We are pleased to announce that a new endowment has been established to support the Department of Physics & Astronomy:
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Connon Physics and Astronomy Department Fund
Dr. Thomas Connon, O.D., and his wife, Sue Ann Connon, were both students at IUSB in the 1970s. Dr. Connon worked closely with Professors Bruce Zimmerman (emeritus and still active on campus) and James Piowaty, and he was nearly done with a BA in physics when he left the university in 1978 to join the Air Force and, eventually, become an optometrist. Mrs. Connon completed her degree and is an alumna of the IUSB Dental Assistant Program.
Dr. Connon had been practicing as an optometrist in Dayton, Ohio, for decades before deciding, in 2013, that he’d still like to complete his physics BA. He coordinated with the Department to identify his remaining requirements, and it turned out that he was able to complete them at a community college in Ohio.
He graduated with a BA in Physics in 2015 and has recently retired from his career as an optometrist. He remains interested in physics, however, and the Connons established the new endowment in 2023. We are extremely grateful to the Connons for their generosity and would like to thank Moira Dyczko, Director of Alumni Relations and Campus Ceremonies, for her work in getting everything set up.
The endowment is designed for flexible use, but all in support of “equipment and programming” for the Department of Physics & Astronomy.
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