Although they received rocking chairs as gifts, three faculty and staff members at Penn State New Kensington won’t be using them anytime soon.
Roy Emanuelson, Bill Hamilton and Sandie Williams were honored at a luncheon Jan. 30 for 25 years of service to Penn State. In addition to commemorating the trio’s quarter-century of service, the campus celebrated an actual retirement as Bill Daily retired after 11 years with the Building Operations department.
Emanuelson, a maintenance utility worker, has been a part of Building Operations department since 1983. The Oklahoma Borough resident assists in repairs and general maintenance of the facilities. Emanuelson also serves as union steward for the campus.
“Roy is very versatile,” said Jason Bush, director of business and finance. “I can count on him to be able to do various jobs around campus.”
Hamilton, assistant professor of biology and coordinator of the Campus Honors Program, joined the faculty in 1983. He teaches a variety of biology courses and researches the historical ecology of western Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching, Hamilton is the co-coordinator of the campus’s International Travel Program and has planned, supervised and led student trips to Spain, France, Italy, Peru and Ecuador. The Apollo resident has been the recipient of numerous awards including George W. Atherton Award for excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level. The Atherton Award, named for the University’s seventh president, is Penn State’s most prestigious teaching award.
“Dr. Hamilton is an exemplary educator and has consistently distinguished himself as a master teacher,” said Arlene Hall, director of academic affairs. “He is a leader among our faculty and contributes countless hours of service to the University, his discipline and the community.”
Williams, administrative support coordinator in the Chancellor’s Office, became a full-time employee in 1983. During her 26-year career, she has managed the affairs of six campus leaders: current chancellor Kevin Snider and former campus heads Larry Pollock, Carol Rush, Catherine Gannon, Roy Meyers and Bob Arbuckle. Only the first two campus directors, Eugene Heide and Harry Russell, supervised the campus without the help of the New Kensington resident.
“Sandie is an essential ingredient to successful leadership on this campus, and I consider her to be more a colleague than administrative assistant,” said Snider, who assumed the chancellor’s mantle in July. “I am sure that my predecessors would agree that we have been fortunate to work with this tremendous asset of the campus.”
Daily came on board in 1997 and was a part-time employee responsible for support of the exterior maintenance. He lives in Lower Burrell.
“Bill was a vital part of outdoor maintenance and kept the fields neat and trimmed,” said Bush. “He was also known as the campus handyman and his skills and know-how saved the campus a lot of money over the years.”
For photos of the luncheon, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/41328.htm#NEWS41328 online.