Two Penn College HVAC Students Among Scholarship Recipients

Two HVAC technology majors at Pennsylvania College of Technology are among this year's eight recipients of scholarships from the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers.

Clayton J. Bretz, of New Bloomfield, and Matthew P. Robinson, of Williamsport, both were honored with $2,000 scholarships at the NAOHSM Awards Banquet at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in May. To be a scholarship candidate, students were required to write a 500-word essay on the topic, "What are your goals and why do you wish to better yourself within the oil heating industry?"

"Having a strong HVAC foundation is necessary to understand complex oil heating systems in the future and help mentor others who may need assistance," wrote Robinson, a junior at Penn College. "After I am working in the field for a number of years, I would like to manage and mentor new oil heating technicians to further my learning experience as well as others'."

He added that his experiences as an infantryman his education twice has been interrupted by Army National Guard deployments to Bosnia and Iraq "have provided me with responsibility, determination and transferable skills that will be invaluable in the oil heating industry."

The award to Bretz, a recent graduate of Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School in Mechanicsburg, was presented by Delavan Spray Technologies, a worldwide leader in spray nozzles for combustion applications from domestic heating to commercial boilers.

"My vo-tech schooling has given me an excellent base of development in specialized training required to install and service the new equipment," the Penn College freshman wrote, noting that new technology will only heighten the need for skilled technicians. Many of the new systems are computerized, Bretz added, meaning future burner technicians may only need a laptop to make repairs.

"Before taking on these new marvels, higher education is needed to ensure that good quality work will be provided to the "¦ more complex equipment," Bretz said. "The oil heating industry will need a new breed of servicepersons to fit the changing technology. I am hoping to be one of them."

The scholarships are presented in the name of Dave Nelsen, of the Kurz Oil Corp., who was NAOHSM's education chairman at the time of his October 1998 death. They are partially funded through a golf tournament held during the annual convention, which, thanks to support from the association's 2007 industry sponsors, Peerless and Thermo Pride, and others, raised more than $6,000 this year.

More information about NAOHSM, the only industry association devoted exclusively to education and the advancement of oil-heat service professionals, is available online.

For more about majors in Penn College's School of Construction and Design Technologies, visit on the Web , send e-mail or call (570) 327-4513.

For general information about the college, visit online, e-mail or call toll-free (800) 367-9222.

( Photos provided by NAOHSM)