(1930-1997)

Joan Negus was one of astrology's finest educators, both locally in the Princeton, NJ, area and on a national level. Along with her co-chair, Joanna Shannon, she gave years of dedicated service to the educational arm of the National Council for Geocosmic Research.

In the Fall, 1997, issue of the NCGR Journal, Rob Hand writes:

"On the morning of Sept. 20, 1997, at about 9:15 AM in Princeton, NJ, Joan Negus died of cancer after an illness of several months. In her passing we have lost a beloved friend and one of the most extraordinary people in the astrological community.

"Joan was a member of the board of the National Council for Geocosmic Research since the late 1970s. She was especially known as the chairperson of the Education Committee and the chief person responsible for running and monitoring the NCGR astrological testing program that is now international in scope.

"She had practiced astrology since the early 1970s and had a large clientele. In conjunction with the Astrological Society of Princeton, which she helped to found along with well-trained astrologers. Joan was also the author of five books.

"This rather dry recital of facts, however, does not fully convey who Joan truly was, either to those of us who knew her as a friend, or to astrology. She was a not only a teacher of astrology to a large number of devoted students, but she was also a teacher of what life is about to her many students and friends.

"With her husband Ken Negus, Joan was the core of an astrological energy center at their home in Princeton that was quite unlike anything else in the astrological community that I have experienced. There were classes, lectures, workshops and, perhaps even more important, gatherings of astrological minds and spirits sharing ideas and friendship.

"In addition to the rich environment that she created in which all of this could happen, Joan was someone with whom one could share the deepest and most intimate aspects of one's life; someone to whom anyone could turn for counsel, not just astrologically but personally. She always had time for anyone who had need.

"Joan Negus has contributed to us all in so many ways: teacher, author, lecturer, mentor, friend; and to her family, wife, mother, and grandmother. She was an important part of the social glue that holds our community together. She will be missed. Joan is survived by her husband Kenneth Negus, sons Chris and Jon, her daughter Niki, and six grandchildren."

Rob Hand, NCGR Journal, Fall, 1977

BIRTH DATA: Rob Hand's tribute in The NCGR Journal special issue for Fall, 1997, gives the following information from Joan's husband, Ken. Joan Negus was born on July 30, 1930, at 6:04 AM EDT at Trenton, NJ.

Joan won several awards for her years of devoted service to our field. She was honored with the prestigious Regulus Award for Education at the 1995 United Astrology Congress. Joan and Ken together won the Matrix Pioneer Award for their leadership in setting high professional standards in the field of astrology.

Kepler College is establishing a fund in Joan's honor. If you wish to contribute, click on the image below, but specify that the donation is in her name.

JOAN'S BOOKS AND TAPES AND WHERE TO FIND THEM:

See our source list. NCGR would have many of Joan's tapes, especially from the various educational conferences she coordinated. Joan was as clear and informative a teacher in print as in her classes and lectures. Several of her books, all published by ACS, are still available in stores and on-line. They are:

The Book of Uranus

Astro-Alchemy: Making the Most of Your Transits

Interpreting Composite and Relationship Charts

Basic Astrology: A Workbook for Students

Tributes to Joan
Ken Negus' Poetic Tribute to Joan
Memorials L-Z, Continued
To Memorials A-K

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? This memorial to Joan is interactive, and we welcome your memories and tributes, which we will add to the page. To share memories, create tributes, or volunteer, send us an e-mail.

CREDITS: Joan's photo was supplied by Ken Negus. This background was found at Library Graphics. The animated schoolbus and clip art came from a collection of education graphics by Hoxie High. The book cover is courtesy of AstroAmerica. This page was created by Donna Cunningham.