Dr. Ken Olm

Born during the depression in the mid-thirties, Dr. Ohm lived his early life on a small dirt farm in central Kansas. With no running water, no electricity, but an outhouse nearby; his life was rather barren except for an occasional dust storm, tornado, or rattlesnake and an overwhelming star-filled night sky.

The only book in the house was a German Bible translated by his Dad and read by lantern light. He walked to a one-room country school as a first grader. Within minutes of his first day, the angelic teacher, Ms. Dalton, pointed over his shoulder to what was his first recognized word. It was “wee,” from the little book, Wee Mouse. From his early education, he was passionate about reading and writing and was determined to pursue higher education. 

Dr. Ohm earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics and mathematics and a doctorate in educational administration. While completing a full 50 years as a professor of astronomy, physics, and mathematics, he wrote three memoirs and two novels. All well received, his novel, Brown Enough, earned the Kansas Notable Book award for 2019.