d51 volunteer extraordinaire john mcconnell's letter to the editor

McConnell thanks Parrish for educational mentoring

I wish to make a few comments on behalf of Tom Parrish for the school board.

Without the encouragement and support Tom gave me in the 1990s there would be no Math and Science Center in Grand Junction. I met Tom in 1992 while helping a team of kids with Odyssey of the Mind at Wingate Elementary. A fifth-grade teacher was looking for help with science in her classroom.

Finding I was a retired physicist, Tom asked me if I would like to come into the school and help her. His attitude to provide every resource possible to help kids resulted in my bringing hands-on science into Wingate Elementary for the next seven years as a volunteer and starting outreach to other schools in western Colorado.

We had numerous discussions on helping kids. With his support and encouragement, I built the Sci-Tech Exploratorium in an empty classroom in 1998. Just as I have mentored others, Tom was like a mentor, nudging me on to provide science education to kids. That start prompted Audrey and me to build the John McConnell Math and Science Center in 1999. That nudge has resulted in benefits to thousands of kids from Colorado to Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

We thank Tom for enriching our lives, as well. Because of his interest in the education of our young people and his compassion for those kids, we believe he will serve the students and community well by being elected to the School Board.

JOHN and AUDREY MCCONNELL
Grand Junction