Marianist education aims to develop the whole person. Teachers prepare good ground for implanting the word of the gospel.
- Rule of Life of the Society of Mary, Book II #5.1
Bro. Don Geiger, MEEC's founder, was a lifetime Daytonian who up on the east side and enjoyed playing in the neighborhood woods, paddling the rivers and cultivating the curiosity that defined his life. He attended Chaminade (now Chaminade-Julienne) High School. Bro. Don professed first vows in the Society of Mary (Marianists) in 1952 and Perpetual Vows on August 15, 1956. He earned his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Dayton (UD) in 1955 and then taught for five years at Cathedral Latin High School in Cleveland, OH. He earned an M.S. in botany and then a Ph.D. in plant physiology from The Ohio State University in 1963.
Bro. Don taught and conducted plant physiology research in the UD Biology Department for 44 years, retiring in 2008 as Professor Emeritus. During his time at UD, he also served as Program Director for the Strategies for Responsible Development (1974–1982) and partnered in Projet Tapis Vert, an agricultural development project with the Republic of Niger, West Africa. He mentored hundreds of students and developed eight undergraduate and graduate Biology courses. He was a leading international researcher in phloem translocation (how sugars are transported in plants) and received National Science Foundation and USDA grants for four decades.
His restoration ecology outreach began in 1985, when he moved to the Marianist Novitiate Community at Mount Saint John. At that same time, the construction of I–675 left a 14-acre sand and gravel borrow pit, which was the catalyst for his transformative vision. And, in 1986, Don consulted, convened, and led a team to establish one of the first re-created tall-grass prairies in Ohio. He applied his plant expertise and research skills to develop ongoing, adaptive management of the prairie, woods, and wetlands of Mount Saint John. Perhaps most notable was Bro. Don and his lab group determining the underlying mechanisms and best practices for invasive honeysuckle removal, which he shared relentlessly. In all, he authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research publications.
Bro. Don's dedication to service, moral responsibility to the planet, work ethic, and vision of science education—coupled with his hands-on research and deep spirituality connected to land stewardship—fostered founding the Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC), inspired by the Beatitude: “Blessed are the meek” (Mt 5:5). Don directed MEEC from 1992 to 2002.
Bro. Don generously gave his time and expertise to many novel interdisciplinary initiatives and local organizations, including the UD Rivers Institute, and the Saint Kateri Preserve for natural burial at Calvary Cemetery. A Beaver Creek Wetlands cofounder, he volunteered every Saturday until his health failed.
Bro. Don was a highly sought-after consultant and collaborator with many organizations, including parks districts,Universities, the US Department of Energy, the agricultural industry, and religious landowners. Throughout his career, he received many honors, including: Distinguished Alumni Awards from UD and Chaminade-Julienne High School and Lifetime Achievement Awards from Sigma Xi and the Greater Dayton Partners for the Environment. Bro. Don was a Fellow of the Ohio Academy of Science.
Donald Raymond Geiger was born in Dayton, Ohio, on February 27, 1933, to the late Raymond and Hedwig (Weghorst) Geiger. Bro. Don peacefully entered eternal life on December 29, 2020, at the age of 87, in Dayton, Ohio. A true servant-leader, he died with 68 years of Marianist religious profession. His Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on January 9, 2021 at Mount Saint John.
To share a memory of Bro. Don, click here.
If you would like to make a memorial contribution to the Bro. Don Geiger, SM Memorial Intern Fund, please click here.
To watch the stream of his Mass of Christian Burial, click here.
