Thomas Marshall Hahn, Jr. (December 2, 1926 – May 29, 2016) was an American educator. He served as President of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regi ...
from 1962 to 1974 and CEO of
Georgia-Pacific Corporation
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...
from 1983 to 1993.
Early life and education
Born in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, Hahn was educated in its public schools before going to the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
, where he graduated "with highest honors," receiving a B.S. degree in physics in 1945 at the age of 18.
After graduation he served in the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
and was a physicist for
U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory.
After his navy service, he went to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, where he earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1949.
Career
Hahn was a research assistant at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, beginning in 1947. In 1949, he returned to the University of Kentucky as associate professor and then professor of physics.
In 1954, Hahn joined the faculty of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
in
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 44,826 at the 2020 census. Blacksburg, as well as the surrounding county, is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of V ...
, as head of the
Department of Physics
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
. He was the leading force in establishing a doctoral program in nuclear engineering physics at VPI, and in the acquisition of the nuclear reactor simulator that was put into operation in 1957.
From 1959 to 1962, he served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at
Kansas State University
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
.
Hahn returned to Virginia Tech as President on July 1, 1962, where he remained until 1975.
He was instrumental in Virginia Tech's transition from a small, primarily military, and overwhelmingly white and male technical institute focused on agriculture and engineering that emphasized undergraduate teaching over research or graduate program to, symbolized by its new name, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a coeducational, multiracial research university with a thriving college of arts and sciences and burgeoning graduate program.
In 1964, Hahn dropped the requirement to participate in the
Corps of Cadets and severed ties with
Radford University
Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate programs inclu ...
, which had been the Women's Division of VPI since 1944.
These changes resulted in the student population tripling in size.
During this period, Blacksburg was affected by the student
anti-war
An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...
protests with Hahn targeted as a symbol of the bureaucracy in 1970 when considerable disturbance erupted on campus after a group of students and two faculty members protesting U.S. involvement in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
interrupted a
Corps of Cadets drill, forcing the university to seek an injunction against further disruptive activities by the individuals involved. Several weeks later after the
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...
a group of students and non-student anti-war protesters seized Williams Hall.
Hahn called in the
Virginia State Police
The Virginia State Police, officially the Virginia Department of State Police, conceived in 1919 and established in 1932, is the state police force for the U.S. state of Virginia. The agency originated out of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehi ...
who stormed the building to end the standoff. The students involved were expelled.
He served until December 31, 1974, and was succeeded as President of Virginia Tech by
William Edward Lavery
William Edward Lavery (November 20, 1930 – February 16, 2009) was the 12th President of Virginia Tech. He served from January 1, 1975 to December 31, 1987.
Biography
Born in Geneseo, New York, he earned his bachelor's degree from Michig ...
in 1975.
After leaving Virginia Tech, Hahn became an executive with the
Georgia-Pacific Corporation
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...
.
He was with the company starting in 1973 as a director (1973–2016); executive vice president, chemicals (1975); executive vice president, pulp, paper, and chemicals (1975–1976); president (1976–1982); president and chief operating officer (1982–1983); president and chief executive officer (1983–1984); and chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer (1984–1985). Hahn's tenure as CEO of Georgia Pacific from 1983 to 1993 included the boom years for the paper industry and the hostile takeover of
Great Northern Nekoosa by Georgia-Pacific. The latter was one of Hahn's strategic decisions to build the paper side of Georgia Pacific's business.
Hahn was instrumental in organizing a cross-country tour for the
New Virginians, a Virginia Tech musical group. The tour included stops at Georgia Pacific facilities across the country.
Hahn also served as President of
Air University (1966–1969) and on the Board of Visitors for
Ferrum Junior College (1966–1974).
He was a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the National Science Board, appointed by the President in 1972.
He served as director for the board of control of Southern Regional Education Board; First National-Exchange Bank of Virginia; The
Lane Company;
Dominion Bankshares, Inc.;
Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation, and
Shenandoah Life Insurance Company
The Shenandoah Life Insurance Company is an insurance company based in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1916, the company operated until 2012 as a policyholder-owned mutual insurance company when it was sold to United Prosperity Life ...
.
Hahn has been a member of several additional boards and commissions, including the Virginia State Board of Agriculture and Commerce (member, 1962–1974); Governor of Virginia's Commission on the Status of Women (member, 1964-1966); Metropolitan Areas Study Commission of Virginia (chairman, 1966–1968); Virginia Cancer Crusade (chairman, 1972);
Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
National Capitol and Virginia Divisional Advisory Board (chairman, 1972–1974); and Academic Affairs Commission,
American Council of Education
The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,700 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educatio ...
(member).
After retiring from Georgia-Pacific in 1993, Hahn returned to
Montgomery County, Virginia
Montgomery County is a county located in the Valley and Ridge area of the U.S. state of Virginia. As population in the area increased, Montgomery County was formed in 1777 from Fincastle County, which in turn had been taken from Botetourt Count ...
, where he lived on his farm in the
Ellett Valley and raised cattle, sheep, and goats.
He died after a decade-long battle with
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
on May 29, 2016.
Hahn is buried in Blacksburg.
Personal life
Hahn married Margaret Louise "Peggy" Lee (1923-2009) on December 27, 1948, and the couple had three children.
After her death, he married and later divorced Jean Russell Quible.
Honors
Hahn was named to the Hall of Distinguished Alumni at the University of Kentucky in 1965.
He was recognized by eight different
Greek honorary fraternities. In 1976, he received the
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the mo ...
Corporate Leadership Award and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...
.
Hahn received an honorary doctorate of science from Virginia Tech in 1987.
The university named Hahn Hall for Hahn in 1990, and the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion and Horticulture Garden are named for his wife Peggy.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
Records of the Office of the President, T. Marshall Hahn, Jr., RG 2/11a
Virginia Tech Special Collections and University ArchivesT. Marshall Hahn, Jr., Papers, Ms2019-041a
Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hahn, T. Marshall
1926 births
2016 deaths
People from Lexington, Kentucky
University of Kentucky alumni
Virginia Tech faculty
Kansas State University faculty
Presidents of Virginia Tech
Georgia-Pacific
United States Navy officers