELTON JR., EE 54, of North Augusta, S.C., on Aug. 16.

JAMES H. “JIM” STOVALL, MS SANE 56, of Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 7.

CHARLES D. SWITZER, IE 55, of Smyrna, Ga., on Sept. 26.

DAVID D. TEED, ME 58, of Little Rock, Ark., on Aug. 4.

NATHANIEL S. “NAT” TURNER III, TE 54, of Gainesville, Ga., on July 26.

WILLIAM B. WAGNER, ME 57, of Greenwich, Conn., on May 2.

BENJAMIN EUGENE “GENE” GRIESSMAN: LINCOLN SCHOLAR, TELEVISION HOST

BENJAMIN EUGENE “GENE” GRIESSMAN, OF ATLANTA, ON SEPT. 17.

Griessman was an internationally known speaker, Lincoln scholar, playwright, television host, and mentor. He wrote and performed Abraham Lincoln Live, a one-person play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The play was performed at the Georgia Dome, the Ice Palace, the Lincoln Memorial, the Carter Center, and aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). Griessman was also an author, writing several books on President Lincoln. Griessman attended the New Orleans Seminary in the early 1960s, pastoring three churches in his twenties. He earned his master’s in Religion and Sociology from Baylor University and his doctorate in Sociology and Anthropology from Louisiana State University. He became an associate professor at North Carolina State University before accepting a position to head the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Auburn University during the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1980s, he served as

ROY A. WHATLEY, CE 59, of Marietta, Ga., on Sept. 27.

ROBERT E. WHYTE, IM 52, of Alpharetta, Ga., on July 3.

JAMES L. WILKES, EE 59, of Indian Trail, N.C., on May 2, 2019.

ROBERT E. WINNALL, IM 56, of Greer, S.C., on July 7, 2021.

1960 s

THARON E. ALFORD II, IM 68, of Phenix City, Ala., on Sept. 26.

adjunct professor and director of Media Relations at Georgia Tech. He was dedicated to the belief that all men and women are created equal. During his life, he explored the world, traveling to 123 different countries. He hosted the TBS show Up Close with Gene Griessman, where he interviewed celebrities, including former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, Cls 46, HON PhD 79.

He was predeceased by his daughter, Sharon Joanna Griessman. He is survived by two daughters, Gloria Griessman Pastrnak and Katrina Griessman Dinkle, and four grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Patricia Kappenhaggen.

FRED D. ANTHONY JR., IM 61, of Woodstock, Ga., on Oct. 8.

JACKIE W. “JACK” BENSON, CHE 60, of Williamsburg, Va., on Aug. 13.

HENRY S. BLITCH JR., IE 61, of Bixby, Okla., on July 7.

JOHN H. BORDELON, MS EE 67, PHD EE 99, of Marietta, Ga., on Aug. 14.

LAWRENCE D. BOURGARD, EE 64, of Bluffton, S.C., on July 27.

WILLIAM S. BOWEN JR., ME 61, of Savannah, Ga., on Aug. 1.

ROYCE N. BRAMLETT, CHEM 67, MS BIO 70, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Aug. 18.

HAROLD E. BURKETT, CHE 68, of Conyers, Ga., on Aug. 29.

THOMAS D. CASH JR., MS IE 69, of Troutman, N.C., on Sept. 17.

DAVID W. CHENAULT, AE 63, of Vero Beach, Fla., on Dec. 24, 2021.

JOSEPH B. CROWE, IM 66, of Atlanta, on June 4.

CALVIN W. DAHLKE, AE 60, of Madison, Ala., on Sept. 7.

JAMES R. DOGGETT, EE 61, of Oxford, Ga., on Nov. 21, 2021.

WILLIAM J. “BILL” DOUGHERTY, ARCH 60, of Newnan, Ga., on Oct. 1.

ARTHUR R. DUGGER, CLS 60, of Atlanta, on Sept. 4.

JERRY R. DUNN, MS ME 65, PHD ME 72, of Lubbock, Texas, on Jan. 14, 2021.

AUGUSTUS L. ERVIN III, CHE 68, of Taylors, S.C., on May 9.

MARSHAL L. “MARK” FIELD JR., EE 69, of Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 31, 2021.

WILLIAM N. FISHER, CHE 67, of Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., on Sept. 12.

BILLY W. FUGITT, MS IM 66, of Niceville, Fla., on Sept. 12.

