Janet Norton and Leon Der Retirement

Leon Der and Janet Norton standing together at their retirement party — From left to right: Leon Der and Janet Norton

The Georgetown Physics Department recently bid a bittersweet farewell to our long-time colleagues Janet Norton and Leon Der, both of whom retired at the end of June. Janet, who joined the department in 1998, was not just the familiar smiling face to everyone coming to Reiss 5, but also the one who took care of a lot of the behind-the-scenes administrative work of the department, and was the go-to person for everything from textbook orders to hiring students to getting pizza for department events. Leon, a master machinist, tinkerer, and problem solver, was an indispensable part of the research and teaching mission of the department and the greater Georgetown community since 2001, for which he was recognized by the 2017 President’s Excellence Awards for Staff and AAP Members. Both were not just colleagues, but good friends to many of us in the department. We will miss them dearly, but we wish them the best in their retirement, and hope they stay in touch with their Georgetown Physics family!