In Memoriam: Jim J. Sygo (1949 – 2018)

Jim J. Sygo (BSE ’71, MSE ’74), former Deputy Director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, passed away on Friday, July 6, 2018, at the age of 68.

Born July 16, 1949 in Dearborn, Michigan, Sygo earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in meteorology and oceanography from the University of Michigan. He worked in the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for 35 years, including 13 years as Deputy Director. He spent many years working in the Saginaw Bay district office, waste management and environmental response programs in Lansing. Sygo retired in August 2016.

Sygo is survived by his wife, Sandra; two sons and one daughter-in-law, Matthew Joseph and Amanda Sygo and Jeffrey Thomas Sygo; four grandchildren; his brother and sister-in-law; his mother-in-law; four sisters-in-law and their spouses; and many nieces, nephews and their families.