SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly's College of Engineering has
received a generous donation from an alumnus worth $250,000, which will fund an endowment for shop expenses and student technicians
in the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Story provided by Cal Poly Public Affairs:
Cal Poly Engineering Receives
$250,000 Gift for Student Labs
SAN
LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly's College of Engineering announced a $250,000 gift from
1953 Mechanical Engineering graduate Jack Dawson. On the memo line of the
check, Dawson wrote "Return on Investment."
Now
retired, Dawson served as president of the Dawson Company, founded by his
father in 1948. The company is a manufacturers' representative and distributor
of residential, commercial and industrial plumbing, and heating and cooling
equipment.
Dawson
believes the education he received at Cal Poly was a big part of his career
success. "Cal Poly is almost unique in Learn by Doing," he said. "The lab work
I had in addition to academics included learning to machine and weld," a
technical aspect of his industry he said he wouldn't have gotten at another
university.
Inspired
by the recent establishment of Cal Poly's Critchfield Mechanical HVAC&R
Laboratory, Dawson and his wife, Barbara, made the gift to fund an endowment
for shop expenses and student technicians in the Student Fabrication Labs run
by the Mechanical Engineering Department.
"The
Student Fabrication Labs are open to all Cal Poly students, and this gift will
help ensure that they are well supplied, in good shape, and available to help
our students turn their dreams into reality," said Andrew Davol, chair of the
Mechanical Engineering Department. "This significant donation will forever
impact how we are able to maintain these Learn by Doing facilities."
