Edward Loyer
Assistant University Registrar Edward Clark Loyer died Sept. 27 after a short illness. He was 68.
Loyer was a man of many interests and talents, including being an avid cyclist, jazz enthusiast, and passionate supporter of the arts and theatre. He saw himself as an administrator/educator with an emphasis on educator.
Loyer was born in Belding Mich., the son of Vance and Mildred Loyer. He graduated from Ohio University in 1961 with degrees in business and theater and began his career with Univac in 1962, working with first-generation computers. In 1966 he joined U-M in the Data Systems Center and soon moved to the Registrar’s Office, where he was director of records and transcripts for 30 years. The last 10 years he taught in the Michigan Administrative Information Services Student Information Systems.
Loyer was active in the life of the University and Ann Arbor community, including mentoring hundreds of Evans Scholars in the 24 years he served as faculty advisor to the group. He served as the chairman of the Council for Disability Concerns and president of the Board of Governors of the Michigan League. He also was a member of the Campus Safety and Security Advisory Committee and on the board of the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living. He also was a trustee at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, where he taught church school.
While he was very proud of his association with U-M, he equally was proud of the 33 years he taught data processing at Washtenaw Community College.
Active in his profession, Loyer served on several committees of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers. At the state level, he was president of the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers and for many years was newsletter editor. Loyer was remembered with a video tribute Nov. 3 when some 300 colleagues from across the state gathered in Lansing for the association’s 77th annual conference.
Family and friends gathered Oct. 1 at the First Congregational Church to celebrate his life. They recall Loyer as a rare individual that everyone liked and he always was the center of attention—but the attention never was on him. His favorite quote came from Mary Chase’s play “Harvey”: “In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.”
Loyer is survived by his wife, Sandra Aiken Loyer, to whom he was married for 43 years; three sons, Chris of Irvine Calif., Tim (Christine) of Chicago, and Josh and partner Mary Murphrey of Ann Arbor; and a sister, Martha Basile of Rocky River, Ohio.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Evans Scholar Foundation, Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living or First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor.
Dr. Billy Smith
Dr. Billy A. Smith, an instructor at the School of Dentistry for more than 20 years and interim director of periodontics from 1987-89, died Nov. 30. He was 81.
Born in Burt, Mich., in 1924, Smith served in the U.S. Army from 1943-46 and later attended the School of Dentistry, where he earned his dental degree in 1952. He left U-M to practice dentistry in Montrose, Mich., until 1961.
That year, he returned to the University to begin working on his graduate degree, which he earned in 1963 with a master’s in periodontics.
In the spring 1990 issue of Alumni News, Smith said he came back to U-M after speaking with Dr. Donald Kerr. “He’s the one who brought me back into education from my practice,” Smith said. ” … He was the motivator. He was very important in my life.”
Smith began teaching at the School of Dentistry in 1963. He was a clinical instructor, a clinical instructor in periodontics, and a clinical assistant professor.
In 1977, Smith left teaching to devote time to his periodontics practice in Saginaw. But he didn’t stay out of teaching very long.
At the urging of some of his colleagues, Smith returned to the School of Dentistry in 1982 to become an associate professor. He was named interim director of periodontics in 1987 and held the position for two years.
After serving as a visiting professor at the University of Bern in Switzerland in 1989, Smith retired the following year.
In addition to teaching, Smith was active in numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Periodontology, the Midwest Society of Periodontists, the Michigan Society of Periodontics, the American and Michigan dental associations, and other local organizations.
—Submitted by Jerry Mastey, School of Dentistry
