(MARSHALL) – Texas State Technical College has recently received several financial and equipment donations to benefit students.

Komatsu in Longview has donated $45,000 in hydraulic motors, a hydraulic cooling unit and pieces of steel plate for students to use. The company specializes in manufacturing mining equipment.

“The items we use for testing cannot be sold as new pieces,” said Sean Hopkins, manager of product training and technical development at Komatsu. “We have done multiple visits at TSTC looking at the setup and thought it was a good idea to get some of our products on the benches in front of the students.”

The technical college also received in late April a John Deere bulldozer and two pieces of Cub Cadet outdoor power equipment valued around $8,500 from David Henderson of Belcher, Louisiana. This equipment will be used by TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program.

“My son works there at the technical college, and he said they had a need for it,” said Henderson, a retired construction company owner. “My hope is the students will gain some valuable experience and hands-on experience so they can transfer into the real world of the job market.”

Eastman Chemical Co. in Longview recently gave $15,000 for its sponsorship program for students. Area high school seniors can receive scholarships from the company to study welding, industrial maintenance or industrial controls technology at TSTC. Recipients who maintain a high grade-point average can pursue internships at the company.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.