Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E. (Grandpappy)

Year 1950	Year 1966	Year 1987	Year 1992	Year 2004
Age 1.5	Age 17	Age 38	Age 43	Age 55

In addition to kidding around, my two favorite pastimes are writing and reading. Some of my favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Louis L'Amour, Hal Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Rex Stout, and Max Brand. One of my favorite books is A Knight in Shining Armor. I also enjoy playing some of the older computer games, such as Arena-The Elder Scrolls and Castle Wolfenstein. And I enjoy card games like bridge, hearts, and klondike.

I have one older brother (Randy - now deceased), one younger brother (Rick), and a younger sister (Tricia). My mother passed away when I was 21, but my father is still living. Although he is retired, he stays busy writing poetry and short stories. He has lectured to a wide variety of audiences around the world, including schools and universities.

My educational background includes a High School Diploma from George Washington High School in Danville, Virginia (1967), and a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Virginia Tech (1971), and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Georgia State University (1985). I am a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) and a certified MTM instructor.

After college, I spent 12 years working in the business sector, beginning as an Industrial Engineer and finishing as an Engineering Manager. I worked approximately three-years for Blue Bell, Inc. in Alabama and Oklahoma (Wrangler brand clothing), one-year for Itek, Inc. in Florida and Puerto Rico (glass and plastic optical lenses), five-years with Becton Dickinson in Florida (medical devices and pharmaceuticals), and three-years in Georgia with Stratton Industries, Inc. (commercial quality carpets).

Since 1984 I have been teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia (about 15 minutes north of Atlanta). I have taught courses in statistics, engineering basics, economics, marketing, accounting, work measurement, plant layout, quality control, and inventory control.

I also teach seminars, workshops, and continuing education courses on a regular basis in the United States and Canada. Since 1984 I have conducted over 300 seminars for Fortune 500 companies, government organizations, and foreign corporations. A short list of some of my previous clients includes: General Motors, Amoco Oil, Lockheed Martin, Boeing Commercial Aircraft, Delta Airlines, Medical Marketing Group, U.S. Can, Equifax, Marta, Federal Express, Anheuser Busch, Home Depot, and Motorola.

My publishing efforts have included nine computer software games (such as The Lost Crown of Queen Anne), a short story (David's War Diary), a collection of Christian poems, a variety of articles, a number of training manuals (CQE, CQT, SPC, etc.), and a contribution to the 2001 edition of Maynard's Industrial Engineering Handbook.