Georgia Institute of Technology - Blueprint Yearbook (Atlanta, GA)

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JACKE.TS TAKING T GERS fOR R»DE. ins for the privilege. Should you hear ttial old saying about the law of average working out in the long run, forget it. Either the law of average takes longer than four years to work out, or ray roommates had a two- headed coin. I went through my first year of Tech with a broom in one hand and a book in the other. These quarters (there is no singular. I believe) were located directly above what was then known as Uncle Gus kitchen, a place where the skillet smoked by night and by day. The walls, furnishings and l)edclothes were permeated with the odor of over-worked lard. It took the leanest years of the depression for me to recall those old fumes and the ships-ballast biscuits which issued daily from that kitchen with anything but nos- talgia. Rumor has it that Johns-Manvillr Stole Uncle Gus ' biscuit formula and put it into mass production. At this I would not sneer. I found this hallowed spot had been taken over by my good friend. Dean George Griflin, for office space. It had lost none of its old charm, and I congratulated the Dean on his discrimi- nating choice of location. He i)rought mr further up- to-date on the progress all around us. With Dean Griffin as my guide we set out on a further tour of the campus, slopping first at a new ( lo me) cofTee hangout known as ' Tlic l{ol)i)cry. Here I had the pleasure of seeing a representative group of the students relaxing over the inevitable ' Coke. Some forty-odd lads and two comelv co-eds (anotlier splendid innovation) were gathered iierc and except lor iniicli shorter haircuts on die men and much longer skirts on the girls, it could have been a scene from tlic twen- ties. The exception being diat this group looked younger than any students I e er renieml)ei ' at Tech. I found a small wave of paternalism engulfing my perspeclive. I had the pleasure of exchanging pleasantries with several of the boys (men) who spoke of their work with engaging seriousnes? f ' dns may have bsen d part to the pre.sence of n y guide). .4Ifeo, ihey . ooiisjderate enough not lo seuson tluiir sentences U.h) liboratiy with sirs. ' As f strolled die old l. v-wavs tailing in iiiuovautms I everywhere, I was filled with pride and pleasure. Bui nothing in my peregrinations liad prepared me for five great buildings I was yet to see. My first view of »■ Civil Engineering, the Architecturai, the Textile build- ings, the Engineering Experiment Station and the Li- brary really floored me. I had the sensation of one who sees a mirage, so fixed in my mind wa,s t)ie old look of the campus of 28. Each was an architectural gem in itself. I was conscious of a tremendous surge of pride that my college had progressed lo these heights. It is achievements like these diat renew faith in a world bent on perfecting destruction. So long as sueii great centers of learning exist, so long will the world be able to rebuild itself no matter what disasters strike. These buildings in themselves seem to symbolize the great needs of mankind in war and in peace. To rebuild, to shelter, and to clothe mankind is the province of the engineer. I was deeply gratified that I had the opportunity of looking tlirough all five of these structural wonders with the kind and competent guidance of Dean Griffin. Here was the latest and the finest laboratory and re- search equipment, spacious, ideally lighted and venti- lated rooms, commodious lecture halls, and, above all these, an atmosphere which in itself will inspire learn- ing. It was not without a touch of envy that I roamed these halls. No classman of ' 28 ever envisioned such a consummation of academic requirements. These facili- ties were as far removed from those of the twenties as the present Ford car from the then revolutionary Model A. This simile prompts me to comment on the sharp contrast in the auto situation here between 28 and ' 5.3. Back then, those of us fortunate enough to have a Model .A at our disposal were among the solvent minor- ity. The T Model was the ear of the day at Tech as elsewhere, and the penchant for inscribing each cher- ished buggy with varied witticisms was universal. I don ' t choose to nm . . . had a ring of the times. I myself was the possessor of a ' T ' I fondly called Roaring Boring Alice. She was a faithful craft in her fashion, temperament being the prerogative of the aged. So it was with no little