MANUEL A. GUTIERREZ, EE 67, MS EE 72, of Clermont, Fla., on Aug. 15.

ROBERT W. “BOB” HILL, IM 62, of Buford, Ga., on Aug. 29.

TERRY HINES, BC 68, of Huger, S.C., on July 26.

LARRY P. JACKSON, IM 60, of Atlanta, on Aug. 31.

HARRY JEFFCOAT III, ME 64, of Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 3.

DONALD M. “DON” KENNEDY, IE 60, of Atlanta, on Oct. 9.

AUGUSTUS “TERRY” LAW ERVIN III, CHE 68, of Taylors, S.C., on May 9.

RALPH F. McCAY JR., EE 67, of Timberlake, N.C., on July 9.

LEWIS M. “PETE” McLEAN JR., IM 65, of Vestavia Hills, Ala., on Sept. 13.

THOMAS R. “TOM” MEWHINNEY, MS EM 69, of Stephenville, Texas, on Aug. 4.

CLYDE W. “BILL” NORMAN JR., IM 67, of Palmetto, Ga., on Sept. 18.

BRUCE E. NOWLIN, CHE 63, of Perry, Fla., on July 26.

JAMES R. “JIM” STEVENSON: FORMER DIRECTOR OF PHYSICS

JAMES R. “JIM” STEVENSON, OF ATLANTA, ON JULY 6.

In 1943, Stevenson enlisted in the Merchant Marines, henceforth adopting “Ahoy!” as a personal greeting. In 1944, he was inducted into the U.S. Army. After earning his bachelor’s in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his PhD in physics at the University of Missouri, where he met his wife, Adelyn Portis Stegall Stevenson, he began his professional career in the Physics Department at Georgia Tech in 1955. At Georgia Tech, he was director of the School of Physics (1968–1978), acting vice president for Academic Affairs (1979–1981), as well as various roles in the Office of the President from 1981 to 1988 and 1994 to 1996. He was president of Ionic Atlanta from 1988 to 1991. He and his wife enjoyed lasting friendships at Georgia Tech. He was predeceased by his wife. He is survived by his sister, Margaret MacElree Stevenson; daughter, Alicia Love Stevenson Steele (Rob); daughter, Maryhelen Stevenson (Lloyd Waugh); daughter, Jana Lyn Stevenson-Waln (David Waln); seven grandchildren and a great-grandson.

JAMES J. O’CONNELL, IM 67, of Lilburn, Ga., on Aug. 27.

JAMES A. O’KON, CE 61, of Atlanta, on Sept. 12.

HENRY N. OLDHAM, AE 65, of Huntsville, Ala., on Aug. 28.

LARRY W. OLINE, PHD EM 68, of St. Petersburg, Fla., on Aug. 27.

CULLEN R. PATTON, AE 66, MS AE 68, of Auburn, Ala., on March 16, 2021.

LEE C. PEELER, CHE 64, of Chesterfield, Mo., on Feb. 10.

MARVIN P. RISEN, ME 66, of Blacksburg, Va., on Aug. 11.

VERNON C. “CLARK” ROBERTS, ID 60, of Port Orange, Fla., on Oct. 1.

E. M. “MONT” ROBERTSON, IM 67, of Quincy, Ill., on Feb. 1.

BEN F. ROBINSON JR., IM 68, of Foley, Ala., on June 24.

SCOTT D. RODGERS, CLS 68, of Pickens, S.C., on Jan. 13, 2019.

GARY G. ROUTH, ME 66, of Rome, Ga., on July 25.

RONALD RUSSELL, ARCH 60, ARCH 62, of Marietta, Ga., on March 22.

ROBERT E. RYCHLY, TEXTCHEM 69, of Asheville, N.C., on Sept. 4.

THOMAS H. “TOM” SANDERS JR., CERE 66, MS CERE 70, PHD CHE 75, of Atlanta, on Oct. 18.

FRANK L. SELLINGER, IM 67, of Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 3.

RALPH Y. SHUPING JR., CE 61, of Portland, Ore., on Sept. 4.

RAYMOND A. STEPHENS, CERE 60, of Avondale Estates, Ga., on Aug. 17.

JIMMY P. STRICKLAND, MATH 63, of San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 28.

MICHAEL D. SWEAT, EE 68, MS EE 84, of Cartersville, Ga., on July 26.

RICHARD E. TINIUS, ME 61, of Sautee Nacoochee, Ga., on July 28.

