Dan Treadaway
Institute Communications and Public Affairs

Most gifts from alumni to their alma mater tend to support either the academic side or the campus life side of the university. David Flanagan, has made a major gift to Georgia Tech that will enrich both immeasurably.

Flanagan’s generous gift will both establish the David D. Flanagan/Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Biological Systems as well as provide unprecedented support for the Outdoor Recreation Georgia Tech (ORGT) program, part of the Campus Recreation Center.
The new Biological Systems Chair is housed in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

“Biological systems is truly at the forefront of research at the intersection of engineering with the life sciences,” said Don Giddens, dean of the College of Engineering. “This new chair will have an extremely tremendous impact on this exciting area of research.”

Biomedical Engineering Professor Eberhard Voit will assume the newly endowed chair in biological systems.

Professor Eberhard Voit has been appointed to the new Biological Systems Chair. His research has focused on the areas of biomedical systems metabolic pathways and biochemical systems theory. Applica-tions of his research include developing drug treatments with minimal side effects, improved food production processes for the agriculture industry, and more cost-effective production of various substances of interest to industry such as alcohol, penicillin and dietary supplements.

“This gift underlines the importance of systems biology and Georgia Tech’s strong commitment to it,” said Voit. “Only a few years ago, systems biology was living in the shadow of molecular biology, because its potential was not generally recognized. By dedicating a chair to this field, Mr. Flanagan and Georgia Tech are telling the world that systems biology is one of the really worthwhile enterprises of the twenty-first century. This will certainly be noticed by the scientific community and attract superb students.”

ORGT gift breaks new ground

In making the ORGT portion of his gift, Flanagan, who earned an industrial engineering degree in 1976, recalled the enjoyment of kayaking with fellow students as one of his most cherished Tech memories.

“We alumni talk a lot about how tough the academic experience at Tech was,” said Flanagan, president of Elm Street Development in McLean, Va. “But for the majority of us, being involved in student organizations was just as important as the academics. My passion was ORGT, especially kayaking. Not only was the physical sensation of kayaking a fun and exciting challenge, but sharing that experience with other ORGT members also created fantastic memories that all of us will have for a lifetime. We really learned how to work as a team in ORGT.”

To ensure that future generations of Tech students have the same opportunities he had, Flanagan has designated a substantial portion of his overall gift to ORGT in honor of Miller Templeton, retired director of the Office of International Education, who was and continues to be a consistent and passionate advocate for ORGT.

“I made it a point over the years to ask students who participated in ORGT events that I led about the value they felt the program had for them,” Templeton recalled. “They would all say that after meeting the huge challenge of outdoor activities such as backpacking 150 miles through the backcountry of Yellowstone Park or the Grand Canyon or running the Colorado River rapids, they believed they could handle whatever challenges came their way in life. I think that’s a pretty powerful endorsement.”

That emotion is shared by Michael Edwards, director of the Campus Recreation Center, which administers ORGT.

“David Flanagan’s expression of support for ORGT’s mission and his belief in the program’s value for Tech students is nothing short of incredible,” said Edwards. “This unprecedented gift has the power to help ORGT grow and serve Tech students in ways that perhaps none of us has ever imagined before.”

“My wife Ann and I are so pleased to be able to make this gift to Georgia Tech,” said Flanagan. “We are especially grateful to Don Giddens and many others at Tech who helped us find a creative way to support two very different, but very important, aspects of the Georgia Tech experience.”