When it was time for Maureen Glass to retire from Georgia Tech in 2007, she was surprised to learn that there wasn’t an organization for retirees.  

“I worked at Tech for more than 30 years and loved my job, my colleagues and the students — I even met my husband here,” said Glass, the former administrative manager in what was the School of Polymer, Textile and Fiber Engineering. “How could I just stop being connected to Tech?”

So Glass — with the help of a few former colleagues, including former Associate Registrar Annette Satterfield and James Stevenson, emeritus executive assistant to the president — formed the Silver Jackets. The first meeting was held in 2007, with 12 people attending. The organization has since grown to include about 350 people who are both former faculty and staff members.  

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month during fall and spring semesters. Each gathering features a speaker, which in the past have included an architect who helped design the Georgia Aquarium and faculty members discussing their research.

“I really enjoy how the topic of each meeting is different and interesting,” Glass said. “And I enjoy having lunch with everyone after the meeting. I get to see and interact with people I knew previously and people that I never knew.”

The November meeting always includes a presentation by the Office of Human Resources benefits team that focuses on the year’s open enrollment options. In December, the group hosts a Christmas lunch, with this year’s lunch being held on Dec. 2 at 12:30 p.m. at Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

Each year, the Silver Jackets also volunteer for a fall and spring blood drive on campus where members are responsible for checking people in and providing the juice and cookies after the donation.

“We know that it’s difficult for people to commit to an organization when they retire — given second homes, grandchildren and many other distractions,” said Jo McIver, president and former Tech registrar. “We just want retirees to know that there is a way for them to stay connected to Tech, if they want to.”  

Questions? Click here to email Silver Jackets.