60 Years Later, Finally Another Yellow Jacket in the Family
Peter Petrecca, left, with his grandson Cole Rogers — Georgia Tech engineers who graduated 60 years apart. (Photo: Candler Hobbs)
When Cole Rogers got the notice four years ago that he’d been moved off the waitlist and admitted to Georgia Tech, he knew exactly who to call first.
His grandfather, Peter Petrecca, had studied aerospace engineering at Tech and had a long career in aviation, engineering, and product development. No one would celebrate the news more, so Rogers called him with the news before he even told his parents.
Petrecca had raised three daughters and exposed them to engineering and making things. But none had been interested enough to make it a career — or study at Tech.
“Then Cole came along, and I had another opportunity,” Petrecca said. “We made model cars and motorcycles together and did other things. I wasn't sure he was going to go the engineering route, but I was thrilled when he got accepted.”
Now Rogers is graduating with his industrial engineering bachelor’s degree, and in the sometimes funny way history echoes itself, he’ll walk across the stage exactly 60 years after his grandfather finished his own degree.
It’s a path that probably has been quietly paved throughout Rogers’ life, during all his visits to his grandfather’s house.