Tech Topics - Spring 2009 - (Page 8) ALUMNI HOUSE GOLD&WHITE Alumni Association honorees were feted at an awards dinner at the King Tut exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center on Feb. 19. Recipients of the Joseph M. Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor conferred by the Alumni Association, were Wayne Clough, Allen Ecker and Wade Mitchell. Dean Griffin Community Service Award recipients were John Burson and Tom Coleman. Heather Rocker was named the Outstanding Young Alumna. Newly named honorary alumni are Anne Clough, Theo Silas and Greg Stathis. Allen Ecker DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Allen Ecker, EE 57, MS EE 58, executive vice president of Scientific Atlanta, now part of Cisco, is a leader in the telecommunications industry and a dedicated alumnus of Georgia Tech. A former football player at the Institute and a 2007 recipient of the Total Person Former Scholar-Athlete Award, he and his wife have established endowed scholarships on campus for the women’s and men’s tennis teams. What does the Gold & White award mean to you? It’s a significant honor, particularly to be honored with close friends Wade Mitchell and Wayne Clough. What was your most memorable experience at Tech? Contributing to Georgia Tech’s win in the 1956 Sugar Bowl. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? From Coach Dodd: “Work hard to be prepared in all things you do.” What is the most surprising way Tech has impacted your life? I met my wife, Sandra Taylor Ecker. She was Greek Week queen in the spring of 1957, my senior year. She also has a full-page picture in the ’57 Blueprint. We will have been married 50 years in May. What was your hardest class? Mechanical drawing. Your easiest? Phys ed. What was your GPA when you graduated? Bachelor’s: 3.3. Master’s: 3.7. PhD at Ohio State: 4.0. What kind of car did you drive? My parents’ ’55 Chevy. If you could relive your student days, what would you do differently? I would be more aware of the 8 Wade Mitchell DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Wade Mitchell, Text 57, a former captain of the Georgia Tech football team, earned an MBA from Harvard before beginning a lengthy career in the commercial banking industry. He retired as executive vice president of SunTrust Bank in 1994. What does the Gold & White award mean to you? Georgia Tech has meant so much to my life that I am very proud to be recognized for what little I may have been able to give back to Georgia Tech. I am very much honored to be included with the distinguished group of alumni who have received this award. What was your most memorable experience at Tech? Being a part of the very successful football teams at Georgia Tech from 1953 to 1956 was a great and memorable experience for me. I had a great time and made some very good friends in the process. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Without a doubt, the best advice I received while at Georgia Tech came from the football team trainer, Buck Andel, who constantly threatened, admonished and cautioned us: “Be late and be left!” What is the most surprising way Tech has impacted your life? It really should not be a surprise, but I am continually proud, pleased and surprised by the universally high regard that Georgia Tech grads seem to enjoy from people all over the world. What was your hardest class? My hardest course was an NROTC shipboard gunnery course. Your easiest? My easiest course was Freddy Lanoue’s drownproofing course. Anybody who believes that never took the course! What kind of car did you drive? I did not have a car while at Georgia Tech, but my parents lived in Atlanta and I was able to borrow my mother’s car for special occasions. It was a 1950 Dodge. What is your favorite piece of Tech memorabilia? The ball from the ’56 Tech vs. UGA football game. Score: Tech 35, UGA 0. What book is on your nightstand? Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Do you have any hobbies? Golf, fishing and playing with my grandchildren. How many children and grandchildren do you have? My son and his wife live in Atlanta and have a boy, 3, and a girl, 1. My daughter and her husband have no children to date and live in New York City. great opportunities I had at Tech and enjoy them more. What was your favorite place near campus for a night out? Wits’ End on Fifth Street. What is your favorite piece of Tech memorabilia? My RAT cap and slide rule. What book is on your nightstand? A Year With C.S. Lewis and Einstein’s Mistakes by Hans C. Ohanian. Do you have hobbies? First: grandchildren. Second: greenhouse flowers and plants. How many children and grandchildren do you have? Three children and four grandchildren. TechTopics | Spring 2009
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