A diesel drag truck, which has provided nearly 20 years’ worth of unique laboratory experience for Pennsylvania College of Technology students, recently captured first place at a popular automotive festival in Harrisburg.
The college’s Diesel Performance Club took the modified 1959 Mack B61 truck to the Motorama Speed Show at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex for the second year and brought home the trophy as the event’s “Top Race Vehicle.”
Building construction has been added to the abounding schedule of pre-college initiatives offered at Pennsylvania College of Technology, hands-on summer activities that mirror the nationally renowned opportunities afforded postsecondary students.
“Our Pre-College Programs offer living and learning experiences in which students have opportunities to explore unique academic interests in a state-of-the-art environment,” said Deborah B. Wescott, manager of conference and guest relations. “It’s a chance to work and make connections with industry leaders, meet and mingle with your peers, and establish a path that could lead to all sorts of future possibilities.”
The signup deadline is May 31 for the institution’s 12 residential programs and its one day camp.
A Penn College faculty member and a New York high school senior planning to enroll in the college’s automotive restoration technology major will be among the guests on Saturday’s broadcast of The Auto Lab, a radio series about the automotive industry, its history and culture. The Feb. 23 episode will include an interview with instructor Roy H. Klinger and student Gram P. Spina, of Floral Park, New York. Interested listeners can hear their segment of the live, two-hour call-in show beginning at about 7:30 a.m. through WNYM Radio in Salem, New York.
Penn College restoration and automotive students, joined by faculty and several members of the local Antique Automobile Club of America chapter, enjoyed a Friday visit from the project manager on one of history’s most iconic and beloved vehicles. Charles R. “Chuck” Cantwell Jr., who now lives in Chester County, shared an hourlong summary of his role in developing the street and racing versions of the Mustang GT350 for Carroll Shelby. Combining a substantial slideshow of historic photos with an anecdotal presentation that only an insider could deliver, Cantwell – co-author of “Shelby Mustang GT350: My Years Designing, Testing and Racing Carroll’s Legendary Mustangs” – regaled his audience with a colorful recap of Shelby American’s creation, from primitive mockup, through test-track experimentation, to cultural phenomenon. “You never know where your career will take you, I can tell you that!” said Cantwell, who went on to work for Roger Penske before eventually retiring from Lockheed Martin. “People are often asked in job interviews, ‘Where do you picture yourself five years from now?’ and the correct answer should be, ‘I don’t know.’ When I was working for the Allison aviation division of General Motors, I would never have known that, in five years, I’d be in L.A. working on a special racing program. I couldn’t have predicted that, so keep your options open and be ready for opportunities.”
Penn College’s decades-old tradition of large-scale holiday cards on the campus mall got an impressive add-on for the 2018 season: a massive toy soldier jointly fashioned by automotive restoration majors and manufacturing students in instructor Roy Klinger’s metal-shaping classes. “We were trying to think of something we could build to go with the holiday cards, and we came across an image of a 12-foot-tall toy soldier,” said Arthur M. Wright IV, an automotive restoration technology major from Woodbridge, New Jersey. “We figured we would give it a try because it could end up looking really cool!” A group of students from the manufacturing program assisted restoration majors with drawing and designing the toy soldier. The inner structure is mostly plywood arranged to help support the weight of the towering statue, Wright said, while the outer shell is completely made of aluminum. “The restoration students made paper patterns of the shapes provided by the drawing that the manufacturing students prepared for us,” he explained. “We then shaped all the pieces using the skills and techniques that we were learning in our metal-shaping class. The project really helped us display the skills that we had been working so hard to develop.” It was a total team effort to complete the project, he said, estimating that it took all of four three-hour classes to fully realize their shared vision. “When we came in the Wednesday morning of the card-lighting ceremony (Nov. 28), we didn’t think we were going to be able to get it done,” said Wright, who also shared some of the students’ photos. “Most of the soldier was still in pieces, with no paint. But thanks to the guidance and leadership of our teacher, we were able to get everything finished before the ceremony started!”
Reflecting the increasing use of aluminum by automakers and affirming the value of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s industry partners, Dent Fix Equipment has donated a self-contained aluminum dent-repair station for use by the institution’s collision repair and automotive restoration students.
“This equipment package provides all the necessary tools to complete aluminum repairs to an industry standard,” said Shaun D. Hack, instructor of collision repair. “This adds value to the collision repair technology, collision repair technician and automotive restoration technology majors by adding skill sets that will be desired by potential employers.”
A 1956 Ford Thunderbird convertible has been given to Pennsylvania College of Technology by a Monroe County man who owned it for nearly 50 years.
Paul Hoffman, of Saylorsburg, donated the vintage vehicle – in its original Peacock Blue – for use by automotive restoration technology students.
State Sen. Patrick M. Browne, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Pennsylvania College of Technology on Thursday.
Browne, who represents the 16th District – which includes Allentown and other municipalities within Lehigh County – came to campus after presenting an election and legislative update at a breakfast sponsored by the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.
