May 11, 2012
This video is in memory of our dear friend Mr. Carroll Shelby, who passed away this week. His generosity has made a difference in countless lives at Northeast Texas Community College. His presence and friendship will be greatly missed by all of us. Visit www.shelbyautotech.com to learn more about the Carroll Shelby Automotive Technology Program at NTCC. Below are some words on how Mr. Shelby touched the NTCC family:
Dr. Brad Johnson, NTCC President
This week Northeast Texas Community College lost a terrific friend and our community lost an honored son. †Carroll Shelby was a man of incredible achievement, international acclaim, and real vision. †But in these last years, Carroll?s attention turned to our young people, specifically our young men. †He told me often that we are losing a generation of young men who do not have the skills to take care of their families. †So he decided to do something about that, and lent his wisdom, industry connections, financial resources, and international name to the automotive program at NTCC. †Today there are young people in college who would not be here without his action. †And we intend to see that his dream becomes a permanent part of his legacy.
We at the college always understood that he could have started his program anywhere. †Bigger schools in larger and more high-profile communities would have done anything to partner with him. †But Mr. Shelby never forgot his roots and chose to invest here in Northeast Texas.
Dr. Jonathan McCullough, Vice President for Advancement
It is with heartfelt sadness that I learned of the passing of Carroll Shelby. †Many people knew Mr. Shelby as a racing icon. †Others will remember him for the muscle cars. †And still others will consider him the most innovative man associated with the automobile business. †At Northeast Texas Community College we know that he was all of the above yet we will remember him most as an ?East Texan? who wanted to give back to his community.
During our first of many meetings, Mr. Shelby told me that he ?wanted to help the young twenty-five year old man that had started working at the age of eighteen in what seemed to be at the time a good job. †But now that same young man had an apartment payment, a car payment, and was possibly even married. †And, because he had never received an education, he was still stuck in that same job making just a little over minimum wage.? †Mr. Shelby went on to say that he would like to find a way to get these type of men back into school and trained in a vocation that would allow them to make a good living.
He knew an education could be expensive but he wanted to know what he could do to help out. †He stated he had paid about $50,000 to send one of his own kids to school. †When I told him it costs about $2,500 a year for a local student to attend NTCC and for that same $50,000 he could have sent twenty kids to our automotive program. †Without hesitation, he †said ?Let?s do it!?
Mr. Shelby funded scholarships and provided many other resources to our automotive program at NTCC (The Carroll Shelby Automotive Technology Program). †He would always call and let us know when he was "coming home" and he would ask if he could stop in on the students and visit with them in their classes. †He called on a weekly basis to make sure we had everything we needed to get the program up and running. †He would also ask about different students by name to see how they were doing. †He was genuinely concerned about their education and proud of their achievements.
One day I might have to take my car in to get some work done on it and there is a possibility that the mechanic is that same young man that used to be stuck in that dead end job. †The impact Carroll Shelby has had on people's lives will never be able to be measured. †Carroll Shelby has come home to East Texas for good this time and his legacy will live with all of us forever.
Kevin Rose, Associate Vice President for Workforce Development
Mr. Shelby was a man who made opportunities, not only for himself, but for so many others.
We have had many students who would not have been able to attend the Carroll Shelby Automotive program without his help. †He always told me 'you don't have to teach them to build fast cars, just give them a skill they can use to be a productive member of society'.
