Yoji Kondo, Astronomy

Yoji Kondo, Gr’61, a retired astrophysicist and science-fiction writer who worked at University of Pennsylvania in the 1970s and ’80s, died on October 9. He was 84.

Dr. Kondo was born and raised in Hitachi, Japan. He earned a bachelor’s from Tokyo University’s School of Foreign Studies in 1958 and a doctorate in astronomy from Penn.

With a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences, he spent three years conducting research at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. In 1968, he became head of the astrophysics lab at the Johnson Space Center for the Apollo and Skylab missions. He directed the geosynchronous satellite observatory for 15 years. He served as president of the International Astronomical Union’s commissions on astronomy from space, close binary stars and variable stars. He worked as a NASA project scientist for the International Ultraviolet Explorer and for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer.

He was appointed an adjunct professor of astronomy at Penn in 1978, a position he held until 1987.

He also taught at the University of Houston, George Mason University, the Institute of Space & Astronautical Research in Japan, University of La Plata in Argentina and Catholic University of America.

Dr. Kondo wrote science fiction under the name Eric Kotani. He collaborated with author John Maddox Roberts on a popular sci-fi book series that included Island Worlds, Delta Pavonis and Legacy of Prometheus and wrote a novel for Simon & Schuster’s Stark Trek series titled Death of a Neutron Star. He helped establish the annual Robert Heinlein Award at the Balticon sci-fi convention.

He received the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, the Federal Design Achievement Award and the National Space Club’s Science Award. He also received the Isaac Asimov Memorial Award from the Lunarians, the New York Science Fiction Society in 2003.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Ursula (Tutermann); daughters, Beatrice, Cynthia and Angela; brother, Akira; and three grandchildren.

Paul Soven, Physics

Paul Soven, former professor of physics at University of Pennsylvania, died on September 17. He was 77.

Dr. Soven was born in New York City and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree from City College of New York in 1960, a master’s from University of Chicago in 1961 and a PhD from University of Chicago in 1965.

He joined Penn faculty in 1967 as assitant professor of physics. He became associate professor in 1971 and he became professor in 1976.

He was associate chair of graduate affairs from 1976-1979 and associate chair of undergraduate affairs from 1985-1989.

He was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in 1970 and a Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1974.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Margot; sons, Joshua and Andrew; daughter, Ruth; and four grandchildren.