Inspire, Fall/Winter 2010

advanc ing Cedarv i l le Honoring a Life’s Work by Carol Lee ’96 Few people are fortunate enough to enjoy a 40-year career in a field they love, but Dewey Winchester was a fortunate man. A veteran of World War II, he attended North Carolina State University on the G.I. Bill, earning a degree in engineering. He got a job with a firm in Charlotte where he built a long career as a mechanical engineer specializing in HVAC operations. “He had a passion for engineering,” his son, Greg, recalled. “I remember playing with his slide rule and looking at the plans and specs he had laid out on the dining room table. It was clear from the way he talked about his different projects that he loved his work.” Greg didn’t share his father’s passion for engineering and instead pursued a degree in finance at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). While Greg was a student, his father worked on a project at UNC, and they enjoyed spending time together on Greg’s campus. “Even though I barely understood what he was working on,” Greg said, “he was doing work he loved.” When his father passed away in 1997, Greg wanted to do something special to honor him, but he didn’t know quite how, when, or what. He wanted to wait for the right opportunity and the right timing. Discovering an Academic Gift The engineering gene resurfaced in the Winchester family. In 2004, Greg’s oldest son, Dustin ’10, enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at Cedarville. In his son’s phone calls home, Greg heard a familiar passion for the engineering projects Dustin was part of at Cedarville. For four years, Dustin worked on the SAE Supermileage team. He gained experience in engine development and chassis and body construction. As a team leader his fourth year, he worked on the steering kinematics. He and the team represented Cedarville three times at the Shell Eco-marathon at the California Motor Speedway and twice at the Eaton Proving Grounds in Michigan. As a fifth-year senior, Dustin co-led a Formula SAE team and was responsible for the drivetrain subteam. “I saw what these projects meant to my son and his classmates,” Greg said. “They were being challenged to integrate academic principles with practical, hands-on skills.” Greg was also impressed by the faculty involvement in his son’s education and the overall caliber of the engineering program. “Each time Cedarville students compete favorably with larger, more established universities, their success raises the profile of both the engineering program and the University,” he said. Cedarville students are working on cutting-edge projects that uncover solutions to real-world problems like clean energy. “It’s exciting to see the clear impact of what young engineers can do,” Greg said. “Investing in their demonstrated potential is going to produce tremendous long-term benefits. More and more, I believe our country’s energy problems will be solved by engineers rather than politicians.” Three generations of Winchesters Top: Dewey and his son, Greg, at their home Bottom: Greg and his son, Dustin ’10, at graduation 26 fall/winter 2010