Dr. Cecil Mackey, an economist and lawyer who served as the second full-time president of the University of South Florida, died Feb. 8. He was 89.
Mackey, who earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois and a law degree from the University of Alabama, led USF from 1971 to 1976.
In an interview in 2004, Mackey said several factors played in his decision to come to Tampa. Among them was the fact that USF was the first university to be created in the 20th century.
“There was an opportunity to do something in leadership and development of an institution – that type of work had always appealed to me, Mackey said. “The chance to come here with a new institution and try to make it the best possible … was a very attractive opportunity.”
He left USF to become president at Texas Tech and then president at Michigan State. At the time of his death, he was a full-time economics professor at Michigan State.
Information from the USF News website was used in this report.
Header photo courtesy of USF Libraries Special Collections
