Connie Wilson, Academic Department Coordinator of 33 years for the Pomona College Department of Physics and Astronomy, died unexpectedly on Sunday. Her death came as a shock to the many students, professors, and staff members who knew her well.

Wilson had begun to complain of pain the previous Friday and left work early to go to the emergency room. The cause of death is currently unknown. She was 60 years old.

Physics faculty and students remember her for her warmth and generosity, and for her longstanding, integral role in the department.

“She was unequivocally friendly,” said Ben Pollard PO ’11, a physics major and department liaison. “She was the kind of person you couldn’t help developing a friendly relationship with.”

“Connie was hardworking, loyal, kind, and cheerful,” Physics Department Chair and Professor Bryan Penprase said. “She was really interested in people and talked to everyone.”

Tera Jones PO ’12 worked as Wilson’s student assistant and said that Wilson was an essential figure in the department.

“Having worked in the office, I know how dependent the faculty were on her,” she said. “Anything they needed, she’d do it for them.”

“The amount of work she did behind the scenes was impressive,” added physics liaison Alex Rudy PO ’11, “and she always hated to take credit for it. She’d plan entire department barbeques and then not show up.”

Penprase said that Wilson’s death highlights the “vital role” staff play on campus.

“They’re under-appreciated and taken for granted,” he said.

“She was flexible and helpful,” Jones said. “You would think there’d be a lot of work for an administrative assistant in a department that has its own telescopes, but she made time to do it all—even the little, mundane things like changing the tabs on the folders in the hallway.”

Faculty and students alike described Wilson as a caring, parental figure.

“Having that kind of motherly, female presence in a male-dominated [department] was always nice,” Jones said. “I never thought about it, but I always took it for granted. She could always look at me and tell if there was something wrong.”

Penprase said that Wilson occasionally brought her grandchildren into the office and even looked after faculty members’ children.

“She was always happy to talk to my kids or to play with them,” he said. “And depending on the age of the faculty member, she was like a mom or a grandma to us as well.”

“She lived for her grandkids,” said Kathy Sheldon, Math Department Administrative Assistant.

Sheldon said that when Wilson was not at work or with her family, she enjoyed doing crafts projects.

“She was very creative and made her own greeting cards,” she said. “She was also a jazzercise nut.”

According to Sheldon, Wilson was notorious for her eccentric sneakers.

“Her most famous were hightops with flames,” she remembered.

“Connie had a joy for life that she shared with everyone,” Penprase said. “She was always laughing and joking.”

Wilson’s friends and coworkers are planning a campus-wide memorial service, the time and date of which are still being decided.

A smaller initial gathering was held on Monday in Wilson’s office.

“It was really beautiful to see all the different types of people who came,” Pollard said. “There were staff members, professors, emeritus professors, and students from all over the college.”

“Connie had friends in every corner of campus,” Penprase said.

Wilson is survived by her husband, her mother, her two sons, and her grandchildren.