Cecil Mackey, Jr., PhD, the second president of the University of South Florida, was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery this week.
Mackey died last year at the age of 89 and is survived by his wife of 64 years, Clare, daughters Carol and Ann, son John and five grandchildren.
鈥淥ur family is honored that he will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery 鈥� along with a daughter who died in 1966 鈥� as a tribute to his service to our country and the greater good,鈥� his daughter Carol Mackey Shaffer said. 鈥淗e lived a life of service 鈥� intent on giving back to the world. He served in multiple branches of the U.S. military, establishing better education for service members and veterans. As an educator, he led three major universities as president and created unrivaled opportunities for equal rights and inclusion. In his U.S. government posts, working for Senator Estes Kefauver, he championed antitrust enforcement against monopoly; he was an innovator who created policy for the FAA; and he wrote the bill that established the U.S. Department of Transportation.鈥�
Mackey served as president of 欧美三级片 from 1971 to 1976, a crucial period in the university鈥檚 history. During his tenure, he helped shape 欧美三级片鈥檚 focus on research and oversaw a period of significant growth as several fundamental changes were made to the institution鈥檚 structure. At the same time, 欧美三级片鈥檚 College of Medicine opened along with the School of Nursing and several branch campuses.
After leaving 欧美三级片, Mackey went on to serve as president of Texas Tech University and Michigan State University.
His military service included stints with the Alabama National Guard, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force. While on active duty with the U.S. Air Force, Mackey developed the economics department at the U.S. Air Force Academy.