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It’s probably an exaggeration to say that Henry (Hank) Bonnell ’82 has Stevens baked right into his DNA. In our estimation, the truth is even more interesting.
Bonnell has New Jersey roots that run to Colonial America. “My family assembled one of the first militias in the colonies, and my ancestors were involved in discussions about the Militia Act in New Jersey, which passed on July 3, 1775,” he says.
His Stevens roots are nearly as deep. Bonnell is a third generation Stevens graduate, following his grandfather, Clement Bonnell Jr. (Class of 1919) and father, Clement Bonnell, III (Class of 1953) to Castle Point. His grandfather’s graduating class included renowned mobile artist, Alexander (Sandy) Calder. “My grandfather would tell me about how Calder would comb the campus and the Stevens castle for wire hangers and then arrange them into unusual shapes,” Bonnell tells us. “They had a nickname for him – Sandy the wire-bender!”
Bonnell’s fascination with his grandfather’s tales of Stevens and Calder has stayed with him. “Whenever I travel,” he says, “I try to find Calder’s work. I’ve seen his pieces in Paris, London and Geneva.”
After attending numerous alumni events with his father and grandfather, Bonnell wasn’t so sure he wanted to spend his college years at Castle Point, but he decided that Stevens was the right place to pursue his interest in engineering. “It was one of the best decisions I ever made,” he notes. Although he majored in mechanical engineering, Stevens provided him with a broad-based engineering education.
“I’ve worked with engineers from other schools,” he says. “They have a niche-view of engineering. At Stevens I was able to venture into all types of engineering. I got used to learning new things, and I developed my ability to think through problems. That’s a valuable takeaway, and it stays with you for the rest of your life.”
Bonnell began his career making BandAids at Johnson & Johnson. After that, his experience in supply chain management and logistics reads like a laundry list of top corporations – L’Oreal, Marshalls, KB Toys, CVS, Thom McAn, Safeway, American Greetings, 3M, Wyeth, Abbott Labs, Schering-Plough. For furniture manufacturer This End Up, he helped to build the first shopping mall-based furniture store in the country.
When AOL launched in the 1990s, Bonnell sensed a whole new world of opportunities for retail. With an initial slate of investors that included Melinda Gates, Paul Allen, Jeff Bezos and Martha Stewart, Bonnell helped launch Drugstore.com. Not long after, he worked with Babystyle.com to create a fully automated direct-to-consumer distribution system.
These days, Bonnell is occupied with renovating a historic tavern in Clinton, New Jersey. The property, which includes a 6,500 square foot building on 1.8 acres of land, has been passed down through his family since the 18th century. “I’m putting my engineering education to work in new ways right now,” he says with a laugh.
As Bonnell recalls the days he spent overlooking the Hudson River while studying, he also remembers the hard work he put into his Stevens degree. “I was fortunate to have a mentor in Richard Widdicombe,” he says, referring to the beloved director of the S.C. Williams Library from 1966 to 2007. “I highly recommend finding a mentor,” he adds. “It is important to have someone with life experience who can help you see the broader picture.”
Bonnell’s undergraduate years were not all work and no play. He was president of the Ski Club and served as captain of the Ski Race Team. “It was a lot of fun but also helped me learn life lessons that cannot be taught in the classroom,” he says, noting that success requires good communication and interpersonal skills, as well as proficiency in your discipline. Having the proper school-life balance was extremely important to his success and a recommendation he is eager to share with Stevens students.
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