It is with regret that we have learned over the last few months of the passing of two of our longtime faculty members
Professor Emeritus Scott Eddie
Scott passed away on January 25, 2019, leaving wife Sharon and children David, Kathleen and Paul, who, along with the rest of his family and friends, will sorely miss his sense of humour, stoicism and grace.
From his longtime colleague Professor Varouj Aivazian comes this summary of Scott’s career:
Scott Eddie was Professor of Economics, Emeritus, at the University of Toronto where he taught from 1971. He was also cross-appointed to Erindale College (now UTM). Scott was also affiliated with the University of Toronto’s Centre of Russian and East European Studies, the Munk School, and Trinity College. Scott was born in 1935 and grew up in Minnesota. He completed his Ph.D. at MIT in 1967, specializing in economic history.
Scott authored a number of books and numerous articles resulting from his research on the economic history of Central and Eastern Europe and the economics of transition from central planning to a market economy. Before coming to Toronto, Scott held teaching appointments at Williams College, the University of the Philippines, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He also held, over his career, many visiting appointments in Universities in the United States, in England and in Continental Europe. Among his academic honours are a Guggenheim Fellowship and election to a Visiting Fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford.
Scott was passionately interested in the fate of Hungary and Eastern Europe. In 2006, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the Rakoczi Foundation of Toronto in recognition of his scholarship on Hungary, and his charitable activities there. His research on economic history and transition economics took him on numerous occasions to Austria, the former Czechoslovakia, Germany (including the former German Democratic Republic), Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the former Yugoslavia. Earlier in his career, he carried out research on land reform and land settlement in the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal.
Despite his failing health in the last several years, Scott always maintained his characteristic cheerfulness, great sense of humour, zest for life, and strong interest and affection for his colleagues and friends.
→ Toronto Star obituary
→ An in memoriam from Professor Emeritus Robert Johnson
Professor Emeritus Jack A. Sawyer
(Photo courtesy of Robert J. Sawyer)
Toronto-born, Jack was a graduate of Oakwood Collegiate Institute and the University of Toronto (Victoria College, Commerce & Finance, 4T7; MA), and his PhD from the University of Chicago was awarded in 1966.
He was an economist at the Dominion Bureau of Statistics (1953-60). and subsequently taught economics at the University of Alberta (1949-50), the Royal Military College of Canada (1951-53), and the University of Toronto (1960-90). He was Director of the Institute for Policy Analysis (1975-80) and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Management (1985-86) at the University of Toronto.
At the Dominion Bureau of Statistics he directed the construction of the first inter-industry input-output table of the Canadian economy. At the University of Toronto he led the team that built the TRACE econometric model of the Canadian economy. He wrote two textbooks on macroeconomic theory and a number of articles, including a history of business education at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus.
Ever the educator, Jack’s instruction was that his body be donated to the Division of Anatomy at the University of Toronto; thus no funeral was held, with the family requesting that in lieu of flowers a donation to a health science charity would be an appropriate way to honour Jack’s memory.
(with files from Robert J. Sawyer)
