A Legacy of Excellence in Physics Teaching Continues

Professor of Physics Harald Jensen created and shared groundbreaking physics demonstrations and teaching methods with students and faculty at Lake Forest College as well as with high school and college physics teachers across the United States and throughout the world. Jensen taught at the College from 1943 to 1973. Fifty years after he retired from teaching, Harald’s son Chris Jensen bequeathed $6.6 million to continue the physics legacy of his father, establishing the Harald C. Jensen Endowed Chair for Physics as well as the Harald C. Jensen Fund for Physics. Before his death in 2022, Chris also donated to the College many artifacts—including numerous journals with articles and letters by his father, a trove of correspondence, and an antique variable inductor.

Professor Mike Kash is the first recipient of the Harald C. Jensen Endowed Chair for Physics. A faculty member since 1988, Kash received his BA in physics and mathematics from Lake Forest College in 1977 and earned his PhD in physics from MIT. Although Jensen retired in 1973, he was still a presence on campus when Kash was a student. Kash had the honor of working alongside the retired professor to create Jensen’s signature hallway demonstrations—a tradition that continues today—and still has Jensen’s notebooks on his bookshelves in his office in the Lillard Science Center.

“This extraordinary bequest from the Jensen family to the Lake Forest College Department of Physics resulted from 15 years of communication between the Lake Forest College Office of Advancement and the Jensen family. I am honored to receive the first Harald Jensen Chair in Physics.” The Jensen Fund may also be used to recruit faculty, support summer research for students, provide outreach and workshops for local high school physics teachers, and acquire new equipment—including a new laser purchased in 2022.

“I am proud to be an alumnus and a faculty member of Lake Forest College. I have supported the institution broadly through the Annual Fund and specifically through donations to several departments. My estate plan also includes contributions to my department. Supporting a department at any level helps it flourish.”