Private donations remain extremely important to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Sonoma State University. Donations are the sole support of the Department’s public programs, they fund the Horace Newkirk Student Assistantship, and they allow some equipment purchases.

This year the Department saw the establishment of two substantial endowment funds and the augmentation of a third. Charles and Norma McKinney, longtime attendees and supporters of the “What Physicists Do” series, established an endowment fund to support the series and other public programs of the Department. According to the series director, Dr. Joe Tenn, “Income from the endowment will guarantee survival of the series, and if the other donors continue their support, the endowment income will enable us to bring more speakers from beyond the Bay Area. We should see a few more such speakers next year.” A continuing source of support is the Science at Work endowment fund established by John Max several years ago.

Dr. Tenn established an endowed scholarship in memory of his parents. The Sol and Edith Tenn Scholarship will be awarded to an entering physics major and may be renewed for up to four years provided the recipient makes progress toward a degree in physics and maintains grades in the top one-fourth of physics majors. According to Dr. Tenn, “My parents arrived in this country as refugees with no money, no education, and speaking no English. Thanks to scholarships I was able to get a good education, and thanks to that education, I didn’t need the inheritance they left me. I want to commemorate them by helping other students.”

This year Nadenia Newkirk made a substantial addition to the Horace Newkirk Student Assistantship fund, which she established earlier in memory of her father. The fund provides an assistantship to an outstanding physics major each year. The winner does work which helps the department and furthers the student’s education.

Other donors to Department funds this year: