{"427141":{"#nid":"427141","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GT-AE salutes Don P. Giddens, former director and college dean","body":[{"value":"\u003Ctable width=\u0022200\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00222\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFrom left, GT-AE\u0026nbsp;Chair Dr. Vigor Yang, former GT\u0026nbsp;director Dr. Don P. Giddens, Nancy Giddens, CoE\u0026nbsp;Dean Dr. Gary May. Check out the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/117948618@N08\/sets\/72157648071034813\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Eslideshow.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA standing-room-only crowd assembled in the Montgomery Knight conference room January 20 to celebrate one of GT-AE\u0027s most memorable leaders, Dr. Don P. Giddens.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe gathering served as an unveiling ceremony for GIddens\u0027 official portrait, rendered by Georgia artist Damon Carter, which now hangs alongside those of four former GT-AE directors:\u0026nbsp; Montgomery Knight, Donnell W. Dutton, Arnold Ducoffe, and Robert Loewy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA graduate of GT-AE\u0027s undergraduate and graduate programs in aerospace engineering, Giddens served as the director of the School from 1988 until 1992 and established the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, a joint department between Georgia Tech and Emory University, in 1997.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022200\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00221\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDon P. Giddens and his wife, Nancy in front of the official Giddens portrait, rendered by Georgia artist Damon Carter\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe also served as the dean of Georgia Tech\u0027s College of Engineering where he granted almost 13,000 undergraduate, 7,700 masters, and 2,500 doctoral degrees. Under his leadership, research dollars coming into the College more than doubled, from $77 million in 2002 to $204 million in 2010.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The portraits in this room recognize these individuals\u0027 unique contributions to our School,\u0022 said current CoE Dean Gary May, who was originally hired by then Dean Giddens to serve as the chair of ECE.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We could just as easily claim this portrait up in Tech Tower, too. He is one of the reasons our College is recognized as one of the top 5 engineering schools in the nation.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut it wasn\u0027t his fund raising prowess or ground-breaking leadership that brought people out on Tuesday. People took to the podium Tuesday to talk about their\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003Efriend.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022200\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00221\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA family affair.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EJoining Dr. Giddens for the official portrait unveiling were his daughter, Karen Kelly, and her husband Paul Kelly\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERegents Professor Ben T. Zinn recalled meeting Giddens when the Augusta, Georgia native was a promising young doctoral student, in 1965. A few years later, when Giddens joined the faculty, Zinn said they \u0022spent countless hour talking about technical problems and tennis...we were colleagues, confidants, and psychiatrists for each other.\u0022\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProfessor Emeritus Ward O. Winer said the 46 years he\u0027d known Giddens had lots of twists and\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Eturns.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I remember him when he was a faculty and I was a chair,\u0022 he said. \u0022I also remember him as a chair when I was faculty.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Suresh Menon was the last faculty hire that Giddens made as the GT-AE director.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022He interviewed me by phone and he convinced me to come here,\u0022 said Menon. \u0022But by the time I got here he was gone to Johns Hopkins [where Giddens served as the head of the engineering school].\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen it was GIddens\u0027 turn to speak, he had nothing but praise for the leaders who\u0027d preceded and succeeded him.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022If you don\u0027t know your history, you can\u0027t chart your future,\u0022 he said, gesturing to the paintings of former GT-AE leaders that now surround his portrait.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022200\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00221\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERegents Professor Ben T. Zinn was only too happy to praise his former colleague and student.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I am humbled to be included among such leaders.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne by one, he lauded his predecessors as visionaries, scholars, and innovators.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Success is inevitable when you hire good people and then get out of their way,\u0022 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Now, I didn\u0027t hire Bob Loewy [his successor at GT-AE] but I will take credit for Vigor Yang. And he is a scholar and a leader.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, AE\u0027s emphasis on hiring the best will help it withstand economic downturns and other whims, he predicted. Good faculty attract good students. And good students do great things.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Going forward, there\u0027s no limit on what the School can do,\u0022 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We\u0027ve often had to swim upstream, against the feeling that aerospace engineers would always face cyclical unemployment. But every time, AE has defied this. AE has been on the cutting edge because we always attract the visionaries, the people who dream big.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENoting that \u0022this is probably the last time I will speak at a podium\u0022 as a part of Georgia Tech, a visibly moved Giddens let the audience know how important they were to this chapter of his life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGesturing to his former colleagues and many friends he said:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022What you eventually remember, when you look back at your career are the people -- your friends and family.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022600\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00221\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003ET\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ehis collection of photos, provided by GT-AE\u0026nbsp;Professor Jim Craig,\u0026nbsp; chronicles a good piece of Don Giddens\u0027s tenure at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003Ebgrace6\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cul class=\u0022menu\u0022\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022leaf first\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/user\/21\u0022\u003EMy account\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022collapsed\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/node\/add\u0022\u003ECreate content\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022collapsed\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/admin\u0022\u003EAdminister\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022leaf last\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/logout\u0022\u003ELog out\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EHPEP LAB\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Mitchell Walker in the High-Power Electric Propulsion Lab\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022more\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/research\u0022\u003EFIND OUT MORE\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first\u0022\u003EJul 11, 2015\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/node\/1792\u0022\u003EGT-AE grad Lenny Richoux promoted to Brigadier General, USAF\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022views-row views-row-2 views-row-even\u0022\u003EJul 02, 2015\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/node\/1787\u0022\u003EGT-AE rallies around U.S. Women\u0027s National Soccer Team\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd views-row-last\u0022\u003EJul 02, 2015\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/node\/1788\u0022\u003EGT-AE team takes home a top honor at RASC-AL competition\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Ca class=\u0022more\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/news\/archive\u0022\u003Emore news\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Ch4\u003Eevents\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first\u0022\u003ESEPT9\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/node\/1795\u0022\u003ESeventh Annual Diversity Symposium\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFaculty, staff, and students will discuss how we can build and sustain an inclusive campus community\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022views-row views-row-2 views-row-even\u0022\u003EJULY28\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/node\/1797\u0022\u003EPh.D. Thesis Proposal: Nicholas Magina\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDynamics of Forced Non-premixed Flames\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli class=\u0022views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd views-row-last\u0022\u003EJULY23\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/node\/1789\u0022\u003EAE Presents: Dr. R. I. Sujith\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Prognosis of an Impending Combustion Instability\u0022 a talk by Dr. R. I. 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Giddens."}],"uid":"27456","created_gmt":"2015-07-21 16:33:33","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:12","author":"Britanny Grace","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-07-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-07-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1239","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2082","name":"aerospace engineering"},{"id":"2549","name":"Don Giddens"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["communications@ae.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}