A Lasting Gift for Future Physicists

Joan Langley ’72 didn’t think it would be so easy, but setting up an endowment at UMass Amherst to honor her husband turned out to be, well, almost natural. “I was thinking about it one day and happened to bring it up with a neighbor who worked at UMass Amherst,” says Joan. “She put me in touch with development, and then it just became a joy to figure it out.”

Joan’s husband, UMass Physics Professor Kenneth Langley, passed away in 2019. He began his 36-year career at UMass Amherst in 1966 when he moved to Amherst with Joan and their daughter, Christine.

“At that time, Ken said, ‘Oh, we’ll likely only be here 10 years,’” says Joan. “And look, it’s been over 50!”

To honor Ken’s love of teaching and his dedication to laboratory research, Joan has created the Professor Kenneth Langley and Joan Langley Research Endowment for Future Physicists.

Starting this summer, and continuing every summer after that, the endowment will fund one or more undergraduate students conducting research in a physics lab on campus.

“What’s great about the endowment is that it’s not only about grades,” says Joan. “It’s about potential.” Ken first studied physics at MIT, where he graduated in 1958. He then received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1966. In the late 1970s, Ken and fellow UMass Physics Professor Norman Ford cofounded Langley Ford Instruments, one of Amherst’s earliest high-tech start-up companies.

“Our children and I wanted this endowment to support laboratory research,” says Joan. “That’s because Ken loved teaching in the lab.”

Joan, too, was a teacher. After receiving her master’s degree in education at UMass Amherst, she taught at Mark’s Meadow Elementary School in Amherst. After retiring, she was a tour guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum for many years.

As far as encouraging others who are looking for ways to support UMass Amherst, Joan smiles and remarks, “Just do it! We are beyond thrilled to be a part of this. It feels good in so many ways to know you are helping future generations of physicists doing something they love, just as Ken loved it.”

Is there someone who has made an impact on your life? Like Joan, you can use your giving to honor them. Contact Joseph K. Jayne ’21MPP at 413-577-1418 or giftplanning@uma-foundation.org to learn more.