12 A W A R D R E C I P I E N T S
Robert A . Ditizio ’ 83
Alumni Association ’ s Distinguished Alumnus 2022 *
Robert Ditizio ’ s life experiences can be summed up as a relentless spirit of adaptation to opportunities .
A presentation at his vocational high school led him to Williamson . Initially intent on a career in the trades , while building skills as a mason , he absorbed the principles of the other shops through interactions with classmates and instructors . His interests soon broadened to the sciences and engineering . Williamson ’ s instructors ushered him down a corridor of selfdiscovery and awakened in him an academic spirit that remains to this day .
He went to Penn State-Brandywine and University Park , a mecca for exploring the fundamental properties of materials . After timely completion of an undergraduate degree in engineering science , he leapt into graduate school and promptly designed and built his first plasma system in support of his thesis research . With this equipment ,
Robert A . Ditizio 8W3 he developed a plasma-based process for injecting atomic hydrogen into silicon that took less than a minute , far exceeding the results of processes that had historically taken over 30 hours . He also participated in the fabrication of the world ’ s first transistor made from diamond , while learning much about the materials and equipment used to manufacture computer chips .
He left Penn State with his college sweetheart and a Ph . D . in engineering science and landed in Northern California , not far from Silicon Valley . He completed an MBA at Sonoma State University and for the next 20 years , developed plasma-based processing equipment and processes for the fabrication of computer chips , traveling the world to work with top companies doing advanced chip development . Culminating as chief technologist , he was awarded 10 U . S . patents and in the process learned to write his own patents .
After the closure of the company , and not long thereafter , the premature death of his wife from cancer , Robert leveraged his patent experience doing consulting work in patent writing and patent portfolio management while guiding his two athletic teens through their high school years , enjoying a multitude of high school basketball , softball , soccer , and baseball games .
Starting new chapters in his home life and career , he recently remarried , welcomed a teenaged daughter to his newly blended family , and recently joined POET Technologies , a NASDAQ-listed company specializing in photonic integrated devices used in optical fiber networks as vice president , intellectual property .
Robert L . Berwager ’ 60
Alumni Association ’ s Distinguished Alumnus 2022 *
After finishing 10th grade at Hanover High School in Hanover , Pa ., Robert Berwager went to Williamson to study machining . He also played in the Chapel Band and sang in the Glee Club .
Looking back , he says “ I ’ m glad I had the opportunity to attend Williamson to get a machinist education . My education has benefitted me well . I took some challenging courses and I also benefitted from the structure . Being so young , I had never been away from home before and I learned some skills for taking care of myself . Later , when I enlisted in the Army , basic training was easier for me than for some of the other guys .”
Upon graduation , he worked as a machinist at Bendix Corp . in York , Pa ., a place he had worked the summer before his senior year . Williamson helped him find his next position as a machinist in the tool and die shop at Lasko Metal Products in West Chester . He then spent 27 years at Neway Packaging Machinery in Hanover , as a draftsman and machine designer , and then was in charge of the Engineering Department and was a sales manager .
He then made a career change , becoming an assistant administrator at the Conewago Valley School District in New Oxford , Pa . Upon retiring in 2004 , he became a bus driver for the school district until fully retiring in 2016 .
He has been an active member of St . Paul ’ s United Church of Christ since 1967 , serving as a trustee and singing in the choir . In the past , he has been on the Church Council , as president , treasurer , and trustee , and on the Endowment Committee . He has been on the board of the New Oxford Historical Society and is currently vice president .
Over the years , he as been in the Hanover Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps , playing the French horn bugle ; the Hanover Industrial Management Club ; a founding member of the New Oxford Area Jaycees and served as president ; the Conewago Valley School District board of directors for 14 years , three as president ; the New Oxford High School Band Boosters ; and a 20-year member of the Hanover Community Singers . He also served six years in the U . S . Army .
He enjoys playing the piano and is on his retirement community ’ s Food Pantry Committee , providing food to the needy . He also enjoys biking and running , including an occasional 5K race . An avid traveler , he has been to Alaska and twice to Europe . He has gone to Cape May , NJ , every summer for 56 years .
He married his wife Mary Ellen in 1963 and they live in New Oxford . They have two daughters , Ellen and Pamela .
Robert L . Berwager 6W0
H . Glenn Tomlinson ’ 75
Alumni Association ’ s Alumnus of the Year 2022 *
Glenn Tomlinson 7W5 was Williamson ’ s director of paint and coatings technology from 2003 to 2020 . Earlier at Williamson , he was an adjunct painting instructor for five years and was a member of the Painting Program Advisory Committee .
He said , “ I loved working at Williamson . I enjoyed teaching the students and watching them progress in their skills and knowing that I played a part in it . I also attended many of their athletic competitions and enjoyed cheering them on . I never would have become a painting contractor if I hadn ’ t learned the trade at Williamson . My instructor , Glenn Stevick ( 4W0 ), gave me the con- fidence to strike out on my own .”
Tomlinson grew up in Drexel Hill and graduated from Upper Darby High School . After learning of Williamson through his brother-in-law , a Williamson graduate , he enrolled in the painting and decorating program . He had the chance to go into the masonry program , but decided not to , which he now says is one of the best decisions he ever made .
After graduating in 1975 , he started his own painting contracting business , Glenn Tomlinson Painting Co ., which he ran until 2018 . His company specialized in residential and commercial painting and interior design in the Greater Philadelphia area and employed between two to five staff . Among his clients were Scott Paper Co ., PSFS , and Linvilla Orchards . Serving as a mentor to his workers , he encouraged two to begin their own painting businesses .
An active member of Grace Lutheran Church in Drexel Hill , he served as a council member , Sunday school teacher , and usher . He also has coached youth baseball and basketball for the Springfield Athletic Association .
He has a NACE certification and is a member of the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America and the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers .
He and Pat , his wife , lived in Springfield , Pa ., for many years and now live in Ocean City , NJ . They have three chil- dren , Colleen , Michelle , and Greg . He especially enjoys spending time with his grandchildren . He also likes the beach , biking , fishing , and traveling .
* The 2021-2022 awards were presented by the Williamson Alumni Association organization . The 2022-2023 alumni awards will be presented by the Williamson Association of Alumni ( WAA ). The WAA launched operations on July 1 , 2022 . For more information on the WAA , see page 10 .
H . Glenn Tomlinson 7W5