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Crow Honors Isaiah Williamson in Founder’ s Day Keynote Address
Continued from page 1 devastation back to some degree of what they used to be.
“ Rather than taking advantage of an extremely bad situation, this is answering a very important call at a critical time. Our economy is going to need the skill and knowledge that this situation requires.”
Crow went on to say,“ In a time that many colleges and universities are struggling to survive how is it that Williamson College of the Trades has not only survived for so long, but actually thrived. I’ m not surprised, the answer took me back to the man who made it all possible, Isaiah Williamson. And as impressed as I was of his accomplishments, I also wondered if what he did and who he was could translate to today’ s world in the world of AI, TikTok, social media, and all the other distractions and challenges that we face every day. I can definitely state that with what I know of the man it absolutely would.”
Crow said Williamson had three attributes that few people possess and are unquestionably elements of success- humbleness, vision, and dedication to serving others.
He said Williamson came from humble beginnings and was one of eight children in a Quaker family of farmers in Bucks County, Pa.“ His path to success was meteoric. After apprenticing seven years in a small country store, he saved enough money to move to Philadelphia and open his own dry goods business. By the age of 35 his personal wealth was over $ 100,000. This was in 1838. By today’ s standard it would be more than $ 2 million. This allowed him to live out his dream of retiring and traveling to Europe.
“ After a couple of years in Europe he felt under-utilized and that he wasn’ t making a difference. He returned to Philadelphia and turned his interest to real estate and other investments. This made him one of the wealthiest men in the Commonwealth. His wealth was $ 20 million which was equal to $ 500 million today.”
Crow said Williamson was extremely rich, but you couldn’ t tell by looking at him.“ He never talked about himself and he had humility. He lived a simple life and was known as the threadbare philanthropist because he wore the same suit for a long time. He never forgot where he came from and was able to do amazing things for others.
“ He was a man of vision. He saw how many young men did not work. They didn’ t have the opportunity. They lacked skills and had no direction. He realized their chances to succeed were remote. He wanted to help the man who wanted to help himself and he saw the trades as a path to success. This school is the embodiment of that vision. He signed the deed of trust creating his school on Dec. 1, 1888 with several million dollars.”
He added that Williamson gave millions of dollars to hospitals, orphanages, libraries, and many other benevolent organizations.“ No one knows how much money he gave away, because he told no one. He made his gifts anonymously. With a man like Williamson, how could his school fail?”
At the conclusion of his remarks, President Michael Rounds gave him a Williamson commemorative box with a picture of Rowan Hall on it.
In his introduction of Crow, Rounds said“ Tim did not graduate from Williamson, but he exemplifies our definition of a Williamson Man. Even though he has an extremely successful career, he is not content to think only of himself, he makes it a priority to use his time, talent, and treasure to help others.”
Crow joined the Board of Trustees in 2019 and since then, he and his wife Diane established the Crow Family Scholarship to help fund scholarships for Williamson students.
When he joined the board, he brought a wealth of business knowledge, leadership, and experiences working at the
The first thing Joseph Wesley did upon receiving the Isaiah V. Williamson Award on Founder’ s Day was kiss Marion, his bride of 72 years. The entire chapel was filled with excitement and happiness for the Wesleys. highest level in some of the most innovative and customer-centered companies in corporate America. He also has a great understanding of the shortage of skilled tradesmen in America and how this hurts our ability to grow our economy.
Crow was executive vice president and chief human resources officer at the Home Depot, responsible for all aspects of human resource management for over 425,000 associates and 2,200 retail stores across the country. Today, the Home Depot is recognized as one of the best places to work in the retail industry and he played an important part in achieving this.
He is currently the chief executive officer and managing director at Fernwood Holdings Ltd., a venture capital investment firm. He is also a director at the HR Policy Association, director at the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Georgia, an independent director at Vroom, Inc., a director at Softgiving, Inc., a company that makes it easier for people to support nonprofits, and a member of the Governors Board at the American Health Policy Institute.
In his welcoming remarks, Rounds said“ Founder’ s Day is a great tradition! A chance to stop and thank Mr. Williamson for his vision in establishing and resourcing this amazing school and completing the deed of trust shortly before he passed away at the age of 86 in 1889. Although he did not live to see the school built and open, we know he would be pleased with the number of lives his school has blessed since it first began educating and training young men in 1890.
“ Mr. Williamson’ s legacy is generosity. Thousands of Williamson men, including the students sitting here today, have benefited from his generosity and left Williamson to make the world a better place. We gather tonight to remember and to say thank you to him.”
His welcoming remarks were followed with a donor tribute to the late John M. Briggs, who passed away Sept. 20, 2024.“ In line with the theme of generosity, we have a special tribute tonight to Mr. John Briggs. It was written by Dave Smith, John’ s good friend and business partner. John hired Dave for his accounting firm right out of college and was a lifelong mentor to him.
“ Dave’ s words are: John Briggs had a contagious personality that exuded warmth and friendliness. He was quick with a smile, a hearty laugh, and always ready to share little bits of information from his vast knowledge on many topics. His charming personality led to many friendships with people from many walks of life as he was always respectful of others without regard to their background, status or station in life. He was a patient and empathetic listener, able to find a common connection with everyone he met.
“ John had a very long and successful career as a certified public accountant starting upon his graduation from Lehigh University in 1972. He served his many loyal clients as a partner in a Philadelphia CPA firm and later went on to found a new CPA firm with others where he worked until his retirement. But retirement was different for John, as he maintained many of his professional relationships, serving on numerous public company boards, and continuing to provide tax and accounting advice to many of his clients who valued his lasting friendship, integrity, and professional advice.
During his many years in public accounting, John mentored many young accountants. He gave freely of his time to provide valuable experience to shape and mold them into skilled accountants, enabling them to move on to varied and successful financial careers. He was a very generous man, giving freely of both his time and money to friends, acquaintances, and others in times of need.
He served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, where he was able to share his vast financial experience and acumen.
“ Upon his death, John left much of his money to various charities. Several, including Williamson College of the Trades, provide education to those less fortunate who otherwise would not have had an opportunity for personal advancement. Education was a cause close to John’ s heart as he believed everyone deserved a chance in life.
He was a very humble man, never seeking the limelight or boasting about his generosity, rather keeping his acts of kindness private without drawing any attention upon himself. He will forever be remembered for his loyal friendships and the positive impact his life-long generosity has had on the local community.”
Briggs made estate gifts totaling $ 1 million to Williamson. They will support the Williamson Fund, and establish the endowed John M. Briggs Scholarship, which will fund the education of a student here at Williamson in perpetuity as part of the Legacy Society.
Rounds said his name will be added to the Legacy Society plaque outside the chapel.“ This year, and every year going forward, we will recognize the student selected to be the John M. Briggs Scholar at our annual Scholarship Celebration Luncheon in the spring.“ We thank Mr. Briggs for including Williamson in his estate planning.”
Founder’ s Day opened with welcoming remarks from Dr. Todd Zachary, provost.
Zachary said,“ I’ m honored to stand before you as we celebrate the life and Continued on page 12