March 17, 2011 - On March 16, 2011, the Albany Tech Foundation accepted a $500 scholarship donation from the Emerson Electrical Foundation. The Emerson Electrical Foundation is made up of about a dozen former Albany Tech students and faculty members who studied electrical systems under former instructor Willie Emerson.
They asked for the scholarship dollars to go to deserving industrial electrical, air conditioning technology or electrical construction and maintenance students. The scholarships will pay for tuition, fees, books and tools.
“We gladly accepted the generous gift,” said Dr. Parker, President of Albany Tech. “The scholarships will allow students, who may not have had enough money to attend college, to learn a skill that is in high demand in southwest Georgia. There’s a critical shortage of electricians and air conditioning techs, and the students who receive this scholarship will surely find employment as soon as they graduate.”
Emerson taught at ATC from 1961 to the mid-1990s. He also founded the college’s first basketball team.
Pictured (left to right): Mr. Willie Emerson, Owner of Emerson Electrical; Mr. John Cross, Emerson Electrical Foundation Member; Mrs. Pamela Heglar, Executive Vice President for Albany Tech; and Mr. Joe James, Emerson Electrical Foundation President.