Born August 10 , 1945 in Richmond , Virginia , Cassidy attended schools in Detroit , Michigan ; Louisville , Kentucky ; and northern New Jersey . His father , trained in history and business , was a labor-relations executive at the Ford Motor Company . His mother , a survivor of the Armenian Genocide , became a librarian . He received the BA ( 1967 ) and MS ( 1970 ) degrees in physics at Rutgers University . His PhD ( 1976 ) was awarded in a unique arrangement involving Purdue University ( physics ) and the University of Wisconsin Madison ( history of science ) . He completed his dissertation on Werner Heisenberg 's route to quantum mechanics under the guidance of Daniel M. Siegel ( Wisconsin history of science ) , Norman Pearlman ( Purdue physics ) , and Vernard Foley ( Purdue history )
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
David C. Cassidy