October 22, 2025
By Mikey Fuller

For the Leathers family, Homecoming at Georgia Tech is more than a weekend of football and festivities. It’s a return to the place where a family tradition began.

Jim Leathers and his daughter Susan Mitchell, graduates of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, will both mark milestone reunions this Homecoming. This year will be Jim’s 70th and Susan’s 40th anniversaries since “getting out” of Georgia Tech.

At a time when tuition was just $90 per quarter, Jim, ME 1955, thinks back to fond memories of a challenging but rewarding experience.

“You know you don’t graduate; you get out,” he said with a laugh. “It was a good experience. I was number two in my high school class, and when I got to Tech, I realized it was a bit harder than high school, but I did OK.”

After earning his mechanical engineering degree, Jim went on to work for Duke Power, the electric utility in North Carolina, where he spent more than three decades before retiring more than 30 years ago. He and his wife raised two children, both of whom followed in his footsteps to Georgia Tech.

“I’m just proud that my kids got out of Tech, too,” Jim said. “It means a lot to see the next generation carry that on.”

His son, Jamey, ME 1981, also earned a mechanical engineering degree and went on to work at a Duke Energy nuclear power plant in South Carolina.

Susan, ME 1985, took a different path, entering as a Dual Degree student from Erskine College. Combining her liberal arts math degree and engineering, she eventually moved into marketing. This year’s Homecoming festivities bring double the excitement for her. Not only is she marking her reunion, but she’s also serving on the planning committee for her class.

“When they first called, I thought, ‘You probably want somebody who was in a sorority or band, and I just studied,’” Susan laughed. “But I’m glad I said yes. It’s been a great way to reconnect with people and see what everyone’s been doing since we left Tech.”

One of the highlights of this year’s reunion will be a special appearance by former Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball Coach Bobby Cremins, who led the Yellow Jackets to their first ACC Championship in 1985, the same year Susan graduated.

“We were all huge basketball fans growing up,” Susan said. “Coming from North Carolina, everything was about ACC basketball; NC State, Carolina, Duke, but we were always Tech fans.”

Although Susan didn’t pursue a traditional engineering career like her brother and father, she credits the Woodruff School for preparing her to succeed in any field. After working in the electric utility industry, manufacturing, and software, she founded her own business-to-business marketing consulting firm, B2B Marketing Source, which serves manufacturing and engineering-related clients.

“Having that mechanical engineering background really helps,” she said. “Even though I work in marketing now, I understand my clients and their products on a deeper level because of what I learned at Tech,” Susan said.

Susan said that many of her fellow Woodruff School alumni have taken similar paths, using the problem-solving, analytical, and leadership skills they developed at Georgia Tech in a variety of industries.

“A lot of us aren’t working in engineering anymore,” she said. “That’s what’s so great about reconnecting, hearing all the different directions people’s lives have taken and seeing how Tech prepared us for whatever came next.”

As Homecoming weekend approaches, the Leathers family is looking forward to being back on campus, reconnecting with classmates, and cheering on the Jackets.

“It’s always special to be back,” Susan said. “Georgia Tech shaped who we are, and it’s even more meaningful to share that with my dad this weekend.”