James Vincent Connor, aged 91, of Grafton, New Hampshire, passed away on February 17, 2023. Jim was born on October 24, 1931 into a large, extended Irish Catholic family in Wilmington, Delaware. His grandfather, the patriarch of the family, immigrated from Ireland, and became a successful proprietor of an Irish bar down the street from the family home. Jim’s parents, siblings (Joan, Janet, Jerome and Marie), uncles and aunts all lived close by, sometimes under the same roof. Jim told many a yarn about his mischievous and happy childhood, during which the Catholic Church played a central role.

When Jim was about 10 years old, he contracted polio, which atrophied his right shoulder muscles, and weakened the muscles of his legs. Despite these handicaps, he loved participating in athletics, especially swimming and basketball. With only one set of deltoids, he even competed in swimming at the state level.

Jim attended St. Francis de Sales Catholic school until graduating from high school. Then he made the momentous decision to become an ordained Oblate priest of the order St. Francis de Sales. His desire was to work as a missionary to help the poor in the developing world, but he was asked to follow a different path. He earned his degree from Catholic University, and became a teacher of physics and chemistry at Allentown College, a private Catholic college in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. Well-liked by the undergraduates, Jim became Dean of Students. To improve instruction at the college, Jim was sent for further education in chemistry and physics at several universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Columbia.

While working for a Ph.D. in Science Education at Columbia in the 1970s, Jim made the difficult decision to leave the priesthood. He became a professor of Science Education at New York University, where many of his graduate students and staff considered him to be a good friend and a mentor. While at NYU, Jim was finally able to pursue his original dream of helping people in the developing world. He started a successful master’s degree program for Puerto Rican students, and then founded the OUTREACH Network, which was supported by the United Nations Environment Programme and several international NGOs. The mission of OUTREACH was to provide environmental and health education to youth in low-income countries.

Jim had a talent for organizing the production and distribution of educational materials for youth in the developing world. His innovative approach involved raising funds and finding local talent to produce children’s magazines on various environmental and health topics. These were distributed to schools free of charge. The success of magazines in East Africa spurred the development of other environmental and health magazines and projects around the world. As one of his colleagues wrote, “I remember fondly those days in the ‘80s when we became friends. His patient and supportive nature, and his endless array of puns, kept us in good spirits when we struggled to keep environmental education alive in its many forms and venues.”

Jim and Sharon met rather late in life. In 1988 they married and later had two sons, Thomas and Ryan. As an editor and writer, Sharon became involved with the Outreach project. The family traveled to many countries, where Jim worked on environmental and health education projects. Jim was a loving father, who participated fully in the raising of his two sons. He was their number one cheerleader during countless soccer games, track and field meets, and tennis matches. He encouraged them to strive hard, and was proud of whatever path they followed.

As he aged, Jim became more physically handicapped, but he never lost his sense of humor, bonhomie, and deep concern for the state of the world. Even during his last weeks in the hospital, he charmed all the doctors and nurses with his sharp wit. After his death, many of them said what an honor it was to meet him. As one friend put it, “Soar, Jim, soar. And Thank You.” Survivors include: wife Sharon Kahkonen, son and daughter-in-law Thomas Connor and Erin Tracy, son Ryan Connor, sister-in-law Patricia Connor, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Shirley and Robert Barton, and bother-in-law Carl Kahkonen, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He will be deeply missed.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Elizabeth’s Church, 809 South Broom Street, Wilmington, DE, on March 18 beginning at 10:15 AM, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers and gifts, please consider donating to Doctors Without Borders. 

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