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Melvin J. Visser
Melvin J. Visser had a distinguished thirty-five year career with the
Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Early retirement allowed him
to pursue a solution to the mystery described in Cold, Clear, and
Deadly. Visser received his chemical engineering degree from
Michigan Technological University in 1959 and spent a career
manufacturing pharmaceutical chemicals at The Upjohn Company in
Kalamazoo. In 1980, he assumed environmental responsibility for the
corporation. Mel's environmental chemical education came when he was
appointed to co chair the Great Lakes Regional Corporate
Environmental Council, an association of U.S. and Canadian industrial
and environmental leaders formed to discuss their differences in a
collegial setting. Mel retired in 1995 wondering why PCB
concentrations in Lake Superior remained stagnant years after their
banning. Volunteering in state and federal efforts did not bring
answers. Two trips to the Canadian High Arctic and the assimilation
of international research studies and business practices led to
surprising answers. His search is chronicled in Cold, Clear, and
Deadly: Unraveling a Toxic Legacy.
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Awards won by Melvin J. Visser:
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| 2008 MDCH Hometown Health Hero Award
A 2008 Michigan Department of
Community Health 'Hometown
Health Hero Award' was
presented to Mel Visser, for
his work and book Cold,
Clear, and Deadly: Unveiling
a Toxic Legacy, which
points out the need to update
the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources' fish
advisories about contaminated
fish. The award was presented
by MDCH Director Janet
Olszewski in a special
ceremony at the Michigan
Capitol Rotunda on Earth Day,
April 22
(for Cold, Clear, and Deadly)
| | 2008 AAUP Certificate of Excellence, Book Jacket D
2008 AAUP Book, Jacket and
Journal Show Award
Certificate of Excellence for
Michigan State University
Press, for Jackets & Covers:
Cold, Clear and Deadly:
Unraveling a Toxic Legacy
by Melvin J. Visser. Judging
for the 2008 AAUP Book,
Jacket, and Journal Show took
place January 17-18 at the
AAUP Central Office in New
York City. Approximately 342
books, 374 jacket and cover
design entries, and 5
journals were entered. 44
books, 1 journal, and 31
jackets/covers were chosen by
the jurors as the very best
examples from this pool of
excellent design
(for Cold, Clear, and Deadly)
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