Computing Celebrates Luminaries’ Lasting Contributions

The Georgia Tech College of Computing inducted its first four members into its Hall of Fame during a ceremony held Nov. 9 at the Historic Academy of Medicine in Atlanta.

A select group of guests attended the ceremony honoring Dorothy Murray Crosland, Peter A. Freeman, John P. Imlay, Jr., and Christopher W. Klaus for their lasting contributions to the success of the College of Computing.

“Simply put, the College of Computing would not be what it is today without the contributions of these four individuals,” said Zvi Galil, The John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing. “I cannot think of four people that have done more to shape the spirit and direction of the College than our inaugural class of inductees.”

According to Development Director Brad Hastings, the Hall of Fame has been established to recognize College alumni and friends’ contributions to computing and computer science education.

“From academia to government to industry, the impact of the GT Computing Community is being felt far and wide. We felt the time was right to start recognizing the contributions of those that best reflect the College’s aspirational spirit,” Hastings said.

Spring Hall of Fame Gala

The next College of Computing Hall of Fame event is set for April 26, 2019. While the Nov. 9 event was a low-key affair by design, the spring event will be more of a gala. Along with a larger guest list, the event will celebrate the full inaugural class, which includes Class Zero.

“Although we selected Class Zero based on their unquestionable contributions to the College, going forward we’ll be looking to the GT Computing Community for Hall of Fame nominations,” said Hastings. “We’ll be sharing information about the nomination process early next year.”

The inductees are known as Class Zero:

Dorothy M. Crosland

The ceremony began with the induction of Crosland into the newly established College of Computing Hall of Fame. A longtime Director of the Georgia Tech Library, Crosland was instrumental in the founding of a graduate program in information science in 1963, which evolved into the College of Computing. She also played a key role in securing the admission of women to Georgia Tech.

Peter A. Freeman

Freeman was honored for his service as the founding dean of the College. In 1990, Freeman began with about 30 faculty members, less than $2 million in research funding, and just a few hundred students. By the time he stepped down in 2002, Freeman had more than doubled the number of tenured faculty, grown annual research funding to more than $10 million, and substantially increased enrollment.

John P. Imlay Jr.

Legendary Atlanta philanthropist and Georgia Tech alumnus Imlay was recognized for his early support of the College. During the 1992-93 academic year, Imlay donated funds establishing the John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing chair. This was the first dean’s chair at Georgia Tech. His initial investment evolved into two additional endowed faculty chairs in the College.

Christopher W. Klaus

The ceremony concluded with the Hall of Fame induction of longtime College advisory board member Klaus. Klaus was honored for his generous financial support, which resulted in the building that bears his name, the Klaus Advanced Computing Building at Georgia Tech, along with his support of Create-X ­– a program that guides student start-ups at Georgia Tech.