RELEASE: 00-82

GODDARD SCIENTIST DELIVERS COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AT ALMA MATER IN PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA

Dr. Darrel Williams of Bowie, Md., returned to his high school alma mater recently to deliver the commencement speech for the Punxsutawney Area High School (PAHS) Class of 2000. Yes, the same Pennsylvania town made famous by Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who on Groundhog Day (February 2) looks for his shadow and forecasts six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

Williams, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is a native of Punxsutawney, Pa. He graduated from PAHS in 1969 and was fourth honor student in a class of 370.

Williams is the son of Mrs. Annie Laurie Williams, a former business teacher at PAHS, and the late Leon Williams, a forester and lumberman. In his speech to the graduating class of 2000, he referred to himself as the "hick from the sticks" as he reflected on valuable lessons learned from his parents.

Williams reflects on the advice his father gave him. "One of the thoughts my father shared was the formula for getting ahead in life doesn't rely on luck, nor can all knowledge be gained simply by reading books. Everybody is presented with opportunities, and those who may seem to be lucky are really those who have worked hard, both academically and by gaining practical "hands-on" experience, preparing themselves to take advantage of opportunities when they arise."

Williams also shared with the students advice from his mother who counseled him as he was growing up to always ask yourself when confronted with a situation, "What is the right thing to do? We all have the responsibility to do the right thing."

"It doesn't matter about the size of your school or community, rather it's the size of your heart, your desire and your preparation that counts," he said. "Never become too comfortable or confident, to a point where you give less than 100% at all times. Remember that there is usually somebody just as good, or better, waiting in the wings to step in when you let up."

Williams added, "You should dream the impossible," and used himself as an example. As he was graduating in 1969, it was outrageous to think of a career with NASA. While attending Penn State he tried to separate himself from the pack by getting involved in a brand new area of study called remote sensing. Without ever having applied, NASA recruited him. Once he got his foot in the door, he kept working hard not only to prove himself, but to improve himself. He realized that in order to get ahead in a world-class research organization that was staffed with highly qualified Ph.D's, he had to somehow measure up, so he enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland.

Shortly after attaining his Ph.D., he was placed in charge of one of the most highly regarded groups of research scientists in the world. A short time later, he was given the responsibility of ensuring the scientific integrity of the most advanced Landsat satellite ever launched, Landsat 7. Williams is the project scientist for the Landsat 7, which was launched last year and has been a tremendous success. In addition to the Landsat 7 project scientist, he is head of the Biospheric Sciences Branch in the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics.

In his junior and senior years in high school, Williams was a member of the football and track teams and lettered in both sports in both years. His name was also the only name inscribed on the PAHS Zeedick Cup in 1969, a recognition granted to those senior athletes who had lettered in two or more sports and who were on the honor roll for every grading period.

Williams attended Penn State University, and received his master's degree in forest science in 1974. He began his career at NASA in 1975, enrolled in a doctorate program at the University of Maryland in 1984 and earned his Ph.D. in physical geography in 1989.

Williams lives with his wife Bonnie and their son Brad, who just graduated from Queen Anne School in Upper Marlboro. Brad will be studying environmental sciences and history at Western Maryland College in Westminster, Md., this fall.