Father and son share bonding time in HVAC evening class

Southeastern Community College’s newest father and son duo to earn a certificate in the HVAC-R program are Dale Gore, 52, and Joshua Gore, 20. With full time jobs of their own during the day, the Gores took evening classes two days a week. Once the Gores gain more work experience in HVAC, they plan to open their own HVAC maintenance and repair business. 

The Gores’ journey at SCC started in spring 2023 in the welding program. After figuring out that was not what they wanted, they switched to the HVAC program in spring 2024. After viewing the diagrams of an air conditioning unit for the first time, Joshua fell in love with the program. 

“I love the problem-solving aspect of HVAC, and that’s why I fell in love with it,” Joshua said. “Ever since I was a little kid, me and my brother would fully take apart the vacuum cleaner and put it back together. We used to try fixing old radios and TVs, so there’s always going to be a need for repairing anything electrical.” 

Joshua described his experience at SCC and his HVAC instructor, Billy Chappell, as “phenomenal.” He said that Chappell’s expertise in maintenance, repair and electrical work has prepared him for a job in HVAC even before completing his certificate. Joshua was recently hired to Atlantic Heating and Cooling in his first HVAC job as their lead installer. 

“You can tell that they’ve done this before and not just studied a book somewhere in a back room,” Dale said. “The instructors have been in these circumstances like we’re in tonight with repairing a unit, and that’s how you learn with real-world experience right here in the classroom.” 

Taking classes in the evening after work has “filled that void,” Dale said. “This is the first time I’ve set foot in a college classroom.” 

With the support of his wife, Dale is ready to enroll in another class. He said no one is too old to become a student. 

Some of the perks of SCC’s HVAC program, Joshua said, were the hands-on lab experiences, not sitting at a desk and listening to lectures all day and not having to purchase a textbook. Earning the EPA certification to legally handle refrigerant chemicals, Joshua and his father said they are ready to tackle any repair job.   

“We started together, and we’re going to finish together,” Joshua said.  

With both living in Loris but one working in Brunswick County and the other in Fair Bluff, Joshua said their classes at SCC were quality father and son bonding time. He enjoyed having two nights a week of talking, working on class assignments together and being together without distractions.  

“I have a full-time job working 40+ hours a week, and I don’t have time to take off to come to college,” Joshua said. “So, we come out here at night, and honestly, this has brought us closer together.” 

Dale said his experience through welding and HVAC classes at SCC is one that many parents do not get. Having the one-on-one time with his son in class, Dale described it as a life-changing experience. Another added bonus was having the technical skills to repair his own air conditioning unit after experiencing 96-degree heat in his camper one summer, Dale said.  

Joshua said that low cost, travel time and quality of instructors were the main contributing factors in choosing SCC over other neighboring institutions. He said that driving 45 minutes through crowded beach traffic was not ideal, and they were able to get off work and drive straight to the SCC campus.  

In their free time, you can find Dale and Joshua fishing on a boat, camping and riding ATVs and motorcycles. They love anything dealing with nature and being outdoors.  

Want to follow their path? SCC’s HVAC Academy Part 1 starts Aug. 20, with evening classes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. What’s stopping you? Click here to register!