Pence family.

Merry Lewis Pence was born in Davies County, Kentucky on August 8, 1854. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1881 and earned his Master's degree in 1885. After studying at a number of universities and holding a series of teaching positions, Pence became a Professor of Civil Engineering at UK in 1889. He stayed in the department for five years, including two years as the department head. In 1894, Pence organized the Department of Physics and served as the department head for its first twenty years.

The discovery of x-Rays in 1895 led Pence to begin work to apply this new radiation to medicine and other fields. He made X-Rays of horse's legs, people's hands and feet, and attempted treatment of tumors in friends who came by. At first, he built his own X-Ray tubes and power supplies. He later acquired portable X-Ray machines which he carried on horseback. Pence also worked on what he called a "Theory of the Earth's Magnetism." He proposed in his writings of 1901 that the earth's magnetism was due to currents circulating inside the earth and was not due to permanent magnets.

Pence served as Professor Emeritus of Physics from 1929-1938. Pence Hall on UK's campus is named for Merry Lewis Pence. Pence married Belle Kelly in 1882; they had eight children. Merry Lewis Pence died on September 14, 1938.