Hari N. Mirchandani, 96, of Washington Street, died at 7:05 a.m. Tuesday, June 19, 2012, at Columbus Regional Hospital.

Mr. Mirchandani was born in Hyderabad, India, on May 9, 1916, the son of Nebhraj and Gyani Mahtani Mirchandani.

He married Rukmani Bhawnani in Hyderabad, India, on May 10, 1942. She preceded him in death on February 20, 2003.

Hari earned degrees in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from Manchester University, England, and worked for 25 years in managerial positions with Bajaj Electricals in India. He immigrated to the United States in 1969 and was the first full-time faculty member to be hired by Ivy Tech when the Columbus campus was authorized in 1969.

Hari volunteered countless hours tutoring students until his retirement in 1988. In 2005 he was recognized for his contributions to Ivy Tech when he was awarded the Honorary Associate of Science in Community Service degree. Hari believed that classroom learning alone does not provide a complete education and that reaching out to others prepares students to succeed in all aspects of life. In 2006, when Hari turned 90, he endowed a fund at Ivy Tech to establish the Hari Mirchandani Community Service Award which is presented each year to a current student who exhibits love of community and selflessness to others.

Hari and his wife, Rukmani, enjoyed traveling and visited many countries all over the world.

A private service will be conducted on Thursday.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ivy Tech Foundation for the Hari Mirchandani Community Service Award Endowment.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.hathaway-myers.com.

Mr. Mirchandani is survived by two daughters, Sarla (Swadesh) Kalsi of Columbus, IN, and Primla (Ramesh) Thadani of McLean, VA.; five grandchildren, Surekha DiOrio of Columbus, IN, Sanjay (Cherri) Malkani of Carmel, IN, Sandeep (Soula) Kalsi of Charlotte, NC, Anisha (Mitesh Patel) Thadani of Arlington, VA, and Suvir (Sheetal Shah) Thadani of New York City, NY; and eight great-grandchildren, Sonia and Maya DiOrio of Columbus, IN, Niam, Aria and Rowan Malkani, all of Carmel, IN, Eleni Kalsi of Charlotte, NC, and Annika and Rayna Patel, both of Arlington, VA.

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