“Go #31—Get this clock for your Mama,” Dr. Roger Browne says, encouraging his son-in-law, NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, to bring home the grandfather trophy clock designed and built by students in the Product Design & Development Program at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center. One of the most coveted prizes on the NASCAR circuit, the clock will go to the winner of the Martinsville Speedway Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 race on March 28. Built by high school and community college students in the Product Design & Development program, the clock is an original work of art that showcases the students’ abilities in design, engineering, and advanced manufacturing.
Built with 100+ year-old hard pine repurposed from the American Tobacco Warehouse, the clock includes antique glasswork and a scaled replica of the Martinsville Speedway track on the clock’s back panel. Dr. Browne thinks nothing would be better than to have South Boston’s hometown racer bring this coveted prize back home.
Product Design & Development is one of the SVHEC’s two signature Business of Art & Design programs offered in partnership with Danville Community College. The Southern Virginia Higher Education Center is advancing the region by providing educational opportunities and connections. For more information about the SVHEC, visit www.svhed.org or contact Communications Manager Hope Harris-Gayles at hopegayles@svhed.org or 434-572-5446.
James Gordon, the owner of Springfield Distillery, comes by his interest in whiskey naturally. “I grew up with memories of my father moonshining,” says Gordon, who opened his Halifax County distillery in August 2016. “My father is one of the first two private individuals in South Africa to get his license for distilling liquor. I get to tap into 25 years of distillery experience.”
