California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Norman Williamson Jr. is a grandson of W.K. Kellogg through his mother, Elizabeth Ann Kellogg. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, class of 1936. Mr. Williamson grew up on the W.K. Kellogg Ranch. He and his brother, John Williamson, ran a small business in their youth providing refreshments and snacks to people attending the Sunday horse shows. He is very much a product of his time. Always industrious, he exemplified with his life many of the fine characteristics of his parentage. He worked in the W.K. Kellogg Company in sales and marketing prior to World War II.
Answering his country's call, Mr. Williamson joined the United States Navy, received a commission and served in the Naval Construction Battalion ("SeeBees" as it is commonly known in combat in the South Pacific). He eventually retired as a Lt. Commander, USNR in 1974. Mr. Williamson understands that service to the community is as important an ideal to serve as well. He has long been active with the American Red Cross, the Pomona Valley Community Hospital Foundation, the Inland Hospice Association and United Way. He was the founding president of the Volunteer Center in Pomona.
Mr. Williamson's association with Cal Poly Pomona has been particularly important. The university has not only benefited from his philanthropy, in keeping with the Kellogg tradition, but he has been a resource to faculty, staff and students in his role as the Kellogg family historian. From former President Robert Kramer to the present, each of the Cal Poly Pomona presidents have found in Mr. Williamson an ally and friend in promoting the needs and interests of the university.
Mr. Williamson served as a co-chair of the Partners in Process Campaign which raised in excess of $11 million, and along with his cousin, W. Keith Kellogg II, he is co-chair of the Hugh O. La Bounty Chair of Interdisciplinary Applied Knowledge. He is an active member of the President's Council and was made an Honorary Alumnus of Cal Poly Pomona at Founder's Day last November.
Mr. Williamson's reputation in business and community life is exemplary. His association with Cal Poly Pomona enriches our heritage and adds immeasurably to its appreciation by others. His life and career offers insights into the blending of self-reliance, business success and human concerns that make him a model citizen.
In recognition of his philanthropy and his contribution to the legacy of the university, the California State University Board of Trustees and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona are proud to confer on Norman Williamson Jr. the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.