William Matlock’s passion for woodworking has turned into quite a gift for Humboldt High School.
Matlock, who is selling his home in Gas and moving to a smaller home near Buffalo, has no room for the various power tools and stacks of wood that fill his woodshop.
Attempts to sell the items went for naught, so Matlock decided the next best thing was to find a worthy home.
He found one with the Humboldt High industrial arts program.
Scott Murrow, building trades and wood shop teacher at HHS, was at Matlock’s home Wednesday to begin sorting and hauling off the items.
And there was plenty.
On top of the industrial-sized planer and shaper, Matlock also donated a band saw, table saw, drill press, a radial arm saw, assorted sanders, clamps and hand tools, as well as cabinets and workbenches.
Not to be lost were the stacks of cedar, walnut, hackberry, hickory and pecan.
“This is such a generous contribution,” Murrow said.
Matlock, who is now retired, milled all of the lumber himself, Murrow noted.
Murrow estimated the gift’s value at about $20,000.
MATLOCK connected with Murrow a few weeks back through real estate agent Derrick McCall, a Humboldt High alum.
“He asked if Derrick knew of any programs that could use this,” Murrow said. “We were more than happy to come up and take a look.”
The equipment will come in handy, particularly in introducing middle-schoolers in the industrial arts program to the purpose and use of various equipment, Murrow said.
The sizable donation will force Murrow to reorganize the high school’s workshop — a small sacrifice for such a gift, he noted.
“We’re going to change the layout so that we make sure to incorporate all of this, and so we have it set up so students can all use it and enjoy it and learn from it.”
Murrow said he will leave some of the lumber behind for the home’s new owners.
