Michio Suzuki, 72, a University of Illinois mathematician who helped develop finite group theory, died June 1 in Tokyo. Classifying finite simple groups is one of the major accomplishments in algebra during the last 50 years, and Suzuki played such a major role that the Suzuki finite groups bear his name. Mr. Suzuki was born in Japan and earned a doctorate at the University of Tokyo. He accepted a fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1952 and was appointed professor in 1955. Suzuki also was a research associate at Harvard University and a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and several other universities. In 1974, Mr. Suzuki won the Academy Prize from the Japan Academy–the highest honor to mathematicians in Japan. Survivors include his wife, Naoko Akizuki; a daughter, Kazuko Suzuki Boyce; and two brothers, Tatsuzo Suzuki and Sadao Suzuki.
