Letters to the Editor: Georgia Tech Legend, If Towers Dorm Could Talk, and Rite of Passage
| Categories: Alumni Interest, Featured Stories
Georgia Tech Legend
I love the story of living in Miller Templeton’s apartment on 10th Street [Summer 2025, “The House on 10th Street,” Vol. 101, No. 2]. When I went to Freshman Camp at Camp Rock Eagle in 1967, Miller was the featured counselor. He was said to have been a student “forever” and had multiple degrees. He taught the freshmen to sing the Ramblin’ Wreck song (although I already knew). He was as much a legend as Sideways [the dog]. —Wade Barnes, Bio 71
Rites of Passage
I enjoyed the “Inside the Locker Room” article about singing the Ga. Tech fight song. I was amused that Coach Key did not sing “helluva” to his 6-year-old daughter. I sang the fight song often when my daughter was growing up. After she graduated from college and had her first job, she bought us tickets to the Tech vs. UVA game at UVA. We sat in the Tech section, and soon the fans started singing the fight song, using “helluva” and “to hell with Georgia.” My daughter turned around and looked at me and said, “You never sang those parts.” I laughed. Soon, she was joining in with the rest of the Tech fans and singing all the words. I hope Coach Key has a similar experience someday. —Carl P. Wylie Jr., MS IS 70
If Towers Dorm Could Talk
Here’s my commentary on “If These Walls Could Talk.” It was spring quarter of my freshman year (1970). I’d had a pretty tough start academically in the fall and not much improvement during the dreaded winter quarter. Having done rather poorly in both calculus and physics, I elected to change my major from Mechanical Engineering to Applied Biology. Gotta say, I was a bit down, and muscled through my last quarter as an “ME.” Returning to my dorm room (Towers 312) after class one spring day, I was surprised to see a notice on our hall bulletin board that shouted, “MEN! MEET YOUR COEDS!! TRY OUT FOR CHEERLEADING!” That evening, 32 guys inhabiting the third floor of Towers Dormitory held a meeting. It was determined that we would draw straws to see who would try out for cheerleading and get the phone numbers of the rare (50, if I remember correctly) female students on campus. I drew the short straw but blew my assignment! I never did get the phone numbers of the coeds who tried out (my future wife was one of them), but I did make the cheerleading squad. It was my great privilege to cheer on the Jackets from the fall of 1970 until the spring of 1973, and serve as captain from 1972 to 1973. Making the cheerleading team absolutely changed my attitude and my life. Simply stated, you can’t hang around fun, positive, energetic, and exciting people without feeling pretty good about everything. My grades shot up, campus life improved with such great teammates and friends, and my self-confidence soared. To this day, I am most thankful that I had that quirky opportunity to try out for a team I never intended—or expected—to make. Thanks, residents of the third floor of Towers Dormitory, and thank you, Georgia Tech!
—Wayne Kerr, ABio 73, MS ABio 74
