Nancy Porter helped Stanislav Rokhlin place a brick inscribed "Edison Welding Institute" in the Welding Engineering Memorial Patio. Purchase of the patio bricks benefits an endowed scholarship for welding engineering students.

The patio was created by Karl Graff, Executive Director of the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) and co-chair of the Welding Engineering Development Committee. Patio bricks sell for $750 to raise money for an endowed scholarship fund for welding engineering students. Each brick is engraved with three lines and placed in the patio outside the entrance to the Welding Engineering Laboratories in the new Edison Joining Technology Center near the Columbus campus.

Graff and committee co-chair Stanislav Rokhlin, professor of welding engineering, praised the efforts of friends and faculty who donated and continue to donate generously to the campaign. Twenty-four engraved patio bricks are currently in place, thanks to contributions from companies, individuals, faculty, and alumni. Just prior to the ceremony, a message arrived from Jeff Moss, welding engineering alumnus and president of DCT, Inc. in Detroit, pledging $50,000 from the company toward an endowed scholarship fund.

According to Nancy Porter, Ohio Programs Manager at EWI and welding engineering alumna, The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors donated $5,000 to the scholarship fund.

"Several other corporations have promised considerable contributions," Porter said, "including John Deere, Lockheed Martin, and Ford."

The Ohio State Welding Engineering Alumni Society has also made periodic contributions, she said. Equipment donations from Jetline Engineering, Motoman, and General Motors have made a significant impact in outfitting the laboratories.

For more information about the campaign, or to purchase a "brick," contact Nancy Porter at (614) 688-5194 or nancy_porter@ewi.org.