The SAE Foundation Honors Dan and Vicky Hancock with 2012 Gordon Millar Award

WARRENDALE, Pa., May 21, 2012 - The SAE Foundation honored Dan and Vicky Hancock with its Gordon Millar Award during its 25^th anniversary celebration on May 16 at Ford Field in Detroit. The award, funded by AVL, recognizes a person or organization that best demonstrates continuous philanthropic support of the SAE Foundation’s mission of increasing student participation and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The SAE Foundation is the charitable arm of SAE International.  Its programs are among the most widely-recognized and successful in classroom-based education in STEM areas.

The Hancocks were honored with the 2012 Gordon Millar award for their unwavering commitment to the SAE Foundation. When discussing why Dan Hancock and his wife, Vicky, support SAE’s programs, he said, “We had a great career, and feel compelled to give something back.” Mr. Hancock’s career consisted of 43 years with General Motors in a wide range of engineering and management assignments. Within SAE, he has served as chair of the SAE Detroit section, on the SAE Board of Directors, and as chair of the SAE Foundation Board of Trustees. Hancock has also held positions within other industry affiliations and won numerous awards for his work. He said Vicky has been his partner in both career and SAE work. 

The Hancocks continue to be actively involved with SAE and its programs to encourage student participation in STEM. “I would tell young people today that engineering careers are fun and cool,” said Mr. Hancock.

“People like Mr. And Mrs. Hancock are fundamental to achieving the mission of the SAE Foundation,” said Matt Miller, director of the SAE Foundation and pre-professional programs.  “Their support and dedication has been crucial to improving the state of STEM education in the United States.”  

In addition to honoring the Hancocks and other automotive industry leaders, the SAE Foundation raised more than $400,000 to fund STEM education programs during the Foundation’s anniversary celebration. Much of the proceeds came from a live auction of a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang built by Ford Motorsports and Roush Performance.

About Gordon Millar
Gordon Millar was an SAE Fellow and a member of SAE since 1949 and served as SAE President in 1984. He had a noteworthy career at John Deere, was a noted author and a consultant to the Southwest Research Institute, as a well recognized expert in the history and restoration of classic marine engines. He was a lifetime advocate for improving STEM education and encouraging women to seek engineering careers.

About AVL
Founded in 1948, AVL is the world's largest independent company for development, simulation and testing technology of powertrains (hybrid, combustion engines, transmission, electric drive, batteries and software) for passenger cars, trucks and large engines. AVL's Technology Leadership Center has become a mainstay at the SAE World Congress, and annually hosts some of the industry's best and brightest in discussions critical to our industry's future. AVL's North American Headquarters are located in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth, Michigan

About the SAE Foundation
The SAE Foundation is the charitable arm of SAE International that strives to encourage and increase student participation and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math through educational programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™. SAE International is a global association of more than 133,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development.

- www.saefoundation.org-