Newly Certified Welders Bring VGCC Total to 558

Thirteen Welding Technology students at Vance-Granville Community College recently earned their national certification through the American Welding Society, bringing to 558 the total number of certified welders produced by VGCC since the college started its program in 1972.

The newly certified welding students include Keone Moore and Tim Harris, both of Oxford, Ronald Parham of Bullock, Tony Dimonte of Creedmoor, Cedric Wimbush and Horace Brame, both of Henderson, Josh Sanne of Raleigh and Joseph C. Poythress of Manson, in the day program, and Ramon Williams, Kenneth Waddell, Daniel Burns and Chad Carraway, all of Henderson, and Norman Gossett of Stem, in the evening Welding program.

Students in the night class took the practical welding examination on July 25, with the day class following suit on July 26. Their test welds were then sent to Professional Service Industries of Greensboro for x-ray examinations to find any imperfections. Mike McCraw of PSI, whose company deals with welding programs at other community colleges in North Carolina and Virginia, congratulated VGCC on a 100 percent passing rate in both classes this year.

The instructor for the day students was Russell “Rusty” Pace of Franklinton, who became the head of VGCC’s Welding Technology program this summer after several years as an instructor under longtime former program head Bill Jones. Pace is also a graduate of the VGCC Welding program himself. Overseeing the night Welding class was Russell Wahrman, a certified Welding instructor and inspector with over 25 years of domestic and international experience who is also local chairman (Section 151) of the American Welding Society.

For more information on Welding at VGCC, call Pace at (252) 738-3375 or vocational counselor Herbert Washington at (252) 738-3228. The college’s fall semester begins Aug. 16.