A Son Comes Full Circle With Commencement Honor
May 14, 2021
- Author
- Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis
When Willie Deese accepted an honorary degree at the collegeās commencement ceremony, he recalled with gratitude the values imparted to him by his parents.
Willie Deese started mowing lawns with his father and brothers when he was six.
His father, Fred, worked as a long-time janitor at 17³Ō¹ĻĶų and spent his time off as a landscaper for nearby homes and businesses. His mother, Janie, was a maid who sometimes served in the presidentās office. His two grandfathers also worked in custodial jobs for the college.
Fred and Janie Deeseās nine children learned early the core family value of hard work. The value of education, which their parents insisted upon, was reinforced by their close connection to the college.
As Willie Deese received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters during 17³Ō¹ĻĶųās commencement ceremony this week, he choked up. He thought about his parents and felt their presence, despite their absence. His dad died in 1993; his mom, who is now 92, has Alzheimerās disease.
The culmination of their love and hard work played out on the commencement stage as the college honored their fifth child for his commitment to helping other students from modest beginnings achieve their dreams.
āIt was an outstanding day for me, and for the Deese family,ā Deese said after the ceremony. āMy mother and father have always been at the top of my list of heroes. They were never higher on that list than they were today. My brothers, sisters and I became who we are because they were living examples for us to follow.ā
The Deese family lived on a farm near 17³Ō¹ĻĶų, where the vegetables they grew and the cows they milked provided their food and some income. The family tells the story about how Janie Deese spent a day picking cotton on the farm, then got to the hospital just in time to give birth to her first child.
Willie Deese wanted to make his parents proud.
āI demonstrated that I could push a lawn mower at an early age,ā he said. āAnd along the way learned the value of faith, hard work and integrity.ā
Philanthropist & Advocate
Fred Deeseās formal education stopped after sixth grade, and Janieās at grade 11. Willie Deese says his parents spent their lives working to ensure that their children would go further. And they did.
Eight of the nine Deese children went to college; one daughter had special needs and did not. Four, including Willie, went on to earn advanced degrees.
Willie Deese graduated with a degree in business management from North Carolina A&T, an historically Black college in Greensboro, in 1977. A few years later and into his first corporate job, he received an MBA from Western New England University.
He rose to the top ranks of several large pharmaceutical companies, retiring in 2016 as president of Merckās manufacturing division, overseeing 42 sites in 30 countries and an annual operating budget of $9 billion.
Along the way, he supported his alma mater and is its single largest alumni donor.
Heās committed nearly $10 million for campus needs and scholarships that have allowed hundreds of students to attend the college. Heās served as a member and as chairman of NC A&Tās trustee board. The Deese name figures prominently at the college. An auditorium bears his parentsā names. The clock tower in the campusās center is named for him and his wife of 43 years, Carol Chalmers Deese. And last year, NC A&T named the new Willie A. Deese College of Business in his honor.
Deese also is an active advocate in efforts to solve Americaās affordable housing crisis; and to find a cure for Alzheimerās disease.
He and Carol, a retired teacher, live in Chapel Hill. They have a son, Brandon, who is a film and web producer. They became first-time grandparents last year when Brandon and his wife Ashley had a baby boy, Bridge.
Giving Back & Gratitude
He didnāt achieve alone.
Besides his family, he credits mentorsāfrom college professors to corporate executivesāwho guided him. He says their willingness to share their knowledge and experience inspired him to do the same. Hence, his favorite phrase: āWhen you get to the top, send the elevator back down; others are waiting.ā
And thatās what he views as his obligation.
āWhatever I can do to be helpful to the next person is what I have to do. There were people who gave so selflessly to me, it wouldnāt be right to not do the same for others,ā he said. āIt would be a very lonely place to be if youāre at the top, and thereās no one there to share it with, and no one to pass along what youāve learned.ā
Thatās why, on a chilly May morning, this returning son of 17³Ō¹ĻĶų did not feel like the honor he received was his alone.
āWhen I drive past the places in 17³Ō¹ĻĶų where we worked with Dad, it brings me back. I never dreamed that someday Iād be honored in this way,ā he said. āIt was very humbling, and I felt like my parents and my brothers and sisters were all being honored, tooāthatās how close we are as a family.
The Deese family celebrates Fredās 70th birthday together.
āBecause of what we learned from our parents, we were able to do the things they didnāt have the opportunity to,ā Deese said. āThey were not just great providers; they were great role models. This is life coming full circle.ā
