Memorial services for the late Regent Emeritus Eugene B. Power '27, '30 MBA, were Jan. 8 at the Power Center for the Performing Arts. Power died Dec. 6 at his home in Ann Arbor after a long illness. He was 88.

President James J. Duderstadt said that "Eugene Power devoted a major portion of his life to serving the University of Michigan, as an alumnus, a Regent and a benefactor. He has left an indelible stamp of his presence here. From facilities like the Power Center for the Performing Arts to programs like the Power Scholarships, Eugene Power's vision has added immeasurably to the life of the University."

Power joined the Ann Arbor publishing firm Edwards Brothers Inc. in 1930, and he developed his interest in microfilm as a publications medium. He founded University Microfilms Inc. in 1938 and through it virtually invented the database publishing industry. He pioneered the application of microfilm to the storage and reproduction of scholarly materials, and by marrying microfilm to xerography he solved the historic out-of-print book problem. His publication of dissertations in microfilm cut the cost of scholarly publishing and increased the availability of cutting-edge research. When Power merged his company with the Xerox Corp. in 1962, it was considered the world leader in its field. (The firm is now a Bell and Howell company.

During World War II, Power directed large-scale microfilming of rare books and materials in British libraries and organized filming and transmission of intelligence material from the Continent to the United States.

Power was elected to the Board of Regents in 1955 and re-elected in 1963. President Lyndon Johnson named him to the Board of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities and in 1977 Power was made an honorary Knight of the British Empire.

Established in 1967 by Power, the Power Foundation was the vehicle for many philanthropies, including the Power Center for the Performing Arts. The foundation also sponsors the Power Exchange Scholarship between the U-M and Cambridge University, and supports other projects at the University and in the surrounding area.

Power was preceded in death by his wife, Sadye. He is survived by his son, Philip, a U-M regent; his daughter-in-law, Kathleen; and his grandsons, Nathan and Scott.

Memorial contributions may be made to the University's This Issue's Index   |   This Issue's Front Page   |   CURRENT Michigan Today