Marion Shinn, who helped found and build the first vocational school at Lewis-Clark State College in the 1960s, has donated $150,000 to the college’s new Schweitzer Career & Technical Education Center, college officials announced on Wednesday.
The announcement coincides with Shinn’s 99th birthday, also on Wednesday.
Shinn’s donation is the latest in a history of strong connections he has with the college. Shinn graduated from the college, then called Lewiston Normal School, and later began his career at LC in 1965 as the dean of vocational education. He also played a major role in forming the LCSC Alumni Association.
The Schweitzer CTE Center is being built in the Lewiston Orchards and is scheduled to open in time for the fall semester. It will be a regional CTE center, serving the needs of students from LC State, neighboring Lewiston High School, and others throughout the region.
The facility will house most of the college’s Technical & Industrial Division programs including auto mechanics technology, CNC machining technology, information technology, engineering technology, industrial electronics technology, and heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration technology. (Lewis-Clark State College)
