Planned and organized by the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Student Advisory Committee (WSSAC) and sponsored by the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.

Pete Petit received a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1962, and a Master's of Science in Engineering Mechanics in 1964, both from Georgia Tech. He did his undergraduate work as part of the Cooperative Program. To complete his education, Mr. Petit earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Georgia State University in 1973.

After his 1964 graduation, Mr. Petit spent several years on active duty with an army aviation unit. Then he entered the aerospace industry and in 1968 he joined the Lockheed Georgia Company.

In November 1970, Mr. Petit founded Healthdyne, as a result of developing the first home physiological monitor for infants who are at risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. During the next 25 years, Healthdyne grew into an international corporation with revenues of approximately $400 million. In 1995, Healthdyne was split into three publicly traded companies - Healthdyne Technologies, Healthdyne Information Enterprises, and Matria Healthcare. Mr. Petit remains Chairman of the Board of Healthdyne Information Enterprises and Matria Healthcare.

Mr. Petit was co-founder of the CytRx Corporation, an Atlanta-based biotechnology corporation that is publicly traded. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Norrell Corporation, and the Georgia Research Alliance. Currently, Mr. Petit is a member of the Board of Directors of Logility, Inc., Intelligent Systems, Inc., and MarketRing.com. He is a member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Investments Committee for the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation. He is a 1994 inductee to the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Petit has been very good to Georgia Tech over the years. He is a Trustee for the Georgia Tech Foundation, a member of the Woodruff School's Advisory Board, Chair of the Woodruff School's Capital Campaign Committee, and a member of the Institute's Capital Campaign Committee. In 1985, he funded a chair in the Woodruff School for a distinguished professor; the chair in Engineering in Medicine is held by Professor Robert Nerem. In 1996 he endowed the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience at Georgia Tech; Woodruff School Bioengineering faculty are in the IBB building. Mr. Petit has served on the National Advisory Board for Georgia Tech and he was a recipient of the Georgia Tech Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 1994. In addition, he serves on the National Council for Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine.

Mr. Petit's civic and charitable activities generally relate to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the SIDS Alliance, a national charity he co-founded in 1988.

The Woodruff Distinguished Alumnus Award was inaugurated in 1989 to recognize an outstanding alumnus of the School. Mr. Petit's name, along with other winners of the Woodruff Distinguished Alumnus Award, will be on permanent display in the lobby of the MRDC.