Current Events

Past Events

Top of Page

 "Sweet Tomatoes" Fundraiser-A Healthy Experience for All

On the evening of January 20, 2005 -- the night of the Inauguration celebration in Washington, DC -- members of the extended T-COMmons community dined and donated at the Sweet Tomatoes restaurant near Perimeter Mall. The restaurant donated 20% of the bill to the SPSU Foundation for the exclusive use of the Technical Communication programs at Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU). The Technical Communications Advisory Board (TCAB) had invited-per email, snail mail and with flyers-to this first networking event of the new T-COMmons.

Herb, Christy, Don, Patricia, and Bobby

See more pictures

Some 40 undergraduate and graduate alumni, faculty and families answered the call and came to Sweet Tomatoes on January 20, 2005 to share a meal, to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. Green and yellow balloons and welcome flyers made everyone feel right at home.

Many of the familiar faculty faces-Dr. Kenneth Rainey, Dr. Mark Stevens, Dr. Carol Barnum, Dr. Herb Smith and Dr. Betty Olivor (better known to many as Dr. Seabolt)-were present. Dr. Barnum especially enjoyed seeing former graduates again. As the faculty advisor for TCAB, she also was impressed with the interest of alumni to become involved with TCAB's mission to create a community that will continue to build and expand the TCOM program at SPSU. After all, being well-connected with resources outside of the program has always been central to TCOM's success!

Former graduates echoed Dr. Barnum's sentiments. For Kim Distel seeing many students and faculty members she had not seen since her graduation in 2001 was the most meaningful aspect of the Sweet Tomatoes event. Even though she now has a second Master's Degree in Library and  Information Studies, she acknowledged, "I got a nice feeling from interacting with people who share  something with me that others do not-my experience in the TCOM program." Catching up with old friends and sharing their TCOM and career experiences with new ones was a big part for most who attended, whether they had built busy careers or were searching for a way get started in career life again. A shared meal and good company made fertile ground for inspiration and fresh ideas.

And for some of the family members at Sweet Tomatoes, the meal may have been the best deal of the evening. A super soup and salad bar allowed even the most hungry to come away satisfied. And then there was the ice cream bar . It was a good thing that spending some extra dessert money added to the life-extending benefits of this community-building event-20% of Sweet Tomatoes' profits from the T-COMmons evening benefited TCAB and its work.

"This was a worthwhile and fun evening. It brought together people from many different backgrounds with one thing in common-their association with the TCOM program at Southern Polytechnic," said TCAB President David Batley. "There is no question that this community-building event was received warmly and we will provide similar get-togethers in the future."