Ohio University to Create Endowed Chair in Contemporary History
Contact: Doug McCullough, assistant dean for development, College of Arts and
Sciences, (740) 597-2145
Editors: A photo of Patricia Connor Study suitable for newspaper reproduction may be
downloaded from the Web at www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/STUDY_PATRICIA_CONNOR.JPG
ATHENS, Ohio (June 1, 2000) -- Ohio University will create an endowed chair in contemporary U.S.
history with a gift of $1 million from alumna Patricia Connor Study. Known as the
Connor-Study Chair in Contemporary History, the position will be one of the first of its
kind in the nation.
The chair reflects Ohio University's prominence in the study of the recent past. The
university's Department of History and its affiliated Contemporary History Institute have
developed a tightly focused doctoral program that concentrates on research and
analysis of the period since World War I.
The faculty member chosen to hold the Connor-Study Chair will focus on the intellectual
history of the United States in the 20th century. The gift will provide additional financial
support for that individual's research and scholarly activity.
"This extraordinary gift and the chair created by means of it will help us to maintain and
further develop the quality our history program has achieved during the past decade,"
said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Leslie A. Flemming. "Because this chair will
solidify our unique programmatic strengths and raise the visibility of our program, Pat's
generosity will have a positive impact on not only the Department of History and the
College of Arts and Sciences, but the entire university."
Connor Study, a resident of Chicago, is a 1948 graduate of Ohio University who grew up
in Athens. Her father, Roger Connor, was a prominent businessman in Athens with the
Royal McBee Co.
"This gift recognizes my family's active role in the Athens community and the extent to
which my education at Ohio University has positively shaped my life," Connor Study
said. "In making this gift, I wanted to find a way to recognize the important role Ohio
University played in launching my career, while also honoring the Connor name and my
family's ties to Athens."
After graduating from Ohio University, Connor Study moved to Chicago and built a
successful career in real estate, specializing in the preservation and sale of historic
properties on the city's Gold Coast.
