DENTON, Texas – As part of celebrating National Welding Month in April, ESAB awarded $5,000 to support the welding programs at Princeton High School and Lovelady High School, part of the Princeton Independent School District, through its ESAB Future Fabricators Charlie Monschke Welding Education Grant. ESAB, a world leader in fabrication technology, also surprised the school with an equipment donation of a combined retail value exceeding $6,000. The award and gifts were presented during a tour of ESAB’s Denton facility on May 11.
“We only have a limited number of working welding machines, so this grant will help us get more students under the hood instead of waiting for booth time,” said Pete Salazar, the welding instructor for Princeton ISD. “We work hard to prepare these kids for careers in the trades. The grant means a lot to our program. We truly appreciate ESAB’s support and everything they do for welding education.”
Dedication to Education
“The annual Charlie Monschke Education Grant, along with ESAB’s Future Fabricators program, will carry forward Charlie’s enduring legacy by investing in the next generation of skilled welders,” said Purushothama “Purushi” Doddanna, senior director of NAM Equipment Operations at ESAB Denton.
ESAB started the grant in 2024 to honor Charlie Monschke’s memory by supporting high schools in the Denton and Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Charlie Monschke was a manager of advanced mechanical engineering at ESAB’s facility in Denton for years. He passionately supported high school welding programs before his death in 2023. Monschke began working at what was then the Victor Equipment Co. in 1966. ESAB acquired the Victor brand in 2014. Today the 436,000-square-foot Denton facility serves as one of ESAB’s flagship manufacturing, research and North American distribution locations.
ESAB’s equipment donation includes a Rogue™ EM 140 MIG welder, two Rogue EM 125 MIG welders, a Thermal Dynamics® Cutmaster® manual plasma cutter, a Victor® Journeyman EDGE 2.0 oxy-acetylene outfit, PPE that includes five Savage A50 LUX automatic helmets and a carton of ESAB 7018-1 Prime Stick electrodes. Commonly used in light fabrication and construction operations, HVAC and sheet metal work, farm/ranch, maintenance, automotive, hobby and school settings, the donation will provide students with the opportunity to learn welding skills with real world equipment.
To learn more about ESAB’s support for the skilled trades, students and educational institutions, visit the ESAB Future Fabricators web page.