Donald Bowersox dies at 79
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
earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from
MSU and then—aside from 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 the field
we now call supply chain management. At his retirement
from MSU in 2006, Bowersox was awarded the title of
University Professor and Dean Emeritus.
Bowersox, an eminent supply chain academic and the last
living founder of the National Council of Physical
Distribution Management (NCPDM), the forerunner of
the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
(CSCMP), 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 MSU, where Bowersox taught for 40 years.
Over his career, Bowersox established himself as one of
the leading thinkers in distribution and transportation
management. He wrote the first college textbook on physi-
cal 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,
Ceva Logistics, a global supply chain management company, was recognized as computer manufacturer Lenovo’s
Global Supplier of the Year at Lenovo’s annual supplier
conference. … ADSI, a provider of multi-carrier shipping
software for the warehouse and distribution markets, was
honored with a Lifetime Platinum Status Award at the
2011 ConnectShip Technology Conference. … The
Transportation Marketing and Sales Association
announced the winners of several industry awards at its
annual conference and expo. Chip Overbey, senior vice
president of marketing, pricing, and strategic development at Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., was named
Transportation Marketing Executive of the Year for his
outstanding work driving growth for his company over
the past year. Todd Thompson, vice president and general
manager at Mode Transportation (formerly Exel
Transportation), was named Transportation Sales
accolades
Executive of the Year for his work with the company’s
sales network and the launch of high-priority company
initiatives as well as his commitment to customer development. Lara Sowinski, editor of World Trade 100,
received the inaugural Russell Award for Editorial
Excellence. Sowinski was recognized for her columns on
key issues affecting the transportation and logistics community. … YRC, the largest operating company of YRC
Worldwide Inc., has been named National Carrier of the
Year by BlueGrace Logistics, a third-party logistics service
provider. … Logistics service provider National Retail
Systems Inc. has received a 2011 Collaborative Commerce
Achievement Award from The Voluntary Interindustry
Commerce Solutions Association (VICS). … Exel was presented with the North American Best 3PL Award for pharmaceutical, chemical, and hazmat during eyefortrans-port’s annual 3PL Summit in Atlanta.
