The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
DONATION REVS UP AUBURN PROGRAM
Engineer donates $30K in tools to Automotive Technology program
“We really appreciate what Chris has done. I mean, he could have even scrapped the tools, taken them to a metal shop and got paid, but he didn’t.” — Automotive Technology instructor and former Auburn student Tom Welk
Chris Hayden’s dream of opening his own auto body shop never materialized.
Instead, after graduating from Lakeland Community College in May with a total of eight degrees and a promotion at STERIS Corp. to the position of associate systems engineer, his passion for the field supplanted his automotive interest.
However, Hayden’s extensive experience in the auto mechanics world will make a mark, as the Thompson Township resident decided to donate $30,000 in tools to the Automotive Technology program at Auburn Career Center in Concord Township.
Hayden accumulated his collection investing in the defunct Northeast Automotive, one day hoping to take it over.
When the then-owner of the business couldn’t afford to pay Hayden for the equipment he’d amassed, he agreed to give him all the shop’s tools the two had purchased from the now closed Crandall Ford dealership.
Working as a mechanic at Lubrizol Corp., Hayden began to study engineering more, and he knew he would end up having no concrete use for his vast inventory. A suggestion from his fiancée, Amberlee, who graduated from Auburn’s Early Childhood Development program, then prompted him to make the donation.
“She had nothing but good things to say about the center, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for the automotive program,” Hayden said. “I realized I could have sold the tools to other dealerships, or online, but I felt them going to the betterment of the students’ education was more useful.”
Auburn’s Board of Directors approved the donation earlier this month.
“After I got the word, I brought up about 100 cases and it took a few trips,” Hayden said, laughing. “I have a Chevy Sonic — can you imagine all those cases packed in that car?”
The Ford specialty tools and workshop equipment dates from 2010 back to the 1970s, said Automotive Technology instructor and former Auburn student Tom Welk, who previously worked at a dealership for
26 years.
“My initial reaction when I was told about the donation Chris wanted to make was, ‘Yes.’ I know what these tools are, I’ve worked with them with different manufacturers and it’s something I can use to further our students along in specific areas of coursework.
“We really appreciate what Chris has done,” Welk said. “I mean, he could have even scrapped the tools, taken them to a metal shop and got paid, but he didn’t. This suits us perfect because in addition to the program, we actually service and repair vehicles here. This is very
beneficial.”
Auburn Superintendent Brian Bontempo agrees with Welk, and called Hayden’s donation an aid to the program’s learning process.
“These items are of high value and students can have a really good experience getting a feel of how the tool systems work,” Bontempo said.
“All of these tools are coded, so when you go into the system to determine which parts need to be replaced, it will tell you. The whole idea is to simulate the work experience and we can do it right here now. This is a really cool opportunity for our students.”