Carnegie Mellon Engineering Students, University Police Team Up

PITTSBURGH — Carnegie Mellon University engineering students and its University Police will culminate their participation in the U.S. Marine Corps’ "Toys for Tots’’ campaign when they deliver more than three dozen barrels of toys via classic cars to Marine Corps personnel at noon, Dec. 5, on the promenade between the University Center and the campus tennis courts.

“This charity means a lot to us because we understand how lucky we are to be here. It is important for us to be able to give something back to the community,” said Aneesh Devi, vice president of the College of Engineering’s First-Year Advisory Board, which supports and promotes events that benefit first-year engineering students.

Toys for Tots was established in 1947 by the U.S. Marine Corps to help less fortunate children during the holiday season. Devi said students will do more shopping for toys this weekend before loading the unwrapped gifts into ornate vintage cars, including a 1904 Pierce-Arrow, a Ford Anglia and a Rolls Royce. The cars will be driven by mechanical engineering alumni Harold Hall and Walter J. Blenko Jr. Hall and Blenko earned their bachelor’s degrees in 1948 and 1950, respectively.

John Wiss, an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering, said the event is just one of the many ways that Carnegie Mellon is contributing to the greater Pittsburgh community. “The students and our University Police have worked very hard to collect toys and donations for this event,” Wiss said.

In addition to the antique car parade, the event will feature bagpipers and members of the junior Marines, a regional, non-profit voluntary group of students ranging in age from 8 to14. The junior Marines are dedicated to helping the community, and learning more about the history and traditions of the U.S. Marine Corps.