ISA Insights

March 2008

ISA Alaska Section Gives Big!

The ISA Alaska Section made history by establishing the Tom Quimby Memorial Endowment with the largest ever single-source donation for the ISA Foundation's student scholarship program.

The ISA Alaska Section proudly donated funds to establish the Tom Quimby Memorial Endowment Fund within the ISA Foundation. The endowment is intended to provide scholarships to students studying the arts and sciences related to the theory, design, manufacture, and use of instrumentation, systems, and automation. The initial endowment assets will consist of an irrevocable gift by ISA Alaska Section in the sum of $50,000 from its general operation account to the ISA Foundation. The Society agreed to match this contribution and transfer $50,000 from its general operation account to the ISA Foundation account to create the $100,000 Tom Quimby Memorial Endowment. The ISA Foundation will continue to accept additional contributions to the endowment as we search to expand our workforce development efforts and put in place programs to benefit future generations. Tom Quimby's wife, Marty, and other family members will accept the Alaska Section Certificate for the endowment at the Section's 20 March meeting.

Tom Quimby came to Alaska in 1977 to work for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (operator of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.) As a hard-working entrepreneur, he founded Arctic Technology Inc. in the early 1980's.

Over the years, he was active as a Boy Scout Leader, served in Rotary International, and was a supporter of the Arts. As a founder of the Alaska Section, Tom held the first organizational meeting in his home, and donated a great deal of time to the Society. Tom felt strongly about the value of education for adults as well as his 5 children and worked proactively with Kenai Community College in support of their Industrial Instrumentation degree program and promoted the scholarship program as part of that support.

The Alaska Section will kick off the endowment by awarding two $5,000 scholarships for the 2008/2009 academic year to students working toward technical careers.

To apply for these scholarships, applicants must be enrolled as a student during the 2008 spring semester in an accredited university, college, or technical school; and must be in an engineering or technical trade curriculum. The applicant or applicant’s parent must be a current member of ISA. Applicants are required to provide their complete name and contact information, name and address of their educational institution, the degree program in which the applicant is officially enrolled, ISA Member Name (if different than applicant, explain relationship), ISA Membership Number, unofficial transcript (Minimum GPA 2.6 - 4.0), and a brief letter of introduction defining interests and career goals. Applications are to be submitted via E-mail to Carrie Burford at Kenai Peninsula College (incmb@uaa.alaska.edu) by midnight March 7, 2008.

For details about the scholarship funds available, or to apply for the scholarship, contact ISA Alaska Section Education Chairman Allen Houtz at Kenai Peninsula College, ifadh@uaa.alaska.edu, or ISA Alaska Section President Ralph Cheek at NANA/Colt Engineering, LLC, Ralph.Cheek@nana-colt.com.

"ISA is thrilled to receive this generous donation from the ISA Alaska Section in honor of a dedicated automation professional. The students who will benefit from this endowment are the future of our industry, and ISA is committed to their success. With this endowment, the ISA Alaska Section will change the lives of dozens of students over the coming years. Imagine the expanded impact we could make in the profession if we had more contributors endowing programs that were highly leveraged to benefit the professionals of tomorrow," said ISA Executive Director and CEO Patrick Gouhin.

ISA awards scholarships from both the ISA Educational Foundation Scholarship fund, which consists of a $1.5 million investment by ISA, and funds provided through endowments of generous gifts from supporters. The scholarship program includes awards from several categories, including named awards with funds provided by groups like the ISA Alaska Section.

ISA Educational Foundation Scholarships are awarded to college or university students who demonstrate outstanding potential for long-range contribution to the fields of automation and control. The scholarship awards support tuition and related expenses and research activities and initiatives. For more information about ISA, or to find out how to contribute to a scholarship fund, call (919) 549-8411 or visit www.isa.org.

To read ISA 2008 President Kim Miller Dunn’s thoughts on the exceptional donation and commitment to education of ISA Alaska Section—fondly referred to as “the Little Section that Could”—visit www.isa.org/connections.