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WELDING CLASS TAKES ON THE WORLD
Charles Etheredge, Principal of
Locklin Technical
Center, wanted an eye-catcher, a unique sculpture to accent
the entrance to Milton’s
premier technical center. Mr. Etheredge suggested a work of art
that would not only reflect the philosophy of the technical
center but also demonstrate the excellence of the technical
programs of the school. Mr. Etheredge approached Mr. Jim
Sullivan, the welding instructor, and together they decided to
front the school with a large globe.
Before fabrication
could begin, Sullivan’s class designed the globe, a twelve-foot
high, and 6-foot diameter structure with longitudinal lines set
at exactly 30 degrees. One-inch square tubing rolled into
6-foot circles comprised the globe’s structure. Realistic
looking shapes of continents fastened to the steel structure
were cut from aluminum tread plate. The project demanded that
Sullivan’s students practice and master gas tungsten arc and gas
metal arc welding, along with cutting and shaping.
“By the time the
globe was completed, I got the idea of cradling the structure in
a giant hand,” said Sullivan. “My students said, ‘Well, if we
could build the world, surely we can build a hand.’”
So, the third phase
of the project began with the fabrication of a small finger.
“First, we fabricated
a small finger to see how the hand could be built and determine
whether the fingernail could be made to look right. I thought
if we could make the fingernail look right, the rest of the hand
would be no problem,” continued Jim Sullivan.
While students were
perfecting the fabrication of the finger, Mr. Sullivan took his
idea to Principal Etheredge, who agreed with the addition of the
hand to the globe structure.
Sullivan decided to
construct the fingers, ranging from 7 ˝ inches to 9 ˝ inches in
diameter, from old, tapered aluminum light poles donated by the
George Stone Center’s Welding Department. Aluminum drops from
windows cut out from aluminum horse trailers made by Sidekick
Trailers in Milton, Florida, simulated the skin.
The entire project
involved some 25 students and took 11 weeks to complete.
“I really like that
the school believes in real-world, hands-on stuff,” Jim says.
“One of the nicest compliments I have received was from a woman
who commented the finished piece was of ‘Disney quality’.”
It comes as no
surprise that Jim Sullivan has received the Year 2000
American Welding Society’s
District 9 Outstanding Educator Award and the Year 2002
American Society’s Mobile, Alabama Section Outstanding
Welding Educator Award. He has been appointed as an
Executive Committee Member for the AWS Mobile Section for the
past three years. His outstanding achievements have made it
easy to see why the Locklin Technical Center’s welding program
is popular.
Josh Edeker, a
second-year high school welding student, who placed 4th
in the 2001-02 VICA
Regional competition says, “The welding class has been a great
opportunity for me. I’m looking forward to college and then
starting a career involving supervision or management in the
welding industry. Mr. Sullivan has been influential in my
making decisions about my future.”
One of his adult
students, Jim Glover, U.S. Army
retired, wants to remain active in the trade. He comments, “I
wanted to pursue something that would involve a future career.
Sullivan’s class offers welding and also opportunities in
construction and fabrication.”
Projects on the scale
of the globe are not a first for Mr. Sullivan’s classes. Each
year the class participates in projects to enhance the grounds
surrounding the technical center. Previous projects include
awnings for the school’s bus ramps, wrought-iron fencing, and
intricate benches. This school year the students will be
constructing approximately 150 feet of wrought iron railings for
a new conference center on the LTC campus. This entire
conference center from the ground up has been a project of all
the industrial programs classes: welding, carpentry, plumbing,
masonry, electrical, commercial heating, air conditioning and
refrigeration, and computer electronics. Also, plans are being
made to build a model-T truck, one-third to one-half scale.
This will again be a cooperative effort among the industrial
programs. The truck will be used to promote Locklin Technical
Center, the welding program, and the AWS in local parades and
civic gatherings such as “Relay for Life.”
“We hope the truck
will be a working truck with portable welder, torches, etc.,”
says Jim.
A marquee at the
entrance, also a student project, bears the words: “Through
technical education. . .you can have the whole world in your
hands.”
Editorial note: These students have certainly
achieved the theme of the Hobart Institute, “Weld the World and
hold the Future in Your Hands.” A poster depicting this image
may be ordered by instructors free of charge from
hiwt@welding.org or by calling 1-800-332-9448. Download wallpaper for your computer screen at
http://www.welding.org
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