GILL RECEIVES OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD

M.C. (Merwyn) Gill of Pasadena, Calif., was presented the Jim Hall Outstanding Alumni Award by Alumni & Friends President Marian Brunsvold at the Iowa Lakes Community College spring commencement at the Estherville campus on Friday, May 9.

In its 17th year, this award is presented annually by the Iowa Lakes Alumni & Friends Association to an alumna or alumnus who exemplifies outstanding support for community, business, school and service clubs – a good representative of the college.

Gill, a 1929 graduate of Estherville Junior College (now known as Iowa Lakes Community College), was nominated for the Jim Hall Award by Herman Richter of Milford and Lyle Hevern of Estherville.  He is a native of Terril and rode the train daily from Terril to Estherville to attend Estherville Junior College from 1927 to 1929.

Gill started his company in 1945 in southern California and has become a pioneer in developing the plastic composites industry.  The M.C. Gill Corporation is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer of reinforced plastics composites in the world.  The vast majority of high performance composite products the company develops and manufactures serve the commercial aircraft and aerospace industries. 

“M.C. is an outstanding graduate of Estherville Junior College, which is now Iowa Lakes Community College,” stated Richter.

“He’s a poster child for the American Dream; how someone from a small rural town in the nation’s heartland, with persistence, determination and a strong work ethic can pioneer and dominate an industry worldwide,” said Hevern.

M.C. Gill - 2008 Jim Hall Outstanding Alumni Award Recipient (l to r) Lyle Hevern, Estherville; Hester & M.C. Gill, Pasadena, Calif.; Marian Brunsvold (Alumni & Friends President), Spirit Lake; Herman Richter, Milford.