Alvin Ferst ’43 Passes to the Chapter Eternal

Alvin Ferst '43

Posted February 21, 2010

The name Ferst has strong connections to Georgia Tech, with a long history of family members who attended Tech and who provided support to the school after graduation. Alvin Ferst ’43 was one member of this family. While in school, he was a member and president of Phi Epsilon Pi and was very active as an alumnus. Frater Ferst passed away on September 30, 2009, at the age of eighty-seven.

The Ferst name has a history at Tech dating back to Monie Ferst, who graduated Tech in 1911 and founded the Scripto pencil company, and Frank Ferst, who played for Coaches Heisman and Alexander. Both were uncles of Alvin Ferst. Notably, Ferst Drive and Ferst Room on top of the Library are named for the family. The Ferst Center for the Arts is named for his cousin Robert.

Frater Ferst participated in a number of activities at Tech in addition to the fraternity, including the tennis team, the Technique and Blueprint, Omicron Delta Kappa, Skull and Key, and ANAK. He also was vice president of the Interfraternity Council and president of the Bulldog Club.

After graduating with a degree in Industrial Management, he worked as an industrial engineer at Philco in Philadelphia. Then he served in the Navy as a Seabee in World War II. After returning from the war, he was unable to find work as an industrial engineer and reluctantly took a position at Rich’s, the prominent Atlanta-based department store, using alumni connections. Intending to stay at Rich’s for only a few years, he wound up staying there for thirty-five years, eventually becoming executive vice president and treasurer. He retired in 1980 and founded a consulting firm for business and real estate.

Frater Ferst played a key role in building our current chapter house, as he was appointed in 1948 to the Building Committee of the old house corporation Xi of Phi Epsilon Pi, Inc., under then president Gene Zacharias ’19. He was also instrumental in constructing the addition to the current chapter house that comprises rooms 9-12 and the chapter room in the mid 1950s. Of course, title to the house was transferred to the Phi Epsilon Pi National Fraternity in the early 1960s.

In 1970, when Phi Ep merged with ZBT, Frater Ferst again was called to action to help address the significant and serious issues involved with transferring the property and associated debt from the national operation to local governance. Eventually, the property was transferred to a new local housing corporation, Zach, Inc., and Frater Ferst was one of the charter members of the newly constituted corporation.

In addition to his service to Xi Chapter, Frater Ferst was active in Georgia Tech alumni service, including a term as president of the Alumni Association (1966-67) and a term as president of the Georgia Tech Foundation (1979-81). He actively raised funds for Tech in the Centennial Campaign, received Georgia Tech’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1983, and was inducted into the College of Management Hall of Fame in 2006. A memorial fund is set up through the Georgia Tech Foundation for the Charlotte and Alvin M. Ferst Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Note: Some material for this article was taken from the January/February 2010 edition of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine.