(MARSHALL) – American Electric Power Co. (AEP) donated a 2002 International 4900 Digger truck to Texas State Technical College. The truck, estimated to be worth about $30,000, will be used in the Electrical Utility Construction & Maintenance (Lineman) and Diesel Departments at the Marshall campus.

The lineman and diesel departments will use the truck for training students. “We’ll be able to train students to troubleshoot and diagnose engine, brake, suspension, drivetrain and electrical applications on another live vehicle,” said Diesel Instructor Arlis Elkins.

Students that attended the donation event were excited to get to use the truck. “We’ll be able to learn more things. Instead of just seeing it in a book, we’ll be able to see it in real life before we’re out in the working environment,” said Keith Pistolis, TSTC student.

AEP donated the truck in a brief ceremony at 2 p.m. on the Marshall campus. “From AEP’s perspective, y’all are training our workforce for us, which is very important to us. It’s great to have people, these young guys who are going to replace the boomer generation like me who are not that far from retiring, so it’s very important for us selfishly to have this facility. And secondly, we support economic development throughout our service territory and we know TSTC is a big piece of the engine for economic development in this region,” said Keith Honey, External Affairs Manager at AEP.

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