Johnson College kept Ideal Saldi out of the coal mines.
On Wednesday, in a new building that bears his name, his family joined college and community leaders to celebrate his legacy and the future of Johnson.
Saldi, a Jessup native who earned a degree from the Scranton school, started companies that developed digital watches and LEDs and sold roses. The Doylestown resident died in 2022, at the age of 90. During a conversation with students earlier that year, he credited the college with both keeping him from the mines and giving him the foundation to become an engineer and receive more than a dozen patents.
“Outside of family, this would have been the proudest day of his life,” said his daughter, Pamela Bracken.
Before his death, Saldi and his wife, Frances, made a $1 million gift to Johnson, the largest donation from an alumnus in school history. The gift made Ideal Saldi Hall possible.
A large crowd gathered in the new “gateway building,” a 19,000-square-foot structure designed and built by many alumni. The modern building with floor-to-ceiling windows provides a home to four labs, two general education classrooms, office space and what college leaders claim to be the most high-tech and innovative conference room in all of the region.
”We see this architectural marvel that grabs your attention when we drive by,” said Dave Boniello, president of Simplex Homes and chair of the college’s capital campaign. “It makes you wonder what else is behind this building.”
Students from many programs will use the building, including those in architectural drafting and design technology, biomedical equipment technology, electronic engineering technology and mechatronics technology.
Ideal Saldi Hall is part of record growth and expansion for the two-year technical college. The college’s capital campaign, which had a goal of $5 million, has raised $7.7 million.
“The future is bright as the only technical college in the region. I really think it makes a strong statement that people believe in career and technical education,” said Katie Leonard, Johnson’s president and CEO. “It's really what this community is built on. And our students, our alumni, they fuel the local economy and the jobs of today and the future.”
Elected officials and college supporters marveled at the new building and the technology inside. Despite the wet weather, people enjoyed ice cream from the truck parked outside – especially Saldi sundaes – scoops of butter pecan with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Michael Lee, a Scranton resident who transferred to Johnson this year, studies biomedical equipment technology. He helped give tours of the new building.
“I'm definitely really excited to start using all the new equipment here,” he said.
