Rainey, Edwin Quattlebaum, Sr., 2011 May 11

This is a Living History interview with Edwin Rainey, Sr., class of 1960, conducted by Marilyn Somers on May 11, 2011 at his home in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The subject of the interview is the interviewee’s life and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Mr. Rainey was born in Columbia, South Carolina, but his mother and he soon moved to Atlanta, Georgia. His mother married Glenn Rainey, a former professor at Georgia Tech, and Mr. Rainey had three siblings. The family lived in Ansley Park when Mr. Rainey was young and he went to Spring Street Elementary School. His mother was a part-time teacher and his father worked at Georgia Tech until 1974. Professor Rainey was very liberal and open-minded, and he played a part in the integration of Georgia Tech. Mr. Rainey went to Henry Grady High School and joined the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Recently, Mr. Rainey wrote a letter to the editor for the Jacket Pages about his first kiss with Professor Folk’s daughter, Elison. Professor Folk and Professor Rainey were close and were both very funny professors. After growing up around Georgia Tech, Mr. Rainey never considered going anywhere else. When he began at the university, the family was living in the Glenn Dormitory in the faculty apartments. Mr. Rainey’s first year there was the year of the Sugarbowl Rebellion, but Mr. Rainey slept through it, thinking that the noises he heard were part of a dream. Mr. Rainey spent two years as an Aeronautical Engineering major and as a part of the Navy ROTC, but switched to Ceramics Engineering and the Air Force ROTC for his last three years. Mr. Rainey was very motivated by the fear of his father’s disapproval, as were his father’s students. After graduation and a six month job with the State Highway Department, Mr. Rainey was stationed at the Valdosta Moody Air Force Base. He worked as a pilot instructor on the base until the end of his commitment. After he left the base, Mr. Rainey got a job at the Manned Space-Flight Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas. Mr. Rainey instructed the astronauts and worked as a pilot at the center. He was on-site for the Challenger explosion and knew almost everyone on board. While he was working at the MSC, Mr. Rainey took classes at the University of Houston and received a degree in Studies of the Future. Mr. Rainey loves writing futuristic science-fiction and has been published. Mr. Rainey was very involved with the All Play Baseball league in Houston, and coached his children’s teams. Mr. Rainey was remarried to a woman named Janette in 1987, and they moved together to Hilton Head South Carolina in 2008.