Leroy Augenstein papers

Record Group

Identifier: UA-17.188

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of two letters Augenstein wrote giving his suggestions for the hiring of a successor to Michigan State University President John Hannah. Also included in the collection are numerous newspaper articles about Augenstein’s death in a plane crash in 1969.

Dates

Creation: 1969 - 1972

Creator

Augenstein, Leroy G. (Leroy George), 1928- (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Leroy G. Augenstein was born on March 6, 1928 in Decatur, Illinois. He earned his Ph.D in Physics from the University of Illinois in 1956. He was a professor at Michigan State University and the first Chairman of the Biophysics Department from its founding in 1962. He was a member of the State Board of Education and was campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat as a Republican at the time of his death in 1969. He published Come, Let Us Play God in 1969, a book about the intersection of morality, politics and science. His wife’s name was Elizabeth, and they had two children, David and Kimberly. Augenstein was killed on November 8, 1969 when the plane he was piloting crashed into a field in Eaton County, Michigan near Charlotte. After his death, the Leroy Augenstein Memorial Scholarship Fund was established at MSU.