Raymond McConnell

Raymond A. McConnell III, pioneering engineer of innovations in astronomy and polymer plastics applications, educator, and philanthropist dies at 79, on April 9, 2022.
McConnell was the engineer of the Casagrain chair at Mt. Palomar Observatory, the 16" Casagrain solar telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, lead the development of the CD-Rom manufacturing process, and was a key member of the GE Plastics team that developed the original iMac enclosure for Apple.
Born in 1942 in Lincoln, Nebraska to the son of Pulitzer-Prize winner, Raymond Arnott McConnell, Jr. and Maren Dobson, the only daughter of construction magnate, Arthur Dobson, McConnell was raised in Lincoln and Los Angeles where he graduated from Glendale High School in 1960 and entered the University of Southern California that same year. Following summer jobs as a chef at both Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks - where McConnell developed a love for the environment - he began work at Cal Tech.
At Cal Tech, McConnell developed the machine that rewards apes after completing communication exercises which help biologists better understand the emotional intelligence of the species.
Following the success of this project, McConnell was asked to help design the Casagrain chair for Mt. Palomar Observatory. McConnell's work helped redefine the method by which both scientists and instruments could be located and accessed in all positions of the telescope.
The chair project gained even more visibility into McConnell's work and he was asked to engineer the 16" Casagrain Telescope for the Big Bear Solar Observatory under the direction of noted solar astronomer, Hal Zirin, who went on to successfully make BBSO the most prolific solar observatory in the world.
McConnell then moved to Burlington, Vermont where he began his long, professional career with General Electric while getting his Master's Degree in Fluid Dynamics from the University of Vermont. After stints with GE in Vermont and South Carolina, McConnell landed in Mt. Vernon, Indiana as a Senior Engineer with GE Plastics where he co-developed the clean room manufacturing process along with Sony engineers for the first CD-ROM(s).
The success of the GE/Sony collaboration was followed by McConnell and his team being tapped by Apple to develop the original iMac enclosure. Working with Apple's design team, the GE engineers not only created new molding methods but also developed custom polymers which launched Apple's colorful new era of design.
McConnell's out of office activities included being a scoutmaster, a professor of physics for 8 years at the University of Southern Indiana, a board member of several organizations, and many philanthropic endeavors including several important civic projects for his hometown of New Harmony, Indiana where he had lived since 2000. McConnell volunteered on many committees in New Harmony and also at Deaconess Hospital following his retirement from Apex Engineering.
McConnell loved history, travel, his friends, his children, his grandchildren and most of all, his best friend, partner, and wife, Barbara J. McConnell. Barbara, an interior designer with a flair for the decorative arts, was his muse, critic, confidant, and North Star. She is often credited as the one behind the scenes that kept McConnell excited about what was next - the next project, the next chapter, the next trip.
McConnell is survived by Barbara Jean after 56 years of marriage along with their two children, Amy Elizabeth Nedley and Raymond Arnott McConnell, IV, their spouses, Michael Nedley and Sharmila Chaudhuri, and six grandchildren, Raymond McConnell, V, Christopher McConnell, James Nedley, William Nedley, Elizabeth Nedley, and Roman McConnell. He is also survived by his two sisters, Judith McConnell and Christine Chaille who remained very close with "Mickey," as they called him, until the very end.
Mickey was loved and admired by everyone he met and his impact on the world was felt globally though he lived quietly and humbly in a town of 800 people on the banks of the Wabash River with his closest friends and family. When asked how he was, no matter what the circumstances were, no matter how tough things were, he always replied, "excellent!" He understood the value of every moment and lived life with appreciation and love for everyone. His was an excellent life.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 5:00 pm at The Roofless Church, 420 North St., New Harmony, IN. The family will receive friends from 4:00 pm until 5:00 pm service time at The Roofless Church.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Harmonie Associates, P.O. Box 114, New Harmony, IN 47631 to renovate Playtopia; the New Harmony playground which McConnell spearheaded.