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In his 88 years, Kenneth Grundborg had never attended a graduation ceremony.
Not for his younger siblings or other family members. Not even for himself — despite earning two civil engineering degrees at Georgia Tech.
In 1960, he finished his bachelor’s and the U.S. Army promptly sent him for reserve officer training at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. He was then deployed to Korea. In 1966, he wrapped up a master’s, and the Army immediately sent him off to Vietnam.
His mother was disappointed they couldn’t attend Commencement, but Grundborg didn’t think much of it. And he hasn’t thought about it in the six decades since.
“When the military says go, you go. They said they wanted me at a certain date in Vietnam and I said, ‘Yes, sir,’ and that was it,” Grundborg recalled recently.
An officer in the Army Corps of Engineers in the years after finishing his degrees, Grundborg always seemed to be posted overseas when a graduation came up and couldn’t return stateside. So when he walked onto the floor of McCamish Pavilion last weekend, 66 years after finishing his undergraduate degree, it was a special moment.
“It’s something I have wanted for all these 60 years,” Grundborg said. “You just can’t understand what this day means to me. It feels like a dream come true.”
Thanks largely to the doings of his wife, Mila Lynne Floro, Grundborg walked not once but twice during Georgia Tech’s Commencement weekend: Friday with his fellow civil engineering bachelor’s graduates and Saturday at the master’s ceremony. He did it with a full contingent of family from all over the country, who traveled to Atlanta to surprise him.
Young Kenneth Grundborg with his parents.
It was a fitting tribute to a Yellow Jacket who’s been a passionate supporter throughout his life, sending in regular donations and keeping a close eye on Tech’s athletic teams. Floro said it’s a major party in their Arlington, Virginia, house whenever the Jackets post a win.
“To me, there is nothing better than Georgia Tech,” Grundborg said. “I can’t think of a better place to get an education. We don’t have any kids, but if we did, I would almost insist they go to Tech. I was so content and excited to be there every day and get an education.”
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A Tech Man
Grundborg arrived at Tech after starting college at Cornell University. He recalled never feeling quite settled in southern New York. After his dad — also an engineer in the Army — took a post at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Grundborg transferred.
Everything clicked on campus. He’d wanted to be an engineer from a young age and had always been drawn to construction sites, where he could watch things being built. He switched from electrical to civil engineering and joined the ROTC.
That set him on the path to a globe-spanning career with the Army Corp of Engineers: Korea, Vietnam, Panama, and multiple tours in Germany. He built missile sites and roads in war zones, led engineering for the Army and Air Force on-base exchanges (commonly called the PX), and oversaw construction of space launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He earned a long list of accolades, including his Army Ranger tab and a Bronze Star.
His work as project manager at Vandenberg was the highlight of his career, Grundborg said. The idea was to add a West Coast launch facility for a variety of missions, including the Space Shuttle. The work included extending the runway to three miles to accommodate Shuttle landings. It was challenging, fulfilling work.
“We had thousands working day and night. The tolerances for floors on some of the assembly buildings had to be flat, within half a centimeter. That’s a really tough spec,” he said.
“It was a fascinating project to build these facilities that were going to launch rockets and people into space. You’re part of it; you’re doing the groundwork for them to be able to succeed.”
After nearly 29 years with the Corps, a retired general Grundborg had worked with recruited him out of the service to join Jacobs Engineering. Grundborg retired as a colonel and started a second act in his career.
For another two decades, he did civilian work for the government, including renovations to the Treasury Department, the General Services Administration, and one of the FBI’s training centers. He also returned overseas to help build embassies in Jordan and Bolivia.
“Every job is different. Every job has challenges. Every job is unique,” Grundborg said. “I just love being out there with people doing construction and documenting what they did and how well it was done.”
He finally retired for good at 75.
Kenneth Grundborg returned in 2023 to his favorite project as an engineer: the space launch facilities at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Grundborg also returned to Georgia Tech in 2023 for the first time in more than 60 years.
Grundborg knew and admired Dean George Griffin, so he was thrilled to encounter the statue of Griffin near the Student Center. (Photos Courtesy: Kenneth Grundborg)
Returning Home
Over the last few years, Floro has been surprising him with trips to all the places he loved so they can make new memories together. A few years ago, she brought him back to Georgia Tech for the first time in decades. A pair of civil engineering students showed them around campus for hours. They visited the Old Civil Engineering Building where Grundborg studied and the Mason Building, where the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering moved shortly after he graduated.
His favorite spot, though, was the bench near the Student Center where he encountered the statue of Dean George Griffin, a fellow civil engineering alumnus.
“I knew him pretty well. He was the guy who I always wanted to be like,” Grundborg said. “If I could be like him, life would be good. He, to me, was the epitome of an engineer.”
It was that trip that planted the seed about Commencement. Grundborg never dwelled on not getting to walk across a graduation stage, but Floro wanted to plan another surprise. She contacted the Alumni Association earlier this year, and soon the wheels were in motion for a double graduation for the double Jacket.
“This trip is not only because I believe Ken should have the experiences and joy he missed because he was in the military, but also because I wanted him to know that people appreciated his service,” Floro said. “He loves Georgia Tech and talks about it all the time. I wanted him to go back to the place where he really had a great time.”
For his part, Grundborg was a bit apprehensive at all the fuss. Still, he said Tech has always been part of his life and he knew finally “graduating” would be a special moment.
“I feel so indebted to all the people who were there and the time these professors took to teach us and the dedication they had to making us good students,” he said. “I just can’t forget that. I would not have had the experiences I’ve had were it not for Georgia Tech. My most heartfelt thanks to everyone at Tech who made this weekend so memorable.”
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WATCH: Master’s Graduation Celebration
See Kenneth Grundborg finally celebrate his graduation alongside nearly 900 engineering master’s students graduating in spring 2026.