Mel Marcotte was a well-known name to many power lineworkers across Iowa, and he touched the lives of hundreds of electric utility personnel in the rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across the state. Mel was the first Powerline instructor hired in 1967, at the trade school (now community college) in Sheldon - Northwest Iowa Community College (NCC). Mel once admitted to having taught something on the order of 700 power line students during his career at NCC, and it was estimated that 70 to 75% of those graduates eventually were employed at Iowa utilities. Mel passed away in March 2005. At that time, a scholarship in his memory was established at NCC.
In the next few weeks, NCC graduates for whom the NCC Foundation has a mailing address will receive a solicitation for donations to any of several program funds, including the Mel Marcotte Memorial Scholarship. I am writing today as an alumnus of the Powerline program and as someone who counts myself as blessed to have been able to call Mel a friend. I want to encourage all of the hundreds of Mel’s former students, and their employers, to consider making a contribution in his memory.
At the time that the scholarship fund was established, the fund wasn’t substantial enough to be self-sustaining, so over the past 12 years, the account has dwindled in size. This year, 2017, marks the 50th anniversary of Mel’s hard work in organizing a program that has provided countless benefits to the electric utilities in Iowa and neighboring states, as well as prepared hundreds of students for careers in our industry.
Please join me in an effort to fund the scholarship at a high enough level to continue for the foreseeable future, and give some consideration to ongoing annual gifts. All contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible.
If you are an alumnus of the NCC Powerline program, but do not receive their mailings from time to time, you can sign up at the Foundation’s website, or update your mailing address, at the following link:
http://files.nwicc.edu/pages/Alumni/Alumni-Update.htm
You may also contact Kristi Landis, Foundation Coordinator, at [email protected] or by calling 800-352-4907 ext. 164.
Checks can be made out to:
The NCC Foundation – Mel Marcotte Scholarship
You can mail the contributions to:
NCC Foundation
603 Park St.
Sheldon, IA 51201
Thank you for taking the time to consider this request, honor Mel, and help future Iowa lineworkers.