Hand tools and power machinery aimed at revitalizing mechanics program

Last spring, Burns High School (BHS) received a generous donation from Lois Renwick and her family. The family contacted the school and offered a large amount of tools for the mechanics and welding shops. The tools belonged to their father, William R. Renwick, who passed away.

Mechanics teacher Mike Mitchell and a number of students were invited to their home to collect these items, consisting of hand tools as well as powered machinery that were valued at more than $1,500.

BHS thanked the Renwicks for the generous donation, noting that the school is honored to receive this incredible donation in their father’s name.

The following is a letter that BHS received from the Renwick family:

When considering what to do with her father’s (William R. “Bill” Renwick 1918-2008) lifetime of tool collection, Lois Renwick (BUHS Class of 1966) settled upon the idea of donating his garage full of tools to a worthy cause. Bill had been employed as an auto mechanic, body and fender technician, and was a self-taught diesel mechanic over his lifetime of work in Harney County.  His hobbies included hunting and fishing, rock collecting, bottle collecting, teaching first-aid through the Red Cross, piloting his airplane and taking photographs, gardening, and driving around the county with his wife, Ida, to observe wildlife and changes to the landscape. 

Having been raised on the family homestead at Folly Farm, Bill understood the importance of knowing how machines work, and the need to take care of them. He also spent many hours helping to overhaul engines, putting in new motors and transmissions, and painting many “hot rods” when my brother, Bill (BUHS Class of 1964), and I were growing up. In addition to helping with autos, he also helped with the ski lift that was used near Idlewild Park, so that local kids would have a chance to learn to ski, and rescued many a stranded traveler on Highway 20 between Burns and Bend.   

Because of our family’s commitment to getting a good education, and giving back to the community, it seemed to be a good fit to see if the high school would be interested in a donation of Bill’s tools.  A call to the school last spring resulted in an enthusiastic YES! Mr. Mitchell arrived at our house the afternoon of our call with what seemed like an army of his students, and they promptly loaded up most of the tools in several vehicles. Our family is hopeful that the tools will help reestablish a viable shop program at the high school and help to teach others how mechanical things work and the maintenance of them.