Southern Polytechnic State University Foundation, Inc.
Inaugural Gala: Technology of the 1920's
22 October 2005
Remarks by President Lisa A. Rossbacher, SPSU
The 1920s was a decade that saw a lot of innovation in technology - just like we see at Southern Polytechnic today. There are some interesting linkages between the '20s and now, especially from the perspectives of the University and of many of the companies and individuals that have helped sponsor this evening's event.
Sherri Scyphers Hungate, SPSU Foundation Chair, will be recognizing the sponsors in a minute, but I'd like to draw some connections among the 1920's, the University, and tonight's table hosts.
In the '20s, the first transatlantic phone call was made, and Atlanta got its dial telephone service. Today, SPSU has one of the few degree programs in the country in Telecommunications Engineering Technology.
The transition from silent to sound movies happened in the '20s, and the first Academy Awards were announced in that decade. Last February, two Computer Science graduates from SPSU won an Academy Award for inventing motion-capture software, to solve a real problem in the motion picture industry and make the film Polar Express possible.
In the '20s, the 15-millionth Model T came off the Ford assembly line. It got 25 miles per gallon. For comparison, the average car today gets 21 miles per gallon. But last year, Southern Polytechnic students, competing in the Society of Automotive Engineers Supermileage Car event, raced a car that got 742 miles per gallon. That's progress.
Issues of water and energy are vitally important to our society today - that hasn't changed in eight decades. Electricity in the '20s was promoted as convenient, safe, and an important way to liberate women from the drudgery of housework. Energy and technology intersected in people's lives - and particularly their homes. The Marietta Board of Lights and Water, our Presidential Sponsor tonight, has been serving Marietta since 1906, and their work is, if anything, even more important today than in the 1920s.
The same contributions apply to Cobb EMC, our First Flight Platinum Sponsors tonight. The electrified home was the ideal for a tired housewife in the 20s. Thank goodness that's not the most valuable aspect of electricity today. Southern Polytechnic's programs in electrical and computer engineering technology are among the most popular majors we have on campus.
Electricity also made possible the growth of industries like building control systems, represented by ALC Controls and others here tonight. The '20s saw the first air-conditioned movie theater. That was progress, too.
In the '20s, the Lockheed Aircraft Company was officially created. The first non-stop transcontinental flight took 19 hours - and was completed in a Lockheed Vega, a four-passenger wooden monoplane. Today, Lockheed-Martin Aeronautics Company is the largest single employer of our graduates, with nearly 400 SPSU alumni.
In 1921, the first women engineer graduated from Penn State University. Today, SPSU ranks #6 in the country for the number of women receiving bachelors degrees in engineering-related fields.
In the '20s, lawyers were busy dealing with the Scopes trial, prohibition, and organized crime. Today, lawyers, like our sponsors at Shapiro Fussell, may be dealing with somewhat less colorful issues - but no less important ones. However, lawyer jokes haven't changed much in eight decadesŠ"Do you know how many lawyer jokes there are? Just one. All the other stories are true."
Prohibition undoubtedly had a major effect on private clubs - so the Futren Group might have found as important a niche in the 1920s as it does in the world of Atlanta's private clubs today.
In the '20s, the world of health care saw the discovery of penicillin and insulin for medical purposes. Today, our colleagues at WellStar are leading the way in new applications of technology to serve our community - and graduates of SPSU, including our new biology program, are helping.
The worlds of architecture and construction are well represented this evening, with R.K. Redding Construction, Hardin Construction, Hendessi and Associates, GSB Architects, C.W. Matthews -- and numerous other supporters. The 1920s saw the design and construction of such landmarks as the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in New York and the Wrigley Building in Chicago. Today, Southern Polytechnic's architecture and construction students are solving problems both here in our community and around the world.
In the '20s, there was a successful family-owned business called Birmingham Slag CompanyŠtoday that company has become the even-more successful Vulcan Materials, the nation's largest producer of construction aggregates and a vital source of materials for the work many of our graduates do.
In the banking world, some of the good news in the '20s was the major growth in branch banking - which led to the success today of organizations like the Bank of North Georgia, who is represented here tonight.
One table sponsor I haven't mentioned has a spotless record in the '20s. The only reason is that they hadn't been born yet, so Ron and Gerre Koger hadn't found a way to get into any mischief yet. Based on his appearance tonight, Ron seems to be channeling a gangster, which is making me rethink whether financial aid should continue to report to him at the University.
There's one other event that happened in the '20s that I want to mention. I had hoped to describe it as a similarity to this year, but I'll have to cite it as a distinction. In 1926, the St. Louis Cardinals won their first World Series. (If there are any questions about the importance of that, just talk to my husband.) And although the Cardinals won't repeat that accomplishment this year, this evening we celebrate what was, what is, and what will be. There's always next season.
The '20s were all about celebrating - dance, music, entertainment, technology. As one writer observed, it was a very happy decade - for eight and three-quarters years. If you have any questions about what happened in 1929, please consult with the people at the Bank of North Georgia table. But in the spirit of the majority of that decade, we are celebrating tonight. We celebrate Southern Polytechnic's outstanding students, our excellent faculty, and our quality programs, all of which will benefit from the support generated by tonight's event. And, in particular, we celebrate our highly qualified graduates who enter the workforce - many of them with the companies represented by our sponsors tonight - and who apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems and make the world a better place. Thanks so much for your support.
And now, in 1920s parlance, I have pos-o-tutely given you an earful, and you're going to start thinking this Jane is a flat tire. You're all hip to the jive in your glad rags tonight. And now it's copacetic to introduce Sherri Scyphers Hungate, an SPSU alumna and the chair of the SPSU Foundation. And, I have to say, she's the bee knees.