He was invited by fellow Appropriations Committee member Sen. Gene Yaw, who also serves as chairman of the Penn College Board of Directors. Yaw also hosted the Chamber legislative update event, held at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.
A 1926 Ford Model T, traded to Alexander Nissan in 2013 by its Picture Rocks owner, has been passed on to Pennsylvania College of Technology students for use in a variety of automotive labs.
Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships donated the historic vehicle that was recently offloaded onto main campus, accompanied by brothers Adam and Aubrey Alexander.
“We appreciate this gift to our automotive restoration program from the Alexanders. In addition to value for our students in their curricular work, it serves as a way to engage prospective students in the restoration major,” said Elizabeth A. Biddle, the college’s director of corporate relations. “Our goal is to foster the interest in antique cars and the restoration industry among young people.”
Students in a variety of automotive and collision repair majors at Pennsylvania College of Technology will be eligible for financial assistance from a second scholarship fund established by the Susquehanna Valley Corvette Club.
Annual awards from the Susquehanna Valley Corvette Club Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund will be made to first-year students enrolled full time in the college’s automotive technology, automotive service sales and marketing, collision repair technology, or automotive restoration technology major.
Faculty and students from Pennsylvania College of Technology’s automotive restoration major are traveling with one of America’s most historically significant vehicles on a “dream come true” journey to the Super Bowl of car shows: the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.
The team preserved the 1947 Tucker prototype, nicknamed the “Tin Goose,” which is on loan from the William E. Swigart Jr. Automobile Museum in Huntingdon and archived at the Library of Congress for its importance in automotive lore.
Five automotive restoration technology students who worked on the car are making the trip for the Aug. 26 event: Adam J. Davis, of Doylestown; Conner W. Desforge, of Martinsburg, West Virginia; Joshua E. Marr, of Shickshinny; Tucker C. Watson, of Skowhegan, Maine; and Erik W. Weigle, of Linden. They will be accompanied by Roy H. Klinger, instructor of collision repair, and Robert K. Vlacich, assistant professor of automotive service.
Fittingly pointing the way to related instructional space – and cleverly mirroring Penn College’s evolution from yesterday to tomorrow – a pondless water feature outside College Avenue Labs affirms that “everything old is new again.” A broken-down truck forms the centerpiece of the tableau, created by several departments within General Services and completed Wednesday. “The idea of the 1949 Dodge came from seeing some old trucks used as landscape markers with seasonal interest in them: flowers in the spring, mums in the fall, evergreen clippings in the winter,” said Andrea L. Mull, horticulturist/grounds and motorpool supervisor. “We wanted to make a landmark that would show where the automotive restoration and collision repair labs are. All we have to do now is tell people to go to the building where the old Dodge truck is located!” A course of 2RC limestone simulates the old road that the vehicle supposedly was traveling as it approached a hill with a load of mountain stone. The engine died … the truck remained … and Mother Nature took possession, evidenced by the tree growing up through the bed. The truck was purchased from Bill Lee Jr., of Jersey Shore; the aged lettering was done by Todd Moore, student affairs marketing specialist; and the clear coat (to slow the weathering process) was applied by collision repair instructor Roy H. Klinger.
A carefully refurbished 1965 Ford Mustang, the genesis of Penn College’s automotive restoration technology major, is back on display at the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey. “We support the future of the automotive restoration industry and we are pleased to include this exhibit,” museum officials noted in a newsletter announcement. “The Mustang featured in this exhibit was restored by Penn College students as part of our ongoing collaborative partnership.” The award-winning work by students, performed during the 2009-10 school year, directly led to a popular associate-degree program through which the technicians of tomorrow research and restore the priceless vehicles of yesteryear. The exhibit is sponsored by the Members 1st Federal Credit Union.
Penn College’s second annual Automotive Restoration Camp, to be offered June 17-20, is featured in a recent edition of Hemmings Daily. As instructor Roy H. Klinger points out in the article, “auto restoration spans a range of disciplines,” and the camp is the best way to give those considering a future in the trade a sampling of each. The overnight camp – among the array of engaging opportunities to be held on campus – will include introductions to upholstery, metalforming and sheet-metal working; hands-on instruction in pinstriping and use of the paint simulator; and a spin in the college-owned Ford Model T. Attendees will also enjoy a field trip to the Eagles Mere Auto Museum in nearby Sullivan County, which houses roughly 75 cars from the 1950s and ’60s, and, in addition to knowledge gained, can take home their upholstery and metal-shaping projects.
Automotive Restoration Camp is filled, but a waiting list is being compiled should vacancies arise.
The sun shone on Saturday’s Spring Car Show, sponsored by the Penn College Motorsports Association and Penn College Classic Cruisers. Proceeds from the third annual event, held on the Carl Building Technologies Center parking lot, benefited both clubs and the American Cancer Society.
Photos by Brett A. Reasner, dean of transportation and natural resources technologies