Page 17 - HIWT World of Welding Spring-Summer 2021

position you want to advance to. Outside of under the hood Fred Henman
welding, there are processing, testing, inspection, and engineering Employed at HIWT for 7 years
positions available. It definitely is skilled career you can build on
for your entire life.
Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends. He likes
motorcycles, old tractors, fishing, and the outdoors. He knows that
life can change in an instant and every day is gift that he tries to
be thankful for, give back to and use wisely.

Christine Crawford
Employed at HIWT for 10 years

Fred Henman has been a Technical Training Instructor and AWS
®
Test Supervisor at HIWT for seven years. Fred teaches Basic and
Advanced Blueprint for the skill education students as well as
several welding inspection courses and specialized training.
Fred enjoys the interaction he has with the students at HIWT.
Because of the various courses he teaches, he has the opportunity
to instruct new welders as they enter the field as well as seasoned
welders that have been in the industry for years. He says he
teaches welders from 18 to 55+ years old. He has been in the
welding field for 40 years and uses that knowledge and experience
If you have attended HIWT in the past almost 10 years, it is when teaching the next generation of welders.
certain Christine Crawford knows your name. Christine is one
of our Registrar/Bursars at HIWT and is responsible for student If he could go back in time to when he made the decision to make
enrollment, course scheduling, processing payments and greeting welding his chosen field he says he wouldn’t change much but
students with her smiling face and cheerful demeanor when they would get more formal training earlier in his career. He advises
come into the Student Services office. students and everyone getting into the field to “shoot for the stars
and be the best you can be.”
Prior to coming to HIWT, Christine worked as a high school
secretary, an auto dealer receptionist/title clerk, and a legal Starting his welding career in 1977 welding International Harvester
secretary. She enjoys her job at HIWT, especially working with parts for truck grill guards and Scout bumpers and seat frames with
students to help them achieve their educational goals. Christine 4 hours of on-the-job training, Fred knows the value of a formal
is a great problem solver, which comes in handy when working education. He attended Elgin Community College in 1988 and
with students’ schedules. She says, “It’s always a puzzle to get received a specialist certificate in welding. At one point in Fred’s
everything to fit.” career, he fabricated a shipping and storage container for the spare
camera that went on the Hubble Telescope. This container and
The decision to get into educational support was not a conscious camera were on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington
one; Christine said, “it chose her”, but she enjoys the students and D.C. In his spare time, Fred creates one of a kind art and furniture
the challenges the job provides.
pieces using materials such as chain, gears, glass and all types of
Outside of work, Christine enjoys sending time with her husband metal and live edge wood
of 32 years and their two daughters. She enjoys cooking and
entertaining; reading and travel.

www.welding.org - 17 - 2021 SPRING/SUMMER ISSUE
Return to Table of Contents