Dorothy McMeekin

Dorothy “Dot” McMeekin was a modest, kind, gentle person with a quiet strength and the sort of fortitude one needed to succeed in the years before women were accepted in the sciences.

Dorothy knew and understood the importance of the “local,” and the environment, long before it was widely appreciated, writing on the “local ecology” of our own Red Cedar area. She was a true citizen of her community with a life-long dedication to the human, plant and animal landscapes around us.

When Dorothy McMeekin entered science more than sixty years ago, there were few women in her field. Dorothy was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1932 to Vera Sarah Crockatt and Thomas Leroy McMeekin, a noted inventor and research chemist who developed a protocol for isolating insulin. Both parents supported Dorothy’s interest in biology and the natural world. Dorothy graduated from Wilson College in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry in 1953. Unusual for a woman at that time, after receiving her Master’s degree in Botany from Wellesley College in 1955, she went on to receive her PhD in Plant Pathology, Physiology and Bacteriology from Cornell University in 1959.

From 1959 to 1964, Dr. Dorothy McMeekin taught at Upsala College before moving to another teaching appointment at Bowling Green State University, 1964-1966. It was at Michigan State University where she put down roots with an academic appointment in the General Education Department of the College of Natural Science from 1966 to 1990 and then in the Botany and Plant Pathology department from 1990 until her retirement in 1997 as Professor Emerita.

Our dear and beloved Dorothy passed away in East Lansing at the age of 88 on June 26, 2020.

She is survived by her sister, Elizabeth McMeekin-Lewis; brother, Thomas C. McMeekin, Sr.; a niece, Barbara L. Suchanec; nephews, Bruce A. Lewis, Bryan A. Lewis, and Thomas C. McMeekin Jr., as well as, four godchildren, and a host of devoted friends and many former students.

A real pioneer in so many ways, Dr. Dorothy McMeekin was ahead of her time, and remains so, with her rare combination of work in science and the arts. Her book Diego Rivera: Science and Creativity in the Detroit Murals focuses on the scientific symbolism in these visionary murals painted in the early 1930s.

During her tenure at Michigan State, she wrote a number of lab manuals, including "Ecology, Diversity, and Evolution," "Science, Matter & Life," "Heredity and Change," "Approaching the Environment," and "Integrated Studies." She also published original research on fungi in journals including Mycologia, Plant Growth Regulation, Mycology, Phytopathology and The Plant Disease Reporter, as well as, a book on plant diseases titled Fire Blight, Potato Blight and Walnut Blight.

Dr. McMeekin served on the board of directors for the Michigan Botanical Club and was a member of the American Phytopathological Society, the Mycological Society of America, the Society for Economic Botany, the Michigan Women's Studies Association, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society and Phi Kappa Phi. In light of her exceptional work, Dorothy McMeekin was selected for inclusion in multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in the Midwest and Who's Who in American Women. In recognition of outstanding contributions to her profession she was awarded the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the manner of Liberty Hyde Bailey, a noted Michigan naturalist and craftsperson, Dorothy McMeekin’s love for nature and the environment could be seen in the artistry she used to create works of practical art from local flora and fauna. When she retired, she helped with a course on prairie ecology; photographed rare ferns; cloned a pear tree from a graft and volunteered at the MSU library using her tailoring skills to do bookbinding and restoration.

A tall, striking woman with an elegant reserve that had an unusual dignity and power, anyone who knew Dorothy will remember the warm way she smiled with her eyes and her lovely, generous laughter. She cared deeply about her community, her family, her friends and

the young people who were lucky enough to pass through her classes.

Fond memories and condolences may be shared with family and friends at the Gorsline Runciman website: www.greastlansing.com.

The service for Dorothy will be Thursday, August 6 at 2 p.m. at the Memorial Garden at University United Methodist Church in East Lansing.

View the recorded service at https://www.facebook.com/163145830381110/videos/2706021766298091/

Face masks are required, and social distancing will be observed.

Chairs will be provided by the church.

Those desiring may make donations to the Greater Lansing Food Bank or to a charity of one’s choice.