Tech Topics - Spring 2009 - (Page 25) BURDELL & FRIENDS Ramblin’ Roll 1940s Richard “Dick” Collier, AE 48, of Englewood, Fla., and his tennis partner won the 2008 Florida state championship, a United States Tennis Association tournament, in tennis doubles, playing in the 85-andover division. Collier, who also played in the singles tournament, has been Florida’s representative in the last five National Senior Games. He won the gold medal in singles in 1999 in Orlando, Fla., and bronze in 2001 in Baton Rouge, La. He was awarded the bronze medal in doubles in 2007 in Louisville, Ky. Collier, who played tennis and basketball at Tech, retired from McDonnell Aircraft in 1984 after a 36-year career in the aerospace industry. McKinley Conway, AE 41, GE 41, of Micanopy, Fla., has published a book, Project New America, in which he details “a proposal that exploits hidden strengths to lift the country out of economic doldrums, achieve energy independence and set the stage for a golden age of leadership.” A Navy veteran, Conway is the chairman of Conway Data Inc. Edward L. Daugherty, Cls 47, a noted landscape architect, and his work are the focus of an online documentary launched by the Cultural Landscape Foundation in October at a gala event at the Atlanta History Center. “Edward L. Daugherty, A Southern Landscape Architect: Exploring New Form,” a retrospective exhibit of his work, is on view through March 28 at the center. In his more than 55-year career, Daugherty worked on a broad spectrum of projects, including the grounds of the governor’s mansion, Pace Academy, the Atlanta History Center, Marietta Square and the Georgia Tech campus. Earning His Wings Buzz protege Mac Brune studies the master and works on his moves. Mac is the son of Greg, IE 01, and Mauri Brune of Marietta, Ga., and the grandson of Edward, IM 72, and Kathryn Brune of Alpharetta, Ga. 1950s Billy H. Branch, EE 50, was selected as a 2008 Business Hall of Fame Laureate by a committee of Roanoke Valley, Va., business leaders and inducted at the 18th annual Southwest Virginia Business Hall of Fame dinner in October. Branch is the chairman of Branch Management Corp., which over the years has developed some of the region’s most lucrative commercial sites and constructed many highways. He also has four independent companies that range from highway construction and real estate management to mechanical/HVAC and general contracting. J. Michael Duncan, CE 59, MS CE 62, a Virginia Tech distinguished professor emeritus, will receive the 2009 Outstanding Projects and Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award for Education from the American Society of Civil Engineers in April. A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1984, Duncan has made substantial contributions to the discipline of geotechnical engineering. In 2007, he was awarded the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal by the Department of the Army for his work investigating failures of floodwalls and levees in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, Duncan received the ASCE’s H. Bolton Seed Medal and foreign honorary membership in the Japanese Geotechnical Society. Gene Espy, IM 50, has published a book, The Trail of My Life: The Gene Espy Story, about his 1951 solo walk from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail. Espy became the second person ever to walk the entire trail in a continuous thru-hike. A retired Air Force aerospace engineer, Espy lives in Macon, Ga. 1960s Phil Gingrey, Chem 65, who is a Republican congressman from Georgia, spoke to the Georgia Tech Washington, D.C., Club in September about tough issues facing lawmakers, including the economy and the war in Iraq. The club meeting was held at the Rayburn Building, the site of congressional offices and hearing rooms. H. Grady Thrasher, IM 64, has published his second children’s book, Tim and Sally’s TechTopics | Spring 2009 25
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