Touchton is exemplar of 'extra effort' - Wilmington College

insight, creativity, friendship,
collegiality and leadership, as
well as financial resources.
“Wilmington College is a
special place,” he said. “Much
of what each of us has accomplished
in our lives is due in large
part to our Wilmington College
education, both in and out of the
classroom.”
Touchton recalls — nearly
50 years ago — applying to several
small schools as the first in
his family to attend college.
“I went to a large high
school so I wanted to go to a
“It is part of
our obligation
as alumni to
assist others
in getting
those same
opportunities.”
Bob Touchton
small college,” he said, noting
that the personal touch for which
WC has long been known helped
sway his decision. “The registrar,
Vernon Wills, sent me a handwritten
note, ‘Hello Bob, we’re
looking forward to seeing you
this fall.’
“Wilmington seemed
friendlier than the other colleges
I applied to.”
Touchton never had ventured
more than two hours from
his home near Philadelphia when
his father drove him the 12 hours
to Wilmington in September
1961.
“He said, ‘I’ll see you at
Christmas if you can find a ride
home,’” he laughed.
At the moment, being
17-years-old and seemingly
alone in a strange place was no
laughing matter, but quickly
64 2009-2010
Touchton and a group of young
men that lived on the south side
of second floor Austin Hall
formed a band of brothers that
stuck together in Austin Second
South for four years. In fact,
they saw themselves as a quasifraternity
they deemed as Alpha
Sigma Sigma.
In fact, he and his roommate,
Albert Townsend ’65,
stayed in the same room, 224
Austin Hall, for three-and-a-half
years at WC, where Touchton
was a mathematics and chemistry
major and played basketball and
baseball.
Those years made
a significant impact upon
his life and served as a
foundation for success
as he went on to earn his
master of business administration
degree from the
University of Michigan
and a jurist doctorate from
the University of Arizona.
He had a successful
career in law and completed
his career as an
administrative judge with
the Office of Hearings
and Appeals for the Social
Security Administration
in Cincinnati. He and his
wife, Sharon, have a son,
Bruce.
Touchton looks back upon
the past 45 years since his graduation
and sees Wilmington College’s
handiwork evident in his
making a living, a life and a
difference.
“We can all point to two
or three faculty or staff members
and several friends from Wilmington
College that have made a
difference in our lives, persons
that spurred us on, inspired us
and helped make us what we are
today,” he said.
“Wilmington offers a
unique educational institution
where one can participate in
a wide variety of activities, in
addition to getting an excellent
education,” he added. “It is part
of our obligation as alumni to assist
others in getting those same
opportunities just as prior alumni
assisted us.”
So, when Wilmington College
called, Touchton responded.
He has served on WC’s
Alumni Council since 2001,
including being its president in
2004-05. He also took on the role
of teaching classes as an adjunct
faculty member in business law.
“After I retired, Dan (DiBiasio)
asked me to be on the Board
of Trustees,” he recalled. “Then,
after Ed Leonard left as vice
president for College advancement
(to become president of
Bethany College), Dan called
me up and asked me to lunch. I
thought he wanted to talk to me
as a trustee about that situation,
but he asked me to consider serving
as interim vice president.”
What initially was to be
a several-month appointment
extended to some 18 months between
August 2007 and February
2009 — and he enjoyed nearly
every minute of it.
“Being a vice president
gives you a whole different view
of the College,” he said. “You see
how decisions are made. Also,
being the advancement VP, I
pretty much knew everybody
coming in. All the people that
work here know what they’re
doing and they do it well.
“It was a fun time for me,”
he said, noting that leaving the
daily routine took some getting
used to. “Now I play softball
instead of going to work every
day.”
These days, Touchton can
be spotted on campus a minimum
of two days a week, working
on Board and Alumni Council
business, teaching business law,
instructing courses (pro bono) in
the newly established Wilmington
Institute for Lifelong Learning,
and enjoying Wilmington
College athletics.
In addition to all those
roles with the College — and
the occasional stint as referee for
mud volleyball each Homecoming
— Touchton also has played
the role of donor, as his giving
record encompasses both unrestricted
funds, for the College to
use in areas of greatest need, and
special gifts to his affinity areas.
A major donor during the
comprehensive campaign that
built the Boyd Cultural Arts
Center several years ago, he
helped establish the endowment
for the Mock Trial team and has
contributed to the Kenny Wilson
Scholarship. Also, he has financially
supported the “Your Name
Here” Scholarship Fund, as well
as athletics, College-Community
Summer Theatre and in-kind
gifts for WC’s alumni and advancement
areas.
A mover behind the Class
of 1965’s 45th year reunion at
Alumni Weekend in June, he
and other committed alumni
have established the “Class of
’65 $10,000 Challenge Fund”
in which they will match up to
$10K any new gift from alumni
from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
“The College is enduring
tough times,” he said about the
impact of the economic downturn.
“If you’ve ever considered
giving, now is the time.”
With the opening of the
2010-11 academic year, Touchton
was not only looking forward
to relishing his role as an alumnus,
trustee, faculty member and
Quakers’ sports fan, but he was
there again this year when freshmen
moved onto campus. He offered
words of encouragement to
those that might have come from
12 hours away — like he did 49
years ago— or one hour away in
Dayton or Cincinnati.
For some reason, he stations
himself near the Austin-
Pickett residence halls.
“I always try to find the
students that will live in Austin
224 and tell them, ‘Take care of
that room — there’s a lot of history
there!’”
BY RANDY SARVIS