Mechanical Contractors Honor Past President With Scholarship

Published 04.12.2007

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From left, J. Douglas Armstrong, executive director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Northwest Pennsylvania%3B Debra M. Miller, director of corporate relations, Pennsylvania College of Technology%3B and Tom F. Gregory, dean of construction and design technologies, Pennsylvania College of Technology.A new scholarship fund at Pennsylvania College of Technology will memorialize a past president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America.

The Mechanical Contractors Association of Northwest Pennsylvania has established the "Mechanical Contractors Association of Northwest Pennsylvania, Foster McCarl, Jr. Scholarship" fund at Penn College to provide an annual award of $1,000 for a student in the college's HVAC technology bachelor-degree major; the heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology associate-degree-majors; or the building automation technology bachelor-degree major.

Preference for the awards will be given to full-time students in those majors who are residents of Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Venango or Warren counties and who demonstrate dedication to their profession and enthusiasm for the industry.

The scholarship fund memorializes Foster McCarl Jr., who died on Jan. 24. His Beaver Falls-based company, McCarl's Inc., was established in 1946 as McCarl's Plumbing and Heating Co. It currently employs more than 800 people.

McCarl was a member of the board of directors of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America from 1986-94, serving as president in 1993. He received the association's lifetime achievement award in 1995. He was also well-known for his philanthropy and community activities in Beaver County.

"We are honored to continue the legacy of Foster McCarl and enter this relationship with the staff and students of Penn College," said J. Douglas Armstrong, executive director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Northwest Pennsylvania. "Foster once said, "˜Whatever successes came my way, I always believed that they came with obligations − obligations to give back, give a hand up, and to just plain give a darn about my neighbors, my industry and my country.'"

"Through this scholarship," Armstrong said, "we hope to support the next generation of Industry leaders, nurture their passion for the mechanical-contracting industry and educate them on the responsibilities associated with success."

For information about establishing scholarships or other ways of supporting Penn College students, call (570) 320-8020, or toll-free (866) GIVE-2-PC; e-mail or visit online .