Robert Nakon, Ph.D.

Robert Steven "Bob" Nakon, AKA Robert Nakoneczny, 79, of Morgantown, West Virginia, passed away Thursday, May 18th at his home. He was born May 1, 1944 in Brooklyn, NY, a son of the late Anthony and Mary (Hershkowitz) Nakoneczny.
Bob will be greatly missed by his siblings, Nancy Boehm of Ben Lomond, CA, Richard Nakon and his wife Audrey of Naples, FL, and Donna Peterson and her husband Richard of Vernon, CT, several nieces and nephews and many dear friends from WVU and the Morgantown community.
In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by his brother-in-law, Geoffrey Boehm.
Dr. Nakon attended DePaul University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He did his post graduate work at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University, from which he received a Ph.D. in chemistry. He did his post doctoral studies at the University of Arizona and Iowa State University before coming to West Virginia University. Bob was a Professor of Chemistry at West Virginia University for 30 years, retiring and receiving the honor of Professor Emeritus from WVU. While on campus at WVU he was a long time advisor to the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and he attained the position of District Vice President of the fraternity.
Bob enjoyed many varied interests in his free time, such as boating on Cheat Lake, the fine arts, going to plays in New York City, and playing competitive bridge where he garnered many Bridge Master points. He was particularly proud of his horticultural ability, growing tomatoes and many varieties of flowers and plants in and around his home.
Bob was a sweet, compassionate person, honest with strong moral principles and a deep abiding Catholic faith. He always took care to communicate with friends and family, remembering birthdays or the important events in their lives. Many of his former students marveled at his ability to remember their names and where they were from.
Bob enjoyed his many years as an educator at WVU and inspired many of his students. A true testament of Bob's effect on his students is that many of them kept in contact with him after graduating from WVU and some became close personal friends. He was a strict but fair instructor although some students referred to him as the "evil Dr. Nakon" for his demand that you learn the material if you were in his class.