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Eberly College of Science...making a difference

CONTACT US:
Office of Alumni Relations and Development
Eberly College of Science
The Pennsylvania State University
430 Joab L. Thomas Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 1-800-297-1429  or
(814) 863-8454
Fax: (814) 863-5354

University Park, Pa.-Penn State alumnus Harold C. O'Connor Jr. and his wife, Nancy M. O'Connor, of State College, have given $250,000 to create a Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Penn State's Eberly College of Science.

The Eberly College will use the fellowship to recruit academically talented first-year graduate students who are pursuing doctoral degrees, according to Dean Daniel Larson.

"The O'Connor fellowship is only the second Distinguished Graduate Fellowship established in the Eberly College ," said Larson. "It is an important resource in enabling the college to continue to attract outstanding graduate students. We're very grateful to Hal and Nancy for their recognition of our goals, and for their wonderful generosity."

The Harold and Nancy O'Connor Distinguished Graduate Fellowship will be the ninth of its kind created University-wide. The Distinguished Graduate Fellowship program aims to attract the nation's most capable graduate students to Penn State by increasing the number of available fellowships through philanthropic support. When a fellowship is fully funded at its $250,000 minimum, Penn State , through the Graduate School and the fellowship's affiliate college, will match the endowment's annual spendable income in perpetuity, thus increasing the amount available to the recipient in the form of tuition aid, a stipend and health insurance.

Harold O'Connor graduated from Penn State in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in physics. He joined the State College-based Chemcut Corp. in 1958 as secretary-treasurer, became its president in 1966, and led it through public stock offerings and sale to Schering AG in 1980. He retired in 1987.

Penn State named O'Connor a Distinguished Alumnus in 1991. He has served on the boards of the Centre County Community Foundation, the Centre Community Hospital, and the United Fund-College Area among numerous other local business and volunteer organizations. He also has been a trustee of Susquehanna University for 25 years, including 11 years as chairman of the board.

Nancy O'Connor has served as an advisory board member at Penn State 's Palmer Museum of Art and a volunteer for Schlow Memorial Library and the Centre Community Hospital , among others. She is also an avid booster of Lady Lion basketball. The O'Connors' daughter, Barbara, and her husband, Robert Hawman, are both Penn State graduates.

The O'Connors are funding the fellowship through a gift of real estate, with the proceeds from the sale of a North Carolina property providing the principal of the endowment.

Previous philanthropy by the O'Connors to Penn State includes two career development professorships and a scholarship, as well as support for the Eberly College of Science Alumni Board Endowment, the Bryce Jordan Center , the Levi Lamb Fund in Athletics, and the establishment of the David C. Duncan Graduate Fellowship in Physics, in addition to other areas. The Barbara O'Connor Hawman Career Development Professorship in Music and the Harold and Nancy O'Connor Career Development Professorship in Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics are designed to support faculty in the early stages of their academic careers. The Harold and Nancy O'Connor Music Scholarship recognizes outstanding keyboard, brass, woodwind, and string players in the School of Music.