Former Williamson President Speaks At 4th Annual Rowan Day
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Reid said , “ A great man is not just someone who can do something great . They make you a better person because they have a special influence on you through their character , behavior , and values and you want to assimilate these traits in your life . Henry Rowan changed my life and changed Williamson . His greatest influence was his ability to influence us , how we thought , reacted , and put his wisdom into practice .”
Reid mentioned the Bible ’ s Proverbs 10 , which states “ A wise son brings joy to his father ,” and went on to offer examples .
“ My father is still the person I am most concerned about bringing joy to . In my mind , he was a great man , a great entrepreneur , a man of great integrity , and loved by his family and friends . He came from a humble background and left school to join the Army Airforce as a bomber pilot in World War II . He started the family business on a shoestring and built it while never losing his core values . He was confident and humble and cared for those around him , those who worked for him .
“ He challenged me and expected me to do the right thing . He expected me to exhibit the best skills God had given me , he expected me to fail and learn from it . He died too early and I miss him because of who he was .”
He then described his relationship and friendship with Henry Rowan .
“ I met another man who left everything to become a bomber pilot in World War II . He was a man of great integrity , he cared about his employees , and he challenged me .”
As the two developed a relationship , Rowan suggested Reid take an engineering test he had written himself to test his engineering knowledge . “ I did pretty good , but he didn ’ t give me the test to see if I was an engineer . He gave me the test because he knew if I didn ’ t do well , I would buy the books and study and take the test again to make
Trustee Michael Piotrowicz him proud of me . The $ 5 million he pledged as a match wasn ’ t about the money , it was an unspoken challenge for us to become a better institution .”
He explained that the $ 5 million was a challenge grant with the stipulation that in order to receive the money , we had to get new donors ; his intent was for Williamson to work harder and expand its donor base so it wouldn ’ t continue to face financial instability .
Reid said when he met with Rowan he wasn ’ t just meeting with a potential donor . “ I was inspired to do whatever I could to hold onto this man to respect me . Great men do this in your life . They make you a better person because they have a special influence in you through their character , behavior , and values , and you want to assimilate these traits in your life . Henry Rowan changed my life and he changed Williamson . He influenced how we thought , reacted , and put into practice his wisdom .”
Reid closed by offering the students ten things to do in their lives : have curiosity , appreciate quality , have a lifelong honeymoon in marriage , have friendships , have good health , be comfortable with paupers and royalty , be uncomfortable by stretching yourself , read and write , have faith , and have balance in your life .
He then added an eleventh item , “ Know great men , someone who alters your vision of your own possibilities and inspires you to excellence , diligence , and service .”
In his welcoming remarks , President Michael Rounds said , “ Today we honor our great benefactor , Henry Rowan , his family , and the Henry M . Rowan Family Foundation . The generosity of the Rowan family has helped grow and improve every part of Williamson . If not for his gifts and subsequent gifts by his wife Lee and the family foundation , Williamson may not even exist and if it did , it would look a lot different than it does today .”
He then introduced Michael Piotrowicz , the longest serving member of the
Rowan Day keynote speaker Dr . Paul Reid ( center ), former Williamson president , holds the Rowan Day plaque he was presented , flanked by ( from left to right ): Jack Becker , senior class president , Trustee Michael Piotrowicz , President Michael Rounds , and Chairman William Bonenberger 7W9 .
board of trustees who spoke on behalf of the trustees .
Piotrowicz opened the event saying , “ It ’ s great to be on campus and seeing the students . It ’ s great to be here with Paul Reid , who built an unbelievable relationship with Hank Rowan . Without that relationship we probably wouldn ’ t be here today celebrating this great day .”
He went on to express gratitude to Henry Rowan , the entire Rowan family , and the Henry M . Rowan Family Foundation . “ Without this support we would not have the institution we have today . So , today is a day to celebrate , so we say thank you , we appreciate it , we cherish our relationship with you , and how important it is for us to produce men of character like all of you sitting here today .”
He said Rowan made several very generous gifts before offering a $ 5 million challenge grant that came with the caveat that we have to raise $ 5 million to receive it and all this money had to come from new donors . He did this because he realized the importance of us increasing our donor base to help expand the security of the institution for the future .
“ We did meet the challenge and that is how we met Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest who did a $ 20 million challenge grant back to Henry , which caused the $ 5 million to become $ 10 million and then $ 50 million . The institution was truly transformed .”
He went on to say that what happened in the last 15 years because of Rowan ’ s challenge grant is remarkable . “ From 1990 to 2005 , the 15 years before Henry made the challenge , we had 375 gifts of more than $ 10,000 . In the 15 years after Henry ’ s challenge to get new donors , we had 585 gifts of $ 10,000 or more .
“ And , before Henry , we had one $ 1 million gift in the previous 15 years . Since that time , we have had 21 gifts of $ 1 million or more , which means instead of $ 1 million , we had $ 75 million in the last 15 years .”
Piotrowicz then talked about the importance of smaller gifts . “ Small dollars are equally important to big dollars . Mr . Rowan and other benefactors haven ’ t given to an institution , they ’ ve given to the students , to the mission , to what we are accomplishing here every day . We are providing an education at no cost to students so we can create productive members of society and good men of character .”
He said when Rowan visited the campus he saw the students working very hard , being men of character , having good values , and learning a trade and this made him fall in love with the mission so much that he put out his challenge grant to help us .
“ The question we get in the Advancement Office is , ‘ Do your alumni give back ?’ Do your alumni care about helping today ’ s young men like someone helped them . We need to send a message that Williamson men are willing to help Williamson men .”
Piotrowicz challenged the students to think in “ Wawa terms ,” taking an average $ 5 trip to Wawa each month and making the decision to give back to Williamson . “ It ’ s not about the amount , it ’ s about showing that you appreciate what you received and care for the next Williamson man coming along .”
Jack Becker 2W1 , president of the senior class , presented Reid with the Rowan Award , saying “ Every year we honor Henry Rowan and the Rowan family for all they did for us . He loved the trades and education and he wanted us to become good tradesmen and to be successful men in society .”
He then explained the meaning of the award , which was manufactured by students in the Machine Shop . “ The moving gears represent our trades and the five core values which work together to form Williamson men . On behalf of the students , I would like to thank Paul Reid for taking the time to talk to us on this important day .”
Also participating were Mark Specht 7W7 , chaplain , who gave the invocation and benediction , and Sherre Gaertner , who played the piano for the Artisans , who led the audience in the singing of the alma mater .