After serving five years at Miami, Dull accepted a position at Georgia Tech as assistant dean of students after meeting with
Dean Griffin, who described the many opportunities for improvements needed at Georgia Tech. Dull and his wife lived in
Towers Residence Hall for the next 3 years; during this time their two sons were born.
President Harrison promoted him to dean of students in 1964 after Dean Griffin retired. Implementation of Dull's plans began on January 17, when university president
Edwin Harrison called a meeting of the student body at which he told students that the institution would not condone riots, demonstrations or disturbances, or that any student who instigated such activity could be faced with "immediate dismissal." Georgia Tech became the first university in the
Deep South to desegregate peacefully and without a court order, with Ford Greene, Ralph A. Long, Jr., and Lawrence Michael Williams becoming Georgia Tech's first three
African American students. In later years, Harrison credited Dull with the institution's success in achieving integration without incident.
Ramblin' Wreck By the time Dull came to campus, the Ramblin' Wreck, initially just a general name for any Georgia Tech-engineered vehicle, had come to mean Dean Field's 1914
Ford Model T. Dull took the initiative to find a designated car to fill the role, and found it in a 1930 Ford Cabriolet. The Athletic Association purchased it and introduced it at the first home football game in 1961. Dull spotted the 1930
Ford Model A outside of his apartment located in Towers Residence Hall in 1960. The owner was Captain Ted J. Johnson, Atlanta's chief
Delta Air Lines pilot. Johnson had purchased the car from a junkyard in 1956. Johnson and his son, Craig, restored the car as a father-son project while Craig attended the
Georgia Military Academy. The two spent two years and over $1,800 restoring the vehicle. After Craig graduated from high school, he attended
Florida State on a track scholarship. In 1960, Craig's track team was in Atlanta competing against Tech. Johnson, wanting to see his son compete, took the Model A to Tech campus, parked it near Towers Residence Hall, and went to watch Craig compete. The team prevailed 24–0 and the Wreck became an instant success within the Tech family. The Wreck has since led the team onto the field for every home game. Theatre
DramaTech Dull supported the development of
DramaTech during his tenure, and he helped search for a permanent location for Georgia Tech's drama program. DramaTech had been housed in several different buildings over the years, such as the old
YMCA, two buildings behind
The Varsity, and in a church on the corner of Hemphill Street. Finally, the Dean James E. Dull DramaTech Theatre was built in 1992 adjacent to
the Robert Ferst Center for the Arts and named in his honor. Dull and his wife Gay established the 'Gay K. Dull Scholarship' which is awarded to two students each year who have participated with DramaTech programs.
Other construction President Harrison provided support to Dean Dull with his efforts to renovate all buildings in Area I on the Georgia Tech campus. Dull also helped raise funds to build a student center. In addition, Dull was instrumental in the building of the Student Athletic Complex, the Student Services Building, and a student health center. ==References==