ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Henry Koch (on right) with Dr. Chapin

Henry C. Koch was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1920. He graduated from Carleton College and received graduate degrees from Columbia Unversity and the University of Michigan. He served as an infantryman with the 42nd Rainbow Division in Austria, France, and Germany, and was awarded the Bronze Star for valor in combat in 1945. After a brief stay as a librarian at the Cleveland Public Library, Koch came to the Michigan State University Libraries in East Lansing in 1955. He retired from MSU in 1987 as the Associate Director of Libraries. During most of his tenure Koch served primarily as the chief bibliographer and did much to assure the growth of the Libraries in terms of both the quantity and quality of its collections. Today these collections still reflect his intellect, enthusiasm, and commitment to scholarly work. Among his many contributions was the establishement and building of Special Collections, which includes the Veterinary Medicine Historical Collection. Many of the books in this collection were the result of Koch's desire to build a unique and important veterinary research collection at MSU to serve the needs of students and scholars throughout the world. In 1984, he received the MSU Distinguished Faculty Award for his commitment to the world of books and scholarship at the University. After retirement from MSU, Koch continued his work on a catalog to the veterinary collection. He died in East Lansing on February 15, 2003.