Faith
Integrity
Diligence
Excellence
Service
Winter 2013
Vol. 76, No. 2
Entered as Periodical
at Post Office, Media, Pa.
The Williamsonian
A PUBLICATION for alumni and friends of The Williamson School
Rounds Named 13th
Williamson President
Williamson’s next president and first lady Michael and Mary Nell Rounds in
the foyer of their future home at Williamson.
2013 Flower Show Has British Theme
Williamson’s exhibit in the upcoming Philadelphia International Flower
Show, “Horticulture in 18th Century America,” will demonstrate the
trans-Atlantic trade of plants between
the American colonies and England,
how these plants were cultivated and
shipped, and how Latin was used as the
nomenclature for plants.
In the 18th century, England was the
center of horticulture and new plants
from all over the world were sought for
their many gardens. Providing these
plants became a very lucrative business
for some in the colonies, such as John
Bartram, who helped create a trans-Atlantic exchange of plants.
Many of these plants were obtained
by plant explorers who went into the
wilds looking for them and then started
nurseries and botanic gardens to supply
them.
The exhibit will recreate an 18th century nursery and botanic garden featuring gardens with rows of plants native
Continued on page 8
Get Ready To Celebrate:
Williamson’s 125th Anniversary Is Approaching!
Dec. 1, 2013 marks the 125th anniversary of Isaiah V. Williamson’s
signing of the Deed of Trust establishing the Williamson School.
A year-long celebration will kick
off on Alumni Day, Saturday, June
1, 2013, and continue until Alumni
Day on Saturday, May 31, 2014.
Many events to mark this momentous occasion will take place
during this time and are now being planned by the 125th Planning
Committee.
Your participation is needed to
make these events a success. You
are urged to show your support of a
great school. Stay posted for details.
Above is the 125th logo, designed
by Ross Deitrich, graphic designer.
There is also a color version.
Michael J. Rounds, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, was introduced at
a special chapel to the students, faculty,
staff, and large number of trustees as
Williamson’s 13th president just before
the Christmas holiday. He will replace
President Guy Gardner, who is retiring
June 30, 2013, and will assume office
July 1.
In a statement after the chapel, Rounds
said, “I am truly honored and excited to
be joining the Williamson Free School
of Mechanical Trades as the 13th president. Mary Nell and I are so impressed
with the strong commitment to the
Williamson values of Faith, Integrity,
Diligence, Excellence, and Service that
we have already observed among the
staff and faculty, the Board of Trustees,
and the young men that we have met.
We will do our very best to move Williamson forward and continue the great
legacy of Williamson men building a
better world by building better families,
organizations, and communities.”
William J. Bonenberger 7W9, vice
chairman of the Board of Trustees and
head of the presidential search committee, said “The final decision of the
search committee was unanimous and
the entire board could not be more happy with our choice of Lt. Col. Michael
Rounds as our next president. There
was simply a fit and comfort level with
this man and his wife, Mary Nell, and
their unabashed enthusiasm for our
mission that left no doubt in anyone’s
mind that they are the right choice to
move Williamson forward.”
Bonenberger said in the fall of 2011,
after Gardner informed the Board of his
decision to retire, the trustees formed
a search committee consisting of 10 of
the 20 board members who immediately engaged the search consultant that
helped bring to Williamson both President Reid and President Gardner.
He added, “We had a truly amazing
pool of candidates to investigate and
interview who came from a wide array
of educational experience and included
both active duty and retired military
officers as well as private educational
professionals. The semi-finalists flew in
from as far away as Rota, Spain; Arizona; and Cincinnati.
“As trustees, we could not and would
not hire a president who did not em-
body and live out our five core values in
their everyday life. I can assure you that
our next president does exactly that.
But what I like most about Mike is that
as he looks to retire from active military duty in February after 25 years of
service with a resume that would have
private engineering firms and defense
contractors lining up to hire him, what
motivates him the most and gets his
blood flowing every morning is the opportunity to shape the lives of deserving young men — like he did with the
cadets at West Point and the men who
served under him for the last 25 years.”
Rounds played high school football in
Minnesota and was recruited by the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point to play
Division I football, where he earned a
bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1988. He then began
his 25-year career in the Army from
which he will retire in February 2013.
He later earned a master’s of science
degree in mechanical engineering at the
Continued on page 9
Inside
President’s Message..... 2
Energy Island................. 3
New Faces.................. 4-5
Rodeo Rider................... 6
Class of 1W5................ 7
Reality TV....................... 8
Ladies Auxiliary............ 9
El Salvador................ 10
Class Notes..........12-21
Obituaries.................. 20
Shop Notes................ 22
Sports....................... 23
Homecoming............. 24