Alumnus Commits $25 Million to Sam Houston State University
(firmenpresse) - HUNTSVILLE, TX -- (Marketwire) -- 12/22/11 -- Sam Houston State University has received a $25 million pledge from Pennsylvania-based Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc., to support the university's engineering technology components within the current industrial technology program and to establish a new engineering technology program.
The pledge is the largest gift in the university's history.
The founder of Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc., is alumnus Frederick Pirkle, who graduated from SHSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial arts in 1970 and a master's degree in industrial technology in 1974.
"Sam Houston State University students who are getting a technical education are learning skills for life," Pirkle said. "Those skills are critically important for America in today's world. Americans are hard workers, and we're smart workers. I want the students who are touched by this gift to be inspired to contribute to the success of this country and be leaders in the world."
"This remarkable and unprecedented gift is an investment in the future of Sam Houston State University and will enhance the university's ability to provide opportunities for students to gain invaluable knowledge and experience in industrial technology," said SHSU President Dana Gibson.
The gift will provide funding in three areas. A portion will be applied toward the construction of a state-of-the-art academic facility and associated laboratories, including advanced equipment and technology, to house engineering technology and related programs. The building will be named The Fred Pirkle Technology Center.
The gift will also support a permanent endowment fund, The Frederick L. Pirkle Scholarship Fund, to provide financial assistance for students enrolled in the engineering technology program.
The donation will also establish The Frederick L. Pirkle Enrichment Fund to provide resources for an academic chair or professorship in the engineering technology program and to support internships for students majoring in engineering technology.
Pirkle grew up in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio. Following high school graduation, he worked as a mechanic before enrolling at SHSU.
After earning his master's degree, he moved to Houston and taught. He left teaching to work as a sales engineer for Commercial Industries Division and later Eggelhof, Inc. While employed by Eggelhof, he was assigned to Ogontz Controls in Philadelphia, Penn.
Pirkle left Ogontz Controls and founded Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc., in 1982, to manufacture valves of his own patented design. The company became a leader in the field of manufacturing temperature control valves and devices, gaining worldwide respect across diverse industries. Therm-Omega-Tech freeze protection valves have become the railroad industry's standard for preventing damage to diesel locomotives, annually protecting billions of dollars of railroad equipment worldwide.
Since then, he has patented more than 20 products, including the BBQ Guru, the first temperature control device for charcoal grills and cookers. His patented products are manufactured in the Therm-Omega-Tech facility in Warminster, Penn.
Sam Houston State University
Office of Communications
Julia May
associate director
(936) 294-1837
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Datum: 22.12.2011 - 13:47 Uhr
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