Watts, Frampton named co-recipients of Shafer Award

Apr. 10—For the second time in its history, the Gov. Raymond P. Shafer Award for Distinguished Community Service has two recipients.

Dennis Frampton, a retired Meadville area businessman, and the late Meadville area attorney Ted Watts have been named co-recipients for 2021.

Frampton and Watts are being honored this year for each man's decades of dedication to improving the area in everything from redevelopment projects to promoting the arts.

"I was very much surprised and I'm very much humbled by this," Frampton, 72, said when he learned he would be a co-recipient. "I said 'I need some time for this to soak in.'"

Frampton is the former president of C&J Industries Inc., a Meadville plastic injection molding manufacturer and medical device manufacturer. He's a long-time trustee of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Frampton also serves on the board of the Academy Theatre, but does renovations and improvements to the building itself.

Watts, 75, passed away in October due to complications from COVID-19.

Professionally, Watts was a prominent local attorney, but he was an active leader and organizer of many civic activities.

"He did so many things and was just so committed to everything he did," Watts' son, Theodore, said of his late father.

The Shafer Award is named for former Gov. Raymond P. Shafer and recognizes an individual who has made a positive impact on the quality of life in western Crawford County through volunteer service.

To be eligible, a person must have lived or worked in western Crawford County. Recipients are chosen based on the nominee's volunteer efforts and commitment of time, accomplishments, community impact and enhancement of the lives of others. Things done as part of a nominee's paid employment are not considered.

Co-sponsored by Allegheny College and the Shafer Law Firm, the award has been presented at the Meadville Western Crawford County Chamber of Commerce dinner since 1991.

However, in 2020, no Shafer Award was presented due to the pandemic. This year's Chamber Diamond Award ceremony honoring businesses and leaders will be held virtually May 20 on the Chamber's YouTube channel.

This is the first time since 2008 there are co-recipients. In 2008, Elmore (Cootie) Harris of Meadville, a community volunteer and musician, and Richard Cook, Allegheny College's president, were honored.

Frampton, who has worked some type of job since he was in seventh grade, said he enjoys work as well as helping others. His first jobs were mowing grass and shoveling snow in his childhood neighborhood in Grove City.

"I've always like to work," he said. "My grandmother on my mother's side always talked about giving back to others."

"I was raised by my mother with an older sister and two younger sisters," he said. "We had some pretty lean times growing up."

He came to Meadville at 18, landed a job in maintenance at C&J Industries where he ended up meeting his wife, Diann, and came to call Meadville home.

Frampton earned his journeyman toolmaker certification and a promotion to C&J's estimating department. He worked his way through the ranks, retiring in October 2016 as company president. When he retired, Frampton and his family members created an employee stock ownership plan — making C&J Industries a 100 percent employee-owned firm.

Along the way, he earned a bachelor's degree from Edinboro University — working full-time during the day and taking classes in the evening. Frampton's commitment to Edinboro extended to being a member and chairman of Edinboro University Foundation, helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarships. He is a member and past chairman of Edinboro University Council of Trustees.

He's been a member of the Meadville Redevelopment Authority for 20 years, serving as chairman and on its loan committee. He's a past chairman of the Precision Manufacturing Institute and past president of the Meadville-Western Crawford County Chamber of Commerce.

Frampton established the Alfonso Fugagli Art Center at the Chamber and has been a board member of the Academy Theatre since 2018, as well as a full-time volunteer.

"It's just one of the finest places to live," Frampton says why he's committed to Meadville and the surrounding area.

Watts, too, came to make Meadville his home after being born Pittsburgh. He earned his law degree from Duquesne University and after serving from 1971 through 1978 as a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps came to Meadville.

Watts relocated to Meadville based on a recommendation from his lifelong friend and fellow attorney, Don Lewis, according to Watts' son.

Watts embraced every opportunity he could to become involved and support his new community. He recognized what made Meadville and Crawford County special and committed himself to preserving and enhancing the area, Theodore said.

Watts is known by many for his chairmanship of the Thurston Classic hot air balloon event. Watts' passion for ballooning led him to become a pilot himself. He served as a safety officer and in other official capacities for local, national and international ballooning events.

Watts also was co-chair of the Academy Theatre Foundation, leading efforts in the 1980s to not only preserve the building, but also restore it for use as a performing arts center. He also performed in many productions at the theater, as well as Meadville Community Theatre and Meadville Medical Center Charity Follies productions.

In the 1980s, Watts organized fundraising efforts to restore and preserve the 1920s era Liberty II speedboat that was recovered by local divers in Conneaut Lake. He also reached an agreement to keep the historic boat at Conneaut Lake.

In the 1980s and 1990s, his professional work with the Meadville Redevelopment Authority to reuse the former Avtex Fibers Inc. plant in the Crawford Business Park helped shape national policies on safe reclamation of contaminated industrial sites.

Watts had a love of sports as well. A wrestler and football player in college, he became a soccer coach and a football referee as an adult. In the 1970s, Watts became devoted to running, taking part in more than 40 marathons. He also started the French Creek Roadrunners Club, plus he established and managed 10-kilometer races.

"Dad was so full of life and dedicated to his community," the younger Watts said. "If he thought that something was important, he committed himself to it and didn't look back."

Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.