Isenberg School professor emeritus of accounting and former undergraduate dean Nelson Pion, 70, died on June 15 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Nelson joined the Isenberg School in 1964, serving as an instructor of Accounting until 1966, when he was appointed assistant to the dean. The following year, he was named assistant dean and director of the Undergraduate Counseling Center. In 1985, he was appointed associate dean for Undergraduate Academic Matters. For many years, he coordinated VITA, a volunteer tax assistance program though which School of Management students helped low-income and handicapped persons complete their income tax returns. He retired in 1997 and was named professor emeritus of accounting.
Born in Central Falls, Rhode Island, Nelson served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War before enrolling at St. Francis College in Loretto, Pa., where he earned a B.S. degree. He earned a master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1965 and an Ed.D. degree from UMass Amherst in 1983.
Nelson leaves his wife, Shirley R. (Hertzog) Pion; three sons, Daniel G., Douglas N., and Chris D.; and two daughters, Mary Ann Libardi, and Aimee Jo Pion.
