In Remembrance of Ferdinand A. “Ski” Hilenski
January 1, 1947 — July 29, 2009
Ski Hilenski, director of development for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, died July 29 after a battle with cancer. He was 62. Hilenski first came to Georgia Tech in 1993 as director of development and public relations for the College of Architecture, working with the late Dean Thomas D. Galloway. Hilenski moved to the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts in 2000 as its founding director of development, working with former Dean Sue V. Rosser. Hilenski shaped the fledgling College’s development profile by mining unconventional sources of funding, raising $35 million, and securing the College’s endowment in perpetuity.
A master’s and PhD graduate in English literature of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Hilenski had previously worked in development for his alma mater’s College of Liberal Arts. He also served as associate dean for Grants and Development for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of South Carolina.
“Ski Hilenski was widely regarded as one of the most caring, collaborative, and determined individuals on the Tech campus,” said Assistant Vice President for Development Marta H. Garcia. “He had extensive knowledge of Georgia Tech’s history and delighted in welcoming new colleagues with his self-described ‘Polish tours.’ We will remember his many contributions to the Institute, and we will miss his wit, his warmth, and his considerable expertise.”
A native of Key West, Florida, Hilenski is survived by his wife, Lu, and their daughter, Cate, and son, Jesse. Hilenski’s family has requested that gifts in his memory be made through the Georgia Tech Foundation, 760 Spring St. NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, Georgia 30308. Funds will be directed to the Ivan Allen Jr. Initiative on which he was working at the time of his death.
