Obituaries and Tributes

Obituary

Lee, Frederic Sterling (known to his family as Fritz) died October 23, 2014 in Webster Groves, Missouri. He was a Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City since 2000. He fought his whole life for social and economic justice for all people. Dr. Lee was internationally known for his work on alternative microeconomic theory. His approach to economics was always grounded in the real world which kept him outside the mainstream of orthodox economics. He authored two books: Post Keynesian Price The ory and A History of Heterodox Economics. He authored, co-authored and edited numerous other books and articles, including: Oxford Economics & Oxford Economists with Warren Young; Radical Economics and Labor with Jon Bekken; The Heterodox Economics of Gardiner C. Means with Warren Samuels; Evaluating Economic Research in a Contested Discipline with Wolfram Elsner; and Social Provisioning, Embeddedness and Modeling the Economy. He was also internationally recognized for his work to promote a community among alternative approaches to economic theory under the umbrella term of heterodox economics. He was founder of the Association for Heterodox Economics in England and the international Heterodox Economics Newsletter. He was active in many other economic associations and served as editor of the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 2009-2013.

Dr. Lee previously taught at the University of California-Riverside in Riverside, CA, 1981-1984; Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL, 1984-1990; Staffordshire Polytechnic in Stoke-on-Trent, England, 1990-1991; and De Montfort University in Leicester, England, 1991-2000. He was a proud, card-carrying member of the Industrial Workers of the World (known as Wobblies) since 1985. While living in Chicago he was President of the IWW General Executive Board. In that role, he was instrumental in retrieving for the IWW a remnant of the ashes of Joe Hill, which had found its way into the National Archives in Washington, DC. While living in Leicester, England, he was active in the Leicester Secular Society, which works for an inclusive and plural society free from religious privilege, prejudice and discrimination. He served as President of the Secular Society from 1994 to 2000, promoting their activities and preserving their 130 year-old Victorian building.

Born in Nyack, NY on November 24, 1949, Dr. Lee grew up in Fairfax County Virginia with his father Sterling Lee, a lawyer with the National Labor Relations Board and his mother Marian Burks Keddy who was active with the League of Women Voters. He earned a BA in History from Frostburg State College in Maryland in 1972 and a PhD in Economics from Rutgers University in New Jersey in 1983. At Frostburg he met his wife, Ruth (nee Buschman) on a hayride. Happily married for 41 years, they enjoyed living and traveling all over the US and the world. Places they lived include: New York City; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Edinburgh, Scotland; New Jersey; Riverside, CA; Chicago, IL; Stoke-on-Trent and Leicester, England. They also traveled in India, China, Australia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Mexico, Canada and throughout Europe and the United States. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his beloved daughter, Sally Sterling Anderson who is married to Michael Scott Anderson and two beautiful granddaughters, Molly Ruth Anderson and Chloe Viola Anderson. He is also survived by his stepmother Patricia Lee; sister, Kathryn Lee Wilson; brother John Keddy Lee; stepbrothers Mark Crawford, John Crawford, and Peter Crawford; and stepsisters Jane Webster, Maura Blomquist, Anne Collins, and Suzanne Crawford. Tragically, he died of lung cancer despite having never smoked.

Services: A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 8th, 1:00 pm at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road, St. Louis, Missouri. His ashes will be scattered at a later date at the Haymarket Martyrs Monument in Chicago, IL. Memorial contributions can be made to the Frederic S. Lee Heterodox Economics Scholarship Fund which is housed at the Kansas City Community Foundation. Donations can be made at \url{https://gkccfonlinedonations.org/give/leeh00.asp}.

Written by Ruth Lee, Published in St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Oct. 29, 2014): http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/stltoday/obituary.aspx?pid=172981129

Other obituaries are found in the Tributes in Memory of Frederic S. Lee (2015). See below.

Tributes in Memory of Frederic S. Lee

  • Edited by Tae-Hee Jo, February 2015. [click on the link to download a pdf file]

  • This is a collection of tributes read at the Memorial Service on November 8, 2014 (Chapter 1), obituaries written by his family and colleagues (Chapter 2), and messages sent in after his passing (Chapter 3). Tributes appear in the Festschrift for Fred Lee, and various events, such as conference sessions in honor or memory of Fred Lee, are also included in Chapter 3.


Below are messages sent to AFEE, AFIT, ASE, AHE, PKSG, URPE, HES, IAFFE mailing lists, personal responses to John Henry and Tae-Hee Jo, and blog posts. (Last updated November 22, 8:00 pm).

