Tech Topics - Spring 2009 - (Page 34) BURDELL & FRIENDS ored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the School of Mechanical Engineering and in 1994 was inducted into the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall of Fame. Mr. Webb set up trusts and endowments at Georgia Tech to fund the Frank K. Webb Program in Professional Communication. Masonic Lodge 270 and the Shriners of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. John Delbridge, EE 47, of Houston, on Oct. 15. Following graduation, he joined Shell Oil Co. as an exploration geophysicist, retiring in 1982. Mr. Delbridge served in the Navy from 1943 to ’46 and in the Navy Reserve as a lieutenant junior grade until 1965. He was a member of the Houston chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars and a lifetime member of Disabled American Veterans. In 2003, Mr. Delbridge received a commendation from the Texas governor’s office for his volunteer service and leadership at St. Christopher’s Thrift Shop, where he helped repair donated electrical appliances for resale. Frederick J. “Twink” Desmond Jr., ME 49, of Beverly, Mass., on Nov. 26. A Navy Veteran of World War II, Mr. Desmond was a mechanical engineer and held several patents during the beginning of the computer era. Emory Bryan Grant, IM 49, of Lilburn, Ga., on Nov. 26. In 1953, he joined Middle Georgia College as its controller. In 1967, he went on to assist in opening Dalton State College and served as its first controller until his retirement in 1983. Mr. Grant served as a first lieutenant in the Army and was stationed in Europe during World War II. A longtime Rotary Club member, he was named a Paul Harris Fellow. Mr. Grant’s survivors include son Jim B. Grant, IE 70, MS IE 79; granddaughter Kathryn L. Grant, IntA 05; and grandson Bryan W. Grant, Mgt 06. Memorials in Mr. Grant’s name may be made to the Georgia Tech Foundation. Sam Price Gullatt Jr., MS EE 47, of Dallas, on Nov. 29. Mr. Gullatt, who taught electrical engineering at Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M, was named Teacher of the Year numerous times. He retired from Texas A&M in 1992. A commissioned commander in the Navy, he was an executive officer and engineering officer aboard submarines in the Pacific during World War II. He later served as staff commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet and received a Bronze Star for his service during six war patrols. A gardener, he developed unique strands of camellias and served as president of the Louisiana Camellia Society. Guy “Pat” Winfred Gupton Jr., Cls 47, of Livingston, Mont., on Oct. 29. Mr. Gupton attended Tech before joining the Air Corps Enlisted Reserve in 1944. Following VJDay, he returned to the Institute and began working in the air-conditioning and refrigeration industry as an engineering consultant. His first major project was the design of air conditioning for Rich’s Department Store in Atlanta. Mr. Gupton was an adjunct faculty member at Georgia Tech and a fellow/life member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Airconditioning Engineers. He also was a licensed lay reader in the Episcopal Church Diocese of Atlanta and a member of the Knights Templar. James Alexander Hart Jr., Cls 41, of Brenham, Texas, on Oct. 23. He was a superintendent at Armco Steel. He served in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of major. Mr. Hart enjoyed hunting, fishing and model railroading. L. Millard Hunt, Cls 48, of Sanford, Fla., on Sept. 5. He worked in social services jobs in Philadelphia, including posts with the Travelers Aid Society and Urban League, retiring in 1994. Mr. Hunt spent more than 40 years fighting for social causes. He also was active in the civil rights movement and was in Washington, D.C., for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. A member of the Sanford Historic Trust, he was a past president of the Sanford and Seminole County historical societies. In the late ’90s, he helped lead a fight against the proposed construction of a hotel and conference center in Fort Mellon Park. Jean Elmo Kirkland, GE 42, of Waco, Texas, on Dec. 15. In his career, Mr. Kirkland worked as a Hudson dealer with his father; partnered with his father-in-law and brothers-in-law at the Farmers Gin Co.; and ran the Texas Gin Co., which later became the Davis-Kirkland Gin Co. He also farmed from 1960 to 1992. A member of Pi Kappa Phi and Navy ROTC at Tech, he was commissioned as an ensign in 1942 and served on the USS Barracuda. He later was a primary flight instructor and an experimental test pilot and engineer. Mr. Kirkland served on the boards of directors of the Texas Cotton Ginners Association, Texas Independent Ginners Association and Lower Rio Grande Valley Ginners Association. Charles S. Lee Jr., ChE 48, of Clarksville, Tenn., on Oct. 15. Following graduation, he worked for B.F. Goodrich until 1972, when he joined Vulcan Corp. as a technical manager. He retired from the company in 1996. An Army veteran, he served in the Philippines and Japan during World War II. He was a member of the American Chemical Society’s rubber division and Southern Rubber Group. Herron Martin MacDonald Jr., IM 40, of Gerton, N.C., on Nov. 9. He retired as the district marketing manager for Southern Bell in Orlando, Fla. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps as commander of a B-29 Superfortress. He and his crew were shot down in the Sea of Japan 1940s In Memoriam Tyler Calhoun Bailey, EE 49, of Bartlett, Tenn., on Jan. 8. Mr. Bailey graduated from the Columbia Presbyterian Seminary and prior to his ministry served in the Navy during World War II. He served Presbyterian churches throughout the South. John Robert Bell, Cls 48, of Johnson City, Tenn., on Dec. 25. He attended Tech on a football scholarship. After serving nearly three years in the Navy on hospital ships during World War II, he returned to Georgia Tech, where he completed his playing eligibility and eventually coached under Bobby Dodd. Mr. Bell was named head football coach at East Tennessee State University in 1966. He later was the physical education director for Sullivan County schools, regional director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and vocational guidance counselor at Sullivan North and Sullivan South high schools. Mr. Bell also served on the Johnson City school board in the early 1990s. William Pease Biggers Jr., IM 48, a resident of Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 25. Mr. Biggers retired from Southern Cross Industries as assistant vice president. A veteran of World War II, he served as a pilot and flight instructor in the Navy. William Henry “Bill” Cooper, ME 42, of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Oct. 31. He retired from the Bahnson Co. as an executive vice president and chief engineer. During his 45-year career with the company, he traveled the globe designing HVAC systems for the textile industry. A member of ROTC at Tech, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and assigned to Wright Field, Ohio, where he worked as a research and development engineer. He had served as president of the Winston-Salem Engineers Club and the North Carolina Professional Engineers Society and was a member of the WinstonSalem Civitan Club, which twice named him Man of the Year. During retirement, Mr. Cooper began a career as a portrait sculptor under the name Bache. Leland Covey, ChE 48, of Port Orange, Fla., on Oct. 22. Mr. Covey retired after 38 years as a chemical engineer. A drum major in the Georgia Tech marching band, he served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War. Mr. Covey was a 32nd degree mason with Daytona Beach 34 TechTopics | Spring 2009
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