2 A Message From President Rounds:
Douglas’ 76 Provides Life Lessons— And Laughter— In His New Book
2 A Message From President Rounds:
Fall Semester Is An Exhilarating Time!
The start of fall semester at Williamson College of the Trades is always an exhilarating time for me. The weather is pleasant, the leaves are changing color, a new group of freshmen have arrived, eager to begin their education, and a group of seniors were recently sent into the world with the foundation they gained in their 1,000-day Williamson journey— a foundation of trade skills, academics, and good values.
The Class of 1W7 graduated on June 2 with inspiring words from a dear friend of Williamson, James Nevels, founder and chairman of the Swarthmore Group, a major investment advisory firm. He stressed to the graduates the importance of service. Something we all take seriously.
In addition to new freshmen, fall semester also saw the addition of a number of new instructors and staff, including several trade directors. We are thrilled to have these outstanding people as part of our team and it is exciting to see their eagerness to share their knowledge and talents with the students. They have fit in quickly and are already making their mark.
Fall semester also marks the begin- ning of our being a smoke-free campus. As of the beginning of the semester, smoking is not allowed on Williamson property, not for students or personnel. Our goal is to encourage a healthy lifestyle. We have to set a good example for our students to follow.
Our physical plant has also undergone a number of exciting changes. It is heartening to see members of the Class of 1W8 living for the first time in Watson Dorm, which was completed at the end of spring semester.
A benefit of this new living facility is already in action— the refurbishing of Eyre Dorm. One of the reasons we wanted a new dorm was to make possible the refurbishing of our existing dorms by giving the students living in those dorms another place to live while the work takes place. This project is also giving our students additional hands-on trade experience while saving the school money by not having to hire contractors. One of the benefits of a school that teaches the trades.
Another impressive change to our infrastructure is the renovation of Rowan Hall. For those who have not been on campus since the spring, we have added hardwood flooring to the first floor hallways, lobby, and dining room, renovated the existing dining room, and are in the process of expanding the dining room to a size that will nearly double the occupancy. Soon, the room will be large enough to accommodate the entire student body and then some. What a difference this will make when we hold special events, such as the Sports Banquet.
Anyone who has driven by the campus recently has seen two new attractive entrance signs. They not only look nice, but clearly let passersby know Williamson College of the Trades is there. The signs were designed by our own Kevin Blackney 7W6, owner of Blackney Hayes Architects. Our masonry students gained additional experience helping with the signs and our horticulture students did a nice job landscaping the area.
Another part of our physical plant that is expanding is the Energy Island. Our solar panels are working and saving us money on electric bills. We also recently purchased a new low pressure turbine, condenser, and control panel. They are in place in Turbine Hall and
in the next few months will be put into running condition with student help. These new additions were made possible by our dear friend, Lee Rowan, for whom the program was named the Lee Rowan School of Power Plant Technology.
The 2017-18 school year is off to a good start and we eagerly await all the new events to take place. We hope you will continue to be a part of what we do.
For Williamson! Michael J. Rounds
Douglas’ 76 Provides Life Lessons— And Laughter— In His New Book
Gordon Douglas 7W6 writes like he talks, fast, so hold on to your hat as you cover his life in 39 chapters in the book he recently wrote, Growth Spurts & Growin’ Pains, Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 1.
Though writing in detail about his life, hiding nothing, did not come easily to him, as he sat down to write his book he decided to bare all so that others could benefit from his difficult journey through life— and laugh along the way. He says the book is like Reader’ s Digest with a touch of Mad magazine.“ Each chapter is short, has a story, a message, and is funny. It covers his struggles, triumphs, learning, and spiritual growth. I tried not to be too preachy while covering three important areas— my comedy, family, and faith.”
He said,“ I wish I had known everything that is in this book when I was in middle school. The lessons I have learned since then have helped me. I wrote this book so that my struggles and lessons learned from them will help others.”
Douglas covers his difficult high school years, his life as a Williamson student who slowly discovers his interests— carpentry, the ministry, and making people laugh, life as a professional carpenter, life as a minister, and, finally, his current life as a professional comedian doing over 100 shows a year. The book also contains two of his favorite recipes.
Needless to say, as he writes about the painful parts of his life, he fits in enough jokes to make you laugh until your sides hurt and offers plenty of life lessons all can benefit from.
He also admits he has ADD, though he is self-diagnosed.“ I took an on-line test once, but it was way too long, three questions, so I quit.”
As he describes his life, he ends each chapter with a section entitled,“ I Wish I Knew,” with the hope that the reader can benefit from what he did right— and wrong.
His life began in Lester, in a house close to the Philadelphia Airport, and then Glen Mills. He grew up feeling inadequate and alienated.
When he was 16, his dad had surgery for a brain tumor. Taking care of his father and seeing his struggles was very difficult for him. What he learned from that—“ every day is a gift and life as we know it can change in a moment.”
In high school, he had trouble with sports, girls, and fitting in. He felt like he wasn’ t good at anything. In English class, he actually wrote a paper entitled“ Why I hate life.”
Through this time, he attended church regularly at Stonybank Community Church, Bethlehem United Methodist Church, and Chester Heights Camp Meeting. Spirituality was important to him, but had not completely taken hold yet.
When he came to Williamson he was full of anger, hurt, and doubt, but things began to change for the better. As he learned the carpentry trade, he also was very involved in school activities. He found that making people laugh was a good way to make friends. The daily chapel caused him to reflect more on religion. He began to feel like he fit in.
After graduating from Williamson, he went to work at Gulf Oil Co., in Philadelphia. It was around this time that he began performing comedy in front of audiences on a part-time basis.
He soon had the thrill of being on the Mike Douglas Show in a David Brenner look alike contest. He lost, but got in some good jokes on national television. Next was the Gong Show, where he walked off the stage when he saw they were about to gong him. He gave up trying to break into comedy in Hollywood when they demanded he tell dirty jokes.
Back home, he started his own carpentry business, making furniture for people with disabilities. He also worked in several positions in the ministry including senior pastor at Garden City Chapel in Wallingford.
He said,“ The happiest, most joyfilled people I know are those who have found out what their plan is and are doing it. The ministry and comedy are what I like best so I combined the two.”
The man who always had trouble with dating has now been married to Dawn for 35 years. Dawn’ s doctor told her she was unable to bear children and they now are the proud parents of five natural children and over the years have provided a home to well over 20 other children and some adults.
He offers plenty of stories from these experiences, including the day he found out he was not the ideal husband he thought he was.
After years of performing comedy on the side, eight years ago Douglas realized he could support his family as a full-time comedian and hit the comedy road, doing about 100 shows a year, specializing in inspirational, family comedy which also includes his religious beliefs.
He has already started writing his second book with a summer deadline.
Douglas’ book is available on Amazon at https:// www. amazon. com / Growth-Spurts-Growin-Pains-Things / dp / 0998781606.
Comedian and author Gordon Douglas’ 76.