Empowered to succeed: alumni couple gives back

The late summer sun was relentless on the afternoon that Becky (BSAE ’81) and Fred (BBA ’79, MBA ’80) Tolbert reconnected as UGA students. The two had met years before as high school 4-H’ers, but it wasn’t until after the blisteringly hot Georgia-Clemson home game in 1977 that their relationship would soon take off — and span over four decades. 

“I remember Becky trooping along with me as I limped with my full hip-to-ankle cast at the game,” Fred recalls, only a week removed from ACL surgery. The memories stay vivid for the couple because, as they tell it, their time at UGA was hugely impactful for them.  

“I think we both loved being a part of a strong university community,” Becky says. “But especially one with the history and strength of education that UGA has. That was really important for both of us.”  

At the time of her graduation in 1981, Becky was one of only three women to attend and graduate with an agricultural engineering degree — then housed in the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. While it may seem like it would be difficult to find community under such circumstances, Becky joined a sorority and several clubs on campus, which, she says, helped her to feel more at home.  

Today, Becky and Fred give back to the College of Engineering through the Robert H. Brown Scholarship, named after Becky’s father who was department head of the agricultural engineering program for 22 years. Becky and Fred make sure to meet each year’s scholarship recipient in her father’s memory. 

“He always said that his lifelong dream was for UGA to have a College of Engineering that offers multiple disciplines,” Becky says. “I think he would be really proud of what the school offers today and the caliber of students that pass through the program.” 

Becky is also a donor with Georgia Women Give, which brings together women interested in deepening their connection to UGA in order to support future generations of students through scholarships, and Fred prioritizes mentoring students through the Terry College of Business.  

“I have seen firsthand the value of having mentors in the business world,” Fred says. “It’s been really fun to interact with the students and to see how impressive, smart and focused they are. I want to give them an opportunity to learn from some of my experience that I’ve gained over my years in the industry.” 

While Becky was one of the first women to graduate from the agricultural engineering program, Fred is also something of a trailblazer in his industry, especially considering that it didn’t exist when he graduated from UGA. Today, however, supply chain planning software is as ubiquitous an industry as seeing red and black on game day in Athens.  

“There was no internet or PCs when I graduated, so I’m most proud of the fact that my success was because I was able to take the business skills I learned at UGA and apply them to an entirely new industry,” Fred says. “It’s also been fulfilling to get the opportunity to work with the kind of bright, motivated people that I’ve encountered in my professional network over the years.” 

After graduation, Becky found success as a sales engineer for Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which culminated in Georgia Power honoring her as Salesperson of the Year as a result of her efforts in supporting the overhaul of Georgia Power’s engineering specifications for overhead and underground distribution transformers in 1988.  

These rewarding careers and experiences have been the result of their respective UGA journeys, a fact that drives them back to the university time and again, even 40 years post-graduation. UGA’s countless opportunities for alumni involvement also factor in. 

“Going to football games is certainly fun,” Fred adds. “But there are all kinds of activities and opportunities that are sponsored by the university for alumni — or anyone — to get involved.” 

UGA provides alumni and community members various opportunities to connect back to their alma mater through the causes and issues that drive them. Like other alumni, Becky and Fred have found the ways to support current and future students while honoring their own UGA experiences.