We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Donald Bowersox dies at 79
newsworthy

Donald Bowersox dies at 79

July 7, 2011
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

If one believed in fate, Donald J. Bowersox's career at Michigan State University (MSU) might be cited as an example of its power. In a 2007 interview with James Stock, a professor at Florida State University, Bowersox talked about how he might easily have gone off to Stanford for a master's degree, or to Indiana for his Ph.D., or even to private industry for one of several enticing jobs.

Instead, the graduate of a Lansing, Mich., high school received his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from MSU, and then—outside of short stints in industry—spent the next four decades at the school as a teacher, researcher, and writer. It was there, beginning with a doctoral thesis that eventually became a seminal text in logistics, that Bowersox grew into one of the intellectual giants of what we now call supply chain management.

Bowersox, an eminent supply chain academic and the last living founder of the National Council of Physical Distribution Management (NCPDM), the forerunner of what would become the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, died July 4 at his summer home in Traverse City, Mich. He was 79.

Bowersox was being treated for a recurrence of cancer and had begun a regimen of chemotherapy, according to David J. Closs, chair of the department of supply chain management at the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University, where Bowersox taught for 40 years. Closs said Bowersox's system reacted negatively to the treatment.

Over his career, Bowersox established himself as one of the leading thinkers in distribution and transportation management. He wrote the first college textbook on physical distribution management, the first of some 17 books he authored or co-authored. He also wrote more than 250 journal articles (including a 2007 piece titled "SCM: The Past is Prologue" that introduced our sister publication CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly.)

He was also a regular speaker at CSCMP's annual conference and other meetings. George Gecowets, the retired president of CSCMP (at that time known as the Council of Logistics Management), recalls that he always scheduled Bowersox's sessions for large meeting rooms, as they were always among the most popular at the annual meetings.

At his retirement from MSU in 2006, Bowersox was awarded the title of University Professor and Dean Emeritus at MSU. His decades of experience included management stints at Nabisco Brands, Ryder System, Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad, Tri Valley Growers, and American National Can, among others. He also worked at several consulting firms, including Mercer Management Consulting and Norbridge Inc. He also worked at Awake! Consulting, a firm that helps supply chains cope with the impact of oil price volatility. Bowersox served as a senior turnaround consultant and executive coach at Awake! In addition, he served as a pilot and radar specialist in the Air Force in the years after the Korean War.

Bowersox was elected NCPDM's second president in 1964 and was the recipient of the organization's second "Distinguished Service Award" in 1966. The executive committee changed the organization's name from NCPDM to the Council of Logistics Management in 1985, and then to its present name of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in 2005.

Bowersox remained active in the field after his retirement. In 2008, he co-authored a book on supply chain management, Start Pulling Your Chain, with former Limited Brands Executive Nick LaHowchic. At last fall's CSCMP annual conference, he joined his sons in a presentation titled "Supply Chain the Discipline: Past, Present, and Future."

A memorial service is scheduled for July 10 at the Michigan State Chapel from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Editor's Note: This article is an updated version (posted July 8) of the original article, which appeared on July 7. It contains more information about Bowersox's influential life.

Supply Chain Services Business Management & Finance
  • Related Articles

    AGiLE co-founder Jim Indelicato dies at 67

    Sen. Frank Lautenberg dies at 89; safety advocate was often at odds with shippers, carriers

    Logistics executive Richard Murphy dies at 67

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

Freightos completes plan to go public on NASDAQ exchange, raises $80 million

Retailers lose visibility as they outsource last-mile delivery, FarEye says

Warehouse robots drive change in automotive plant

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Survey: top supply chain risk of 2023 is semiconductor shortage

  • Big and bulky last-mile delivery segment set for hot growth

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

  • In Person: Steve Beverly of Penske

Now Playing on DCV-TV

89cfed30 8aac 4284 960d c8c8c1886e16

Have you checked your read rate lately?

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
No reads. Unaccounted for boxes. Boxes sent to the wrong place. A logistics nightmare! But this nightmare doesn’t have to come true. SICK’s linear line scan camera is what dreams are made of for your logistics operations. And if you’re worried about motion and vibration from conveyor belts...well, there’s no reason...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing