At the Gold & White Honors Gala, to be held on Feb. 18, 2016, the Alumni Association will recognize eight of the Georgia Tech community’s most outstanding members. These Gold & White award-winners have contributed immensely to the Institute and their communities, and they serve as an inspiration to the next generation of Georgia Tech alumni and friends. All proceeds from the gala will support the Alumni Association’s exceptional student programs—the Student Alumni Association, the Student Ambassadors and the Georgia Tech Student Foundation. Last year, the event raised more than $434,000 for student development. For more information about the event and how to become a sponsor, visit gtalumni.org/goldandwhite. Below, read more about this year’s incredible honorees and the awards they will receive.
The Joseph Mayo Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award is the highest award conferred by the Alumni Association, honoring alumni who have provided outstanding support of the Institute and Alumni Association throughout a lifetime, and who have provided leadership in their chosen professions and local communities.
Kenneth “Ken” G. Byers Jr., EE 66, MS EE 68, is the founder and chairman of Byers Engineering Company, a 1,000-employee firm that provides technical services and software products to the utilities industry. Byers is also the chairman of eQuorum, founded in 1996, which designs and sells software products for wide-format document management. He is an active supporter of the Carter Center, where he served as chairman of the Board of Councilors in 2010 and was named a life member in 2011. He was inducted into the Georgia Technology Hall of Fame in 2010, and is a past chairman of the SciTrek Museum, a now-closed museum of science and technology in Atlanta. Byers is a member of the Campaign Georgia Tech Steering Committee, served as chair of his 50th class reunion committee and serves as an emeritus member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board. Byers is a past member of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, the Alumni Association Board of Trustees, the Alexander-Tharpe Board, the Engineering Advisory Board and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board.
William “Bill” W. George, IE 64, Hon PhD 08, is the former chairman-CEO of Medtronic, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, and co-founder and vice chair of the George Family Foundation. Early in his career, George served in the U.S. Department of Defense as assistant to the assistant secretary of defense and as special civilian assistant to the secretary of the Navy. He later joined Litton Industries and, after holding several executive positions with Litton Microwave Cooking Products, he was named president of the division in 1973. He then joined Honeywell Inc. where he was promoted to president of space and aviation systems in 1988. George was named president-CEO of Medtronic Inc. in 1991 and later chairman and CEO. After retiring from Medtronic, he became a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School in 2004. George has written six books and numerous articles. He and his wife established the George Family Foundation in Minneapolis in 1992.
Francis “Bo” S. Godbold, IE 65, is vice chairman and director of Raymond James Financial Inc. Godbold joined the company in 1969, was elected to the Board in 1977, and served as president from 1986 until March 2002. Godbold is a member of the Campaign Georgia Tech Steering Committee and served as chair of his 50th Reunion Committee. Under his leadership, the class of 1965 set an all-time record in class giving with a gift of $41 million to Tech. Godbold is an emeritus member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees and the ISyE Advisory Board. He is also a former member of the Alumni Association Board of Trustees. Godbold was named to the College of Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni in 1997.
Albert “Bert” S. Thornton Jr., IM 68, is the vice chairman emeritus of Waffle House. Thornton was one of several Georgia Tech alumni and friends recruited by Joe Rogers Jr., IM 68, to join the management team at the Norcross-based restaurant chain. He began his management initiation with the company in 1971, starting as a dishwasher and moving his way up to waiter, grill manager and eventually vice president of the company within six years. Thornton left a lasting mark on Waffle House when he created Bert’s Chili, a menu mainstay. During his 40 years at Waffle House, Thornton held several positions, including executive vice president of franchise operations and president-COO. Thornton is a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees, and past chair of the Alumni Association Board of Trustees.
The Dean Griffin Community Service Award recognizes alumni who have performed exemplary community service in the following ways: service in a long-term volunteer capacity, impact on the quality of life of others, leadership and creativity in dealing with societal problems, and ability to serve as a source of inspiration for others.
Michael Anderson, IE 79, is senior vice president of charitable giving at Georgia Power Company and president-CEO of the Georgia Power Foundation Inc. and Southern Company Corporate Foundation. Anderson previously served as vice president of corporate services at the energy company. He also served as president-CEO of Georgia Power Childcare LLC. During his long tenure at Georgia Power, Anderson has held numerous leadership positions. Before joining Georgia Power, Anderson worked for Texas Instruments, where he was responsible for quality control component testing of nuclear warhead guidance systems. As a student at Tech, Anderson lettered in track and field and set three school records. Anderson is a member of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, the Alexander-Tharpe Board, the Georgia Tech Athletic Association Board of Trustees and the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization Affinity Group. He is also an ex-officio member of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees and an emeritus member of the ISyE Advisory Board. Anderson received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Engineering in 2006 and the Athletic Association’s Total Person Alumnus Award in 2010.
The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award honors alumni younger than 40 who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to Georgia Tech, the Alumni Association, the general welfare of their community and their profession.
Anu Parvatiyar, BME 08, is a program manager at eHealth Systems Africa, where she splits her time between San Francisco and various African countries. eHealth Systems Africa is a not-for-profit organization focused on improving healthcare by creating effective ways to implement reliable health information management systems. Previously, Parvatiyar served as a research and design engineer at TransCardiac Therapeutics. In 2009, she joined Bard Medical, a division of C.R. Bard, as a research and design engineer. In 2011, Parvatiyar became a project engineer and design researcher on the concept development team for Bard Medical, working on design strategy, user research and product development for projects across their portfolio. While at Georgia Tech, Parvatiyar was a student ambassador and served as president of the Student Government Association. She is also a former member of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees. Parvatiyar was named to Georgia Tech’s Council of Outstanding Young Engineers in 2011, and in 2015, she was named the Georgia Bio Emerging Leader of the Year.
The Honorary Alumnus Award honors any non–alumnus who has devoted him- or herself to the greater good of Georgia Tech.
Bobby Cremins is a legendary coach who brought Georgia Tech’s basketball program to national prominence. Before retiring in 2000, Cremins guided Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team to 14 winning seasons in his 19 years as head coach. During his tenure, the Yellow Jackets won three ACC tournament titles and made an appearance in the Final Four. When he accepted the job of head coach in 1981, Tech’s struggling basketball team had just completed a 4-23 season. Few believed the program could be competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference. But in just a few years, Cremins led Georgia Tech to become a nationally recognized collegiate program. Tech’s 1989-90 team solidified Cremins’ reputation as one of America’s best coaches as the Jackets compiled a 28-7 record, the most wins in school history, on the way to their first NCAA Final Four. For his efforts that season, Cremins was named as the national Coach of the Year by the Naismith Awards program. He was also named the ACC Coach of the Year three times during his career. He remains an ardent supporter and ambassador of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, and periodically attends games and events on campus.
Penny Stamps is a longtime supporter of Georgia Tech, along with her husband E. Roe Stamps IV, IE 67 MS IE 72. Penny is a graduate of the University of Michigan where she earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of Art and Design and a teaching certificate in elementary education. She previously served as the principal designer of Penny W. Stamps Interiors. Now retired, Stamps is committed to advancing the arts and art-and-design education. She established a lecture series at the University of Michigan featuring thought leaders in disciplines ranging from architecture, engineering, music, fashion design and environmentalism. In 2012, Roe and Penny Stamps donated $32.5 million to Michigan’s School of Art & Design to name the school. The Stamps’ generosity can be felt on Georgia Tech’s campus through the Penny and Roe Stamps Student Center Commons and the Stamps Scholarship program. The Stamps Foundation in 2000 provided the initial grant to start the Stamps Presidents Scholarship Program at Georgia Tech. She currently is a member of Georgia Tech’s Campaign Steering Committee.
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