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| S C T E CHN I CA L CO L L E G E S Y S T EM ’ S
F I R S T 5 0 Y EAR S
education at the institutional level and a closer working relation-
ship with industry, along with customized continuing education
programs would better meet the next decade’s demands.
Center For Innovative Training—This center would familiar-
ize industry, business, and technical education personnel with
new and emerging technologies. Equipment too expensive to put
on each campus could be displayed through manufacturers or
vendor shows. The center would pursue other ambitious avenues
such as quickly turning open bay labs into shop areas.
These five elements formed the nucleus of “Design for the
Eighties.” What it needed now was—
MR. ROBOTO
—something indispensable: funding from the legislature.
“One of the main parts of our budget,” said Ed Zobel, the
system’s legislative liaison from 1974 to 2005, “was money for
equipment, because, as you know, computers change daily and
that is one heck of an expense for sixteen colleges. Rembert Den-
nis was chairman of Finance at that time and there was an Of-
fice of Local Government that Woody Brooks ran. And Woody
shelled out money for infrastructure in the counties—sewage,
water, whatever. So he was very well liked, plus his office made
the best Bloody Mary in the State House.”
Zobel went to see Brooks one morning. Not to get a Bloody
Mary, but to transact business. Political kingpins Rembert Den-
nis, Marion Gressette, Ed Saleeby and Jack Lindsey were there
having their morning coffee.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” said Zobel. “I’ll come back later.”
“Wait a minute, son, I need to see you,” said Dennis. “I see in
the House budget where you got a little money for equipment.
I need to borrow that money, so we can give state employees a
raise this year. You can fight me on the floor of the Senate, but I
think I can beat you.”
The 1980s
A D E S I G N F O R T E C H N O L O G I C A L C H A N G E
The first
Automated Manufacturing Show and Exhibition
began
March 19-22, 1984 in Greenville, South Carolina
