Student Life Artifacts

Featured This Month

Inside The Robbery

1950s: Before the Student Center, the bottom floor of Tech Tower held the Georgia Tech Bookstore, better known as "The Robbery," which served as a general store on campus for students to buy books, food, coffee, or other common items.

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Old photo of people shopping at The Robbery

Student Life Artifacts

Pieces of history from student academics, activities, and leisure.

Activities

1985 Stinger Map

1985: The Stinger routes in 1985. Four routes were run, with three different stop variations around the Ferst Drive loop.

Academics

Drownproofing Rubric

1960s: Drownproofing was created and taught by Fred Lanoue and was mandatory at Tech until 1986. Graded stunts included an underwater swim, floating for an hour, and swimming a mile. The course is still taught by the U.S. Navy Seals.

Leisure

Inside The Robbery

Academics

1953 Harris Gate

In 1953, a Georgia Tech–branded gate was installed at the entrance to Cherry Street off North Ave. The gate was funded by David William Harris, EE 1912 and diverted North Ave. traffic from campus.

Athletics

1912 Athletic Association Stock

Starting in 1902, the Georgia Tech Athletic Association started selling stock as a fundraising mechanism. Pictured is a stock sold in 1912 when one share cost $2.50. Courtesy of Georgia Tech Archives and Special Collections.

Athletics

1929 Tournament of Roses Float

Georgia Tech participated in the 1929 Rose Bowl Parade with a Yellow Jacket float decorated entirely with flowers and natural materials.

Academics

1911 T-Book

1911: The T-Book in 1911 was a 100-page booklet used as a handbook with basic info about Tech with the schedule, a daily planner, yells, and the early Tech songs before "Ramblin Wreck From Georgia Tech" was written that year.

Academics

1988 EE 4120 Final Exam Sheet

Final electrical engineering exam crib sheet from 1988. Notes courtesy Melinda Tourangeau, EE 88.

Academics

1985 Chemical Engineering Joke Shirt

As part of Tech's Centennial in 1985, chemical engineering students made knock-off shirts of Tech's centennial motto, "Designing Tomorrow, Today" to read "Designing Tomorrow, the Night Before." Courtesy Clifford "Chip" Morgan III, MS ChE 86

Academics

1980s AE 4101 Class Notes

Class notes from AE 4101: Analysis of Thin-Walled Structural Elements taught by Dr. Kamat, who said, "If you make an A on my final, I will give you an A in the class no matter what!" Courtesy Scott Lesser, AE 89

Academics

College Inn Book Cover

1950s: The Georgia Tech College Inn, or "The Robbery" as it was more commonly known, sold book covers for textbooks. The "Ram'blin Reck" featured on the back became inspiration for a 1960s student committee tasked with finding a physical representation of Tech's mascot, the Ramblin' Wreck.

Leisure

Junior's Coupons

1980s: Junior's Grill, a former campus restaurant owned by the Klemis family, sold coupon books offering $22 worth of food for $20. These were split into tear-off coupons worth five, 10, 25 and 50 cents each.

Activities

1955 Cotton Bowl Ball

1955: A signed football from Tech's 14-6 win over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. The win made Tech the first team to win the Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange Bowls.

Activities

1925 Doll

In 1925, a handcrafted doll was made in the likeness of Georgia Tech football standout and GT Sports Hall of Famer Doug Wycoff, Cls 1926. Nearly a century later, it was donated to the Alumni House.

Academics

Original Entrance Exam

1888: Before college essays, entrance exams were administered to prospective Tech students hoping to enroll. Questions from the first exams covered math, American history, geography, and grammar.

Activities

1913 Anniversary Booklet

1913: Celebrating Tech's 25th anniversary, a booklet was made featuring the origins of the school, the progress made over the first 25 years, and photos of campus at the time.

Leisure

1910 Ice Cream Booth

1910: Tech Tower Lawn with a promenade tent set up on the south side of the lawn.

Academics

Final Exams in the Gym

1959: A final exam taking place inside the old gymnasium where some classes would hold mass finals.

Leisure

Dances in the Naval Armory

1930s: A dance held in the Naval Armory during the 1930s. Formal dances held by student organizations became so popular that in 1912 the administration limited how many dances organizations were allowed to put on per semester.

Leisure

Baseball Ticket

1979: Georgia Tech's baseball team over multiple decades would play exhibition games against the Atlanta Braves during the Braves' spring training. Some games, including in 1979, were played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Tech has never beat the Braves.

Academics

Barrage Yearbook

1923: Barrage was the yearbook for Georgia Tech's Army ROTC Regiment. This edition includes a copy of a signed photograph of President Warren G. Harding and descriptions of each unit within the Regiment at the time.

Academics

Army ROTC Patch

2020s: Georgia Tech's Army ROTC Regiment has a custom patch specially made for all students to wear on their uniforms. While this particular patch is recently made, the original design dates back to before the 1960s.

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Do any of these pieces of Georgia Tech history ring a bell or bring back a memory? Share them here!

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