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November 15, 1999
A geochron world time indicator has been installed on the first floor of the library. A donation to the University from Paul Scipione of Marketing and his family, the new geochron not only provides the time anywhere in the world, it also displays the international dateline, the distribution of sunlight at any given moment and the seasons throughout the world.
"I can't think of another device that can indicate many more things than a geochron,s" Scipione said.
An avid ham radio operator who has had his own geochron in his home for more than a decade, Scipione said he thought the device would be the perfect gift for the globally minded University. "Montclair State is so committed to global education," Scipione said. "Looking at a geochron really gives you a global consciousness."
Scipione purchased the geochron from a company in Redwood, Calif. that is run by the son of James Kilburg, who invented this unique instrument in 1963 after moving to America from Luxembourg. He also is credited with inventing the car cigarette lighter, the first automatic dialing telephone and an automated maraschino cherry pitter.
Scipione said geochrons can be found in many U.S. embassies, corporate headquarters, CIA bureaus and even on the big screen in most Tom Clancy movies. And now Montclair State has one.
Scipione is pleased the geochron has been installed in the library where many students, faculty and staff can admire and learn from it. "I wanted it to be in a highly visible place," he said. "This is going to stop people in their tracks."