Banners touting the Alumni Association's "century of impact" will be hoisted onto street poles around campus in February and illustrate the organization's strong ties to the Institute over the past 100 years.

The Fulton County Superior Court granted the Georgia Tech Alumni Association a charter on June 20, 1908.

Centennial events will be promoted at www.gtalumni.org/100. The Web site also will carry information on purchasing the newly published book, "Ramblin' Wrecks From Georgia Tech: A Centennial History of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association," and the companion DVD, "TechTone News."

"There is not a single great American university that truly succeeds without the extraordinary leadership, advocacy, philanthropy and passion of its alumni," Association president Joseph P. Irwin wrote in the "Ramblin' Wrecks From Georgia Tech" epilogue.

The Association is calling on alumni and local artists to help express that passion for Georgia Tech through 5-foot-tall fiberglass sculptures of Buzz.

Each sponsor of a sculpture will be paired with a professional artist to bring the vision to life. Sponsors will be matched with artists in May. The Buzz sculptures must be completed by mid-September.

The Buzz Around Town sculptures will be displayed on campus this fall, then will be auctioned off to benefit Roll Call and student organizations.

Sponsorships are available for $1,500. Sponsors will be recognized with plaques on their Buzzes, listed on locator maps and recognized during the auction.

Prospective sponsors and artists may contact Renee Queen, Alumni Association vice president of Marketing and Web Services, at renee.queen@alumni.gatech.edu.

Eighty-eight alumni and friends will set sail on a centennial celebration cruise around Italy and the Greek Isles from April 3 to 16. Also in April is the annual Dean Griffin Pi Mile 5k Road Race. But this year there's an added incentive for participants: prizes for the first 100 people to cross the finish line on April 12.

In the fall, commissioned art produced by the acclaimed Moulthrop family will be unveiled. The wood-turned bowl is being created from the 100-year-old elm tree that graced the Basil Garden outside the Alumni House until it was severely damaged during a storm last summer and taken down.

Alumni and friends will be invited to join the Georgia Tech band in New York City, where the marching band is planning to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and the symphonic band is planning to perform at Carnegie Hall. The band also is celebrating its centennial in 2008. Travel details will be posted on the centennial Web site when they become available.