Sandersville Railroad Company President Benjamin J. Tarbutton, III (Georgia Tech ‘94) was recently honored alongside five other Georgia Institute of Technology fraternity and sorority alumni/ae as inductees into the University’s 2016 Greek Hall of Fame. This is the third consecutive year a member of the Georgia Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta has received this honor.
“I immensely enjoy being a Phi Delt at Georgia Tech,” said Tarbutton. “My father was a Phi at Emory University, so I knew a little about the camaraderie and lifelong friends, but you have to actually live it to really appreciate the true meaning of being a Phi Delt. I love it all.”
“From being a Phikeia to serving as Recruitment Chairman, I made some of the best friends of my life while learning about responsibility, leadership and working with others. All three of these attributes are easily translated to the working world and stand the test of time because without all three, you cannot truly be successful professionally and personally. I am always proud to say that I am a member of Phi Delta Theta.”
Tarbutton has long been active around the state. Not only does he oversee operations for the 123-year-old family railroad company that serves as a critical link between local industry and the rest of the country, in 2013 he was appointed to a second seven-year term representing Georgia’s Tenth District on the state’s Board of Regents in 2006. He served as Chairman in 2011.
Brother Tarbutton also serves on the boards of the Oconee Fall Line Technical College, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Georgia. Additionally, he served as president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, the Sandersville Rotary Club and the Georgia Railroad Association.
“Brother Tarbutton’s many accomplishments serve as both inspiration and motivation to the active brothers,” said Michael Sterling, current Georgia Delta President. “We are proud to have him as a Georgia Tech Alumnus and a Georgia Delta Phi.”
Benjamin graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology, was named 100 Most Influential Georgian and Most Notable Georgian by Georgia Trend for several years. He resides in Sandersville, GA with his wife and three children.
The Georgia Tech Greek Hall of Fame was established in 2014 to commemorate the institution’s 125th anniversary of Greek Life and honor those who on exemplify the ideals of their fraternity or sorority Creed as well as notable accomplishments in one or more of the following: Greek life, Georgia Tech, their community and/or their profession. Atlanta attorney and fellow Phi Delta Theta alums Ben Mathis, Jr. (Georgia Tech ’81) and Jim Borders (Georgia Tech ‘83) were inducted in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
