Shinn donates $150,000 to college’s CTE center

Marion Shinn celebrated his 99th birthday Wednesday by donating $150,000 to Lewis-Clark State College’s under-construction Schweitzer Career and Technical Education Center.

Shinn helped found and build the first vocational school at LCSC in the 1960s. In 1965, he became the college’s first dean of vocational education at his alma mater, where he remained until his retirement in 1981.

“We are so grateful to Dr. Shinn for his unending and incredibly generous support of Lewis-Clark State College,” said LCSC President Cynthia Pemberton in a news release. “From his leadership and service as our first vocational dean, to his historical perspective and repertoire of colorful stories about L-C State over the years, and now to this very generous donation, truly no single individual has played a larger role in the success of Lewis-Clark State College career and technical education than Dr. Marion Shinn.”

The center, in the Lewiston Orchards, is scheduled to open in time for the fall semester. It will serve the needs of students throughout the region.

Shinn was born in Idaho County in 1921. He moved to Lewiston at the age of 13 to attend Lewiston Normal School and graduated in 1940. Shinn’s first teaching job was in the Idaho County town of Dixie.

He later served as a Navy radar technician on a submarine in the South Pacific during World War II.

Shinn returned to Lewiston and married Lorena Neumayer in 1945. In 1948, he started teaching chemistry at Lewiston High School, where he remained for 17 years before joining LCSC. During his time with the district, Shinn was the school’s debate coach and served as the part-time coordinator of adult vocational education.

Shinn was instrumental in forming the LCSC Alumni Association. He also served as a city councilor in Lewiston, as mayor and volunteered with a variety of organizations.

In 1997, Shinn was named the Idaho Retired Educator of the Year.

Each year, LCSC gives out the Marion Shinn Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize contributions of alumni. The award honors Shinn “for his distinguished record of service and achievement,” according to the news release.