Ivy Tech teacher killed in fall was green energy advocate
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An Ivy Tech Community College instructor who died after falling from a tower while teaching on the Lafayette campus was remembered as an advocate of green energy.
Thirty-six-year-old Craig Porter fell Wednesday from a 65-foot-tall tower used to teach wind turbine technology.
Porter was in his first semester as chairman of the school’s energy technology program.
Porter was a partner at ECI Wind and Solar in Fairmount, where he began as an hourly worker in 2006. The company works on renewable energy projects around the state.
“He contacted us and said, `I have a passion for renewable energy. I have the knowledge. I am certified. I am even willing to work for free,’ “ ECI co-owner Eric Cotton told the Journal & Courier.
“That caught my attention, but I said, `I don’t think we can let you work for free,’ “ he added.
Cotton said Porter was enthusiastic about the idea of producing solar or wind power.
“We found a guy that was above and beyond,” Cotton said. “He was so enthusiastic. He just loved solar. He loved wind. He loved the idea of producing energy that is good for the environment.”
Porter remained a partner at ECI Wind and Solar when he became the chairman of the Ivy Tech program to teach wind and solar power technologies.
“He wanted to share this knowledge with the new guys who were going to be the ones to run this industry,” Cotton said of Porter’s decision to teach.
Porter was well-known in the area because of ECI’s involvement in local projects, including installation of solar panels at Harrison High School and a wind turbine at Mintonye Elementary School.
Classes resumed at Ivy Tech on Thursday after being canceled Wednesday due to Porter’s death. The Journal & Courier said a student was with Porter on the tower when he fell about 12:30 p.m. but wasn’t injured.
Ivy Tech officials said Porter was wearing a safety harness on the tower, WLFI TV reported.
The accident is being investigated by Lafayette police, Ivy Tech and the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Journal & Courier reported.