2012 Alumni Meritorious Service Awards

I. Charles Widger '67

An extraordinarily dedicated volunteer for Gettysburg College, Widger has worked to strengthen alumni connections to the College and helped bring the Unfinished Work Campaign to its successful conclusion by serving on several key committees. He served on the Commission on the Future and on the Board of Trustees, leading the Endowment Committee and serving as chair of the Board. For his extraordinary philanthropy he is recognized as a Visionary Gettysburgian and a lifetime member of the Cupola Society.

As a student, Chuck played soccer and was a member of the Spectrum yearbook staff, Phi Delta Theta, and Honor Commission while majoring in history. Upon graduation he entered the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School and completed his three-year Naval career as a lieutenant assigned to the U.S.S. McDonough, a guided missile destroyer patrolling the Caribbean and Mediterranean regions. Widger earned his law degree from Villanova and his master’s degree in tax law from Boston University. With his legal training and an interest in finance, he expanded into real estate and investment operations and founded Brinker Capital, Inc, where he now serves as chairman and CEO.

Chuck and Barbara Widger live in Berwyn, Pennsylvania and have three adult children, Ryan, Ashley, and Clark.

Suzanne Hermann Williams ' 62

Sue’s list of service and volunteer activities is extensive and many of her community interests dovetail with her College associations, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, Gettysburg Festival, and Project Gettysburg León. Many other community service clubs and organizations have benefitted from Sue’s boundless energy and dedication, but none more than her alma mater. As a class agent and Cupola Society Development Committee volunteer, she helps generate enthusiasm and inspires those around her. That is especially true this year, as she is co-chair of her 50^th Reunion. And as the spouse of a beloved former Dean, the late Frank Williams, she serves as a touchstone to generations of Gettysburgians, helping them retain a strong connection to the College and one another.

Sue studied French and was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. She earned her master’s degree in higher education from Indiana University in Bloomington and became assistant dean of students and Residence Hall Director at Bucknell University. In 1970 Lafayette College made the decision to admit women and tapped Williams as its first woman dean for coeducation. Sue lives in Gettysburg and is the mother to three grown children, Alice, Chris and Laurel.