Dimorier Project

William, the son of a farmer, graduated from high school at the age of 25. The delay in receiving his diploma was likely the result of his being needed in the fields. He was 31 years old before he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1903 from Colgate University, but by then, he had already held two Baptist pastorates and several teaching positions. After graduation, William taught for a year at a women’s college and two years at a college prep school, both in upstate New York. At the prep school, one of his students was a future Chinese ambassador to the United States. Later, he sponsored the education of a poor but promising Chinese student, who went on to become a respected educator himself. 

Coming to Erie High School in 1906, William served as head of the English Department and advisor to the debate club, yearbook, school newspaper, and athletic program, leading the cause for a 10-acre athletic field. Later, as assistant principal at the new Academy High School, he led the fundraising for Veterans Memorial Stadium, a 15,000-seat arena dedicated to World War I veterans. For many years, he also served as business manager for the school’s nationally known choir. 
 
During his career, William wrote a number of scholarly articles and self-published two books of poetry. Some of his verses were included in published choral compositions. 
 
William E. Dimorier: Servant Leader  is the biography that grew out of more than a decade of research. It examines the life of a farmer’s son, who took a non-traditional path to becoming a leader. The manuscript follows Dimorier’s long career in education, as he became a role model for leadership and service without expectation of reward. 
 
The goal of William E. Dimorier: Servant-Leader  is to share with a general audience how a person from humble beginnings can lead a life of service, largely unrecognized, yet ultimately have an influence that stretches around the globe and across centuries. 
 
Dimorier can accurately be called a servant leader; a concept introduced by the late Robert K. Greenleaf, a retired AT&T executive: 

The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then, conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is a leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions… 

RELATED POSTS:

The Mystery of William E. Dimorier 5/3/2013 

Pilgrimage to Poet’s Hometown Yields Some Answers 8/1/2013

Why Aren’t We Memorizing Poems Anymore? 11/27/2013 

Dimorier Helped Campaign for Attendance 1/23/2014 

Dimorier’s Devotion 3/5/2014

Ukraine Situation Similar to China’s Civil War 4/21/2014

Dimorier Project: Prologue 6/6/2014 

1916 Love Letter for Erie, Pennsylvania 8/25/2014 

90th Anniversary of Stadium Dedication 9/21/2014

A Curious Pronunciation of Dimorier 12/3/2014 

The Meaning of Service 6/1/2016

7 Shots of Dimorier’s Sidewalk Trail 10/24/2016

William E. Dimorier: Servant Leader 8/18/2017 

Dimorier Brought Newspapers to Erie Classrooms 12/7/2017 

Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Nomination 3/4/2019 

My Self-Publishing Journey—William E. Dimorier: Servant Leader 2/21/2022

Index–William E. Dimorier: Servant Leader 3/1/2022 

Is Ukraine Going the Way of China? 4/11/2022

Revisiting Dimorier’s Roots 11/21/2022

NOTE:

A limited number of copies of William E. Dimorier: Servant Leader were published in 2022. Those copies have largely sold out, but a few were retained by the author.

An updated index of the biography is available on this website:
William E. Dimorier: Servant Leader index

Please scroll to the bottom of the About/Contact page to purchase a copy of the biography or to obtain information on items contained in the index.