Guthrie S. Birkhead Jr.

Birkhead, Guthrie S. Jr. SYRACUSE Guthrie S. Birkhead Jr., dean emeritus of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and S.U. professor for 50 years, died of natural causes on Monday in Syracuse. He was 92. Birkhead had a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton, joined the Maxwell faculty in 1950 and became full professor in 1960. He served as director of the public administration program; chair of the political science department; and director of the metropolitan studies program. He taught more than 2,500 graduate students. He was named dean in 1977. As dean, he expanded Maxwell's status as one of the nation's premier institutions for public policy. He retired as dean in 1988, but remained on the faculty for more than a decade to stay connected with students. He was active in New York state policy. He was executive director of the local government committee of the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1967, consulted on several city charters including those in Fulton, Batavia, Amsterdam and Syracuse, and worked with the Delaware River Basin Commission. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Louise Gartner Birkhead; three sons, Guthrie III of Delmar, Richard and Evan; three daughters-in-law; and five grandchildren. Contributions may be made to Birkhead-Burkhead scholarship secure.syr.edu/giving or the Thousand Islands Land Trust at tilandtrust.org or Save the River at savetheriver.org.