ALUMNI “WALL OF HONOR” The West Liberty University Alumni Board of Directors instituted a project in 1990 to demonstrate to current students, visitors, and friends that the college has some very successful graduates. This project, known as the “Alumni Wall of Honor,” is a dramatic way to honor some of the college’s most distinguished alumni and display pride in the accomplishments of its graduates. The concept was suggested by then Associate Professor of Physics Robert W. Schramm, who is a 1958 graduate of the college and a 2002 Alumni Wall of Honor inductee. The Alumni Wall of Honor is housed in the south end of the Union known as the Alumni Lounge.
John R Bonassi
Inducted 2000Following graduation John R. Bonassi pursued a career in education as a classroom teacher in the Mt. Lebanon School District in Pennsylvania. At that time, Mt. Lebanon was ranked in the top 25 school districts in the nation. Continuing in education, he obtained a masters degree in counseling psychology and became an integral part of the psychological service team for Mt. Lebanon. After nine years as an educator, Bonassi accepted an appointment as the manager of municipal development for Allegheny County, PA. He then ran and won a seat as a part-time elected councilman and later mayor in Green Tree Borough, PA, and was subsequently voted “Citizen of the Year”. This career in local and county government led to a new opportunity with J&L Steel, where he undertook responsibilities as an industry lobbyist covering local, state and national issues. His deep-rooted interest in government prepared him to become the executive assistant to the late US Senator John Heinz from Pennsylvania. Bonassi’s desire to return to the private sector was fulfilled when he accepted a vice president of marketing position with WTW Architects, one of the nation’s largest architectural firms. After five years, he returned to lobbying and government relations with Consolidation Coal only to enter a new career as the vice president of marketing for Trafalgar House Construction, a British construction and engineering company. Several years later Bonassi joined Dick Corporation, a Pittsburgh-based, billion-dollar construction company, where he is currently employed as the director of marketing and government relations.