Gary O. Pierson
- Published: February 27, 2025
On February 3, 2025, Gary O. Pierson died peacefully under the care of Hospice of Dayton, with his partner of over 57 years, Mary Frost-Pierson, by his side.
Born April 24, 1947, to Orwin Richard Pierson and Margaret (Kloempken) Pierson, Gary grew up on a dairy farm near Chaska, Minnesota, where he continued to work as eldest son throughout his college years. A brilliant science student, he won a full four-year competitive scholarship to Hamline University, where he met his wife-to-be, Mary, also a winner of that same scholarship. Their romance was the talk of the college: he the usually reserved, and already published, chemistry major, she the long-haired liberal arts hippy chick. Their wedding in February 1969 was a major social event, for Mary’s father, Darrold Frost, rented a tavern, Union Hall, and saw to it that professors, fellow students and work and union colleagues joined Gary’s large farm family to celebrate and dance the night away.
Gary received a National Science Foundation Fellowship to MIT, earning his Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry in 1972. Unlike most in his chosen field, all Gary ever wanted to do was to teach undergraduate chemistry, following in the footsteps of teachers he revered. But in 1972 the economic recession made the bottom fall out of the academic job market. He was the only member of his research group to get a position that year because he moved with Mary to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, to teach at The University of Petroleum and Minerals. This choice enabled Mary to excavate and to finish her doctorate in Middle Eastern studies in the area. This willingness to step in and assist his wife’s rather chequered career was the hallmark of their partnership, for he worked hard to help her build a Yellow Springs bookstore and develop an AOL Greenhouse online area, and supported her financially so she could enjoy college teaching herself, no matter how low the pay.
At Cal State LA, Gary taught chemistry for nurses, a new subspecialty that in 1979 brought him to Central State University, which at that time furnished the college courses for the Springfield School of Nursing. He was pleased to teach at an HBCU.
Gary was a man of many talents: master baker (as the Zen group at the Dharma Center can attest), beer brewer, knitting and needlepoint craftsman and avid gardener. His large garden at the corner of U.S. 68 and Cemetery Street gave wonderful organic produce and pleasure to many for over 30 years. When he retired he took up the bass guitar, slack key guitar and the ukulele.
Gary read widely — science fiction, philosophy, biblical criticism, Twain essays and more — and did his best to play bridge three times a week, right up to the end of his long struggle with colon cancer. A humanist all his adult life, he became an even more ardent atheist as he watched the growing power of Christian Nationalism take over U.S. politics.
In addition to Mary, his wife of 55 years, Gary is survived by sisters Carol Pierson and Paulette Pierson, brother Paul Pierson, niece Kathleen Marie Kaczmarek, nephews Mark James Pierson and Max Edward Pierson and devoted bridge partners Donna Denman and Susan Freeman.
Memorial gifts to Hospice of Dayton and the Yellow Springs Senior Center would be welcome.
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