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"Today we remember the life of a great teacher, scholar, and rabble-rouser – Professor Frederic S. Lee (1949-2014). His life and accomplishments inspire us to strive to live up to the example he set for us. Each time he stepped into the classroom, Prof. Lee brought a fiery passion to his teaching. In an era of hyper-specialization, he drew on his immense knowledge of heterodox economics to connect with students, no matter what their interest. We knew that Prof. Lee’s door was always open to students. He would happily spend hours helping us develop our research and ourselves. Even when we weren’t always confident in our own theories, Prof. Lee believed in us. Prof. Lee’s steadfast commitment to intellectual pluralism stood as an inspiration for all who met him. As a scholar, he engaged with a wide range of alternative approaches to economics. He went even further with his commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship. Prof. Lee encouraged students and colleagues alike to learn the traditions and methods of other disciplines in order to create better explanations for how the world really works. Through his own interdisciplinary work, he played a critical role in the establishment of heterodox economics qua theory. As an organizer, Prof. Lee put his theories into practice by advocating for social justice. Economists around the world remember him for his legacy of building an inclusive community of researchers and activists. He never wanted us to separate ourselves from the real world, becoming cloistered in the ivory towers of academia. To the very end, his dedication to social justice burned like a torch in the night, guiding our path forward. At the 2014 Interdisciplinary Conference, he called on us to fight for justice and solidarity. Although our hearts ache with loss, we will celebrate his life by answering that call. May he rest in peace." -- The Economics Graduate Students of the University of Missouri at Kansas City (2014)

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Academic Journal Articles

  • Jack Reardon. 2014. “Editorial: A Tribute to Fred Lee.” International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education 5(4): 304-305. [Download the article (free)]

  • Jan Kregel & L. Randall Wray (2015) Editors’ Corner, Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, 37:3, 528-531. DOI: 10.1080/01603477.2015.1023676. [Link]

  • D'Ippoliti, Carlo (2015), "Frederic S. Lee and the Challenges for Heterodox Economics," Bulletin of Political Economy, 9 (1): 85-91. [Link]

  • Harcourt, G. C. (2016), "Homage to Fred Lee," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 27 (4): 539-558. [Link]

  • Jo, Tae-Hee (2016), "Frederic S. Lee and his fight for the future of heterodox economics," PSL Quarterly Review, 69 (278): 267-278. [Link]

  • Lavoie, Marc (2016), "Frederic Lee and Post-Keynesian Price Theory," Review of Political Economy, 28 (2): 196-186.

  • Henry, John F. (2017), "Fred Lee, the Industrial Workers of the World, and Heterodox Economics," Review of Radical Political Economics, 49 (1): 148-152. [Link]


Blog Posts

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Associations

  • Heterodox Economics Newsletter. November 3: http://www.heterodoxnews.com/n/htn171.html

  • World Economics Association Newsletter. November 3.
    http://www.worldeconomicsassociation.org/files/newsletter/Issue-4-5.pdf
    One of the characteristics of broad exclusion is that the excluded find themselves in isolated groups and thereby too demoralized and powerless to confront the order that excludes. Fred Lee will be remembered for his success at opening communications and initiating cooperation between the disparate economists who were victims of the toxic blend of ideology and scientism that came to rule economics at the end of the millennium. Fred Lee’s success was a beginning of the hope for regeneration, moral and intellectual, of the economics profession that now lives in the hearts and minds of thousands of its members — Edward Fullbrook

  • Recently, we were made aware that Frederic S. Lee, a strong voice of economic heterodoxy passed away on October 23. His death came much too early given Fred’s tremendous efforts and enthusiasm in promoting heterodox economics and economic pluralism. He will be deeply missed by the community of heterodox economists. Fred was a supporter of IAFFE’s efforts is so many ways and a tireless supporter of pluralism in economics. He will be deeply missed. — International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE)

  • Following the recent untimely death from cancer of Professor Fredric S. Lee, the Association for Heterodox Economics would like to recognize his unique contribution to heterodox economics. Not only was Fred instrumental in the establishment of the AHE, he also remained a tireless participant in its otherwise mundane administration and a passionate participant in its academic activity. He was one of those rare individuals whose enthusiasm was inspirational. His generosity of spirit caused him to see the best in others. His intellectual legacy extends across many areas of economics, whilst his institutional legacy extends to all those graduates who had the privilege to experience his teaching and all those postgraduates for whom he was a mentor. Fred’s obituary, written by his colleague Tae-Hee Jo, can be accessed via the Heterodox Economics Newsletter number 171. The Newsletter is another now well-established pillar of the heterodox academic community for which Fred was the prime mover. The vibrancy of that community also forms part of his legacy. The Newsletter contains links to a series of other sites with commentaries and condolences via: http://heterodoxnews.com/leefs/in-memory-of-fred
    We would also like to encourage you to make a donation to the Frederic S. Lee Heterodox Economics Scholarship Fund:http://heterodoxnews.com/leefs/fsl-scholarship.
    Fred will be sadly missed. — The Management Committee on behalf of the     Association for Heterodox Economics

  • It is with great sadness that we inform the EAEPE community that Fred Lee passed away the night between 23 and 24 October 2014. His contribution to EAEPE and to other pluralist and heterodox associations was huge, and his death is a terrible loss for the entire scientific community. — European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE)

  • It is with great sadness that the French Association of Political Economy has learnt that Fred Lee passed away on October 23rd. Fred was an active organizer of the heterodox community, providing others with invaluable resources while developing original research. He has played an essential role to promote heterodox economics understood as a set of theories clearly distinct from the mainstream. He showed that heterodoxy is not only a pure intellectual matter but also a community of economists with its own institutions based on integrative pluralism. He was not only a pioneer, he was a prominent voice. Here in France we are always eager to receive the Heterodox Economics Newsletter that he initiated (then managed by Tae-Hee Jo and Ted P. Schmidt, and now by Jakob Kapeller) and we are grateful to him for the links he created between heterodox economists all over the world. His generosity and kindness will be greatly missed. — Association Française d’Economie Politique (written by Gilles Raveaud and Bruno Tinel)