CYRIL L. “LAMAR” UPTAGRAFFT, ME 63, of Landrum, S.C., on July 2, 2020.

ALVIN T. VAUGHAN JR., CE 69, of Seneca, S.C., on Sept. 27.

ORLOW M. “MED” WALSTAD JR., IM 67, of Atlanta, on Aug. 10.

LESLIE W. “BILL” WESTINE JR., EE 69, of Delray Beach, Fla., on Sept. 6.

WALTER R. WILBURN JR., ME 61, of Calhoun, Ga., on Sept. 4.

MAURICE C. WILKINSON, IM 65, of Simpsonville, S.C., on July 25.

WILLIAM J. WYNNE, ME 65, of Chester, Ga., on Sept. 10.

1970 s

KAREN C. ABORJAILY SIMM, MS HS 76, of Westfield, Mass., on Sept. 21.

WILLIAM B. “BILL” ASHE JR., ARCH 73, of Asheville, N.C., on Aug. 29.

EDWARD A. CAIN SR., EE 71, of Waycross, Ga., on July 27.

JACK G. “GARY” COLLINS, IM 77, of Atlanta, on Oct. 4.

HENRY SNOWDEN VALK: BELOVED PHYSICS PROFESSOR

HENRY SNOWDEN VALK, OF DECATUR, GA., ON APRIL 12

The majority of Valk’s professional life was spent at Georgia Tech, where he was dean of the General College and then a professor of Physics and acting chair of the Physics Department. He taught in a lighthearted way that engaged students. In 1990, he was given the Outstanding Teacher Award, an honor he was flattered and proud to receive. His work earned him two honorary awards from the British government: a Member of the British Empire (MBE) and an Officer of the British Empire (OBE). Although he didn’t participate in sports, he enjoyed watching games, especially baseball, and was occasionally called upon by local news organizations to explain the physics behind parts of the game. He is survived by his wife, Gillian, and his four children Alison, Diana, Robert, and Richard.

DENNIS A. DECKER, CE 79, of Vancouver, Wash., on Aug. 25.

ROBETA C. “CHRISTINE” FORTENBERRY, IM 71, of Powder Springs, Ga., on Sept. 25.

JOSEPH F. GRIFFIN JR., IM 76, of Hobe Sound, Fla., on Sept. 25.

PHILIP H. “PHIL” ENSLOW JR.: DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR & TELECOMS PIONEER

PHILIP H. “PHIL” ENSLOW JR, OF ATLANTA, ON OCT. 10.

Enslow was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps in 1955. The day after graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Enslow married Dianne Elizabeth Gormlie. He served from1967 to 1968 in Vietnam, where he helped establish one of the early communications networks. He retired from the Army in 1975 and joined the School

of Information and Computer Science at Georgia Tech. During his time at Tech, he established a comprehensive educational program in telecommunications, and in 1990, helped guide the transformation of ICS into the College of Computing. Enslow authored several books during his career, and was one of the founders of the first international journal of computer telecommunications and networking. He retired in August 2000 and was appointed a professor emeritus.

Enslow was predeceased by his parents, Col. Philip Harrison Enslow and Charlotte Coalter Enslow, his older sister Charlotte, and his first daughter, Dianne Elizabeth “DeDe.” He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dianne; daughters Dorothea Bliss Enslow Putnal and Dana Charlotte Enslow Hammock; three grandsons; and two great-grandsons.

TIMOTHY W. HALE, CE 70, of Toccoa, Ga., on July 21.

JAMES H. HALL, ARCH 75, of Stone Mountain, Ga., on Oct. 10.

ALTON G. “AL” HARTLEY, IE 71, of Tucker, Ga., on Oct. 19.

DAVID E. HILAND, IE 70, of North Augusta, S.C., on Oct. 2.

RICHARD B. “RICK” INMAN JR., ECON 73, of Atlanta, on Aug. 7.

AJIT K. KESWANI, MS IE 70, of Marietta, Ga., on Sept. 7.

JOHN H. KINZIE, ME 70, of Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 2.

GEORGE S. PURKER, CE 74, of Dingwall, Scotland, on Aug. 6.

NEAL ALLEN ROBERTSON: PROUD YELLOW JACKET

NEAL ALLEN ROBERTSON, IE 69, OF SAINT JOHNS, FLA., ON OCT. 29 .

