Eugene Meltsner

Eugene Meltsner is the resident genius of Odyssey, a young man so bright he entered Campbell County's college at fourteen. He works at Whit's End, the ice cream shop and discovery emporium, where he tends the counter, repairs the machines, and helps run inventions like the Imagination Station. His enormous vocabulary is famous around town; he rarely uses a short word where a long one will do. Orphaned at seven, he regards his employer John Avery Whittaker as a father figure. He spends much of his time sparring with coworker Connie Kendall, trading barbs and needling her at every opportunity, though the two are devoted friends underneath. He also loves Katrina Shanks, plays the ukulele, and counts the handyman Bernard Walton as kin.