RJ Wolcott

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - Michigan State University's campus features numerous buildings named in honor of former administrators and wealthy donors.

In other cases, it's the names of rabble-rousers, trailblazers and other important figures in MSU's history that are etched onto residence halls and campus landmarks.

There are even buildings named for rabble-rousing donors and trailblazing former administrators.

Here’s a look at seven people whose personalities and persistence led MSU to name campus buildings in their honor.

Forest Akers

The namesake of two golf courses as well as a residence hall, Forest Akers’ career at the school then known as the Michigan Agricultural College got off to an explosive start.

Accused of setting off a powder keg during a speech by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, Akers was subsequently asked to leave the university due to trouble-making and poor grades.

After finding success at Chrysler, Akers returned to the college in 1939 as a member of its State Board of Agriculture, a precursor to the Board of Trustees. He was reelected twice and later gifted MSU the land for its two golf courses as well as money for student scholarships.

While he denied setting off the powder keg, he later said of the college’s decision to expel him, “They were never, in all their history, more right.”

Stevens Mason

The man who served as Michigan’s first governor was just 19-years-old when he was appointed Territorial Secretary by President Andrew Jackson in 1831.

The moniker "boy governor" was bestowed upon him as he fought for Michigan to be recognized as a state. In 1835 - the same year Mason was replaced as territorial secretary- Michigan’s voters approved the state’s constitution and elected Mason, then 23, as its first governor. He remains the youngest-elected governor in U.S. history.

He led the state during its official designation as the country’s 26th state in 1837 and served as governor until 1840.

Mason passed away in 1843, more than a decade before Michigan Agricultural College was founded. Mason Hall, which opened in 1938 as an all-male student dorm where accommodations cost $3 per week, was named in his honor.

G. Malcolm Trout

The namesake of MSU’s Food Science and Human Nutrition building, Trout arrived on campus in 1928 as an assistant professor of dairy husbandry.

The WWI veteran and Iowa native quickly began developing a process for homogenizing milk, the process of breaking down fat globes within milk to produce an even consistency while extending shelf life. His findings, which he documented in the book, “Homogenized Milk,” put him on the cutting edge of dairy research.

Working at MSU until 1966, Trout was also honored with the American Dairy Science Association’s highest honor in 1964. Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard honored Trout by designating March 7, 1986, as Mac Trout Day. MSU added Trout’s name to the food science building on Oct. 26, 1992

T.B. Simon

Generating electricity and steam for MSU’s campus, the T.B. Simon Power Plant is named in honor of Ted Simon, the father-in-law of MSU President Lou Anna Simon.

Ted Simon had a nearly four-decade long career at MSU, from working as a construction engineer to serving as vice president of the physical plant from 1973 to 1984.

As part of MSU’s “On the Banks of the Red Cedar” project, Simon recounted the day he found out the power plant was going to be named after him.

“I wonder what I did wrong this time,” Simon recalled thinking, upon being asked to meet with trustees in the fall of 1983.

The T.B. Simon Power Plant recently stopped using coal as an energy source as part of the university's Energy Transition Plan.

MSU ends coal-fired power at T.B. Simon

Linda Landon

Landon is one of several female trailblazers whose fight on behalf of women seeking a college education earned them recognition by the university. The list includes Elisabeth Conrad, Dean of Women at MSU in 1928, and Mary Mayo, who created MSU’s first women’s program.

Landon served as MSU’s librarian for more than four decades. She was also the first female instructor at the university, teaching English composition as early as the 1890s. Landon Hall, a residence hall in the West Circle neighborhood completed in 1947, was named in her honor.

William James Beal

The W.J. Beal Botanical Garden is a landmark on MSU’s campus, situated near the campus’ main library. Apart from its aesthetics, the garden also plays host to more than 2,000 different varieties of plant life.

Its namesake arrived on campus in 1871, armed with degrees from the University of Michigan and Harvard. His contributions to the college include cross-fertilizing corn, leading to the development of hybrid corn.

Beal also sowed the first seeds at then-M.A.C’s garden in 1873. It is now the oldest continuously operating garden in the United States. Several of the plant species he first planted grow on MSU’s campus to this day.

Clarence “Biggie” Munn

Then-MSU president John Hannah plucked Munn from Syracuse University in 1947. Munn coached MSU’s football team for eight years and racked up more than 50 wins during his tenure, including a run of 28 straight victories. He also earned the university a National Championship in 1952 and a Rose Bowl victory two years later.

Following his Rose Bowl win, Munn was named MSU’s athletic director, a job he held until 1971. Three years after suffering from the stroke that caused him to retire, Munn was on hand for the dedication of the Munn Ice Arena, one of his final public appearances before his death in 1975.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.