Vic Edelbrock Jr., President and CEO of the Edelbrock Corporation, recently awarded the Vic Edelbrock Sr. Memorial Scholarship at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Now in its fifth year, this scholarship is endowed by Vic Edelbrock and the Edelbrock Corporation in support of continued automotive education through the WTI Foundation and WyoTech. This scholarship is based on an essay submission and is awarded annually to a WyoTech student who exemplifies hard work, dedication to the automotive industry and outstanding citizenship. The 2008 recipient of this $5,500 scholarship award is Barry Derheim of Sioux Falls, Iowa.
Barry Derheim is proof positive that it's never too late to pursue your dreams. At thirty-seven years of age, Barry is the most senior recipient of this scholarship and his story is one of experience and persistence. Barry's automotive passion began at adolescence and continued through high school. After high school Barry chose to serve our country in the US Navy where he specialized in quality assurance as a weld inspector. Following his military service, Barry realized that one thing he really missed was his passion for everything automotive. This was the point that Barry set his personal goal to one-day open a resto-mod specialty business catering to the muscle car and street rod customer. After a serious focus on working to raise the capital to pay for his education, Barry chose WyoTech as the cultural and educational institution to learn the skills required to be a serious professional and business owner. Barry has completed WyoTech's applied service management program, is finishing the collision refinishing program and will take on the high performance engine curriculum beginning in January, 2009. Upon completion Barry will graduate with his Associates degree in Specialized Tech.
"Barry is an outstanding young man" states Vic Edelbrock. "My father would be proud of how far this industry has come through continued education - and that's what this scholarship is all about. We still need to work at the local high school and vocational level as the shop programs are always under funded and have been unjustly sacrificed. We are very fortunate to have a resource in WyoTech as a place where people like Barry can go to learn the skills to realize a dream in an automotive career". When asked about his initial reaction upon learning he had won the scholarship, Barry stated: "It's a huge honor to be recognized by Edelbrock and WyoTech. Beyond the monetary value, this scholarship is symbolic of the hard work that is finally paying off".