Dr. Leroy G. Augenstein (1928-1969) was born in Decatur, Illinois to Roy and Minnie Augenstein. He attended James Millikin University in Decatur, then went on to serve in the U.S. Army. Following his military service he returned to school and went on to graduate from the University of Chicago in 1949 with a B.S. in physics. He completed graduate and doctoral studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana. As a student he worked for the Control Systems Laboratories, and graduated with a masters in physics in 1954 and Ph.D. in Physico-chemico-biology in 1956, a student of Dr. B.R. Ray.

Leroy married Elizabeth Schmalfuss, a fellow Millikin student, in 1950 in Chicago.

From 1956 to 1962, Dr. Augenstein worked in the Biology Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory. During this time, he spent two years contributing to the Atomic Energy Commission. His primary research interests and contributions were in large molecule architecture affects on enzyme activity, energy transfer in biological systems, and information theory in elucidation of biological problems.

The Augensteins came to Michigan in 1962 when Leroy accepted a position at Michigan State University, tasked with establishing the Department of Biophysics. As a faculty member at MSU, Augenstein became engaged in student causes and movements, and was a firm believer in the need for public education. He was a prolific laboratory researcher and published 27 papers on his studies. After establishing the department, he remained as chairman of Biophysics at MSU.

Upon their arrival to the area, the family made their home in Holt, residing on Ramparte Path. He was also a lay minister at the People’s Church in East Lansing, and an adjunct professor at the San Francisco Theological Seminary beginning in 1964.

He believed that lawmakers should be engaged in and knowledgeable in science, and ran in the Republican primary for United States Senate in 1966. He withdrew from the race after Congressman Robert P. Griffin became the party’s consensus candidate. He considered a run again for U.S. Senate in 1970.

In 1967, Dr. Augenstein was elected to an eight-year term on the Michigan State Board of Education. He delivered more than 1000 speeches throughout his career to various local organizations and student groups, including numerous commencement addresses.

However, on a foggy Saturday evening in November 1969, on a return trip from Indiana via his twin-engine Piper Apache airplane, the aircraft crashed near Charlotte resulting in his sudden death in the prime of his life and career.

Of Augenstein, Michigan Governor William Milliken stated: “The death of Leroy Augenstein stills a vital voice. It is particularly tragic that his death occurred so early in an already outstanding career. He embodied in that career the best traditions of public service - working in the public interest with energy, imagination and determination. As a teacher, as a scientist, as a member of the State Board of Education, he pursued public service with warmth, wisdom and compassion. The state of Michigan has lost a dedicated servant, the citizens of Michigan join his family in mourning his loss.”

Acting MSU President Dr. Walter Adams stated: “Dr. Leroy Augenstein lived an active life, combining fervid interest in education and politics. Both as a faculty member at MSU and a member of the State Board of Education, he worked untiringly for what he believed to be the public good. His peripatetic presence will be missed in every hamlet of the state of Michigan.”

Dr. Augenstein was survived by his wife Elizabeth S. Augenstein and two young children. Elizabeth went on to continue Leroy’s political endeavors. In 1970, she was elected the first female treasurer of Delhi Township, an office she held through 1984. Elizabeth Augenstein died in 1998.

The couple are buried together in Evergreen Cemetery in Lansing.