MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ALUMNUS GIVES BACK

The Camper brothers, Henry, Gary and Carl, are all persons of note around Kaufman Hall. All three are graduates from the Mechanical Engineering program at the College. The last name also bears reverence around the halls of Babcock & Wilcox, a Charlotte, N.C.-based firm that has been involved in the research and development of nuclear fission, and its relevance to national security, since the 1940s.

Gary Camper was the first brother to start working at the company's Lynchburg location, in June 1984, currently serving as Quality Control Department Manager.

"B&W Lynchburg was so appealing because of the manufacturing nature of the plant, and the proximity to our childhood home and parents about an hour away. It is such a great place to work that makes something that matters - by helping with the defense of our great country," Gary said.

At a recent College board meeting, it was Gary who made a very special presentation to Dean Oktay Baysal and the Batten College. In the midst of the national economic downturn, B&W made it a priority to select donation recipients judiciously. On this day, the College accepted one of those designated donations, which included a stated amount of the donation be allotted to benefit Team Tidewater in its 2011 Solar Decathlon journey.

Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group (B&W NOG), headquartered in Lynchburg, owns and operates manufacturing facilities that supply specialty materials and components to the U.S. government. Winfred Nash, President of B&W NOG is also an alumnus of ODU's Batten College of Engineering and Technology.