Dr. Donald D. Myers, 69, professor of engineering management at Missouri University of Science and Technology, died Sunday, July 26, as a result of injuries from a bicycling accident that occurred the previous day in Iowa.
“It was quite a shock — Don has been here a long time,” S&T Director of Communications Andy Careaga said.
Dr. Myers was participating in an annual cycling event in Iowa when the accident occurred on Saturday morning outside of Geode State Park, which is near Burlington, Iowa.
Dr. Myers was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Burlington and later flown by helicopter to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. He was pronounced dead at approximately 1:35 p.m. Sunday.
Dr. Myers was participating in the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), along with other bicyclists from Rolla and Missouri S&T. Saturday was the final day of the event.
“He was one of these people who was the picture of health. You don’t expect something like this to happen,” Careaga said.
Myers spoke earlier in the month about the race, which he participated in numerous times, with the Rolla Noon Kiwanis Club during a luncheon at Zeno’s Steak House.
“He once told me about the number of miles he had ridden. It was like 25,000 or 30,000 miles,” said Keith Wedge, a member of the Noon Kiwanis.
Wedge, who had known Myers for the past 30 years, and was a member of the same fraternity.
Further details of the accident are not yet available and funeral arrangements still are pending.
A member of the Missouri S&T faculty since 1979, Dr. Myers was also a graduate, earning bachelors and masters degrees in mechanical engineering from S&T in 1961 and 1964, respectively. He also held a masters degree in business administration and a law degree from St. Louis University.
Active in the American Society for Engineering Education, Dr. Myers was elected fellow of that organization in 2007. He was also a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management, the International Council for Small Business and the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Active on campus, Dr. Myers was a past president of the Faculty Senate and received numerous awards for teaching and faculty excellence. In 2006, he was named an Honorary Knight of St. Patrick, and in 2003, he received the Outstanding Student Advisor Award from the Miner Alumni Association. An active supporter of Greek life at Missouri S&T, Dr. Myers served as a longtime adviser to his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha.
“He was a very influential member of the campus,” Careaga said.
In addition to being active in university life, Myers also was active in politics.
During the 1980s Myers worked as a science advisor for two Missouri governors, Kit Bond and John Ashcroft.
He also worked on the staff of the U.S. Senate’s Science Committee and was helped shape the Technology Transfer legislation of 1986.
Myers also was scheduled to go on a sabbatical next year to work in the U.S. State Department, according to Wedge.
“He had a keen interest in the role of universities in economic development and technology transfer,” Careaga said.
A memorial scholarship fund has been established to honor Dr. Myers at Missouri S&T. Contributions to the Donald D. Myers Scholarship Fund may be mailed to Missouri S&T at 209 Castleman Hall, 400 West 10th Street, Rolla, Mo. 65409-0460.
