BY George P. Burdell
Ninety-nine years ago, Georgia Tech's loosely knit alumni decided it was nigh time to add some structure to their informal allegiance.
It had been 18 years since G.C. Crawford and H.L. Smith flipped a coin to decide who would become the first graduate of Georgia Tech. Smith won. And so it was that in 1890 Smith became the first graduate to receive a mechanical engineering degree from the School of Technology and Crawford the second.
In 1908, after a few false starts, the Georgia Tech graduates were granted a charter by Fulton County, Ga. In January 2008, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association will begin a yearlong celebration marking its centennial anniversary — 100 years since receiving its charter.
But is this a history worth telling?
"You bet it is," said Joe Irwin, IM 80, president of the Alumni Association. "It's the history of some of our most remarkable alumni who invested their time, energy and money to see this Association succeed — and on one occasion to revive it when it appeared to have fallen victim to a world war.
"It's a fascinating, colorful story — because it's the story of Georgia Tech alumni," Irwin said.
In observance of the historic occasion, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association is publishing a coffee table book that spotlights an organization forged by such great leaders as Bobby Jones, Ivan Allen, George C. Griffin and Shirley Clements Mewborn.
You are invited to have your photo on the cover of our book.
The cover will be a Photomosaic of the Ramblin' Wreck made up of thousands of images of alumni across the years. Send your image to: alumnipix@gtalumni.org.
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