YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University celebrated the legacy of Warren “Bud” Williamson III May 20 as it dedicated the new Williamson Innovation Park in Canfield.
Williamson, who died in October, at age 92, was the son of Warren P. Williamson Jr., who founded the WKBN radio and television stations. As was his father, he was a pioneer in the telecommunications industry and had a passion for providing students, from kindergarten to college, opportunities for hands-on learning and scientific exploration.
The Williamson Innovation Park sits on 165 of the 243 acres Williamson donated last year to The Youngstown Foundation. The site, 8399 Tippecanoe Road, is meant to be an outdoor educational space. A $3 million endowment was established by Williamson for educational purposes as well as to help maintain the property.
Hazel Marie, a distinguished professor in mechanical engineering at YSU, was named the first director of the Williamson Innovation Park.
“We envision a lot of things for the park,” she says. “One of the most important things is we want K-12 kids to interface with our college students: to participate with them, to learn from them, to have workshops with them in biology, chemistry, environmental science and engineering.”
Pictured at top: Hazel Marie was named director of the Williamson Innovation Park. She hopes to collaborate with local schools to get K-12 students involved with YSU.