Tech Topics - Spring 2009 - (Page 11) ALUMNI HOUSE GOLD&WHITE Theo Silas HONORARY ALUMNA Theo Silas has been a major supporter of the artistic and cultural life of her Bartlesville, Okla., community. She and her husband, C.J. “Pete” Silas, ChE 53, led the effort to save and restore the Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s only skyscraper, located in Bartlesville. The couple also established the Silas Foundation to support the arts and other causes in the city. The Silases have contributed to Georgia Tech as members of the Hill Society and have participated in numerous Alumni Travel tours. A 1959 graduate of Hunter College, Theo Silas was inducted into the Hunter Hall of Fame in 2004. You’re an alumna of Hunter College. What did you study? I was a fine arts major at Hunter and an education minor, which meant that I was qualified to teach school in New York after fulfilling the practice teaching requirements, and no chemistry or calculus was required. almost always manage a trip to see a game or two during the fall and winter seasons. Since Pete played basketball for Tech, we are especially interested in the basketball team. Greg Stathis HONORARY ALUMNUS Greg Stathis was born and reared in New Dorp, N.Y. — hockey country. When he became coach of the Georgia Tech ice hockey club, Stathis brought his passion for the sport with him. He instilled that passion in the countless young men he guided during his 17-year career at Georgia Tech. Stathis founded the first Southern regional conference, then won Tech’s admittance into the American Collegiate Hockey Association. During his extraordinary tenure at Tech, the hockey club skated its way to the nationals seven times. Stathis persistently fought the health problems that plagued him his entire life. Complications from a second kidney transplant ultimately took Stathis’ life, at the age of 48, on March 17, 2008. He was buried in his Georgia Tech pullover. Stathis led the club to 348 wins. He is the only coach in the American Collegiate Hockey Association to have averaged 20 wins per season. And just two months before his death, Tech defeated Georgia in a three-game sweep for the first time since the 200102 season. Assistant coach Sarge Day was quoted as saying that Stathis “had a giant heart and was the kindest gentleman I had ever known. Greg was also the bravest man I have ever known, who fought with tremendous courage without ever complaining.” The only coach who had appeared at all 10 Memorial Health Hockey Classics in Savannah, Ga., Stathis underwent dialysis between clashes in the rink during the 2006 tournament. In 2007, the press noted that the coach was in a wheelchair. Reporters in both the North and South paid tribute to him in columns following his death, and his memorial service in New York drew scores of former Tech players as well as those he had coached during his earlier tenure at St. Peter’s High School in Staten Island, where he also served as a history and art teacher while compiling eight championships in the New York City High School Hockey Catholic League. Following his death, a trophy was renamed in his honor, Tech’s hockey players affixed memorial patches to their uniforms and the Georgia House passed Resolution 2091 honoring the memory of the man who helped instill a passion for hockey in the South. How did you become involved in saving Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower? CRAIG’S PHOTOGRAPHY Pete and I became interested How did you meet your husband? in the Price Tower when it became the home of a museum I had founded with Pete and I met on a blind date in some friends in Bartlesville. It has the mid-’60s when we were both living become the Price Tower Arts Center and and working in New York City. He was is also home now to a restaurant and with Phillips Petroleum in its bar and a hotel. Pete and I are both international department, and I was active on the museum board. with the Bank of New York in its public relations department. In addition to Do you have any children and grandwriting news releases and brochures, I children? was co-editor of its company magazine. We have four children, a girl and Do you visit Georgia Tech often? three boys, all of whom are married and Atlanta now seems like a second living in Massachusetts, Utah, Texas and home after numerous visits through the Bermuda. We also have three years accompanying Pete to many granddaughters and four grandsons alumni and advisory activities. We ranging in age from 9 to 1. Heather Rocker OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNA Heather Rocker, IE 98, is the executive director of the Atlanta nonprofit organization Women in Technology. She was named the Outstanding Young Alumna in part for her volunteer work as a North Metro Georgia Tech Club board member, a Young Alumni Council adviser and a President’s Scholarship Program interviewer. What does the Gold & White award mean to you? This is an honor that truly touches my heart. To be singled out among such a high-caliber group of fellow alumni is incredible. What is your most memorable experience at Tech? My time serving as a cabinet member for the FASET orientation program provided the best summer of my life. I’ll never be able to recreate the number of friendships forged and leadership skills learned during that experience. What was your hardest class? Thermodynamics — both times. If you could relive your student career, what would you do differently? I would take advantage of the study abroad programs. What did you drive during college? A 1987 Chevy Blazer — an ugly, ugly brown with no air conditioning. What was your favorite place near campus for a night out? Dancing with friends in “old school” Buckhead: CJ’s Landing and Lulu’s Bait Shack were among the favorites. Late-night cravings were handled thanks to Zesto. What is your favorite piece of Tech memorabilia? My diploma! What is the most surprising way Tech has impacted your life? As a student, I thought my relationship with Tech would end upon graduation. I underestimated the power of the Tech alumni network and the prestige of the Tech affiliation throughout the world. One of my goals through participation in the Young Alumni Council is to help other alumni stay connected through the many Alumni Association programs and to understand the value of that ongoing relationship with Ma Tech. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? If you get a degree in engineering, you’ll have the foundation to do just about anything you want in the work world. Indeed, my education foundation in engineering has been invaluable in my career. What book is on your nightstand? Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. TechTopics | Spring 2009 11
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.