irony that I viewed the students parade of old and honorably retired cars that week-end. During my college days there were few so proud who would have spurned one of these flivvers now held up to such ridicule. Their present condition would have been considered a challenge to a man ' s mechanical aptitudes. The preponderance of sleek chassis now crowding the campus thoroughfares was a change to be sure. I wondered if this Avas an indication of a greater prosperity than the i)oom years of the late twen- ties or whether it signified a more benevolent generation of parents. Possibly, considering the present wage-scale, some of these cars represented the fruits of extra- curricular toil. Pensively 1 figured it would have taken the undergrailuate of twenty-five years ago three yeai- of unremitting toil (with all expenses paid) to raise the tariff on one 54 Ford. . . . But lookinii back. I do

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Original Plant, 1888 — Old Shop Building and Administration Building ing from the bustle of unpaved Cherry Street ' s traffic. The horses and consequently the three buggies visible seem to be making concertedly towards this frail bar- rier and the lush campus fields beyond. In a foreword entitled A History of Georgia Tech (of necessity, brief). Mr. Ray C. Werner states, It is safe to predict that the institution will continue to grow and prosper. Judging from the staggering skyline outside my win- dow, I felt that Mr. Werner had once the makings of a great banker. Continuing to wade rather than plunge, I turned to the yearbook of ' 28. Twice the size of its twenty-year- old brother, its brown embossed cover impressed me as having been designed to harmonize with th e family album and Bible. I trust it has been treated as rever- ently. Carefully avoiding the pictures of the graduating class of that year, I looked over the twenty-odd build- ings amongst which I had circulated for four years. I was the Boy Scout studiously memorizing familiar landmarks as he enters strange territory. These two yearbooks served to show with sUirtling emphasis how leisurely had been the pace ol progress Itetween 1908 and 1928 as compared to that of tlie last two decades at Tech, Although I had i)een informed that over ten million dollars had gone into the new atlditions at Tech in the past ten years. I was un[irepared for the prodigious immber and elegance of liiese stru(;tures. As I made my uncertain way towards the campus the impressive display of new facilities everywhere left me almost empty of memories. First T stojjped So marvel at a large cluster ot imposing doiinilories suirounding a liaroiiiraj liiiildiii:j, ' Aliiilt 3 vvas inidrmed was a (lining hall, Vv ' iicn last seen onK unc Hrnivri .hir niilory had been in cxi {ellce. Th(- ulii ijiii ' rtiiiur ua- aiino i over- looked bs 11)1 ' i)i ' -:in-c .)l ijie (l!s(i!)glM: li l roinpany around il. i resiiaincd nyscH imm inspecting the Hugh Saint finds time to write home. present sleeping facilities of the students as I feared that a touch of envy might somewhat our my admira- tion. I had been previously forewarned regarding the innovations at Grant Field, since I follow the fortunes of the Yellow Jackets as closely as any old grad from season to season. I found these changes even greater than I had anticipated. Here was a fit setting for the ' perennially excellent gridiron performances Tech alum- ni and fans anticipate. The gymnasium at the end of the field stands like a majestic monument to the school ' s athletic prowess. Tech has reason to be proud of these notable additions to her athletic department. On my left I found a large apartment house conmianding ray attention. This, I was told, was the Burge Apartments. From what I had already seen I was sure there was no housing shortage on the campus. Had I jjeen blindfolded until the moment I mounted the campus steps at the North Avenue and Fowler Street corner. I would have felt perfectly at home. The old Administration Building in the background, the flag- pole, Knowles Dormitory, the Library, the Mathe- matics Building, die E. E. Building, and old Swann Hall — all were just as they had been. All these old buildings which I had known so intimately in the past served to reassure me that I was back and welcome at my Alma Mater. 1 sl()[)ped next at the Knowles Dormitory as I had a hankering to see the old room I occupied during 1924. I w(ndd find it difficult to analyze the compulsion to return to a scene of so many past discomforts. I ' ll only admit that T was wallowing in sentiment at this moment and enjoying it. The room of which I speak was a dank. clii-crlcss little cell that slept three by virtue of a single and double decker. This was strictly steerage when the three of us happened to converge there at the same moment. Since it was impossible for the threesome to deckswab and bed-make at the same time, we tossed

