Tech Topics - Winter 2007 - (Page 31) Burdell&Friends The Ramblin’ Roll 1950s William R. Collins Jr., ME 57, MS IM 63, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. Collins is the chief executive officer of Collins and Arnold Construction LCC, which specializes in building retail and commercial facilities throughout the South. James Ray Dellinger Jr., IM 53, was appointed to the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation board of directors. He is chairman of the board of Dellinger Management Services LCC; New Riverside Ochre Co. Inc.; and Chemical Products Corp. Pat Epps, ME 56, president of Epps Aviation at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, was the recipient of the John P. “Jack” Doswell Award at the National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention in September. The annual award honors volunteer service in the field of aviation. William B. Erb, IE 50, has made a $5 million commitment to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta for the creation of the Florence Hays Erb Cancer Center. It is the largest philanthropic gift in the hospital’s history. Erb made the gift in memory of his wife, who died of lung cancer. He is the chief executive officer of ERB Industries Inc., a manufacturer of personal protective equipment and uniform apparel that is headquartered in Woodstock, Ga. Erb and his wife founded the company in 1956. Henn Rebane, EE 57, is president-elect of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying for 2007-08. Rebane will serve as president the following year. Owen H. Taffe, Arch 51, and his wife, Martha, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 31. The Taffes have two sons and three grandchildren. 1960s Paul Cook, IE 67, acted as adviser to management of COADE Inc., a leading software developer for pipe/vessel stress analysis and process plant models, based in Houston, in the placement of $42 million in Series A financing. Cook is active in the investment banking community as an adviser to private equity funds and technology companies seeking exit events. He and his wife, Diane, live in Spring, Texas. Michael L. Crifasi, IM 66, of Atlanta, has been selected by The Seniors Coalition to manage its national member insurance benefit program. Crifasi, who holds insurance licenses in all 50 states, is a nationally recognized long-term care expert with 20 years of experience. Kenner C. Rice, PhD Chem 66, a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., received the Bristol-Myers Squibb Smissman Award at an American Chemical Society meeting in Boston. He also was inducted into the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. Abraham Leading DOT A lumna Gena Lester Abraham becomes the Department of Transportation commissioner for the state of Georgia effective Dec. 1. Abraham, CE 92, PhD CE 02, will become the DOT’s 14th commissioner in the state’s history and the first woman ever to hold the top transportation post. She will oversee 5,800 employees and an annual budget of more than $2 billion. In February 2006, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed her as the state property officer. She has served as the executive secretary and director of the construction division of the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission since 2003. She also has worked as an assistant professor of construction engineering and management at Georgia Tech. While director of the state’s construction division, Abraham oversaw the erection of the Klaus Advanced Computing Technology Building and the Nanotechnology Research Center on the Tech campus. A former chief engineer for the Georgia Building Authority, Abraham currently serves as chair of the Georgia Land Conservation Council and as secretary/ treasurer of the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority. She also is a member of the Gena Abraham, who earned bachelor’s and doctoral degrees at Tech, is the first woman tapped to head the state Department of Transportation. MARTA board, the state Board of Equalization and the Capital Asset Management Advisory Council. Abraham replaces Harold Linnenkohl, who is retiring after a 40-year career with the DOT. 1970s Charles H. Brewton, BMgt 73, has completed the instruction of MBA courses in advanced marketing and international business for the Center for International Training Cooperation in Hanoi, Vietnam. Brewton is director of marketing for Tennessee State Parks in Nashville, Tenn. Calvin D. Johnson, MgtSci 73, married Stacey Conyers on April 29. A former Alumni Association trustee, Johnson is president and COO of Electronic Commerce Strategies, an ebusiness and financial services consulting firm. The couple live in Tucker, Ga. W. Marshall Leach, PhD EE 72, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, received the 2006-07 Outstanding Branch Counselor and Adviser Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He served as the Georgia Tech IEEE student branch counselor from 2003 to 2006. In his 35 years at Tech, Leach has taught an estimated 16,000 students. In addition to his work with IEEE students, Leach has served as a technical adviser to WREK-FM and as a member of the Institute Radio Communication Board. Hugh A. McKinney, IE 73, received a master of education degree in mathematics from North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Ga., and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Pi Lambda international honor society in education. He also was inducted into the 2007 “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” Arthur S. Nacht, IM 75, MS IM 78, has been appointed chief executive officer of Stradis Inc. Nacht formerly served as the company’s chief operating officer. Gary T. Reed, IM 76, of Alpharetta, Ga., is corporate account executive with the Dow Chemical Co. James A. Soltesz, MS CE 78, president and chief executive officer of Loiederman Soltesz Associates Inc., has been named to serve on the board of directors for Eagle-Bank. He joined Loiederman Associates, which provides engineering, planning, surveying and environmental services, in 1990. He was named Executive of the Year by the Business Gazette in 2004. 1980s Jeffrey N. Amason, CE 88, has joined the law firm of Weinberg, Wheeler, Hudgins, Gunn & Dial as an attorney in its construction practice. Amason, his wife, Andrea, and their children, Cassidy, Tanner, Wyatt and Reilly, have moved to Woodstock, Ga. Yvonne Arena, Arch 81, has joined The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino as director of residential design. Arena is responsible for the development and implementation of residential standards for the company’s projects in Las Vegas and Macau. Constantinos A. Balaras, MS ME 85, PhD ME 88, a research director with the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development of the National Observatory of Athens in Greece, was installed as director-at-large of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers at its annual meeting in June. As director-at-large, Balaras serves on the ASHRAE board of directors and members council. Randy C. Coleburn, ICS 83, MS ICS 88, became a certified information systems security professional on Aug. 1. The CISSP credential rec- TECHTOPICS | WINTER 2007 31
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