Truitt Eavenson grew up listening to Georgia football games on the radio and always knew he would be a Bulldog. Here he shares his favorite memories of UGA, how his UGA education made his success possible, and why he chooses to give back to the College of Engineering.
What led you to UGA as an undergrad?
“Growing up 30 miles outside of Athens, I knew that UGA would be where I would go to school. Saturday afternoons listening to Larry Munson on the radio was always a fall tradition. I remember sitting down with the course catalog and reading through the programs and found Agricultural Engineering. I made an appointment with Dr. Robert Brown, and after that visit I knew what my major would be.”
What are some of your favorite memories of your time at UGA?
“I transferred to UGA in the fall of 1980. Any Dawg fan will say that there was probably not a more exciting time to be in Athens. The football team was headed to a National Championship, work was being done to close in the stadium, and ag engineering was selling pieces of the track to fans that had sat there and watched a game. The ag engineering program was small enough that we really got to know our fellow students and the professors.. And I have to put in a plug for Dr. Sid Thompson – he started what would be a long, memorable career at UGA and touched many of our lives as students.”
“I’ve enjoyed a successful career with Georgia Power and I wanted to do this as a way to pay it back.”
What inspired you to give back to the College of Engineering?
“This may sound like a simple reason, but I was at work one day talking with a colleague that had also graduated from UGA. We were talking about making contributions to the school you graduated from. This person made the statement that he really didn’t understand why people wouldn’t support the school where they received their degrees, since it really helped you get a job, reach your career goals, and simply give you the opportunity to provide for your family. That statement really resonated with me, and I started making small contributions to the engineering program.”
What led to your decision to support a scholarship in engineering?
“I think it just grew from the answer to the question above. I’ve enjoyed a successful career with Georgia Power and I wanted to do this as a way to pay it back. An early president of Georgia Power used a line in a speech around 1928. He said that we would be a “citizen wherever we serve.” That was a big part of my career with volunteer activities and the jobs that I was asked to do in communities around the state. My fellow employees at Georgia Power have always set the bar really high when it comes to giving back. When you spend 36 years of your career where that is encouraged, it just becomes second nature and you find yourself looking for opportunities where you can serve.”
“There’s a proverb that says ‘society grows when men plant trees they will never sit under.’ I feel certain these trees will grow and prosper in ways we haven’t even imagined yet!”
What are your hopes for the recipients of your scholarship?
“My hope is that 40 years from now they will be asked these same questions and will be able to say that the study they completed at UGA allowed them to accomplish all their life goals and that it helped them to provide for their families and made a significant contribution in whatever they attempted to do.”
What has been the most rewarding part of supporting a scholarship in engineering?
“Just knowing that you are playing a small part in helping the next generation prepare for the future. There’s a proverb that says “society grows when men plant trees they will never sit under.” I feel certain these trees will grow and prosper in ways we haven’t even imagined yet!”
