Ronald Irvin Perkins

1941 - 2025

Ronald Irvin Perkins

Franconia, NH - Ronald Irvin Perkins, 83, passed away peacefully on January 25, 2025 at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care in Lebanon, NH. Ron lived "North of the Notch," in Franconia, NH, near the base of Cannon Mountain. Ron's home was situated near the spot where he and his wife of 60 years, Karen Louise Perkins, decided to marry.

Ron was born in Lebanon, NH on April 26, 1941. Ron's parents were the late Garth Armstrong Perkins and Mildred (Boutwell) Perkins. Raised in Concord, NH, Ron had special memories of time spent with his maternal grandparents, who owned the historic Molly Stark House in nearby Dunbarton, NH. Ron graduated from Concord High School in 1959 and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in 1963 with a Chemistry degree. He later received a master's degree in Chemistry, also from UNH, and completed additional graduate work at Cornell and Clark universities.

Ron became a titan in science education and was considered one of the finest educators in the country. His teaching career began in 1963 at LinWood HS in Lincoln, NH, where he taught Chemistry and Physics. Ron thought this would be a temporary job while waiting for Karen to graduate from Plymouth State College, but he soon learned that he had a passion for teaching. Ron spent 33 years as a Chemistry teacher, including the last 25 years of his career at Greenwich HS in CT. At Greenwich HS, Ron taught Advanced Placement Chemistry and he was proud to increase the presence of women in the sciences; one of Ron's students became the first woman to win the American Chemical Society's (ACS) US National Chemistry Olympiad.

In 1983, Ron became the first Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Science Teaching from the State of Connecticut and met President Reagan. Ron was also recognized during his teaching career with the ACS James Bryant Conant Award for High School Chemistry Teaching and the 1991 Chemistry Manufacturing Association's Catalyst award. In 2012, Ron received the ACS Helen Free Award. Ron established a strong network with other educators, such as Dr. Bassam Shakhashiri at the University of Wisconsin and Dr. Babu George at Sacred Heart University, both of whom he thought of as family. Throughout his teaching career, Ron presented more than 800 teacher workshops in the US and abroad, with his last workshop at his grandson's school in 2016.

In 1994, Ron founded Educational Innovations (EI), Inc., which he grew into one of the top ten out of 500 US science supply companies. He worked tirelessly to find unique, scientifically rigorous, and fun products to add to EI's catalog and he loved every minute of it. Ron was passionate about making an annual pilgrimage to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show to source unique products and reconnect with the vendors. Ron recently reminisced about taking a weekend to tie-dye 100 white lab coats in his backyard and managing an order of 3,000 wooden car kits, knowing his rate of building 100 per month would need to increase rapidly. He loved the thought of students learning from "Super, Wow, Neat" EI science products in thousands of classrooms, worldwide. Until 2010, Ron remained CEO and President of EI.

During retirement, Ron and Karen spent many years in Naples, FL, where Ron was an unofficial mayor of the Villages of Monterey community, including creating an underground newsletter that provided levity for his neighbors and some accountability for the community board. While in Naples, Ron was an extremely active wildlife photographer, on many occasions traveling into the heart of the Everglades. He also took several photography trips to Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Minnesota (black bears) and traveled with Karen to Costa Rica, where they brought home a stray puppy they named Cassie, who was loved dearly.

Ron had an immense respect and appreciation for the White Mountains. As a teenager, he was one of the first 100 hikers to complete all of NH's 4000 footers. Notably, Ron established the LinWood HS outing club when he learned that many of his students had no experience hiking the nearby mountains. He passed on his love of the White Mountains to his family and friends. In recent years, he stayed connected to the mountains by transporting hikers to and from the NH trailheads and taking visitors on the tram to the top of Cannon Mountain.

Ron is survived by his two daughters, Kerry (Anthony) Fernandez and Kristin (Tom) Bride; three grandsons, Pierce and Ryan Fernandez and Jack Bride; and brother, Michael (Brenda) Perkins. Ron was predeceased by his loving wife, Karen (2023) and one grandson, Carson Bride (2020).

Ron was a strong supporter of the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA), which was cofounded by Dr. Anna Cederstav, a Ph.D. chemist and one of Ron's former HS students. For over a decade, Ron's spectacular photos adorned an annual calendar that he and Karen shared with family and friends with the hope to raise funds for AIDA. Ron's generous spirit and sense of humanity will always be remembered by his loving family and countless others he inspired through the years.