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Dr. Earl Lazerson, of Chesterfield, Mo., died Friday, Oct. 29. He was 90.

Lazerson had a long, accomplished history with SIUE. He was the University’s longest-serving president, having held the top campus leadership position for nearly 14 years from 1979-1993. Lazerson joined the SIUE faculty in 1969. He taught mathematics before becoming president on an interim basis in 1979 and then permanently in 1980.

During his tenure at SIUE, Lazerson was honored with the Teaching Excellence Award, the most prestigious teaching award for a SIUE faculty member. Among his most memorable achievements as president were transitioning the SIUE campus from a quarter to a semester system and consolidating various schools into what is now known as the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

Additionally, he presided over the construction of several major buildings, including the Vadalabene Center, the Student Fitness Center, the dental clinic at the SIU School of Dental Medicine in Alton, the University’s first 500-student residence hall, and the Art and Design Building.

In 2017, Lazerson donated his expansive collection of mathematics books to the University. The President Earl Lazerson Collection is preserved in the Louisa H. Bowen University Archives & Special Collections unit of Lovejoy Library.

That same year, Lazerson and his wife, Ann, also made a generous endowed gift to establish the Lazerson Lecture Series in CAS and a Dr. Earl Lazerson Mathematical Symposium in Lovejoy Library. The gift makes STEM-related research available to SIUE and the local community via speaking events.

Chancellor Randy Pembrook recalled Lazerson with “great fondness and affection” during his speech at a 2017 reception honoring Lazerson’s contributions. “Dr. Lazerson has had an amazing effect on this institution, and we are grateful for his incredible vision and commitment to the growth and development of SIUE.”

Learn more about Lazerson’s presidency at siue.edu/leadership/lazerson.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 at Bellerive Gardens Mausoleum Chapel at 740 N. Mason Rd. in Creve Coeur, Mo. The ceremony will take place in The Chapel within the mausoleum at the back of the cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Ann and Earl Lazerson Endowment. Please make checks payable to SIUE Foundation and write Fund 8180 in the memo line. Call 618-650-5048 with questions.

A complete obituary is available at BelleriveGardens.com.