Tellepsen wins alumni association award for service to Houston area and Georgia Tech


Howard Tellepsen Jr. accepts the Dean Griffin Community Service Award at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association's Gold & White Honors Gala February 12. (Photo Courtesy of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.)

The Georgia Tech Alumni Association has given civil engineering alumnus Howard T. Tellepsen Jr. the 2015 Dean Griffin Community Service Award.

Tellepsen accepted the honor earlier this month at the annual Gold & White Honors Gala in Atlanta.

Here’s how the alumni association described him: “A leader in his community of Houston, Texas, and his alma mater, Howard Tellepsen Jr., CE 1966, stands as an inspiration for his dedication to improving the world around him.”

Tellepson, now chairman and CEO of Tellepsen Corporation, has a long history of service in Texas and Atlanta.

He has been involved with the YMCA of Greater Houston, St. Luke’s Episcopal Foundation, the Ripley Foundation, and the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He also has served on the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering External Advisory Board, the Campaign Georgia Tech Steering Committee, the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees.

“Howard has demonstrated his commitment to Georgia Tech through visionary philanthropy and extensive volunteer service,” according to the alumni association. “He has provided vital support for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, including the establishment of the Howard T. Tellepsen Endowed Chair, named in honor of his late father. His philanthropic investments also have focused on student support and intercollegiate athletics, ensuring that current and future generations of students will have access to the kind of transformative opportunities that shaped his own intellectual and professional growth.”

More about Tellepsen’s philanthropy and career from the Gold & White Honors Gala program:

 
(Photo Courtesy of the
Georgia Tech Alumni Association.)

A leader in his community of Houston, Texas, and his alma mater, Howard Tellepsen Jr., CE 1966, stands as an inspiration for his dedication to improving the world around him. Howard followed in the footsteps of his father, Howard Sr., CE 1934, to North Avenue, where he demonstrated his leadership abilities early as president of the Tech student body and Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honor society, as well as an active member of the ANAK Society.

Today, as chairman and CEO of Tellepsen Corporation, Howard leads the fourth-generation, 105-year-old, family-owned and operated construction company that has been responsible for building many of Houston’s most famous landmarks. He also has enhanced his community through his decades-long involvement with and support of nonprofit organizations, including serving as Board Chair of the YMCA of Greater Houston, St. Luke’s Episcopal Foundation, Ripley Foundation, and the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

The legacy of the Tellepsen family and their civic leadership is evident across the Houston area, embodied by the cityscape they have forever altered and the organizations they have profoundly influenced. Recognized for their significant involvement with their community, the Tellepsens received the Distinguished Family Award from the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 2011. Howard Jr. received the 2012 Grand Lodge of Texas Community Builder Award given by the Texas Masons.

Similarly, the Tellepsen family has made a lasting impact on Georgia Tech. Howard Tellepsen Sr. received the Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award in 1952 from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, and Howard Sr.’s wife, June “Junie” Learned Tellepsen, was named an Honorary Alumna in 1996. Howard Jr. is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni, and in 2012 he was recognized with the Alumni Association’s Joseph Mayo Pettit Distinguished Service Award, too.

Howard Jr. has demonstrated his commitment to Georgia Tech through visionary philanthropy and extensive volunteer service. He has provided vital support for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, including the establishment of the Howard T. Tellepsen Endowed Chair, named in honor of his late father. His philanthropic investments also have focused on student support and intercollegiate athletics, ensuring that current and future generations of students will have access to the kind of transformative opportunities that shaped his own intellectual and professional growth. His extensive involvement with his alma mater includes appointments on the Campaign Georgia Tech Steering Committee, the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering External Advisory Board, the Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Trustees and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees, among others. He is a member of the Hill Society, Georgia Tech’s most prestigious donor recognition society.