The Friends of Father Judge High School Inc. announced it has received a $1 million gift from the Elliott-Lewis Corporation to establish the Elliott-Lewis Mechanical Services Institute in Judge’s Career Pathways Academy building. The CPA building has a total project cost of $11.5 million and will feature a 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility. It will be dedicated to delivering career and technical education curriculum in occupations that are in demand in today’s workforce. The Elliott-Lewis Mechanical Services Institute joins the Connelly Welding Lab and the Faulkner Automotive Institute as flagship programs offered in the CPA.
William R. Sautter, president of Elliott-Lewis Corporation and a 1963 Judge graduate, said, “I am grateful for the profound impact Father Judge has had on shaping my personal and professional life. My years there were formative, providing me with not only academic knowledge but also invaluable life experiences, friendships that continue to this day and a strong Catholic formation. I believe that a high-quality Catholic education combining strong academics and technical skills training will provide a solid foundation for success for the young men enrolled in these programs. The Father Judge Career and Technical Education program is truly addressing two of today’s pressing issues by providing technical skills training to those who choose to take a different career path from college and meeting the needs of employers by providing a talented pool of well-trained craftspeople and future leaders. All of us at Elliott-Lewis are proud to partner with Father Judge in this innovative initiative.”
In reaction to the gift from Elliott-Lewis, Brian King ’97, president of Father Judge, said, “Elliott-Lewis is the gold standard in mechanical services in the Philadelphia region. We are proud to have them as our partner in providing students with this unique educational experience. Elliott-Lewis President, Mr. Bill Sautter, is an icon in the Judge community and a true Salesian gentleman. Mr. Sautter is another example of the tradition of success our school is known for. This gift provided by his company will go a long way towards helping current and future Crusaders to ‘be who they are and be that well’ per the teachings of our patron, Saint Francis de Sales.”
The Friends of Father Judge High School Inc. board chairman Bill St. Clair IV ’75 said, “We are truly grateful for the wonderful gift from Elliott- Lewis and Bill Sautter to help our Career Pathways Academy succeed into the future. The Career Pathways Academy will allow our students to obtain the best education possible in their various strengths, whether it will be college and/or a trade. Thank you for supporting our Career Pathways Academy and launching the Elliott-Lewis Mechanical Services Institute within our CPA building. The Friends of Father Judge has created a strategic plan to educate all our young men with a wide variety of career options being our normal college prep program or our newly created education in various trades. The most important objective is that Father Judge educates our young men, so they are successful in their careers. This addition of the Career Pathways Academy to our wonderful school provides such a well-diversified education to our students. We truly thank Elliott-Lewis for allowing our students to learn beyond their expectations to obtain success in life.”
Established in 2002, The Friends of Father Judge High School Inc. is a nonprofit that fundraises on behalf of Judge.
Since its formation, The Friends have raised and invested more than $17 million to make improvements to the school campus, provide financial aid and fund academic programs that complement the traditional curriculum. ••
