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Despite being a fairly small rural and suburban community for most of its history, Wilton has been home to several groundbreaking technological developments, pioneering entrepreneurs, and industrial giants. Join us for a panel discussion from local historians and first hand experts in exploring the various industries, inventions, and innovations that have come out of Wilton. From early cottage industries like horse-hair screens and carriage-making to high tech advancements, find out what makes Wilton a unique home for technology.
This panel discussion will follow the stories of three companies, the Gilbert & Bennett Manufacturing Co., the precision optics of PerkinElmer to ASML, and Cannondale Bicycle.
Joining us in discussion will be Director of the Wilton Historical Society Nick Foster, ASML Fellow Chip Mason, tech policy lecturer Bill Bonvillian, and Cannondale Director of R&D and testing Curtis Detwiler.
The talk will be held on Thursday, September 24th at the Wilton Historical Society at 6:00 pm.
The event is free for Historical Society members. For non-members, there is a $10.00 fee.
This event is co-sponsored by the Wilton Library.
About the Panelists
Chip Mason serves as an ASML Fellow and has dedicated his entire professional career to advancing semiconductor lithography technology. Since joining Perkin-Elmer’s Microlithography Division in Wilton, Connecticut, in 1981, he has contributed to the development of lithography systems for more than four decades, spanning roles at Perkin-Elmer, SVGL, and ASML. A native of Wilton, Chip graduated from Wilton High School in 1977 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University in 1981. He has been a resident of Newtown, Connecticut, since 1985. Chip and his wife have two children and one grandchild.
Curtis Detwiler serves as Director of Global R&D at Cannondale, where he leads global research, testing, and advanced technology development initiatives. Over his career, he has held numerous engineering and leadership positions focused on bicycle design, performance, durability, and innovation. Working at the convergence of engineering, manufacturing, and digital technologies, Curtis seeks out strategic opportunities that unlock innovation, accelerate product development, and bring transformative concepts to life.
Bill Bonvillian is a Lecturer at MIT and a Senior Advisor to MIT’s Initiative on New Manufacturing. From 2006 until 2017, he was Director of MIT’s Washington office, supporting MIT’s long-standing role in science policy. He teaches courses on science and technology policy at MIT and is author of five books on innovation policy, including a 2020 book on DARPA. Previously, he worked for over 15 years on innovation issues as a senior advisor in the U.S. Senate, and earlier was a Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of Transportation. He has served on two National Academy of Science Boards and nine other NAS committees and was named a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. He is a Wilton resident and Wilton High School graduate and has degrees from Columbia, Yale and Columbia Law.
Nick Foster is the Director of the Wilton Historical Society and has been in the role since 2022. He previously spent the previous 6 years as the Society’s Associate Curator and Museum Administrator. He is a Connecticut native and has an undergraduate degree in History from the College of the Holy Cross and a Master’s in Museum
Studies from Syracuse University. Before joining the Wilton Historical Society in 2016, Foster worked
with the Erie Canal Museum, the Syracuse University Art Museum, the Onondaga Historical Association
and the SUNY Upstate Medical University Archives and Special Collections. Foster also served on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut League of Museums from 2018 to 2025, including two terms as President.
