“We are privileged to celebrate the profound influence of Dr. Williams and Mr. Horner with honorary doctorates of humane letters,” said Beacon President George J. Hagerty. “Their contributions on behalf of people with learning differences have been truly transformational. The scope and impact of their work can only be characterized as extraordinary.”

Honorary degrees are awarded by the Board of Trustees of Beacon College and will be conferred by the college president during Commencement Exercises at the Brownwood Hotel & Spa in The Villages starting at 11 a.m. This year, the College will award 94 bachelor’s degrees and 24 associate’s degrees.

In Montana in the mid-1970s, Horner and his research partner discovered the first dinosaur eggs and embryos ever found in the Western Hemisphere. Their findings provided the first-known evidence of nesting and parental care among dinosaurs, establishing Horner’s career. Since then, he has published more than 100 professional papers, eight books (including children’s books) and numerous journal articles. He retired in 2016 from Montana State University and the University’s Museum of the Rockies, where he served as regent’s professor and curator of paleontology, respectively. After his retirement, the MacMillan Foundation honored his work with a multimillion-dollar endowment for the John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology Chair at the museum. Currently, Horner is a lecturer at Chapman University and a research associate at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum.

After his 8-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, Williams began reading all that he could find on child development and developmental delays. He knew that long-term success for his daughter was possible if the right setting and school could be found. Beacon College proved to be the perfect fit. In 2002, Williams’ daughter earned her degree in human services from Beacon College.

After her graduation, he was elected to the college’s board of trustees, for which he served from 2002 to 2015, including a decade of distinguished service as chair of the board. As chairman of the board, Williams oversaw the tripling of admissions and full accreditation of Beacon College by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, helping the institution become the first college in the nation accredited to award bachelor’s degrees exclusively to students with learning disabilities and ADHD. He also played an integral role in developing new curricula and new degree offerings at the college. After retiring from the Beacon College board, Williams fully devoted his research efforts to exploring various aspects of the autism spectrum, with a special focus on sensory issues.

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