Delaware Valley University Presents Dr. Thomas Watson’s Portrait by Local Artist George Thompson

By Michelle Glitzer '20, marketing and communications intern

On Wednesday, April 18, the business department at Delaware Valley University unveiled a portrait honoring Dr. Thomas Watson ’57 for his contributions to DelVal.  

Dr. Watson awards a scholarship each semester to a student in the Department of Business and Information Management as a part of the Watson Executive-in-Residence (WEIR) program. The program welcomes business leaders to campus to share their career paths and advice with students.  This semester, the scholarship was awarded to Nicole Smythe, who will graduate in December 2018.  Meghan Maciolek, senior program manager of Amazon’s contingent workforce program, was welcomed as the WEIR speaker.  Smythe and Maciolek were present at the ceremony on April 18, along with faculty, staff, alumni, and students, to unveil Dr. Watson’s portrait.

Lawrence Stelmach and William Viel, co-chairs of the business department, unveiled the painting after discussing how Dr. Watson’s degree in animal husbandry from DelVal eventually led him to a successful career in advertising. Watson was a co-founder and vice chairman of Omnicom.  

Dr. Watson was unable to attend the event but will receive a recording of the ceremony.  George Thompson, a local artist and adjunct professor at DelVal, was commissioned to paint Dr. Watson’s portrait, which will be included in a “hall of fame” in Allman Hall at the University.