A Friend We'll Miss

ALMOST EVERY FALL for most of the last dozen years, a Crimson reporter would call Otto Eckstein to ask the Warburg Professor of Economics why his course--"Ec 10"--was the most popular at Harvard. "So it's that time of year again," the friendly professor is reported to have said on one occasion, before launching into his usual explanation that the increasing usefulness of economics is why more than 1000 students once again crowded into Sanders Theater to hear his 12 o'clock lectures.

But The Crimson was only one among many institutions and individuals who were touched by Otto Eckstein's warmth and sense of humor over the course of his more than 30 years at Harvard. When Eckstein died last month after a long bout with cancer, he left a legacy of caring for the hundreds of people in his life--from his professional colleagues in the Economics Department, to the businessmen and government officials he knew in his multi-faceted career, to the many undergraduate and graduate students he knew.

Eckstein will undoubtedly be remembered by legions of students for his devotion to teaching. As the long-time leader of the introductory economics course, he introduced "a whole generation of Harvard undergraduates" to the field, commented long-time colleague Martin S. Feldstein '61, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Eckstein was also known in his department as a friend of undergraduate education, someone who argued annually for increased funding and personnel for undergraduate courses.

Equally important, Eckstein left a legacy fast disappearing in an age when the people of the Ivory Tower seem to be increasingly divorced from the world without--that of the scholar who is actively involved in nuts and bolts issues. It was Eckstein who took economic forecasting from the abstract world of the classroom and made it a practical tool for the government and business. It was Eckstein who took his economic expertise directly to Washington in the early 1960's when he served as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers. It was Eckstein who founded and built up the world's largest economic forecasting firm.

"He was an outstanding scholar, a distinguished teacher, and a successful businessman, as well as having a rewarding family life," said Economics Department Chairman A. Michael Spence. Given the increasing specialization of the day, that is quite remarkable. Eckstein will be missed.

FORTY YEARS AGO TODAY in The Crimson:

"Harlow Shapley, Paine Professor of astronomy and director of the Harvard Observatory, revealed today the censorship troubles experienced by astronomers Radio messages must be carefully worded to avoid any appearance of hidden or subversive meaning.

"'The censors would not like a brief and effective message such as "Nova explosion Puppis shoot nightly using whole battery" followed by positional numbers and the word "urgent." That sounds subversive.'"