Our view: Construction giants remembered

202
Advertisement

Good afternoon,

We have lost a couple of Delaware construction industry giants in the past few months – John Bonk of M. Davis and Sons and Will Robinson of George & Lynch.

Both were visionaries who were instrumental in the growth and success of their respective firms.

M. Davis is an industrial contractor and fabricator and one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Delaware.  Over his 42-year  career,  Bonk held key roles and rose to the post of president at a company before moving into semi-retirement. He unexpectedly passed away in October at 67.

Dover-based George and Lynch is an infrastructure contractor with expertise in handling difficult projects.

Advertisement

Both Bonk and Robinson had plenty on their plates but took the extra step of remaining active in the community. 

While I only talked to  Bonk on a couple of occasions, I was fortunate enough to have known Will.

 One highlight was a lunch with  Robinson and a couple of other executives at George & Lynch when their home base was in New Castle.

Will was a man with many interests and talents that included a dry and sometimes irreverent sense of humor. It made for a memorable couple of hours.

In 2017, he came out of retirement to serve as president of the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology in Media, his alma mater. Will was associated with the institute for a half-century. He also remained on the board of George & Lynch.

Like Bonk, Will left us far too soon when he died last month at 71. Despite taking precautions, he died from Covid-19 complications.

As he struggled with Covid and its breath-robbing ways,  Will  told loved ones to  “please try to make other people understand the seriousness of this virus.”

A memorial service for Will will be held via Zoom this weekend. Friends can find the link on his Facebook page.

Enjoy your evening and follow Will’s advice. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.

Advertisement
Advertisement