[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8560]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO DR. GERALD E. WOOD AS HE TAKES THE HELM AT 
                            DEFIANCE COLLEGE

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                          HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 3, 2003

  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to 
pay special tribute to Dr. Gerald E. Wood. Tomorrow, Dr. Wood will be 
inaugurated as Defiance College's 17th president. He has spent his 
entire life ``writing, reading and doing'' to have an opportunity like 
the one that has been placed before him. Dr. Wood would tell you that 
his involvement in higher education ``is a calling, not just a job.''
  Dr. Wood has spent the better part of his life focusing on the values 
that he holds the most dear. His core values are the liberating 
experience of learning and the importance of community. These 
principles will serve him and the Defiance College community very well 
as he officially takes the reigns from outgoing president, Dr. James 
Harris.
  Dr. Wood is keenly aware of the good things that happen at Defiance 
College. Given his credentials for this position, I have no doubt that 
he will expand upon the successes at Defiance College, ultimately 
taking the institution to a new level.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Wood was not looking for the opportunity to make a 
change in his career, rather this opportunity came to him. An official 
working with Defiance College matched his credentials with the college 
in terms of experience and commitment in general and, in particular, 
his background in service learning. Dr. Wood believes that every 
college needs a distinctive niche and for Defiance College it is the 
pervasiveness of service learning in its academic programs. He would 
tell you that it's a thread that is important to getting Defiance 
College known for the good, solid liberal arts education it offers.
  Dr. Wood came to Defiance College from Elkins, W. Va, where he served 
as vice president for the College of Advancement the past three years 
at Davis and Elkins College. His responsibilities included raising 
money and developing a marketing strategy for the school. Prior to 
that, he was assistant dean of the chapel/assistant dean of student 
development from 1983-1995 at West Virginia Wesleyan College, 
Buckhannon, W. Va, where he jump-started the service learning concept 
and founded the Bonner Scholars Program at the school. He was honored 
as West Virginia Wesleyan College Outstanding Administrator/Faculty of 
the Year in 1986.
  An avid reader on America's 16th President, Dr. Gerald E. Wood is 
aware of what it means to lead. He says that his reading about Abraham 
Lincoln has shown him the importance of facing challenges head on. Dr. 
Wood appreciates how Lincoln drew from his personal experience to be 
able to perform as he did while in office.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute 
to Dr. Gerald E. Wood. Our communities are served well by having such 
honorable and giving citizens, like Dr. Wood, who care about their 
well-being and stability. We wish him, his wife, Nancy, and their 
family all the best as we pay tribute to Defiance College's 17th 
President.

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