Page 1 - Gamma Tauk - Fall 2017
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Georgia Institute of Technology | Gamma Tau Fiji Graduates Association | Alumni Office | P.O. Box 80828 | Atlanta, Georgia 30366 | www.GTFijiGrads.com | Fall 2017
Alumni Jeffery C. PoPe ’72
House Spotlight
Corporation Editor’s Note: For this edition of the newsletter
we’re shining the Spotlight on brother Jeff
Update Pope ’72. From the hometown of Atlanta, Jeff
— our past chapter treasurer — is recently
retired as senior director of Habitat for
Humanity International. While still active with
the organization and leading overseas trips,
he is enjoying travel time with his wife, Gala.
After graduating from Ga. Tech with a degree
in industrial engineering, Jeff continued at the
Harvard Business School. After 25 years in
business, including running businesses in Asia
and South America, Jeff retired as President of Jeff and his wife Gala on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Lafarge Materials North America. Outside of
Rick Dorsey (left) and Greg Robbins. work, Jeff enjoys spending time with his son, Chandler (26), daughter, Haley (28), and his mother (97).
His hobbies include jogging, playing guitar, skiing, and hitting the gym.
I am excited to continue my work with
the House Corporation in my new role as What did you enjoy most as an active chapter member? Why do you feel it’s important to support the chapter’s
president. I feel I have some big shoes to fill Probably what most brothers would say: the efforts to keep the Gamma Tau legacy thriving?
as Marc Perla ’92 is now taking the lead of camaraderie. I like my “alone time,” and believe it or Regardless of a lot of “common perception” that
the Graduates Association. Please join me not, I was able to have that while at the same time I fraternities are decadent places with unending parties,
in congratulating him on his new role and could always find great friends to be with. We played Gamma Tau and FIJI for me was a place to grow, develop
thanking him for all his years of service on intramural sports, enjoyed Saturday night parties (for lifelong bonds, and build self-confidence. For me, the
the House Corporation. the young guys—us old timers had Saturday classes fraternity experience provided me with numerous non-
Landon-Nelson Hall continues to provide so Friday parties were out), and had to really work to academic skills.
a safe, secure and functional facility for our get a date since there were only 300 coeds at Tech. We After graduation, what inspired you to seek your master’s
undergraduates, graduates, and their guests did envy the UGA FIJIs as their weekend started on at Harvard?
alike. As with any high traffic facility, we’ve Wednesday—ha! After graduation from Tech I went to work for
had to address a few system malfunctions as How do you stay in touch with your FIGI brothers today? Georgia Power Company, and as I began to understand
well as make minor repairs to the common Mostly the ones here in Atlanta keep up to date at what the corporate ladder looked like, with so many
areas. football and basketball games, and for homecoming. people ahead of me, I decided to try to leapfrog the
We appreciate your continued support Charlie Bass and I have hosted a party on Friday night competition by going to a great business school (if I
of the capital campaign as we continue to for the last six or seven years. Some go to Pig Dinner, but could get in!). I had decided that I wanted to go into
pay down our loans, while continuously I have not been a regular attendee. Last summer, I had a management and not practice engineering, although
maintaining our investment in a first-class wonderful reunion with three of my best FIJI friends in I wanted to work for an industrial company where
facility. Asheville for a long weekend with wives. my engineering degree would be helpful. I ultimately
I would like to invite you to join me wanted to run a company.
in becoming a member of the House
Corporation. We are in need of graduate You’ve moved around quite a bit in your
volunteers. It won’t take much of your time career – which location do you remember
and I know you will enjoy interacting with most vividly?
the undergraduates. Please contact me for Our family is unanimous that our four
more information. years in Malaysia were the most exciting
Lastly, if you are on campus, please stop and adventurous. I had a great job and
by and visit, as our younger brothers would lots of perks, but what we most enjoyed
certainly like to meet you and show you was having a chance to experience so
around. many different cultures. We had presumed
that all Asian cultures were similar, but in
Fraternally, travelling to almost every country in Asia
we discovered that that expectation was
Frederick “Rick” Dorsey ’95 pretty naive. So, we experienced Buddhist,
Hindu, Taoist, Confucian, and Christian
Jeff with his wife, Gala, on a project for Habitat for Humanity in
Guatemala. Pope (Continued on Page 4)