Hard work and generosity have earned an Afton college student a national honor, according to a family friend and a professor Wednesday.
William Harmon, a freshman at State University College of Technology at Morrisville, was named "Groom of the Year" last month by the Harness Tracks of America and Hanover Shoe Farm.
It recognizes a groom who maintains the health and welfare of the harness sport's horses, according to a media release from SUNY Morrisville.
Harmon, who is on the dean's list, lives on campus and is majoring in equine science, officials said.
"It's not something I ever would have expected," Harmon said.
But the prestige could be helpful in pursuing a career in driving and training standardbred horses, he said.
"It's a hard business, but if you work hard at it, you can do all right," he said.
When racing season is under way in April, Harmon is at Vernon Downs race track about every night working with horses, said one of his professors, Keith Cluff, who teaches equine science.
"He is always trying to learn and helps everyone," he said about Harmon, who started in the fall.
"I look at this kid and I see a bright future ahead of him," Cluff said.
Harmon was nominated by longtime family friend Wayne Lockwood, of Afton, a horse owner who taught at Broome Community College for about 32 years.
He said he was impressed by Harmon's generosity when he helped out a horse owner who was diagnosed with cancer last year.
Although he was at the Afton stable every day for months, "he didn't take a nickel," Lockwood said.
"When you see a good kid, they stand out," he continued. "The business needs more people like Will."
Harness Tracks executive vice president Stan Bergstein said a panel of industry officials reviewed the nominations before making a recommendation. The group is an association of harness race tracks based in Arizona, according to its website.
Bergstein said he was impressed not only by the nominating letter, but by the way Harmon's instructors talked about him.
A personal interview confirmed that impression, Bergstein said. Harmon is the youngest recipient chosen for the award since it was established in 1982, an honor that is almost always given to someone working in the industry, Bergstein said.
Although Harmon's father, Gary, has been involved with race horses for years, Harmon said he only recently thought about a career in the industry. He worked in the construction industry and as a cook after graduating from Afton High School in 2007.
