Cherry Emerson, the son of Georgia Tech's first dean, William Henry Emerson. He earned his mechanical engineering degree in 1908, then an electrical engineering diploma the next year. He was a charter member of the secret ANAK society, as well as editor-in-chief of the Blueprint yearbook. 

Emerson joined Westinghouse Electric in 1910, then worked for Duke Power Company in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1914. In 1919, he returned to Atlanta, joining Robert and Company. He became chief engineer in 1922, vice president in 1924, and president in 1933. 

He came to Georgia Tech as dean of the school of engineering in 1945 and was named vice president in charge of expansion in 1948. Under his direction, Tech's physical plant nearly doubled in size. He left campus in 1955. He served as a national director for the Boy Scouts of America and was active in the Atlanta Rotary Club.