The TKD Foundation, headquartered in Rolla, Missouri, has permanently funded the Richard K. Brow Chair of Glass Science endowment at Missouri S&T. Co-founded by the late Thomas E. “Ted” Day and his wife, Kimberly A. “Kim” Day, the TKD Foundation seeks to turn innovative ideas into tangible outcomes that will help mankind.

Ted Day was the owner and chief executive officer of Mo-Sci Corp., a world-leading precision glass technology company based in Rolla. He was also a member of the Missouri S&T Board of Trustees and for over two decades was a passionate ambassador for S&T’s glass science education and research programs.

“We are grateful for the perfectly timed and generous gift from the TKD Foundation,” says Missouri S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani. “Ted’s exceptional leadership and expertise in the bioactive glass industry have profoundly impacted our campus through joint research collaborations and sponsorship of numerous students in our ceramic engineering major. 

“As a member of our board of trustees, Ted’s contributions significantly influenced Missouri S&T’s master plan and the expansion of our research into biomedical material and engineering.” 

A field both ancient and high-tech, glass science provides S&T’s ceramic engineering faculty and talented students with abundant opportunities for research, innovation and technology transfer into the specialty materials industries. Ted’s final wish was to ensure that S&T will always retain a glass science expert who will continue the university’s collaboration with Mo-Sci and other industry partners, notes Kim Day, president of the TKD Foundation.

“Ted’s dedication to philanthropy and his vision for the TKD Foundation endowment at Missouri S&T shines through in this agreement,” says Kim. “It’s an honor to carry out his wishes and ensure his legacy continues to make a positive impact.”

To set a standard of leadership and accomplishment for the position, Ted chose to name the chair after
Dr. Richard K. Brow, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering who was recently named executive director of operations for Missouri S&T’s Kummer Institute for Student Success, Research and Economic Development.

Brow joined Missouri S&T in 1998 as a professor of ceramic engineering and senior investigator in the Graduate Center for Materials Research. He was named chair of ceramic engineering in 2001 and was the founding chair of the materials science and engineering department.

Brow holds 20 U.S. and international patents for specialty glass products. He and his students have published over 250 peer-reviewed research papers including many joint publications with colleagues at Mo-Sci. Among many national and international recognitions, Brow is a fellow and past president of the American Ceramic Society and a fellow of the Society of Glass Technology. He presided over the 25th International Congress on Glass in 2019 and was elected to the World Academy of Ceramics in 2021.

The ongoing legacy of the Day family is one of meaningful scientific collaboration and contribution in Rolla and at Missouri S&T. The TKD Foundation provided a gift to Missouri S&T in 2020 that was matched with funds from the University of Missouri System for glass research equipment.

Before that, Ted and Kim Day established the Phelps Health Delbert Day Cancer Institute in Rolla, which was named in honor of Ted’s father, Dr. Delbert Day, Curator’s Professor emeritus of materials science and engineering at S&T.

Delbert Day played a pivotal role in developing radioactive glass microspheres, which are used internationally to treat patients with inoperable liver cancer, and in 1985 he founded Mo-Sci, where he led the development of other leading-edge bioactive glass products used in health care.

“This is a marvelous gift from the TKD Foundation to our university,” says Brow. “The endowed chair position will help ensure that Missouri S&T remains among the world’s leading institutions for glass science, education and collaboration with industry — a reputation we’ve earned because of colleagues like Ted and Delbert Day.”

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.