Kenneth Fox

Kenneth Fox was born in Highland Park , Michigan, in 1935, the youngest child of Abraham and Jennie Fox. He was an active athlete in his youth, and played on the varsity tennis team at Wayne State University in Detroit where he earned his B.S., with high distinction, in Physics and Mathematics in 1957 while also working full-time to help support his family. Ken then continued his education at the University of Michigan, where he earned a M.S. in Physics in 1958 and then a Ph.D. in Physics in 1962. He then entered academia, serving as a professor at Vanderbilt University in 1964 and then in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville between 1965 and 1985, and then again from 1988 to 1997. While on the faculty at Tennessee Ken also served as a consultant for the Oak Ridge (TN) National Laboratory and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA), as a visiting staff member at Los Alamos (NM) National Laboratory, as a senior research associate at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., and as a visiting researcher at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. As an outstanding professor of physics, Ken was invited to submit nominations for the Nobel Prize in Physics. While teaching at Tennessee Ken also studied at the University of Tennessee College of Law, earning his J.D. in 1982, was subsequently admitted to the bar in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Tennessee, and practiced law intermittently throughout his life. Much of his science-related research and policy work is collected in the Kenneth Fox Papers collection at the University of Tennessee Libraries. While in Knoxville Ken met his wife, Christina Sabin, when both were part of a local folk dancing troupe, and their romance bloomed over shared interests in music, dance, and statistical analysis for Christy's master's degree in audiology. The two moved to Bowie, MD in July, 1983 when Ken took a position as a discipline specialist for NASA. Living in Bowie, Ken and Christy had three children: Abram Jacob, born in 1983; Rachel Elizabeth, born in 1985, and Matthew Tyler, born in 1987. The family put down roots in Bowie, where Ken was an active member of the Greater Bowie Democratic Club, Bowie Community TV, and Youth Leadership Bowie. Ken returned to the faculty of the University of Tennessee in 1988, maintaining his home in Bowie while flying to Knoxville for three days in the middle of the week to teach. He left UT in 1997 to spend more time with his family and took a teaching position at Anne Arundel Community College. He then began hosting two award-winning television shows on Bowie Community Television, "Science, Science" (Best New Host and Best New Series, 2000) and "Science Links" (Best New Series, 2001). He left AACC in 2003 to focus on his television shows, politics, and his family. In recent years Ken slowly transitioned into retirement, ceasing to broadcast "Science, Science" and "Science Links" only to be appointed to the Prince George's County Board of Election in 2007, and then to a second term in 2011. He was an avid sports fan and became an active bridge player at the Bowie Senior Center and Glenn Dale Community Center. Ken continued to pursue his interest in physics, and was working on a journal article on nuclear energy at the time of his passing. Ken was a devoted husband and father to his entire family, even at the age of 77. In May 2013 he celebrated his daughter Rachel's Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Miami (FL) with a family cruise to the Bahamas, and more recently celebrated Father's Day at one of his favorite restaurants with his entire family. He would often call his children to alert them of the latest story in the local newspaper which might appeal to their interests, and was always glad to invite family and friends over to eat pizza and watch a Capitals game. He and Christy also enjoyed babysitting their grandpuppy, Ovie. Ken's sense of humor remained strong; his specialty was puns, the more groan-inducing the better. Though none of his children inherited his love of math and physics, he nonetheless encouraged their academic pursuits and celebrated his achievements, and gladly consulted with Rachel on medical questions, Abram on art, Matt on business, and all three on sports. Ken lived an amazing and full life, and we invite you to leave your thoughts and memories and celebrate his life on this page. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation in Ken's name to the American Heart Association: http://honor.americanheart.org/goto/kenfox