Celebrating Generosity, Legacy, and the Future of Design

Donors and students stand outside the The John and Joyce Caddell Building to pose for a photo
Tyrone Davis, College of Design
Donor–Student Gathering at The John and Joyce Caddell Building
By Melissa Alonso | October 2026 

Every scholarship has a name on it. This fall, the students who carry those names got to meet the people behind them.

The College of Design brought alumni donors and student scholars together for an afternoon of conversation. Some of the students had never met the person who made their award possible. By the end of the day, they had new mentors.

Ken Gwinner knows what that kind of support can do. He earned his architecture degrees from Georgia Tech, starting with a B.S. in 1979. Today, the Gwinner AIAS Student Leadership Awards and the School of Architecture Class of 1979 Award recognize students who lead. Sitting across from them, he passed along advice from someone who’s been where they’re headed.

Niles Bolton, ARCH 1968, started his firm, Niles Bolton Associates (NBA), in 1975. It’s now one of Atlanta’s best-known design firms, with projects in 49 states and 16 countries. He’s served on the Georgia Tech Foundation and Alumni Association boards and received the Alumni Association’s Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award in 2015. His name also sits on the Bolton Studio, where third-year architecture students work alongside professionals from his firm.

Joining him was Cannon Reynolds (B.S. ARCH ‘93, M.ARCH ‘96), managing director of the firm. A licensed architect in 18 states, Cannon joined NBA in 2000 and has served as a lecturer and critic at Georgia Tech.

Lori Page brought something personal. Her brother, Robert “Bob” Betzel Jr., earned his B.S. in Architecture in 1987 and studied abroad through the Architecture Paris Program. He died in 1990 while pursuing his master’s degree, which Georgia Tech awarded posthumously. His family started a scholarship in his name, and it has supported nearly 50 study abroad students. Lori carried Bob’s portfolio to the gathering and shared it with the honorees. For students used to hearing about a scholarship’s name, it was a chance to see the work and the person behind it.

What stood out most wasn’t the résumés. It was how the conversations moved. Students came ready to say thank you. Donors wanted to hear what the students were working on. Laughs, hugs and a few business cards changed hands.

That’s the point of a gathering like this. A scholarship covers tuition. A mentor can open a door. Our donors are doing both, and our students are paying it forward in the studio every day.

To our donors: thank you for showing up, in every sense.

Learn more about supporting the College of Design here
Four people sit around a white table with an open portfolio and binder. A woman in a mustard sweater speaks while a woman in a brown jacket smiles and listens.
Tyrone Davis, College of Design
Lori Page shares her brother Bob Betzel’s portfolio with honorees and Georgia Tech Library staff.
one white-haired in a checked shirt, sit at a table talking with a student in a cream sweater, who faces away from the camera.
Tyrone Davis, College of Design
School of Architecture student speaking to Niles Bolton (ARCH ‘68).
Ken Gwinner, in a tan polo, speaks with two students seated with their backs to the camera, gesturing with one hand. Other conversations continue at tables by large windows.
Tyrone Davis, College of Design
Ken Gwinner (ARCH ‘79) talks with student scholars during the gathering.
Two men, one in a tan blazer and one white-haired in a checked shirt, sit at a table talking with a student in a cream sweater, who faces away from the camera.
Caption: Cannon Reynolds (B.S. ARCH ‘93, M.ARCH ‘96) and Niles Bolton (ARCH ‘68) talk with a student.

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