Bell & Gossett, a leading pump manufacturer and a unit of ITT Industries, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Little Red Schoolhouse training facility in Morton Grove, IL, on Aug. 27.

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say a million or more have been touched by our Schoolhouse," said Roy Ahlgren, director of training and education at ITT Industries' Fluid Handling Division. He estimated that a thousand people per year come through the school, and another thousand attend field seminars there. Ahlgren said one of the school's strengths is its systems-based concept of teaching, rather than focusing on product features and benefits. The company said it fills classes regularly without any advertisements.

Presenters at the event included Bob DeWyze, director of the schoolhouse from 1956-1997, as well as Schoolhouse participants ranging from a graduate of the 2001 summer class to Frank Gall, the Schoolhouse's first instructor in 1954.