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Brittain Dining Hall. not feel ve were deprived. That our ecoiioinic standaril.s were lowK was co mpensated hv the (act that tliey were less (ieniaiuliiii!, in ratio. Our homely joys we loinid geiioraily saiisl ' ying. Since we were virtually the cre- ators oi our automol)iles, we were as intensely inter- ested in their performances as ihe lad of today is by a jaguar. Each extra mile per hour painfully fii that o cajoled from our flivvers provided exquisite gratihca- tioti. Likewise the obstacles and tisks. both ])hysi al and legal, which attended the procurement Oi a tin oi corn contriliuted at least as much to its enjoyment as the bonded bullle from ihe local stoi-e offers the present day college ceiei.irant. cs, many and broad were the changes ap- parent to this long-absent alunnms. environt; mental and practical, all indications being that ' Tech had graduated to the lop of the league.. That tliis increase in si.iiun was all encor passing was confirmed ihe si dlIe li i o improvements and innovation s covered by our re}»iiricr that week-end. The ( rtiggeidieim cronaiiiical School and its iicighbor, the En- gineering Drawing building, two more majesti additions, lent su])stanliaiiy to tlie genera cam|)us opulerice. The emphasis on aeronautics today demand.s such an excellent fa.cilitv. Frst- wrulc w ilderness bad given a to a priispcrou gi ' oup of fraternity houses, tiie impressive liose How! field, a brace (d fine ttsnnis I ' oiids, fuidiet new apartment,s, and the {)residenr;- beautiful home. I could ordy ui-h tc.r nioce iime to appreciate tbeni all in gn alcr detail. Buildings and facilities, however., are ini portant only to tiie degree that they ojmi ' vude ihe portal- ' of le,-in inp:. The ] resenl si; .e llic sludenl body has now grown to over 4,300 day stu- dents and an engineering extension division of over 12,()()(). During the years Col. Van Leer has been in office, more students have graduated from Georgia Tech than the combined total of all graduates since the col- lege ' s initial opening in 1888. I respectfully submit that Tech is fortunate indeed to have such a great leader and educator at the helm. During my reunion weekend, I had the opportunity to watch many campus activities. This was the weekend oi ihe Clemson-Tech game, which the Yellow Jackets took witli their customary ferocity. The results of this contest were luridly predicted by the colorful exhibits in tront of the fraternity houses. Although this pag- eantry was to me an additional iimovation, I was pleased to note that the Tech man of today was not lacking in ingemnty and whimsey. Except for the sub- stantial impiovements in the stadium and the absence of coonskin coats, th.e game could have been a game of any year. The same color, crowds, esprit de corps. College football changeth not, thank Heaven. I ' ve often wondered what fashion edict outlawed the honorable coon. He was warm, had an indefinable swagger and his pockets were commodious enough to conceal any- thing from a gold plated flask to a large listerine bottle. Maybe lie went out with the ruml)le-seal. My fondnes was of the vicarious sort, however, as tiie co(on-skins were w ' orn primarily by the owners of the Model A ' s, but I coveted, none-the-less. There is one memory of my collegiate days wdiich will remain ever fresh and that is the memory of hard work. Throwing all such bon mots aside as halcyon and carefree, my days at Tech were full to over-flowing with grinding work. Let the Tan Beta Pi members say otherwise. I imagine the old order to be pretty much tougher today. The more progress, the more textbooks. With the present pace of things, it is fortunate the new library had a capacity of half a million books. Should it ever become necessary to expatid this facility, I think it would be more hiunane to expand the college term. This in turn would be easier on the football coaches. The young engineering graduate of today sometimes Hal Homer, Neal Smitti, and Truman Raspberry relax in the now library.