Donald J. Bowersox (1932–2011) is the former University Professor and Dean Emeritus at Michigan State University. He received his Ph.D. at Michigan State and worked with industry throughout his career. He is the author of numerous articles in publications such as the Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Logistics, and Supply Chain Management Review. Bowersox was the co-author of what is widely recognized as the first Supply Chain academic text: Physical Distribution Management—Logistics Problems of The Firm, first published in 1961. He is the co-author of Start Pulling Your Chain: Leading Responsive Supply Chain Transformation, published in 2008.
Throughout this career, Bowersox led a number of industry-supported research studies investigating the best practices of Logisticians in North America and around the world. Bowersox is recognized by many as the “Grandfather of Supply Chain” and was recognized by the Council of Supply Chain Management (CSCMP) receiving both the Distinguished Service Award (1966) and in 2011, after his death, with the renaming of the annual Doctoral Symposium in his honor as the Donald J. Bowersox Doctoral Symposium. Don’s memory and many accomplishments are cherished and live on in his family, friends, and industry peers.
