Inspired by what he describes as his and his late father’s “life-size feelings for Georgia Tech,” Arthur “Art” Nacht, IMGT 1975, M.S. IMGT 1978, has generously supported the School of Music with a gift to the Yellow Jacket Marching Band. The Alan Nacht Marching Band Director’s Endowment Fund will celebrate Nacht’s late father, Alan D. Nacht, TEXT 1951, M.S. TEXT 1953, honoring his memory and accomplishments, and continuing the Nacht family legacy at Tech.
Art credits Tech with much of his and his father’s successes, looking back fondly on his own time as a student and the role that student organizations played in his education. “We both had really strong feelings for student organizations at Tech,” he says, describing himself as “beyond active” in Georgia Tech’s student-run radio station, WREK. Starting out as a newsman, Art later worked as a disc jockey at the station, eventually taking on the role of general manager — the first student to serve two consecutive years in the role.
Art speaks affectionately about his father’s involvement in a variety of student activities while at Tech.
Hailing from New Jersey, Alan came to Tech in the late 1940s to study textile chemistry. While at Tech, Alan served in the ROTC. He was involved in DramaTech, the student-run theater group, and the Technique, Georgia Tech’s student newspaper. But music was his real passion. A gifted clarinetist, Alan was a member of Georgia Tech’s Marching Band, an experience that remained close to his heart. Upon graduation, Alan served in the U.S. Army, working in textile research at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, developing shrapnel-resistant uniforms for soldiers. Following his military service, Alan worked as a researcher at Johnson & Johnson and was instrumental in developing disposable diapers, an early success in what would prove to be a long line of innovative products and accomplishments.
Alan continued to play clarinet throughout his life, participating in community orchestras in New Jersey, including the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band. Over the years, he returned frequently to Georgia Tech to play with the alumni band, occasionally joining the Yellow Jacket Marching Band on the field during halftime at football games.
To perpetuate the success and vibrancy of the student programs and activities that he and his father so enjoyed, Art has offered generous support to the School of Music for the marching band, which, he says, “brings so much energy and enthusiasm to crowds, not just at football games but at other events, acting as a great ambassador for the Institute.”
Jeff Albert, interim chair of the School of Music, appreciates Art’s philanthropic support, saying that it “is a generous gift that will empower the Yellow Jacket Marching Band to continue its great traditions, while providing a fitting legacy for Mr. Nacht.” Speaking of the importance of the band to Alan and to student life in general, Albert adds, “Alan Nacht was a lifetime lover of music, as well as a successful alumnus of Georgia Tech, like so many of our students for whom the Yellow Jacket Marching Band is their avenue to living their love of music and Georgia Tech, while working on the knowledge and skills that they will use to advance technology and improve the human condition. The Nacht family’s generosity will help the Yellow Jacket Marching Band continue to grow the ideals of unity, dedication, and excellence in performance for generations to come.”
Art hopes his gift might “ensure that the band continues to be 110% strong for Georgia Tech, to continue to provide the power and influence that they do to represent the Institute and provide enthusiasm going well beyond the football team and athletics, to continue their contributions to the spirit of Georgia Tech.”
To make a gift to the Yellow Jacket Marching Band or the School of Music, contact Kelly Smith, director of Development for the College of Design, at kelly.smith@design.gatech.edu.