William J. Donlon*

William Donlon was born in Albany, New York, in 1930. When his father became disabled in 1941, his mother went to work in the employee cafeteria of New York Power & Light, and young Donlon stocked grocery store shelves after school.

Donlon was a good student who enjoyed school, and an excellent boxer and basketball player. He graduated at 17 and became a meter reader for Niagara Mohawk, an electric utility. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy when the Korean War broke out and was sent to a civilian pre-engineering training school near Washington, D.C. Following an intensive four-month course in electrical technology, Donlon was assigned to the electrical division of the carrier USS Bennington in the Mediterranean Sea.

In 1954, Donlon returned to Niagara Mohawk and enrolled in night classes at Siena College. It took eight years, but he earned a degree in finance and economics in 1962. All of his children, four at that time, attended his graduation ceremony.

Donlon began pursuing his interest in public speaking. He developed a 13-week course about public speaking and communications. His presentation caught the attention of upper management, and he began a steady rise through the utility's ranks. He became a vice president in 1968, president in 1980, and chairman and CEO in 1988.

In his early days as a manager for Niagara Mohawk, Donlon made a lateral move into a new position. His friends had advised him against taking the job, but Donlon believed it was a turning point in his career. "Don't measure opportunities merely in terms of monetary gain or promotion," he said. "Many times a lateral move becomes key to a person's career."

Donlon is credited with turning around Niagara Mohawk after a major reorganization. Following his successful management of the company, Fortune magazine praised Donlon for his willingness to "act like a revolutionary." During his tenure at Niagara Mohawk, he inaugurated career advancement programs for women and developed company outreach programs to help customers pay bills and get improved service. Some of those programs became required in New York State.

Donlon served as a trustee of Syracuse University and Siena College, his alma mater. He had also been a trustee of the State University of New York at Albany Foundation, LeMoyne College in Syracuse, and the College of Saint Rose in Albany, from which he received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1981.

Donlon's advice to young people was to "get a good education, set goals, try to accomplish your goals, and learn all you can as you progress in your career."