Tech's Past Discrimination

For many years, Georgia Tech was an engineering school strictly for white males. It seemed like Georgia Tech discriminated against everyone else. It wasn't until 1952 that women were first admitted into the Institute. In the fall of 1952, four coeds were admitted into the Georgia Tech student body. This was a big step for Georgia Tech. The Technique was and still is the official newspaper of Georgia Tech, and it was a great way to relay information. A headline in an August issue in 1952 reads, "Tech Accepts Four Coeds for Registration this Fall." This article described the adjustment of women joining the student body. One of the women, Elizabeth Herndon, was interviewed and she said all the professors and male students treated her and the other girls with respect.

Another huge step in the integration of the Georgia Tech campus, was the addition of African Americans and other minorities. During the 50s and 60s most schools were forced to integrate which led to riots, protests and injuries. However, Tech approached the situation differently. Georgia Tech became the first public school in the deep south to integrate without a court idea. This led to an overall better and more peaceful integration of students. The Georgia Tech President made sure that the integration process would be respected. So in 1961, Ford C. Greene, Ralph A. Long Jr., and Lawrence Williams became the first Black students at Georgia Tech.