Leanna Piver: Georgia Tech cheerleader honored with degree 25 years after tragic death

ATLANTA - Georgia Tech has honored a varsity cheerleader 25 years after her tragic death.

On Nov. 2, 1988, Leanna Rosemary Piver was on her way to practice when she got into a serious car accident. She was in a coma and died from her injuries five days later. The Georgia Tech varsity cheerleader was just 20 years old.

To mark the 25th anniversary of her death, Piver's parents wrote to Steve McLaughlin, the provost of Georgia Tech, asking for their daughter to be considered for a posthumous degree. After reading their letter, the provost's office contacted Jonathan Clarke, the interim dean for the university's Scheller College of Business, who was touched by the message.

"I was so moved by the story that I immediately started the process of getting Leanna approved for the posthumous degree," Clarke said.

Leanna Piver (Georgia Tech)

Piver is remembered as a generous soul with a big heart who loved her role as a flyer on the school's cheerleading team.

Her legacy continues after her death. While she was in her coma, David Braine, the former Georgia Tech athletics director, was inspired to create what would become the Georgia Tech Alexander-Tharpe Fund - Leanna Piver Endowment, which gives cheerleaders a scholarship every year.

Her parents have also created the Leanna Piver Scholarship Fund for students in drama and cheerleading at her alma mater, Parkview High School.

Leanna Piver with the Georgia Tech cheerleading team (Georgia Tech)

Along with the scholarships, the decision to donate Piver's organs gave a second life to five transplant recipients, one of whom named one of her grandchildren after Leanna.

Piver received a posthumous Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in November 2023, near the 25th anniversary of her death.

You can donate in Piver's memory to the Georgia Tech Alexander-Tharpe Fund - Leanna Piver Endowment here.