May 24, 1942 - June 22, 2020
Stephen "Steve" Meyer passed away peacefully, at the age of 78 on June 22, 2020, after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Steve was born in Brooklyn, NY, May 24, 1942, to Edith and Stephen Meyer Jr. He is survived by his wife, Margo Anderson, and children Jennifer Meyer Stearns (James Stearns), Rachel Sherry Meyer (Marlo Mrak), Stephen Eugene Meyer (Joy Zotalis), Eric Joseph Meyer (Melissa Czarnik), grandchildren Graham, Liam, Stella, and Theo, and many other family.
Steve grew up in Seaford, NY; served in the Air Force from 1961 to 1965; graduated from the State University of New York, Stony Brook in 1967 with a degree in History, and received a PhD in History from Rutgers University in 1977.
Upon graduation Steve taught social and labor history and the history of technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and over the years, at four University of Wisconsin campuses: Baraboo, Parkside, Madison (School for Workers), and Milwaukee. He became Professor Emeritus in History from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2011. Steve wrote widely on Midwestern labor history, particularly the history of auto workers. His books included The Five Dollar Day; Stalin Over Wisconsin; and most recently, Manhood on the Line.
Steve was committed to making the lives and struggles of ordinary people the centerpiece of his teaching, writing and activism. He brought that commitment into his service in university governance as department chair and on faculty senate executive committees at Parkside and Milwaukee. He mentored students where he taught and met at further afield, particularly at the North American Labor History Conference, or through the Wisconsin Labor History Society and the Labor and Working Class History Association.
He was also a devoted Dad and grandfather, beach enthusiast, and traveler, organizing the growing family on junkets far and wide, and serving up family barbecues for all to enjoy. He will be sorely missed.
At Steve’s request, we forego a formal funeral service during the covid epidemic, and hope to plan a commemoration of his life in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Wisconsin Labor History Society, 6333 W. Bluemound Road, Milwaukee, WI 53213, online at https://www.wisconsinlaborhistory.org/about/memorial-donations/; Doctors without Borders, https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/; or a social justice organization of your choice.
