Duane Vernon, 'city father' and Lansing sports Hall of Famer, dies at 91
LANSING — Duane Vernon was a state champion, a Michigan State University super fan and, to many, a city father whose legacy will live on.
Vernon died on Wednesday. He was 91.
As Bob Every, chairman of the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame, went for a walk on Friday morning he couldn't help but think about his longtime friend. The two met in 1976.
“I don't know if I've ever meet a kinder, gentler person in my life," Every said. "In all the years I’ve known him, never heard him say anything mean spirited. The kindest person that you’d ever want to meet."
Every likened Vernon's legacy to that of George Ranney, who donated the land for the park that now bears his name and has grounds for a softball field and skateboard and rollerblade facilities.
He was a "city father," Every said, and "a man who gave much, much more than he ever took."
Vernon graduated from Ithaca High School where he ran cross country as part of the first team in the school's history to win a state championship. He also lettered in basketball and was the first tennis letter winner in the school’s history.
He attended Michigan State University and graduated in 1953, but that didn't end his connection to the school.
He was a president of the MSU Alumni Club of Mid-Michigan, received the Outstanding Club Presidents Award in 1969 and was a charter member of MSU's Beaumont Tower Society in 1993, among other honors and involvements.
Former MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis said there was "no bigger Spartan" than Vernon, "who was always looking to bring some green and white happiness to all Spartans and the world."
He chaired the parades honoring the men's basketball teams that won NCAA championships in 1979 and 2000, the latter of which was coached by Tom Izzo.
"He was such a good guy," Izzo said. "One of the first guys I met here. Him and (assistant video coordinator) Doug Herner and all that group. The first Final Four I went to (as a spectator and assistant coach in the 1980s) was with Duane and all those high school coaches."
Every said Vernon was so involved in civic organizations because he always wanted to ensure that anything that needed help got help.
"He was one of a kind. And I mean, he was one of a kind," Every said. "Loved Michigan State. Loved Lansing. Loved life."
The funeral service will be at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel, 325 W. Washtenaw St., according to the funeral home. His family will receive relatives and friends starting at 9:30 a.m., and interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery in Lansing.
Columnist Graham Couch contributed to this story.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or mjmencarini@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattMencarini.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Duane Vernon, 'city father' and Lansing sports Hall of Famer, dies at 91
