EAST LANSING, Mich. – A dedication ceremony for the newly named Gordon Guyer Park, 1065 Prescott Drive, will take place on Thursday, June 15.
A community celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. and a brief program will follow at 6 p.m. Community members and local media are invited to attend.
Speakers will include East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows, Michigan State University (MSU) President Lou Anna K. Simon and Daniel Guyer – the son of Gordon Guyer.
Gordon E. Guyer served as Michigan State University’s 18th president from 1992-1993 and was a long-time East Lansing resident. He was one of the first residents of Shaw Estates, moving into the third house in the subdivision in 1964.
After two decades with the MSU Department of Entomology, Guyer served as the director of MSU Extension, the director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, MSU vice president for Governmental Affairs and, finally, as president of the university. He authored more than 70 scientific papers while serving with the MSU Department of Entomology and, internationally, he led one of the first American scientific groups on a trip to China in the mid-1970’s and traveled to Africa, under a United Nations sponsorship, to develop education and research in plant protection in eight countries.
Although his tenure as MSU’s president was short, Guyer’s mark on the university runs deep. He made two key appointments during his term, including the appointment of Tom Izzo as the MSU men’s basketball coach and the appointment of Lou Anna K. Simon as acting provost (later to become MSU’s 20th president).
Visit http://msu-guyer.squarespace.com/bio to learn more about Guyer and his legacy in the East Lansing-MSU community.