It is with great saddness that I report that Mark Perlman, the founding editor of The Journal of Economic Literature and one of the great personalities in the history of economic thought, passed away last week. The son of a famous academic, Mark could tell stories of meeting Einstein as a young boy, or other such academic superstars that were entertained at his house and how as a little boy he would test his wits against such minds. He seemed to know every significant economists of the 20th century, and had a personal story to tell about them. Yet he would turn his stories into a message that reflected that he cared deeply about those of us who would be practicing our careers in the 21st century, especially those of us working in the field of history of economic thought. Mark told me one time that my problem was that I wasn't this decades fashion, then after pause he laughed and then said I wasn't this centuries fashion. Yet, he pushed me to stay the course and keep working in the fashion that I was. At a crucial time in my development, the encouragment I received from the senior scholars in the field of the history of political economy was critical and Mark especially was encouraging and supportive as I tried to make my way in the profession of economics. And I certainly wasn't alone in receiving Mark's encouragement and support.
Mark will be greatly missed.
So it wasn't the economics for the 20th century but it just might be the economics for the third millenium. Who would have predicted in 1973 what has happened since 1974?
Posted by: Rafe | May 10, 2006 at 07:26 PM