Robertson lived life to the fullest, embraced every opportunity to make a positive impact as a leader, volunteer, and philanthropist through the Presbyterian Church, his alma mater Georgia Tech, decades working at Byers Engineering Company, many engagements in the community, and he cherished every moment he could spend with family and friends. Robertson served as chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board from 1999 to 2000.

Robertson was preceded in death by the love of his life and spouse of

over 50 years, Patricia Robertson. Surviving Robertson are his son Bob Robertson (Kim) and three grandchildren Hunter, Ansley, and Sydney. He is also survived by his sister, Anne Brantley (Kenneth), two brothers-in-law, William Rambow (Mary) and Robert Rambow (Ann), along with many cherished nieces and nephews and their families.

Memorial gifts to the N. Allen Robertson ’69 Memorial ISyE Scholarship may be made to the Georgia Tech Foundation (GTF), 760 Spring Street, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA, 30308.

DAVID W. ROMAINE, IM 79, of Winder, Ga., on July 22.

JOHN O. ROSS, MGT 72, of Guntersville, Ala., on July 30.

CARL G. SCHERER, EE 73, of Norcross, Ga., on Oct. 24, 2021.

GENE W. SPITZMILLER, IM 74, of Sikeston, Mo., on July 29.

DAVID L. STONE II, CE 77, of Louisville, Tenn., on Sept. 5.

ROBERT N. “BOBBY” WEBB, CLS 75, of Atlanta, on Aug. 31.

1980 s

RHONDA A. BRIDGES, IE 88, MS IE 91, of Duluth, Ga., on Sept. 26.

EUGENE T. “GENE” PATRONIS JR.: LONGTIME TECH PROFESSOR

JAMES M. “MIKE” EDENFIELD, IM 81, of Atlanta, on Sept. 17.

to Tech as an assistant professor of physics in 1958, before being promoted to associate professor of physics (1962–1968) and then professor of physics (1968–1999). He was appointed professor emeritus in 1999 and continued teaching until 2002. Throughout his tenure at Georgia Tech, he did industrial consulting in experimental nuclear physics, electronics, and acoustics. He was also retained as a consultant by the federal government for the White House Communications Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground, and Aberdeen’s Human Engineering Laboratory.

MICHAEL A. JONES, PHD ARCH 89, of Bellevue, Wash., on Oct. 30, 2019.

LEIGH H. NICHOLS, IE 81, MS STAT 85, of Eatonton, Ga., on July 30.

JAMES T. “JIM” STANFIELD JR., MGT 85, of Tucker, Ga., on Oct. 2.

JOHN M. STUBSTAD, PHD ESM 87, of Springfield, Va., on March 2, 2021.

DANA A. UDOVICH, ME 82, of Summerville, S.C., on Feb. 16, 2020.

T. “GENE” PATRONIS JR., PHYS 53, PHD PHYS 61, OF ATLANTA, ON APRIL 7.

Growing up in Quincy, Fla., Patronis was encouraged by his mother to obtain as much education as he possibly could. Early on, he read the book Elements of Radio and taught himself to repair and construct radio receivers as well as other electronic circuits, thus beginning his scientific career. He attended Georgia Tech for both his bachelor’s and PhD in physics. While still an undergraduate student, he was hired in 1951 as an instructor at Southern Technical Institute, a two-year division of Tech at the time. Thus began a lifelong association with Georgia Tech. He was a laboratory assistant and then instructor at Tech from 1952 until 1957, when he took a one-year leave of absence to accept a research associate position in experimental nuclear physics at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. He returned

In 1967, he was instrumental in introducing an applied acoustics curriculum in the School of Physics at Tech and in the ensuing years successfully fostered many bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD candidates through the program as well as supplying solutions to Tech’s own acoustical problems.

In 1985, the White House Communications Agency requested that he design, have manufactured, and install a custom loudspeaker apparatus for the East Room of the White House. He held memberships in the American Physical Society, Sigma Xi Research Society, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, and Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society, and was a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Charlotte Miller Patronis, and is survived by their two sons Scott Mitchell Patronis and Paul Miller Patronis.

1990 s

JOHN L. BULLARD, EE 94, of Midland, Texas, on Sept. 19.

WILLIAM L. “BILL” HARTMANN, CE 90, of Johns Island, S.C., on May 13.

ANDREW M. LEDBETTER, EE 92, of Jesup, Ga., on Sept. 28.

KRISTINE L. LOWE, PHD BIO 99, of Nampa, Ind., on July 18, 2021.

