Michael H. Mescon

(1931 - 2017)

Mike Mescon, once called the “Pied Piper of Private Enterprise” by the Wall Street Journal, was born in Toronto, grew up in Charleston, and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Miami. Upon graduation, he married his childhood sweetheart, Enid.

At New York University, Mescon earned a Ph.D. in Human Relations and later served in the U.S. Army. He joined the Georgia State College of Business Administration (now known as the Georgia State University Robinson College of Business) in 1956, chaired the Department of Management, and later retired as Dean of the Robinson College of Business in 1990. His co-authored Business Today was a top-selling text with translations in numerous languages, including Russian.

Mescon founded the Georgia Council for Economic Education, the Association for Private Enterprise Education, and the Mescon Group in the 1960s with Carl Bramlett and Don Jewell. For two decades, he co-authored a monthly management column for Delta Air Lines’ SKY Magazine and served as a columnist for the Atlanta Business Chronicle. He became the first holder of the Bernard B. and Eugenia Ramsey Chair of Private Enterprise in 1963. Widely respected in his field, Mescon held key leadership roles for numerous non-profit companies including the American Heart Association, Northside Hospital, and the American Red Cross.

The Council of Authors and Journalists also honored Mescon with the Georgia Author of the Year Award for articles written for the Atlanta Business Chronicle, which were eventually published as a book, Showing Up for Work and Other Keys to Business Success. He was a popular speaker and consultant to many companies across the globe.