Located on the west side of Tech Tower at Georgia Tech is the grave of a beloved terrier known as Sideways. Sideways fell from a car window at the Varsity when she was an 8-week-old puppy. She was taken in by Annie Schofield, a boarding house owner, whose home was at 109 North Ave NW. She was known as a dog lover and would eventually nurse Sideways back to health. Her home was between the Varsity and Smith Residence Hall on campus.
Sideways’s fall required that she needed surgery. After her recovery, Sideways walked at an angle, hence, her name. Schofield cared for her until she was eight months old. In an interview with the Atlanta Journal, Scholfield shared, “One day, however, a bunch of sailor boys from Tech passed the house, and Sideways went out to see them. They played with her, gave her that funny name, and from that time on, she was at Tech more than she was at my home.” She became a beloved figure on campus. She would attend classes, march alongside the drill team, and even lead the football team onto the field. She was even kidnapped by UGA students near the 1946 Tech and University of Georgia football game. GT students went to Athens and took her back.
According to a 1947 article about Sideways in The Atlanta Journal, the beloved terrier did not have one student she stuck by. All Tech men would take care of her. She would be escorted into the dining hall for meals or be taken to the restaurant College Inn for a treat of a milkshake and steak. She even attended class.
Unfortunately, Sideways died at a young age after accidentally eating rat poison. Her death made front page news. The beloved pup was buried near Tech Tower. Student Council treasurer Roy Barnes worked to get a grave marker made by McNeel Marble Company (Morgan McNeel was a Tech alum and former football star.) At the marker dedication, Dean George C. Griffin gave the eulogy where he said, “The greatest secret of success is the ability to get along with people. I think this small animal had that quality.”
Over the years, Sideways’s grave became where students would leave mementos for good luck during exams. Usually, it is change, but now you can find drinks, candy, notes, and anything else that Tech students think would help them be in the protective graces of Sideways.