Georgia Tech’s first Black grad welcomes granddaughter to its alumni club
Grandparents spoiling their grandchildren is an act of love that often consists of giving cash when the parent isn’t looking or lavish gifts, like a new car on a milestone birthday.
At one Georgia Tech commencement ceremony last weekend, you could say one grandfather took gift-giving to electrifying heights.
Georgia Tech student Deanna Yancey received her master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering on stage with a hug from her grandfather, Ronald Yancey.
Cool, right?
The moment is more memorable considering the elder Yancey is the first Black student to graduate from Georgia Tech, receiving his degree in electrical engineering in 1965.
“I just think seeing all of the work I put in and other Black students put in was really important to me,” Deanna Yancey said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
Ronald Yancey had a successful career with the U.S. Department of Defense before moving to the private sector. He has served on the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees. A sculpture of Yancey, titled “The First Graduate,” was installed in 2019 in the heart of the Midtown Atlanta campus near the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons.
Georgia Tech posted videos of it all on its social media accounts, which have drawn tens of thousands of likes and congratulatory messages. The well-wishers include Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech.
“That’s so wonderful!!!” the mayor posted on Instagram. “I love the Yancey family. That’s legacy!! Go jackets!!”
Deanna Yancey, 25, wasn’t initially aware that she and her grandfather had the same major. She said she wanted her grandfather at the master’s degree ceremony. Georgia Tech held its 2020 undergraduate ceremony online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so she celebrated with the other graduates remotely. Ronald Yancey watched it online.
The two chatted after last weekend’s ceremony about how proud he was of her. They also toured the campus, which has a street named after him in its new Science Square district.
The younger Yancey, who works at the technology firm Northrop Grumman, learned about her grandfather’s legacy at Georgia Tech while she was growing up. She’s now happy that more people know about him through the attention the social media posts about the commencement ceremony have received.
“This story has gotten a lot bigger than I expected,” she said. “Now everyone will know who he is.”
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
