{"154541":{"#nid":"154541","#data":{"type":"news","title":"For South, All Roads Lead Back to Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPerched on a shelf in Richard South\u2019s office is the kind of 1960s desktop cigarette lighter you\u2019d spy in an episode of \u201cMad Men.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a rectangular wooden box, about 6 inches tall, decorated with Georgia Tech-themed scenes. It\u2019s a reminder of South\u2019s grandmother, Mary Louise Holybee, who worked at the Institute from 1964 to 1984.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn those days, everyone smoked, and she kept the lighter handy for the important people who visited her office,\u201d said South, who is a financial administrator and recruiting coordinator for Career Services. \u201cShe passed away in recent years, and the lighter is one of the reminders I have of grandma and the memories I made with her at Tech when I was little.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a child, South would help Holybee deliver Christmas cards to people across campus every December, and he would often accompany her to the Carnegie Building once a year to deliver a homemade coconut cake that she made annually for the sitting president of Tech. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTech has always been such a big part of my life, so after graduating from high school, I took a job in the police department (GTPD) in 1988 as the morning watch dispatcher,\u201d South added. \u003Cbr \/\u003EHe worked his way up through the ranks of the department until he became the liaison between GTPD and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. But in 1995, he realized it was time to pursue another dream outside of Tech \u2014 his love for ministry and music. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had an opportunity to learn more about South\u2019s story and his time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you get back to Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter I left, I traveled full time as a gospel singer and minister. I also became involved in a Christian television ministry and have been on a variety of programs over the years. Although I loved doing this (and still continue to minister and make music in my free time), as the economy went downhill, I needed to find a way to supplement my income. So in 2009, I was lucky to find my current position. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us a bit about your job.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI manage all of the finances for Career Services and manage the logistics (including scheduling rooms and times) for companies that visit campus to recruit our students. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite spot on campus?\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EActually, my favorite spot closed in 1992 when Ferst Place opened. It was the faculty and staff dining room, which was located in the Library. This was one of the places my grandma always took me as a child, and I continued to eat there when I worked in GTPD.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat piece of technology could you not live without?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBecause I love music so much, it would have to be my CD player.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the greatest risk you ever took?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt would have to be leaving my job at Tech in the 1990s to pursue my dream of being a musician and joining the ministry. I didn\u2019t have a booking or much of a plan, but it paid off. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to eat lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003ELately, I\u2019ve been on a diet \u2014 and have lost 50 pounds so far \u2014 so it\u2019s probably the salad bar at Ferst Place in the Student Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself that others might not be aware of.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI was working at a church that was looking to get rid of an old typewriter. I took it, and the next thing I knew, I was collecting old IBM typewriters and adding machines. It\u2019s always a great icebreaker when the IBM recruiters visit campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo one can make you feel bad about yourself without your permission \u2014 so don\u2019t give your permission.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPerched on a shelf in Richard South\u2019s office is the kind of 1960s desktop cigarette lighter you\u2019d spy in an episode of \u201cMad Men.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Perched on a shelf in Richard South\u2019s office is the kind of 1960s desktop cigarette lighter you\u2019d spy in an episode of \u201cMad Men.\u201d"}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-09-17 09:54:35","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:50","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"154331":{"id":"154331","type":"image","title":"Richard South","body":null,"created":"1449178859","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:40:59","changed":"1475894789","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:29","alt":"Richard South","file":{"fid":"195252","name":"richard_south_-3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/richard_south_-3_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/richard_south_-3_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":796503,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/richard_south_-3_0.jpg?itok=6Umz24RO"}}},"media_ids":["154331"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1414","name":"career services"},{"id":"43571","name":"Richard South"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}