New foundation to back geography education at UPJ, honor late professor Bill Kory's life and work

Mar. 29—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Inspired by longtime University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown geography professor William "Bill" Kory's impact on his students and the department, Pitt-Johnstown faculty members announced the new William Kory Foundation Thursday.

The foundation will support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing studies in geography and related fields at Pitt-Johnstown through scholarships in honor of Kory, who died in April 2022 at the age of 83.

"Dr. Kory's work has had a lasting impact on so many students over his 50 years at Pitt-Johnstown," foundation President Matthew Sernell said. "As we looked at the possibilities to create something to remember that work, it became very clear that the best way to remember and honor that work was to continue his mission."

Sernell said that providing resources and guidance for students and advocating for the field of geography "ensures that the next Bill Kory out there has a chance to both learn and add to the discipline."

Kory started his career at Pitt-Johnstown in 1971 and was instrumental in establishing the geography department there — the only geography department in the entire University of Pittsburgh system.

He taught at Pitt-Johnstown until 2021, and when he retired, he was the longest-serving faculty member on campus, Pitt-Johnstown geography professor Ola Johansson said.

Kory served in the Peace Corps in the 1960s in Liberia.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, a master's degree at Case Western Reserve University and a doctoral degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

He was also an active member of the Pennsylvania Geographical Society for much of his career, and served as editor of The Pennsylvania Geographer from 1990 to 2022. Kory was honored by the society in 2021 with a lifetime achievement award.

"Dr. Kory had a tremendous impact on a lot of people," Johansson said. "Alumni who sometimes graduated decades ago came to visit him in his office. Therefore, it was important for us to honor his legacy."

Kory was also a mentor of Johansson, who described the late professor as a "larger-than-life person."

"He was my department chair when I arrived at Pitt-Johnstown as a new faculty member, and I learned a lot from him about how to be a successful teacher at a small college," Johansson said.

Sernell, an instructor at Pitt-Johnstown, described Kory's impact on his life as "incalculable," starting from their first meeting in the general education course "Earth and People" — which Sernell now teaches.

The pair established the 501(c)(3) foundation alongside Carrie Law, manager of user support for the college search website Niche.com and another of Kory's past students.

"I'm really happy to be involved in this," Law said.

It's hard to put into words the impact Kory had on so many, she said, adding that for many past students, he was the face of Pitt-Johnstown.

In honor of his life and career, they're continuing his mission to "connect interested students to resources, including scholarships, to allow them to continue their education in the fields of geography," she said.

Johansson pointed to the rising cost of education and said the foundation wants to offset that expenditure for students.

"For us, that means working to provide resources to students in the field of geography and its related fields," Sernell said. "That means advocating for the need for geography education as a lifelong pursuit. It's a lofty goal, but one that has been part of everyone who is involved with this project for a very long time."

The scholarships will be available to students who are studying geography and/or related disciplines. Graduating seniors moving on to graduate school will also be eligible.

Foundation officials have said that one of Kory's proudest accomplishments was that more than 200 of his students went to graduate school.

At this time, the foundation is focused on contacting students and colleagues who learned from Kory.

Those who wish to donate to the foundation can visit www.williamkoryfoundation.org or send a contribution to The William Kory Foundation, Rear 706 Lawrence St., Johnstown, Pa., 15904.