HUGH G. McCOLLUM, MGT 94, of Peachtree City, Ga., on Sept. 13, 2021.

JENNIFER M. (MISSROON) MILLER, IE 91, of Auburn, Ala., on Aug. 25.

BRIAN S. RANDALL, PTCH 95, of Calhoun, Ga., on Oct. 7.

EUGENE

2000 s

JOHN R. LISTON, PHD CS 04, of Penrose, N.C., on July 5.

2010 s

DAVID M. GRAY, CLS 15, of Griffin, Ga., on Sept. 28.

JAMES F. HILLS, ME 10, of Marietta, Ga., on July 28.

YASHUA MARTINEZ, ME 19, of Duluth, Ga., on Sept. 18.

TRAVIS S. MORTIMER, MS CE 10, of Spring Hill, Tenn., on Aug. 10.

ANDRIA L. PING, PHD CHE 11, of Thornton, Colo., on Aug. 18.

2020 s

ADAM A. BEZDEK, MS ME 20, of Winchester, Va., on June 17.

FRIENDS

MARION AVTGES, of Watertown, Mass., on Aug. 2.

HELEN O. BLUM, of Savannah, Ga., on July 19.

ANNE D. BOWEN, of Marietta, Ga., on July 3, 2021.

SUSAN S. COHN, of Bronx, N.Y., on Nov. 29, 2021.

RUTH H. GOGEL, of Decatur, Ga., on March 18.

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EMILY U. GWALTNEY, of Alpharetta, Ga., on May 3.

CECIL G. KEITH, of Roanoke, Va., on Aug. 21.

MARY O. LOWREY, of Austell, Ga., on Feb. 14, 2021.

CHARLES A. MACHEMEHL JR., of Birmingham, Ala., on Jan. 9.

FRANCES WHYTE, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Nov. 19, 2021.

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FORGIVENESS IS DIVINE: MOVING PAST

“LOOK TO YOUR LEFT, LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT”

A LITTLE-KNOWN TECH GRADE POLICY PROVIDES A SAFETY NET FOR STUDENTS.

EEVEN AS A HIGH SCHOOLER in Johns Creek, Ga., Aanjan Sikal knew of Georgia Tech’s tough reputation. The Institute was renowned as the standard for academics in the state and the region, an establishment that prided itself on holding students to the highest rigors of classroom performance.

“Tech has always been known as the bar-setter,” says Sikal, now a third-year industrial engineering student at Tech. “It was the hard school that everyone was scared of.”

That challenge is part of what appealed to students like Sikal. During his senior year of high school, he and a few classmates enrolled in online Tech classes that would give their Yellow Jacket careers a head start. In doing so, they read about a little-known grade

BY TONY REHAGEN

forgiveness policy that allows Tech undergrads to retake up to two classes in which they received a D or F to try to boost that grade. It helped put their minds at ease. “This helped us feel safer signing up,” says Sikal. “We wanted those As and Bs, but we knew if we did get a D or F, we had a safety net.”

Grade substitution for undergraduate students was added to the Tech catalog in 2005. At the time, it signaled a significant shift in thinking for an

administration that had for years traditionally told assembled freshmen to “look to their left, then look to their right—only one of you will be here in four years.”

“By this time the discussion and the culture had changed,” says Reta Pikowsky, Georgia Tech associate vice provost and registrar. “The thought was maybe we should be a little more forgiving. We were seeing these bright, competitive kids that had always done well, and when they got to Tech, it was a shock, a bucket of cold water. We’ve known for years that students who go through a rough time can certainly recover—and you want them to recover. That’s what everyone wants.”

Still, even proponents of grade forgiveness wanted to be sure the policy wasn’t seen as a watering down of requirements or standards. Knowing the competitive nature of Tech students, they also didn’t want the policy to be used to polish resumes by boosting a C to a B or a B to an A. That’s why students could only retake a course with a D or F. Further, the new grade

would replace the old in calculation of cumulative grade point average, but the original grade would still be permanent on the student’s transcript. Other stipulations are that the course must be repeated within one calendar year and the student can’t have any academic misconduct on their record.

Initially, the policy only applied to first-year students, who had to retake their classes within the first two terms of enrollment, but the policy was later expanded to the first four terms, then

to all undergraduates. In 2020, transfer students were also included. And just last year, a similar graduate student policy was implemented, for only one course and for grades C, D, or F.

