Tech Topics - Winter 2007 - (Page 8) MailCall CAROLINE JOE Professor Hard to Spot Thank you for the article on Erling Grovenstein. It was so good to see that he turned out to be human. As one of his very early organic chemistry students in the 1950s, I often wondered if he was really real. I seem to remember him saying, “I am married to organic chemistry.” His work with daylilies is excellent and a thing of beauty. My favorite Grovenstein story: During an annual faculty survey, he passed out the survey forms to his organic chemistry class. Most of the class were chemical engineering students, and we immediately ripped him up on the fact that his quizzes contained questions concerning laboratory preparations of the various organic materials under study rather than the industry in which we would be working. Don’t you know it? His very next quiz had nothing but questions concerning commercial preparations of materials. Since most of us had him “spotted” for lab preparation questions, we didn’t do very well on the test. “Grovey” smiled as he passed out the test results and stated, “My chemical engineering students seem A Living History profile of retired professor Erling Grovenstein revealed his softer side. to need more study before they are ready to tackle the industrial world.” I quit trying to “spot” him after that. ROBERT W. BAILEY, ChE 54 Macon, Ga. ny steeped with history but with zero appreciation (by current ownership) of its culture, tradition and foundational potential. We changed all that. Pictures of the founders, candid snapshots of earlier gatherings and handwritten policy statements became respected wall decor and examples of our heritage. The culture was resurrected and the flame burned bright (in performance). I urge Georgia Tech to rekindle the coals of our mighty traditions still glowing with national respect — RAT caps, pep rallies and Old Gold spirit! A degree from Tech combined with passion can result in true grit leadership in life. Why don’t we, as alumni, establish a “Go Jackets Motivational Organization” to keep our chemistry alive? FRED PREDDY, IM 59 Blowing Rock, N.C. were forced to wear another color jersey and we wore navy blue, but we still wore the gold pants. Navy is not a traditional part of our school colors (as in “Up with the White and Gold”) but on rare occasion it was acceptable. In my opinion, it would be more economical if we always wore the gold pants, and to maintain our tradition, I wish we would wear white jerseys at home. I love Coach Gailey and his players, but I wish they would do that for us “old-timers.” ROBERT TIDWELL, IM 65 Kennesaw, Ga. WE WELCOME YOUR LETTERS TECH TOPICS and the Alumni Magazine welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, space and content. Georgia Tech Alumni Publications 190 North Ave., Atlanta, GA 30313 E-mail: editor@alumni.gatech.edu Fax: (404) 385-4637 Yellow Britches I read with interest Gina Carr’s letter about our lost traditions. I regret that we no longer wear our yellow britches and white jerseys at home football games. That uniform was our distinct identity in the Dodd years. On rare occasions on the road, we Keep Tradition Alive The letter from Gina Carr, IE 84, regarding traditions hit a vibe with me. During the latter part of my career, I became president of a compa- Address changes: bioupdate@alumni.gatech.edu 8 TECHTOPICS | WINTER 2007
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