Where Engineering Became Family: The Story of “Mr. G”
Publication Date: February 12, 2026
Author: Jesus A. Reina
Photo Caption: Honoring a legacy that continues to inspire—Dean Heidi A. Taboada stands with alumna Catherine Savage as the College of Engineering reflects on the lasting impact of her father, Homi D. “Mr. G” Gorakhpurwalla.
Photo Credit: Jesus A. Reina
When Homi D. Gorakhpurwalla arrived in Kingsville in 1970, he wasn’t just starting a new job—he was building a new life. An immigrant scholar with deep roots in physics, mathematics, and electrical engineering, he joined what was then Texas A&I University as a young professor of electrical engineering. Over the next three decades, Homi D. Gorakhpurwalla or “Mr. G,” as generations of students would come to know him, helped shape not only a department, but an entire community.
Gorakhpurwalla served in many roles during his tenure: professor of electrical engineering, twice chair of the electrical engineering department, and acting dean of the College of Engineering for a year. Later, he was named professor emeritus, continuing to teach into the early 2000s before moving to Austin to be closer to family.
But if you ask his daughter, alumna and executive coach Catherine Savage, titles only tell a small part of the story.
“I think if I asked him what he was most proud of, he would say he loved just being ‘Mr. G’—that professor who was tough but fair,” Savage said. “He loved the act of teaching.”
A Professor Who Taught for the Future
Although research was not his primary passion, Gorakhpurwalla became known for anticipating what engineering students needed next. He pioneered the university’s first electromagnetic fields curriculum—an emerging subject in the 1970s—and later developed the fiber optics curriculum long before it became standard across engineering programs.
“He liked to teach the stuff that was coming,” Savage said. “He had forethought.”
He also served the community far beyond the classroom, advising Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, the Indian Students Association, and even serving as Faculty Senate president. His service was less about resume building and more about shaping a campus where students felt supported and connected.
A Classroom Students Still Remember
Ask former students about Mr. G, and they often recall the classroom before the coursework.
He taught in a lecture hall lined with chalkboards on three walls. On the first day, he delivered his famously firm expectations—deadlines, accountability, and no excuses. Students quickly understood his classes would be challenging.
But behind the seriousness was a professor deeply invested in student success.
Savage explained:
“If you reached out to him one-on-one, if you asked for a lifeline, he would spend time, attention, focus. He had a real heart for the B student—the one who had to struggle to make it through, but who learned perseverance and resilience.”
His classes were also known for small moments of humor and connection. He filled all three chalkboard walls every class period, prompting students to physically turn their desks as he worked around the room. And if someone wasn’t paying attention, they might find a piece of chalk tossed gently in their direction.
Students loved him enough to play along—sometimes arriving early to hide all the chalk and leave him only one piece to teach with.
The College as Family
For the Gorakhpurwalla family, the College of Engineering wasn’t just where Mr. G worked—it was their entire community.
“The College of Engineering was our family,” Savage shared. “We had no relatives in North America. Everyone was in Austria or India. So the college—those professors in that era—were my aunties and uncles and my parents’ best friends.”
What began as professional relationships within the College of Engineering often grew into lifelong connections. Faculty and their families shared holidays, weddings, celebrations, and everyday moments together, forming a close-knit community that extended beyond campus. That spirit of connection stayed with Gorakhpurwalla throughout his life—years later, former students would still recognize Mr. G in public, stop to visit, and reflect on the lasting influence his teaching and mentorship had on their lives.
Savage says he talked about those encounters for weeks.
“Professors who are iconic have so many students go through their classes, and you don’t forget Mr. G,” she said.
A Legacy Passed Forward—In a New Way
Though neither of his children followed the exact academic path of their father—he was not an alum of the university—they were deeply shaped by his example, values, and love of learning.
Savage and her brother Ashley Gorakhpurwalla both graduated from Texas A&I with electrical engineering degrees, each carving out their own successful careers. Savage is now an executive and leadership coach through her consultancy, Effectiveness Factory, and her brother is an executive leader in the technology sector.
For both, engineering was not about replicating their father’s life—it was about honoring the educational foundation he modeled and encouraged.
“Our parents never cared what we studied,” Savage said. “But the expectation was that we would get an education. It was in the fabric of our family. My dad used to say, ‘Even if you want to do underwater basket weaving, go to college for it and be the best underwater basket weaver ever.’”
What He Leaves Behind
When asked what she most wants people to remember about her father, Savage doesn’t hesitate.
“He wanted to help create the next generation of engineers—and to uplift the people who came through his classroom,” she said. “His legacy seems small when you describe it in simple terms. But when you magnify it by the number of students he taught, it becomes something very big.”
From chalk-covered lecture halls to decades of students who still speak his name with gratitude, the legacy of Homi D. “Mr. G” Gorakhpurwalla continues to live on—shaped by his teaching, strengthened by his compassion, and carried forward by the engineers, families, and colleagues whose lives he touched.
Embark on your journey to excellence! Discover the opportunities awaiting you at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Schedule a tour and explore the path to success in the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering.