To date, there is no hard data indicating exactly how many students have taken advantage of the policy, especially since the expansions to all undergrad, transfers, and grad students are all relatively new. But Pikowsky says that’s not really the point. “Even if we look at it and see that only a small percentage of students have used it—or if it had never been used at all—I think it’s worth it to have it,” says Pikowsky. “I think it makes a difference to know that it’s there for peace of mind.”

Sikal agrees. He has not yet used his two course corrections, but in his role as undergraduate student body vice president of academic affairs, he’s seen several students who have. In a time when everyone is more aware of mental health, particularly emerging from the pandemic when there was so much added strain on students, Sikal says that this safety net has been a boon. Tech, as it turns out, is not such a scary place after all.

“Instead, it’s a place where they’d rather see you succeed,” he says. “And if you need help, we’ll be there.”

Georgia Tech implemented a grade substitution policy in 2005 following a shift in the administration’s approach to student well-being.

“WE’VE KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT STUDENTS WHO GO THROUGH A ROUGH TIME CAN CERTAINLY RECOVER—AND YOU WANT THEM TO RECOVER,” SAYS PIKOWSKY.

YOUR HUMBLE

Dear George P. Burdell, I should start by saying I’m a fan. If I end up half as accomplished as you, I will consider it a massive win. I look up to you immensely, which is why I’m embarrassed to admit that my path to “success” is not going as well as I had hoped.

I’ve never been named Time’s Person of the Year. Katie Couric has not mentioned me on national television during the Olympics. I have no clue how to pilot an airplane, submarine, helicopter, or space shuttle. Balancing on a miniature tricycle during the Mini 500 was barely manageable. Sure, I’ve run the Pi Mile 5K Road Race, but I’m nowhere near as dedicated as you. (Is it true that you’ve run it every year since it started?)

I am writing you as your unfamous, less-accomplished, humble classmate from Georgia Tech and, honestly, you’ve set a high bar for what success looks like. When I size up my accomplishments next to yours, I feel like I’ve somehow failed.

I know that’s not your intent and you would remind me that, as our alma mater says, it’s about “Progress and Service.” You’d tell me to look back on my time at Tech with pride. After all, I walked up freshman hill every morning, huffing and puffing my way through it like the best of them. And you and I both faced classes that terrified us like Drownproofing and Differential Equations. We dutifully shared WORD when we had it. We fell asleep in the Library the night before a final and then ate a quick breakfast at Junior’s before the exam. Like all Yellow Jackets, we know there’s no problem we can’t solve, no obstacle we can’t overcome, and no chance in hell we’ll be caught wearing red. Maybe you and I have more in common than I thought. Maybe when it’s all said and done, success isn’t defined by accomplishments or titles, but by the grit and the confidence we gained at Georgia Tech that assures us we’ll get through life’s hard spots. No matter the accolade, you and I are two helluva engineers.

Sincerely, Proud to be a Ramblin’ Wreck

What does Roll Call mean to you?

Thousands of alumni make a gi to Roll Call every year – each for a reason that is important to them:

Some give to help students achieve their fullest potential as engineers and leaders.

Students like Maria Rain Jennings, MS ChBE 21, PhD ChBE 24, who has not only benefited from a Roll Call funded Georgia Tech President’s Fellowship, but also learned so much about mentorship and professional networking as an active member and mentor in the Roll Call supported Georgia Tech Women in Engineering (WIE) program.

For leaders like Zach McGee, CS 22, who benefited from many life-changing opportunities and learned invaluable lessons outside the classroom about leadership and team building thanks to programs that connected him with alumni mentors and like-minded students.

And others give to help ensure the future excellence of Georgia Tech.

Being the best means providing unmatched experiences for students, like the internship in the United States Senate that Kyle J. Smith, PP 22, experienced through Tech’s Roll Call supported Federal Jackets Fellowship.

Scan to see a special video message about what Roll Call means to Georgia Tech

No ma er the reason, when you support Roll Call, you are supporting superlative students just like Maria, Zach, and Kyle. Whether it helps fund the next generation of engineers, provides unmatched opportunities, or helps bring the very best to Tech, a gi to Roll Call preserves and enhances Georgia Tech’s legacy of excellence.

Some give to help make the best-in-class student experience possible for the next generation of leaders and problem solvers.

Building legacies that last.

YOUR LEGACY IS YOUR SIGNATURE. WE PUT OURS ON EVERYTHING WE DO.

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