June 30, 2026
By Ashley Ritchie

D. Fort Flowers, Jr., ME 1983, and his wife, Beth, have spent decades giving back to the place where Fort’s engineering journey began — Georgia Tech. From their first Roll Call gift just a few years after graduation to establishing and expanding the Flowers Fellowship for graduate students, their philanthropy reflects a deep belief in the power of education to transform lives. In this Q&A, Fort and Beth share how their commitment to graduate education grew, why now is a pivotal time to support it, and the legacy they hope to inspire.

Can you tell us about your very first gifts to Georgia Tech? What inspired you to give at that time?

We made our first gifts to Georgia Tech just a few years after graduation, and those gifts were through Roll Call. My parents had always impressed upon us that our education was funded partly by them and partly by those who had come before us, and that it was right for us to give back in appreciation for the value we received.
 

Did you always know you wanted to support graduate education, or did that interest evolve over time?

I had not thought about funding graduate education until I spent time on the ME visiting committee at MIT (where I earned my master’s degree). While on that committee, I discovered how competitive it was to recruit the best graduate students and how important great graduate students were to the strength of an engineering department. I also found out that of the three pillars of endowment support for a department (undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and faculty chairs), the most difficult to raise was fellowships. 
 

Since you both gave your initial gifts, you have decided to grow the Flowers Fellowship to a Presidential Fellowship. Was there a particular moment or outcome that helped you decide to deepen your support?

As we have funded the fellowship endowment over time, we have been incredibly impressed with the students who have received funding as well as the impact of the research they are doing. This has inspired us to continue to grow the fund. When we realized that there was not yet a Presidential Fellowship dedicated to mechanical engineering (ME), that was all we needed to push us to be first.
 

How has your perspective on giving evolved since you first became involved philanthropically with Georgia Tech?

We have always believed that the best ways that we can impact the world is by supporting education. Our involvement at Georgia Tech has strengthened that belief as we have watched the difference that Georgia Tech makes for its students, both undergraduate and graduate, as well as the direct impact that Georgia Tech makes on the world through the research that is conducted by our faculty and students.
 

What would you like others to understand about the importance of supporting graduate students?

Being able to recruit and retain the best graduate students is critical to recruiting and retaining the best professors, which is critical to providing not only the best graduate student experience, but also the best undergraduate education. It is a key component to the success of the Woodruff School, College of Engineering, and the Institute.
 

Why do you believe now is a critical time to support graduate education at Georgia Tech?

All of our programs have been rapidly climbing in terms of both impact and reputation; but over the last few decades, many of our graduate programs have had further to climb. Additional funding for graduate education helps keep this momentum going.

If you could share one message with to others who are considering investing in Georgia Tech through philanthropy, what would it be?

I cannot adequately describe the joy and satisfaction that you will receive when you see the impact that you have on students’ lives and society as a whole when you support Georgia Tech. It’s something you have to experience!

What kind of legacy do you hope your fellowship creates, for students, for the School, or for the field of engineering?

First, we hope that our giving inspires others to understand the importance of graduate students to the department and the Institute and will join us in supporting them. Second, we hope that the graduate students who receive funding will have a positive impact on the world. And, third, we hope that all the support that the ME department receives helps the world to understand what we already know, that ME at Georgia Tech is the strongest ME department in the world!