The Golden Techites

The "Techites of the Twenties," was organized in 1962-63 by a small group of alumni headed by Bryon Chamberlain, '23, and Louis E. "Babe" Whyte, '22. Chamberlain had painstakingly acquired many names of alumni and staff back to the class of 1903. From this nucleus, the first reunion was held in 1963 at the Kennedy Warren Hotel in Washington.

Bylaws were adopted in October 1964, at the second annual reunion. The bylaws called for dues (later eliminated), honorary members, officers, class coordinators and an annual meeting. The organization was named the "Techites of the 20s." Its objective was to foster fellowship among the men and women who had attended McKinley Technical High School, also referred to as "Old Tech." Membership was limited to those who attended Old Tech at 7th and Rhode Island Avenue from the time of its founding up to and including the class of 1928.

From 1966 through 1985, annual reunions were held at the Kenwood Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

At the 1984 reunion, the bylaws were amended to encourage membership from all classes following the 50th year of their graduation from "Old" Tech or the "New" Tech at 2nd and T Streets, N.E. The name of the organization was also changed to "The Techites." The name was changed again in 1991 to the "Golden Techites."

From 1986 through 1993, reunions were held at the Silver Spring Holiday Inn. The organization soon outgrew  these facilities and in 1995, moved the reunion to the University of Maryland. It was also switched from an evening event to a noontime event. In 1999, the Golden Techites outgrew the University of Maryland. The 2000 reunion was moved to Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Currently, there are some 1,000 Golden Techites on the active roster. In 2005, over 700 registered for the annual luncheon.  Membership has declined since then.

In 2019, the Golden Techites merged the program with the McKinley Tech Alumni Association (MTAA) to provide an annual luncheon for  members whose graduation from Tech goes back 50 years. MTAA’s website at mckinleytech-alumniassociation.com is linked to www.goldentechites.org.