By Melissa Alonso | May 5, 2026

For Robert F. Unger, the instinct to build started early. 

“Ever since I was a little kid… I enjoyed building things,” he said. “I would build something, create something, and take it apart after a couple days so I could create something new.” That curiosity, part creativity and part problem-solving, eventually brought him from Pennsylvania to Georgia Institute of Technology. 

At Georgia Tech, Unger earned his bachelor’s degree in 1975 before later returning for a master’s in civil engineering. His path did not follow a traditional construction trajectory. After graduating, he entered the U.S. Army through ROTC, beginning a 20-year career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

His work focused on engineering, research, and large-scale infrastructure rather than hands-on construction. “I never really got into the construction phase of work,” he said. “I got more into the engineering side of things.” Even so, the foundation of his education stayed with him. 

Over time, as his career shifted into leadership roles overseeing design and construction programs, his perspective on the industry deepened and his connection back to Georgia Tech strengthened. “I started looking at what the program was doing… and it seemed like there was a lot of energy, a lot of new initiatives,” he said.

That renewed connection eventually led to something more personal: the creation of the Marie A. Unger Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund. Established with a $100,000 commitment, the endowment supports undergraduate students in the School of Building Construction with demonstrated financial need. It also reflects a broader purpose. 

The scholarship gives preference to students who show a commitment to equity, diversity, or social impact, particularly those helping expand opportunities for women in construction. 

For Unger, naming the fund after his mother was both a tribute and a reflection of her influence on his life. “She was the rock and the steady for the family,” he said. “She was very supportive of everything I wanted… nurturing… she wanted me to follow my career wherever it took me.” Marie Unger’s own path looked very different. “She actually was going to go off to college for business,” he said. 

“But there was a family problem… and she ended up coming back home.” Instead, she built her life around family, raising children, supporting her husband’s career, and creating stability at home. It was a role that defined a generation, but one that often came at the cost of personal opportunity. 

“She wasn’t able to do some things she would have liked to have done,” Unger said. “But she was satisfied… she had good kids, and family was good.” 

That perspective shaped the intention behind the scholarship. It is not just about honoring her name. It is about extending opportunity forward, especially for students who may be navigating barriers of their own.

While the scholarship reflects Unger’s past, it is equally focused on the future of the construction industry. After decades working alongside engineers, contractors, and project teams, Unger saw firsthand where the field is evolving and where it still has room to grow. 

“The construction industry is in need of innovation,” he said. “Manufacturing has increased efficiencies tenfold… construction has not.” From emerging technologies to new project delivery methods, he believes the next generation of professionals has an opportunity and a responsibility to push the industry forward. “I hope it empowers somebody who has the drive… to make a difference,” he said. 

“Not just fill their time… but make a lasting difference.” That mindset is rooted in the principles he shared with colleagues at the end of his career, lessons shaped by decades of leadership: “Make order out of chaos. Make a lasting difference. Lead from where you are.” 

They are ideas that apply just as much in a classroom as they do on a job site. 

Through the Marie A. Unger Memorial Scholarship, Unger is investing in students who are ready to take on that challenge and help redefine the field. In doing so, he ensures that his mother’s legacy lives on, not just in name, but in the opportunities it creates for others.