Visit Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Categories: Acknowledgement, Alumni, Feature
Author: Jesus A. Reina
Photo Caption: Honoring a legacy that continues to inspire—Dean Heidi A. Taboada stands with alumna Catherine Savage as the College of Engineering reflects on the lasting impact of her father, Homi D. “Mr. G” Gorakhpurwalla.
Photo Credit: Jesus A. Reina
When Homi D. Gorakhpurwalla arrived in Kingsville in 1970, he wasn’t just starting a new job—he was building a new life. An immigrant scholar with deep roots in physics, mathematics, and electrical engineering, he joined what was then Texas A&I University as a young professor of electrical engineering. Over the next three decades, Homi D. Gorakhpurwalla or “Mr. G,” as generations of students would come to know him, helped shape not only a department, but an entire community.
Gorakhpurwalla served in many roles during his tenure: professor of electrical engineering, twice chair of the electrical engineering department, and acting dean of the College of Engineering for a year. Later, he was named professor emeritus, continuing to teach into the early 2000s before moving to Austin to be closer to family.
But if you ask his daughter, alumna and executive coach Catherine Savage, titles only tell a small part of the story.
“I think if I asked him what he was most proud of, he would say he loved just being ‘Mr. G’—that professor who was tough but fair,” Savage said. “He loved the act of teaching.”
A Professor Who Taught for the Future
Although research was not his primary passion, Gorakhpurwalla became known for anticipating what engineering students needed next. He pioneered the university’s first electromagnetic fields curriculum—an emerging subject in the 1970s—and later developed the fiber optics curriculum long before it became standard across engineering programs.
“He liked to teach the stuff that was coming,” Savage said. “He had forethought.”
He also served the community far beyond the classroom, advising Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, the Indian Students Association, and even serving as Faculty Senate president. His service was less about resume building and more about shaping a campus where students felt supported and connected.
A Classroom Students Still Remember
Ask former students about Mr. G, and they often recall the classroom before the coursework.
He taught in a lecture hall lined with chalkboards on three walls. On the first day, he delivered his famously firm expectations—deadlines, accountability, and no excuses. Students quickly understood his classes would be challenging.
But behind the seriousness was a professor deeply invested in student success.
Savage explained:
“If you reached out to him one-on-one, if you asked for a lifeline, he would spend time, attention, focus. He had a real heart for the B student—the one who had to struggle to make it through, but who learned perseverance and resilience.”
His classes were also known for small moments of humor and connection. He filled all three chalkboard walls every class period, prompting students to physically turn their desks as he worked around the room. And if someone wasn’t paying attention, they might find a piece of chalk tossed gently in their direction.
Students loved him enough to play along—sometimes arriving early to hide all the chalk and leave him only one piece to teach with.
The College as Family
For the Gorakhpurwalla family, the College of Engineering wasn’t just where Mr. G worked—it was their entire community.
“The College of Engineering was our family,” Savage shared. “We had no relatives in North America. Everyone was in Austria or India. So the college—those professors in that era—were my aunties and uncles and my parents’ best friends.”
What began as professional relationships within the College of Engineering often grew into lifelong connections. Faculty and their families shared holidays, weddings, celebrations, and everyday moments together, forming a close-knit community that extended beyond campus. That spirit of connection stayed with Gorakhpurwalla throughout his life—years later, former students would still recognize Mr. G in public, stop to visit, and reflect on the lasting influence his teaching and mentorship had on their lives.
Savage says he talked about those encounters for weeks.
“Professors who are iconic have so many students go through their classes, and you don’t forget Mr. G,” she said.
A Legacy Passed Forward—In a New Way
Though neither of his children followed the exact academic path of their father—he was not an alum of the university—they were deeply shaped by his example, values, and love of learning.
Savage and her brother Ashley Gorakhpurwalla both graduated from Texas A&I with electrical engineering degrees, each carving out their own successful careers. Savage is now an executive and leadership coach through her consultancy, Effectiveness Factory, and her brother is an executive leader in the technology sector.
For both, engineering was not about replicating their father’s life—it was about honoring the educational foundation he modeled and encouraged.
“Our parents never cared what we studied,” Savage said. “But the expectation was that we would get an education. It was in the fabric of our family. My dad used to say, ‘Even if you want to do underwater basket weaving, go to college for it and be the best underwater basket weaver ever.’”
What He Leaves Behind
When asked what she most wants people to remember about her father, Savage doesn’t hesitate.
“He wanted to help create the next generation of engineers—and to uplift the people who came through his classroom,” she said. “His legacy seems small when you describe it in simple terms. But when you magnify it by the number of students he taught, it becomes something very big.”
From chalk-covered lecture halls to decades of students who still speak his name with gratitude, the legacy of Homi D. “Mr. G” Gorakhpurwalla continues to live on—shaped by his teaching, strengthened by his compassion, and carried forward by the engineers, families, and colleagues whose lives he touched.
Embark on your journey to excellence! Discover the opportunities awaiting you at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Schedule a tour and explore the path to success in the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering.
Visit Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Categories: Acknowledgement, Alumni, Feature