Titans Walk Among Us

Our supply chain profession is young enough that many of the giants who formed visions of what it was and what it has become are still with us.  I am privileged to have known and learned from many of them.

We have lost one of the true originals, though.  Don Bowersox left us two days ago, I'd like to think to do battle one more time with the Olympians.  Donald J. Bowersox, PhD, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University, was a pioneer in the field.  Legions of academicians, practitioners, and consultants can trace their professional lineage back to Don, in much the same way that basketball coaches can find ties through the past to James Naismith.

Present at the creation, as we sometimes say, Don looked back, not to lament a lost Golden Age, but to find a reference point for the present.  His real focus was always on the future - where we are going, which developments are emerging trends, and what the next big thing might be.

Don Bowersox brought energy, passion, and curiosity to our profession.  And, in a world in which relationships are pearls of great price, he brought unfailing good humor and unstinting kindness.

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