Gellerstedt, Lawrence Love, Jr., 1995 December 21

The following is a Living History interview with Lawrence L. Gellerstedt, Jr., conducted on December 21, 1995, by Marilyn J. Somers at his office in Atlanta, Georgia. The subject of this interview is student life at Georgia Tech. He was born in Troy, Alabama, but soon afterwards his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. He used to earn money to buy season tickets to Tech football games with his brother. He started Tech at sixteen years old and soon found himself in many leadership positions, including student government and ANAK, and at the top of his class academically. He remembers professors such as D. M. Smith, Glenn Rainey, Dr. Daniels, Professor Bortell, Dr. Mason, and Dean Field. He joined the Sigma Chi fraternity, which gave him the opportunity to participate in many homecoming activities. He remembers the football team, although they were not very good, and says there was a lot of entertainment in the city of Atlanta. He worked at Beers Construction Company after graduation, rising through the ranks to where he eventually was President and bought the company. He built many of Atlanta’s skyline buildings and is very proud of his work. He has held many leadership positions outside of construction, being the head of many organizations such as the Alumni Association, the United Way, Chamber of Commerce, and the High Museum of Art.