The Woodsons are a Kettering University legacy family and now, thanks to a special project by Matthew Woodson '13, they are sharing their passion for their school with others in the form of a Windows Operating System theme.

Matthew Woodson graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering and in his spare time he customized the Windows theme with the sights and sounds of campus.

“I was thinking it was cool to have something to remember the school and just thought it would be an interesting project,” Woodson said.

Some scenes from a Kettering University theme for Windows 7 and 8 created by Matthew Woodson.

Woodson posted the idea on Facebook when some friends joked that he should include sounds from the Bell Tower and professor Reg Bell. That's when the idea came alive and he began to pursue it diligently.  

Woodson documented sound bites from Bell after a lecture and specifically recorded him saying his signature line – “you are my favorite student” -  a mantra he repeats to nearly every student.

He also got a recording of the actual Bell Tower and took the pictures with Jacob Lucia, a current Electrical Engineering student at Kettering.

Woodson then edited and packaged the pictures and sounds from campus into a downloadable and applicable theme for Windows 7 and Windows 8 with a minor setback in the latter.

“It works in Windows 8 too but unfortunately you don't hear professor Bell’s voice automatically in that one,” Woodson said (Bell's voice is still an option under the system sound settings).

Woodson’s passion for photography is growing into a hobby and he describes himself as an “amateur” photographer. So far the Kettering theme only contains images from the spring but he envisions an expansion of the project to include images from all four seasons.

“I think when people open it up they will enjoy it because they will think it’s funny and will remember the school," he said. "It’s supposed to be funny but also a nice thing for alumni.”

Woodson completed his co-op at Beaumont Health System and currently works as a software engineer for FANUC America, a global supplier of industrial robots. His time at Kettering has helped him with “living his dream now” in his current full-time position at FANUC. He enjoys working in robotics and feels strongly that the Kettering faculty, community and co-op program all contributed to his personal and professional development. 

“I chose Kettering for the co-op program and there were a variety of other things but the co-op program was big,” Woodson said.  “I liked the campus, liked the class size and my mom graduated from there.”

Woodson’s mother Christine Woodson graduated from Kettering in 1987 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. His brother Paul will finish at Kettering later in 2014.