HEPP About
Stanley and Madalyn Hutchison Engineering Promise
as a member of and in Honor of the Chevron Retirees Association
The Stanley and Madalyn Hutchison Engineering Promise at Taft College was established
in 2018 by Madalyn Hutchison in memory of her husband of 38 years Stanley Hutchison.
Stanley Hutchison was born in Kansas and grew up in Missouri. Madalyn was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Both grew up during the depression of 1929-32 and have a strong remembrance of their parents working hard to simply put food on the table. After high school, Stanley worked at the Solar Aircraft factory as an inspector but wanted to fly so he enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II. As a pilot with the 461st Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, Stanley flew missions over Africa, Romania and the entire European Theater, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal four times, the Presidential Unit Citation twice and numerous other personal decorations.
After the war, with financial aid, Stanley was able to study Petroleum Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Immediately after graduation Stanley began a long and productive career with Standard Oil, which later became Chevron. Through his work at Chevron, Stanley is credited with more than 75 successful patents and over 130 published technical papers.
After high school, Madalyn went to work for an oil company in Pennsylvania. Through the years she moved up and came to California and worked for and retired from Standard Oil – Chevron. The later years of their careers were based in their work and home location, Kern County California. From there they traveled the world, as needed, to Chevron domestic and international locations, instructing and implementing many of Stanley’s patents on Chevron’s behalf.
Madalyn’s wishes were to fund scholarships, in honor of Stanley’s strong work ethic and accomplishments providing financial aid for students in the Taft College Engineering Program. Each scholarship is a renewable award, designed to fill students’ funding gaps and allowing them, to every possible extent, transfer out debt-free.
The Taft College Engineering Program is highly structured and requires emphasis on intensive mathematics, science, and engineering coursework. A student’s educational plan must include counseling by the engineering faculty each semester. This counseling needs to be strongly recommended and eagerly accepted by each student in the Program. Part of the Scholarship Funds will be utilized for expenses associated with this Engineering Promise Program’s completion coaching and associated services. The course curriculum is considered “high unit majors” and may require additional semesters to complete all required course work. For this reason, the “Scholarships” are renewable for up to three years.
At all times, first focus in student selection is given to U.S. veterans, and/or spouses or children of deceased or disabled U.S. veterans. The donor’s preferences in order of importance for student selection are further ranked below:
- S. veterans, spouses and children of deceased or disabled U.S. veterans, attending Taft College in the engineering field, with priority given to students in an Energy Engineering field of studies.
- Taft, Maricopa or Kern County High School graduates attending Taft College engineering studies, with priority given to students majoring in Energy Engineering field of studies.
- S. veterans, and spouses and children of deceased or disabled U.S. Veterans will be given priority in any College of Study.
The “Scholarships” are available to incoming freshman, transfer students, or current students. Students must maintain a 2.5 Grade Point Average to remain in good standing and have demonstrated financial need.
Selection
Prospective recipients are identified, screened and will be selected by the Financial Aid and Scholarship Committee in collaboration with the Engineering Department Head.
The “Stanley and Madalyn Hutchison Engineering Promise” would proudly encourage students in the Taft College Engineering Program to apply to UC Berkeley for some possible financial support by The Hutchison UC Berkeley Scholarship which would perhaps enable them to continue their pursuit of their degree and graduate debt-free.
The Taft College Foundation’s ongoing informational exchange with UC Berkeley regarding exceptional Engineering students has formed a strong relationship with scholarship leaders who administer The UC Berkeley Stanley and Madalyn Hutchison Scholarship Fund established in 2015. This exchange produced the Taft College Engineering Program’s first student to receive the scholarship, Mayra Reyes, in 2018. This is an outstanding example of the quality of students developed at Taft College and an impetus for all our current students to apply to UC Berkeley in addition to other Engineering Discipline in the CSU system.
Sheri Horn-Bunk MPA Executive Director 2018
Foundation and Institutional Advancement
Taft College/West Kern Community College District