Alan Poe Suits

Alan Poe Suits died on January 24, 2018, at Hospice of Lansing. He was 92. He died as he lived, with grace, dignity, and courage and surrounded by love. Throughout his life this uncommon and modest man was devoted to his family, hard working in his businesses, active in his community and at Michigan State University, committed to life-long learning, a lover of the arts, and proud to serve his country. He was also known for his rousing recitation of Tennyson's poem, "Ulysses," all from memory. Suits was born on April 28, 1925, in Kirkwood, Missouri, the son of Hollis Emerson Suits and Dorothy Halyburton Suits. He had five brothers, one his fraternal twin. He attended the University of Michigan, majoring in philosophy and economics. His studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the United States Navy as an electronic technician's mate. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and returned to the University of Michigan to get his B.A. In 1980 he completed the Small Business Program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business Administration. Suits married Beverly York of Anderson, Indiana, in 1949, and worked in the family laundry business until 1955. He moved to Lansing, Michigan, in 1956 and started the Suits News Company. He had 8 bookstores in Lansing and Ann Arbor and sold the business in 1983. He and Beverly had two children: Robin (Jimmy) and Neil (Melinda), and two grandchildren: Adrienne (Scott) and Jacob. Beverly died in 1997. In 1999, Suits married Jane Vieth of East Lansing, who survives him. During his "retirement," Suits cofounded Recomtex, a biotechnology start-up, and started the Suits Investment Company. But his greatest interest was public service by which he enriched the lives of those in the local community, at MSU, and throughout the state. As a member of the East Lansing Arts Council, he was an advocate for public art and supported the construction of three outdoor sculptures in East Lansing: "Andromeda," "Cassiopeia,” and "Familiar Faces." He created FestEve, a family-oriented citywide New Year's Eve party, the Michigan Festival at MSU, and the Greater Lansing Film Festival. He served on the boards of the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition and Edgewood Village, and volunteered at Leaven, a community for spiritual growth. He spearheaded the establishment of the East Lansing Aquatic Center, the senior center at the Hannah Community Center, and several annual fundraising auctions for WKAR. He was the first president of the Wharton Center Advisory Council. In 1989 Suits received the Crystal Award for his service to the community. At MSU's College of Arts and Letters, he was first president of the Dean's National Board of Directors. He was also cofounder and first president of the Dean's Community Council for the college. He established the DCC's International Travel Program to Europe and to Stratford, Ontario, to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Suits was the first president of the Friends of Kresge and the Summer Circle Theatre, and served on the board of the Friends of Theatre. He served as president of the Opera Company of Greater Lansing. In 1979 he created The Doug Rublee/Marcia Platt Memorial Fund to honor two employees of his who were killed in a plane crash. Each year the English Department at MSU selects two outstanding students to receive the scholarship. Suits was the recipient of the Apollo Award for his distinguished community service and honored by Dean John Eadie on behalf of the College of Arts and Letters. Suits was a quiet patriot, committed to social justice and civil liberties, and a staunch defender of the First Amendment. He served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and regularly featured condemned books and magazines at his bookstores. He was a member of the Democratic Party and served on the Governor's Entrepreneurial and Small Business Commission under Governor James Blanchard. Suits supported the candidacy of many political figures who were elected to state and national office. Alan Suits did much good. There was little that he touched that was not bettered. He was loved by his family, trusted by his business associates, and respected throughout his community and at MSU. He was a source of inspiration. Those wishing to honor the memory of Alan Poe Suits may contribute to Hospice of Lansing, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, the Friends of Theatre at MSU, or the American Civil Liberties Union. A memorial service will be held on May 5, 2018 from 2 to 5 at the University Club of MSU in Lansing. The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home in East Lansing.