Gordon Guyer, former MSU president, MSU Extension director and Entomology 'ambassador,' dies

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Gordon Guyer on March 30 at age 89.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Gordon Guyer on March 30 at age 89. Guyer was a graduate of Michigan State University’s Entomology Department and along with a distinguished career as a professor, he served as Entomology chairperson prior to being director of MSU Extension. With his strong leadership skills, he quickly became the state’s “go-to guy” for leading Michigan into a better future. Along with serving as MSU’s president, he was appointed by Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard to direct the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and by Governor John Engler to lead the then Michigan Department of Agriculture.

Some of his career highlights include leading one of the first American scientific groups permitted to visit China in the mid-1970s. Guyer never tired of communicating the importance of that event to one and all. Another highlight included hiring Tom Izzo as MSU head basketball coach to follow the legendary Jud Heathcote. When Heathcote retired, some thought “new blood” needed to be hired from beyond MSU, but Guyer believed in Izzo and advocated for promoting him to the job. The rest is history and the “Izzone” came to be.

We will miss Guyer’s words of wisdom, his wit and the ever-present Gordon Guyer smile. For more on the legacy of Gordon Guyer, read MSU's "Remembering President Gordon Guyer."

Gordon Guyer History

  • 1950-54 BA, MS, PhD in Entomology from MSU
  • 1963-73 Chairperson, MSU Department of Entomology
  • 1965 Receives MSU Distinguished Faculty Award
  • 1973-85 Director of MSU Extension, and Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • 1986 Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
  • 1988-91 MSU Vice President for Governmental Affairs
  • 1992-93 President, Michigan State University
  • 1993-96 Director, Michigan Department of Agriculture
  • 1997 Establishes Gordon and Norma Guyer Endowed Internship Program
  • 2010 William Milliken Leadership for the Common Good Award
  • 2014 Dedicates the Gordon Guyer Entomology Conference Room

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