Closs and many others in the academic community were struck by the death of the 79-year-old Bowersox at his Traverse City, Mich., summer home on Monday.

Now the chairperson of the school’s Department of Supply Chain Management, Closs has worked with Bowersox for more than 40 years, authoring numerous books on supply chain management with his mentor along the way.

Bowersox was a university distinguished professor in marketing and supply chain management and a dean emeritus in that department. He also worked as acting dean in the Eli Broad College of Business, beginning in 2001, and served in that role until 2002.

He was honored with the college’s first-ever lifetime alumni achievement award in 2002.
Closs said Bowersox succumbed to a battle with throat cancer.

Bowersox had a major impact on both the academic and industrial areas of supply chain management, pioneering the academic study of a field that originally was called physical distribution. He would go on to author what is believed to be the first book on the subject, “Physical Distribution Management: Logistics Problems of the Firm,” a title that still can be purchased online.

The ex-Air Force pilot remained active at MSU up until this year, working with members of the school’s James B. Henry Center for Executive Development and occasionally teaching in the college’s master’s program.

He also mentored countless students who passed through MSU, Closs said.

“I forget how many graduates he influenced,” he said. “He trained his students to be very professional, rigorous and (to) have tremendous integrity.”

Bowersox was known as a father figure to both students and colleagues, said Bixby Cooper, an associate professor of supply chain management. Cooper knew Bowersox for about 36 years.

“He demanded a lot, but he gave a lot,” he said. “I use the term very much from the standpoint that fathers love you, but they require a lot out of you too.”

Cooper said Bowersox also was a loyal friend who expected a lot out of his friends in turn.

Ernst & Young professor of accounting and the school’s associate dean for academic affairs and research Susan Haka said Bowersox was a “great guy” who brought passion to his research.

“Don was very personable,” Haka said. “He was really good with people — he knew how to talk to folks about business issues.”

Members of Bowersox’s family were busy preparing funeral arrangements and were not available for comment Wednesday.

Visitation will be held from 2-6 p.m. Saturday at Gorsline Runcman Funeral Home, 1730 E. Grand River Ave. The family will hold a memorial service from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday at the MSU Alumni Memorial Chapel. Bowersox’s family is requesting donations be sent to the Donald J. Bowersox Endowed Chair in Logistics and Supply Chain Management Fund.