Historical Construction Equipment Association

HCEA and UW-Manitowoc Announce Engineering Scholarship Program

The Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation of Manitowoc, Wisconsin has awarded the Historical Construction Equipment Association a grant of $75,000. This grant will establish an endowment fund in the name of John D. West, former president, chairman and CEO of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. Proceeds from the investment of the grant will fund engineering student scholarships.

Half of the grant to the HCEA has been donated to the University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc Foundation in respect for the West Foundation’s focus on local giving. UW-Manitowoc is a two-year college, and students pursuing degrees beyond an Associate of Arts and Sciences transfer to baccalaureate schools to complete those degrees. Interest generated by the monies donated to the UW-Manitowoc Foundation will fund an annual scholarship for engineering students who transfer to such schools in pursuit of their degrees.

The other half has been placed on deposit by the HCEA. Interest from this portion of the grant will fund the Historical Construction Equipment Association West Foundation Scholarship, and two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded annually. While the UW-Manitowoc scholarships are limited to their students, the HCEA West Foundation scholarship is for HCEA members and immediate family members to attend accredited college or university engineering programs in their home area.


Both scholarship programs will be administered by UW-Manitowoc, and all applications for the scholarships will be forwarded to them for processing. UW-Manitowoc will also handle all screening of candidates for the scholarships.


Applications for scholarships and donations to the fund are welcome. Download an application form (requires Adobe Acrobat). You can also contact our office for an application.

Donations to the fund, made either to the University of Wisconsin – Manitowoc Foundation or the HCEA, are being accepted. All donations will be evenly split between the UW-Manitowoc Foundation and the HCEA.

Past recipients:

  • Thomas Blytheway, Delaware County Community College
  • Brandon Boprey, University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc

Learn about how the scholarship originated, and the remarkable career of John Dunham West. Read the full Press Release.