An Answered Knock

When George Lock ’72, M.A. ’75 arrived at William & Mary in 1968, he was a bright student from a small, rural high school, not yet prepared for the academic rigor of university life.

“I got really good grades in high school without a lot of work,” he recalls. “Then I got to William & Mary and was quite taken aback by what the expectations were — it was a struggle.”

Even through the challenges, Lock persevered, ultimately earning both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in chemistry. But it was a turning point in his senior year — an act of understanding from a professor — that helped him to reach those goals and shaped his career and life. That professor was David Thompson, now Chancellor Professor of Chemistry (emeritus).

“I just knocked on his door and asked him if he would consider taking me on for a senior research project,” Lock says. “I don’t remember why I went to him — I had never had him as a professor, and I certainly wasn’t at the top of the class. But he said yes. That turned out to be critical for the rest of my life.”

“I grew up in a family that valued education,” Thompson says. “However, my parents placed even greater emphasis on character. After having an extensive conversation with George, I realized that he was intellectually capable, but it was his maturity of character that stood out.”

Thompson insists that Lock’s success was rooted in his own ability and character, with Thompson simply “handing him the ball” to run with. He describes mentoring Lock as an undeserved gift and one of the great highlights of his William & Mary career.

“From the very beginning of my post-baccalaureate chemistry career,” Thompson says, “I learned that character plays a more significant role in achieving success than the rigid environment of the academic classroom, particularly in the teaching of science.”

Under Thompson’s mentorship, Lock discovered his strength in hands-on work, problem-solving and real-world research. After a then-requisite military obligation, Lock came back to earn his graduate degree. Thompson helped to continue not only his academic knowledge, but also broadened immensely his perception of independent research in his future profession.

“Most people focus on the top students in the class,” Lock says. “Very few focus on the bottom. But he did. Had he not done that, none of the rest of my story would have happened. None of it. And it affected my whole life — my daughter’s life, my grandchildren’s lives. It trickles down.”

When Lock went to apply for work in research and development, he had no idea that his mentor had written unsolicited letters of recommendation to leading chemical companies across the nation to help him land successfully following graduation.

“I wanted to do everything possible to prevent prospective employers from overlooking his application based solely on a few grades and numbers,” Thompson remembers. “After all, people are far more complex than what appears on an academic transcript.”

Thompson recalls that although Lock excelled in his master’s coursework, his greatest distinction lay in his remarkable skill and dedication in the laboratory. Over Thompson’s 45 years at William & Mary, he considered Lock the finest experimentalist he ever taught, a judgment reflected in the three published papers that emerged from Lock’s thesis research. Strengthened by Thompson’s support, their collaboration and Lock’s own persistence, Lock went on to a distinguished career in research and development that spanned more than three decades.

“I didn’t even know he had written it,” laughs Lock when remembering Thompson’s recommendation. “Six months after I was hired, they showed me the letter. He had refuted the logical perusal of my transcript and focused instead on the quality of my research experience.”

Lock began his career at Hercules Incorporated, a global chemical manufacturer headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, where he specialized in research and development for thermoplastic elastomers and creping fibrous webs. Over the course of more than three decades, he contributed to innovations that advanced the company’s product lines, earning patents for resin adhesives and other applications. His work bridged laboratory research with practical industrial solutions, often requiring the same problem-solving and persistence that had been nurtured during his years under Thompson’s guidance.

Rising to manage significant projects and teams, Lock became a respected leader before changing fields following a brief period of retirement. After retiring from Hercules, Lock co-founded a financial management business with a former colleague, helping older clients and those without close family navigate personal finances, estate planning and day-to-day money management with care and integrity.

Now fully retired and living in rural Pennsylvania, playing banjo in a bluegrass band in his free time, Lock thinks often about that turning point connection with Thompson. Through a gift to William & Mary — establishing the Thompson Chemistry Research Endowment through a planned gift — he aims to create the same kind of transformative opportunities for future students.

“If that enables other students to be taken under somebody’s wing that cares about them, then that’s great,” he says. “That’s really what it’s all about.”

Reflecting on the creation of the endowment, Thompson downplays his own role and emphasizes that the true reward has already been his former student’s success.

“Quite honestly, I feel unworthy of such generosity,” demurs Thompson. “Sufficient reward for me has been the privilege of witnessing George’s success, which is all the acknowledgment I could ever desire.”

Over the decades, Lock has remained close with his former professor, who is now retired and lives in Williamsburg. He visits Thompson regularly during trips to campus, often when he is traveling with his band or seeing other friends from his college days. Even now, more than 50 years later, the two still meet for lunch.

Thanks to Lock’s generosity, future William & Mary students will have the chance to be seen, mentored and transformed — and perhaps create lasting bonds for decades to come.

Lock reflects: “A single open door, a single act of faith from a faculty member, changed everything for me.”