Tech Topics - Winter 2008 - (Page 37)

BURDELL & FRIENDS In Memoriam 1930s Vernon John Cheek, Cls 35, of Atlanta, on Sept. 20. Mr. Cheek worked as an engineer for the Protestant Radio and Television Center and Audichron, which made talking clocks. At the age of 70, he started a small clock and watch repair business from his home called Old Colony Clocks. During World War II, he served in the Pacific theater as chief communications officer aboard the Bunker Hill and Belleau Wood aircraft carriers. He retired from the Navy Reserve as a commander. Marcus “Sonny” Cohen, Cls 33, a resident of Austin, Texas, on Oct. 4. Mr. Cohen worked as a self-employed portrait photographer for more than 35 years. Called to serve in the Army in 1942, he attained the rank of staff sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division and took part in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, in which he was wounded. He was awarded a Purple Heart. Donald Lewis Elliott, Cls 33, of Coral Gables, Fla., on Aug. 8. Mr. Elliott worked in outdoor advertising with his father before going into the insurance business. In 1940, he joined General Insurance Agency of Mutual Insurance Representatives Inc., now known as Elliott, McKiever and Stowe Inc. He later sold his stock in the agency but remained as manager of the profit-sharing fund and as a consultant until 1997. At Tech, he lettered in football and baseball and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Skull and Key. He served four years in the Air Force during World War II. Francis Manwell “Frank” Greene, EE 33, of Boulder, Colo., on Aug. 23. Mr. Greene, who earned a master ’s degree from MIT, worked for the National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, from 1946 until his retirement in 1977. Mr. Greene worked with standards and measurements of electromagnetic fields, measuring radio waves. Thomas Hartley Hall Jr., CE 30, of Macon, Ga., on Sept. 24. Mr. Hall was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Tech. Survivors include his son, Thomas H. Hall III, IE 58. Allen H. Jensen, ME 37, of Covington, La., on Oct. 1. He spent his engineering career at New Orleans Public Service Inc., retiring as general manager of the electric power department. Mr. Jensen was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Louisiana Engineering Society. A World War II veteran, he retired from the Naval Reserve as a commander. Luther R. Johnson, IM 39, of Marietta, Ga., on Sept. 9. Mr. Johnson was a retired Naval officer. and a state delegate to the National Cotton Council of America. A 50-year Mason and Shriner, he was a member of the Atlantaarea council of the Boy Scouts of America and a recipient of the Silver Beaver award. Davis R. Luck, CE 39, of Lakeland, Fla., on Aug. 2. A civil engineer and a Seabee, Cmdr. Luck retired from both the Navy and Federal Department of Transportation in 1974. As a young man, he served Bunky Helfrich, Architect and Yachtsman F or Carl Paxon “Bunky” Helfrich, a childhood admiration for the architecture of historic Savannah, Ga., led to a career in which he helped shape the look of downtown Atlanta. Mr. Helfrich, Arch 59, who served as chief architect and vice president of planning and development for Turner Broadcasting System Inc. in its early days, died of leukemia Sept. 3 at his home on Hilton Head Island, S.C. He was 70 years old. During a 25-year career with TBS, he supervised the design and construction of CNN’s original headquarters in Atlanta and the conversion of the Omni complex into the CNN Center. Mr. Helfrich was responsible for CNN’s open newsroom concept, which allowed television viewers to see the behindthe-scenes work of reporters and editors gathering news behind the anchor. He also steered the design of the 1996 Olympic stadium and its later conversion to Turner Field, in addition to the construction of Philips Arena. A close friend of CNN founder Ted Turner, Mr. Helfrich oversaw the design of Turner’s business and personal properties worldwide. Following his retirement from TBS, he became owner and principal in Carl P. Helfrich Real Estate. Born in Atlanta, Mr. Helfrich’s family moved to Savannah when he was in the third grade. It was there that he developed a passion for architecture and later worked with the architectural firm Helfrich, Grantham & Helfrich on the design and restoration of many homes and buildings in Savannah and the lowcountry area. He also became interested in sailing while growing up in the coastal city. He participated in and won many regattas. He also was a frequent shipmate of Turner and a member of his crew on the Courageous, which won the America’s Cup in 1977. In recent years, Mr. Helfrich coached young sailors in the Y-Flyer and Thistle classes at the Atlanta Yacht Club. Bunky Helfrich often sailed with his friend Ted Turner. In 1977, he was a member of the crew aboard Turner’s Courageous, which won the America’s Cup. Louis Lindley Jones Jr., Cls 35, of Canton, Ga., on Aug. 25. A member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Tech, Mr. Jones later worked with Canton Textile Mills, ultimately becoming chairman of the board and CEO. He was president of the Georgia Textile Manufacturers Association, a member of the board of directors of the American Textile Manufacturers Institute’s Southeast division, vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers two tours of duty with the Civilian Conservation Corps and in the Virginia National Guard. Following graduation from Tech, he worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority and on the design of the Panama Highway. He was a past president of various chapters of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, CIVITAN, the Professional Engineers Association, the American Legion and the Retired Officers Association. TechTopics | Fall 2008 37

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Tech Topics - Winter 2008 Contents Letters Buzz Around Town Alumni House Rockin’ Good Time State of the Institute The Hill Presidential Search Going Airborne Student Life An Architect’s Eyes Weight Coach Robot Burdell & Friends Ramblin’ Roll Rural Readers Leading Ladies Yellow Jackets Beyond His Years Leading Change Real World

Tech Topics - Winter 2008

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