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By
Joyce O'Connor Davidson
It is fitting that the William P. Guiney Scholarship was established almost
exclusively
through e-mail communications. Bill Guiney '66 has been on the cutting edge of
information technology since his days as a physics major on the Hill. In 1965,
as Holy Cross inched its way into the computer age, the physics department managed
the College's first computer, an IBM 1620. This is where Guiney got his start
in information technology, which became, for him, a lifelong engagement. Last
winter, Guiney retired as President and CEO of a computer software firm for financial
institutions, AFTECH,
after three decades in the business.
Guiney describes the College's first computer, "It fit into a room that was 10
feet wide by 10 feet long. It was really difficult to accomplish anything with
it. The IBM 1620 didn't have a keyboard or a monitor or a CRT for input and interaction.
Instead, we made punch paper tapes to enter
data," Guiney explains. "But, along with learning how to wire boards, we also
got introduced to a macro assembler language that ran the machine. The computer
came with a few preprogrammed routines as examples of what
could be done," he says. Although computers have changed significantly, Guiney
believes Holy Cross gave him a head start in launching his career. "Holy Cross," he
explains, "gave me the perspective that allowed me to focus on the continual
improvement and meaningful growth essential for
survival in today's computer-based information processing world."
Guiney values the education he received as a student at Holy Cross: "In those
four years," he recalls, "I was introduced to both theory and proof of how our
world operates from a very technical and quantitative perspective. There was
a balance between learning from textbooks and getting hands-on experience in
the labs. The physics department had five dedicated professors teaching us, and,
by the time I was a junior, direct teacher-student interaction was as common
as classroom lectures."
Grateful for the academic preparation he received as an undergraduate and for
the dedication of the faculty, Guiney recently gave a $1 million gift to Holy
Cross to establish a need-based financial aid scholarship for students from New
England.
"Professors spent a lot of time one-on-one with students. That gave me a real
foundation-I'm not sure it could have happened anywhere else," he says. In addition
to the close-knit community, Guiney values his choice
of major. "It enabled me to see that the substance and events that we call everyday
life has underlying rules and principles that few people understand
because they're too difficult to grasp quickly, but they're what make our world
work as it does." And, he appreciates the competitive learning environment as
well: "Students were there to learn and improve. It was hard to find a good place
to study at midnight because so many people stayed up late
hitting the books."
After earning an M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School of Business at
the University of Pennsylvania, Guiney spent the next 30 years working in data
processing and information technology management. He says, "In the (Holy Cross)
physics department I learned that, while really understanding theory was vital,
it was also a world apart from hands-on problem solving." Guiney explains that
information technology is filled with the technical details and realities that
drive today's world; yet, he points out, because the underlying architecture
that supports technology evolves so rapidly, the tools that computer specialists
learn age quickly and are now being obsoleted every few years. For this reason,
he says, it was essential for
him to understand the principles of "how things work."
In 1980, Guiney became president and board chairman
of AFTECH; in 1998, AFTECH was acquired by FISERV, a company with 14,000 employees
worldwide and a leader
in data processing for the financial industry. At the time of his retirement
in February, Guiney decided to fund a charitable remainder trust and establish
the William P. Guiney Scholarship.
According to Guiney, this need-based scholarship gives him the opportunity to
help students pay for an education at Holy Cross. Noting that since he married
recently and has no children, he "missed out on both the fun and expense of raising
a family." For this reason, he says, "It seemed right to help others struggling
with tuition expenses get their start as
my parents helped me." Based on his own experience, he also knows that
an individual's success depends on help from others. "Establishing this scholarship
is a chance for me to do something meaningful that acknowledges
the help I received," he says. "It's a positive feeling to know that I am able
to help in a small way." A native of New England, Guiney wants his gift to benefit
deserving students from this area.
Guiney and his wife, Joan, live in Chester Springs,
Pa., a small town about 30 miles west of Philadelphia; they are currently building
a second home along the
Cape Cod coast in Chatham. According to Guiney, retirement plans include traveling,
relaxing, visiting with old friends and playing golf.
Mary Moran, the director of planned giving, notes the unique way in which the
scholarship was established. Explaining that she had no personal or phone contact
with Guiney, she says, "The gift was initiated and planned
entirely by e-mail." Guiney makes it sound simple, "My company, like every information
systems company, moved away from the inefficiencies of paper and the hit-or-miss
problems of telephone calls, to the speed and certainty of e-mail and Internet
communications." It is fitting that the William P. Guiney Scholarship be established
this way-fitting for an innovator who has always been on the cutting edge of
technology-a true e-volutionary.
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