Dr. Moses N. Vijayakumar ("Vijay"), an Emeritus Professor of Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma passed away on August 30, 2023 in Chicago. He was born on December 22, 1947 in Vellore, India. He was the first child of Mrs. Sophie Moses and Mr. Moses Manickam. A memorial service will begin at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 17, 2023 at the Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater. Strode Funeral Home and Cremation is in charge of the arrangements.

Dr. Vijayakumar married Catherine Vijayakumar on July 2, 2000 at Salem Lutheran Church, Stillwater, OK. He is survived by his wife Catherine Vijayakumar and his three sisters; Prabha Gnanapragasam and Sheela Philips of India, and Charlotte Regson of Chicago, IL and their families.

Dr. Vijayakumar came to Chicago, IL in 1975, and earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Molecular Genetics Program) at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He had his postdoctoral experiences at Duke University (1982-86) and Princeton University (1986-88).

He was employed as a Professor at Oklahoma State University in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from 1988 until his retirement in 2015. Dr. Vijayakumar was also the first Asian American to serve as the Department Head in the College of Arts and Sciences at OSU from July 2000 to August 2003.

Dr. Vijayakumar's research interests were in the study of genetics of pathogenesis, gene transfer mechanisms and emerging multiple antibiotic resistance in bacteria, in particular, the human pathogen, streptococcus pneumoniae which causes pneumonia, meningitis and otitis media. Numerous publications have appeared in national scientific journals from the research stemming from Dr. Vijayakumar's work.

Numerous graduate students and undergraduate students have performed their research work in his lab. Some of them are now faculty members at OSU and in other institutions of higher learning, while some are working in the industrial sector. Dr. Vijayakumar also served as a reviewer for numerous scientific journals and grant agencies including the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health. He was a member of American Society for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Microbiology, and of Sigma Xi.

Dr. Vijaykumar was a Philanthropist. He established Endowed Scholarships to promote educational opportunities for students in the U.S.A and India.

Dr. Vijayakumar was a voracious reader. He traveled far and wide, especially after retirement. He also greatly enjoyed gardening and giving time to community organizations. He taught courses offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). He served as a Board member of Stillwater Community Health Center for several terms, and he was an active member of Salem Lutheran Church, Stillwater, OK where he served as a Council member several times as well. Dr. Vijayakumar believed and practiced a simple life but enriched and inspired so many lives in an extraordinary way. He often said, "Live simple and think of higher things." He loved his pets, Maya and Raja dearly. He will be missed immensely by everyone whose path crossed with his on this earth.

A memorial service will be held at Salem Lutheran Church in Stillwater, OK on Sunday, September 17th at 3pm. The service will also be live streamed for those not in attendance at www.facebook.com/salemstillwater. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be given in Vijay's name to Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 101 S. Duck St, Stillwater, OK 74074, Our Daily Bread, PO Box 1721, Stillwater, OK 74076, or the Humane Society of Stillwater 1710 S. Main St, Stillwater, OK 74074.