April 15 may have seen a lot of people reluctantly mailing off checks to the federal, state or local governments, but for Dan Hye, equipment technician, Harter Equipment Inc., Millstone Township, N.J., it was a date to receive a check that will help him further his career in the industry.

On that evening, Harter Equipment hosted the New Jersey Equipment Managers Council of America (EMCA) meeting during which The Edward W. Pawluk Sr. Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Hye and three other recipients.

At the time of his death, Edward Pawluck was the vice president of the New Jersey EMCA and he had been the equipment manager for George Harms Construction Company Inc., Howell, N.J. He was a firm believer in training and education in the heavy equipment field and put together a number of training programs and events for the EMCA.

The scholarship, which is awarded annually, is funded by private and corporate donations and by the EMCA’s 50/50 drawings at its events for the purpose of aiding applicants in meeting training costs related to heavy equipment repair and management. Applicants submit 250- to 300-word essays explaining why they want to begin, or further, a career in this industry.

Hye’s winning essay spoke of his fascination from a young age with “mechanical objects and how they worked;” his time at Monmouth County Vocational School where he, along with another student, took first place in the Ford/AAA trouble-shooting competition; and his three years as a trainee technician at Harter Equipment, where he has worked on many types of equipment, with a particular interest in hydraulics and has earned certifications from Kubota and John Deere. CEG