  • This is sad and unexpected news. Quite a few members of the Leicester Secular Society spent time with Fred when he visited in the summer and he attended our evening lecture which was on social housing – by another long-time De Montfort University personality, Tim Brown. Apart from being a member of the Leicester Secular Society, Fred had at one time been its President and I believe held it together in quite difficult times. Now, fortunately, we are going through a period of some flourishing and we are sure Fred would have taken heart from that on his visit.​ — Leicester Secular Society​

  • Our heart goes out to the students, associates, and family at the passing of Fred Lee, who served as President of AFIT during 2011-2012. Fred was always a tireless defender of the underprivileged and marginalized, and a tireless advocate of heterodox economics. I had the opportunity to spend time with Fred at the AFEE meetings in Philadelphia last January. No one was more passionate about promoting heterodox economics. Fred will be sorely missed. — John Watkins (President, AFIT)

  • I want to echo Dave Z’s remarks. We were both fortunate to work with Fred over the past year on a number of important AFEE projects, and as Dave commented, Fred was indefatigable and always prepared for our many conversations. He has put together an excellent program for our upcoming meetings in Boston, and we will be certain to make a point of remembering his work on behalf of AFEE and heterodox economics. And his legacy going forward will be a strong one, in the work he produced, in the students he mentored, and in the many projects to promote heterodox economics. To his students and colleagues, my deep sympathy. – Jan Knoedler (Bucknell University and the President of AFEE)


Individuals


  • Dr. Lee was my academic advisor for my MA in economics until that duty was transferred to another professor. Dr. Lee always had an open door and was willing to discuss any of my problems/issues pretty much anytime he was in his office, which happened more frequently than I care to admit. I never once experienced a closed door, despite knowing the fact that he was always very busy. His classes at UMKC were known as the ones that were very, very rigorous. And he expected each student to strive to be their best at whatever subject they were challenging themselves currently. I will truly miss Dr. Lee and he will be forever remembered by myself for the following statement that he made in January 2014 in Advanced Microeconomics (which is truly one of my favorite quotes of all time):
    “Who has time for all this real life crap when there is serious economic research to do?!” –Amelia Natt och Dag

  • I am not ready to write a proper comment about who he was and what he meant to his students. Fred was a wonderful scholar, a passionate professor, and a colorful speaker. Out of class, he was always giving exactly the right advice for your interests. I took his courses on Advanced Micro and Pricing Theory at Roosevelt in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We read and discussed fascinating material: Hall and Hitch, Andrews, Means, Blair, Steindl, Kalecki, Harcourt and Kenyon, Wood, Moss, etc… The courses were designed to comprehend and handle a non-static theory of the business organization (the firm) in which output, prices, investment and financial decisions were interrelated and integrated. About 1991 (after finishing my master degree) I had no idea where to go. Fred urged me to go to East London do my Ph.D. where I started to work with Philip Arestis. It was a terrific advise. — Leonardo Vera (Universidad Central de Venezuela)

  • I have just learned of the untimely passing of my old friend and RU colleague Fred Lee. Fred was simply one of a kind: Wobbly, quintessential anglophile, humanist, unrelenting secularist who battled the celebration of Christmas in Sally’s Oak Park public school, historian who loved getting dirty in archives, and an unwavering and indefatigable commitment to heterodox economics. I think Fred would be really touched by this global outpouring of condolences. But it is a testament of the effectiveness of his multi-decade battle against the hegemonic tide of neoclassical economics. He will be sorely missed. — Howard Stein (University of Michigan)

  • The world is a lesser place without Fred Lee in it. He was a wonderful person. My first year of graduate school at UMKC two of us current students were responsible for meeting with Fred when he was interviewing for a faculty position. I remember taking Fred to the Corner Cafe in Westport for breakfast and having a great discussion. Then my friend and I drove Fred around Kansas City and tried to answer all the questions he asked. Fred was always student-friendly. We spent the rest of the day with Fred and had a great time. Fred accepted the job and a better person at a better time could not have been chosen. Fred was an ever-present figure at UMKC from then on. I’ll always remember him as the professor who would sit in front of coffeeshops around the university meeting and talking with a cadre of students. He was always giving of his time and energy–in many ways that has inspired me. In fact, Fred is responsible for me becoming a professor. He helped me secure my first teaching position and ways always available for advice and guidance. Fred’s lessons and dedication will live on with his students and colleagues. — Robert Scott (Monmouth University)

  • I was saddened to hear that Fred has died. I can add little new to the numerous tributes that have been made here. In his research, publications and teaching Fred contributed greatly to the development of heterodox perspectives in political economy on both sides of the Atlantic. But his greatest and, I hope, most lasting legacy lies in his huge contribution to the building of an international community of heterodox economists. Personally I will always remember Fred’s smiling friendliness and generosity, and his courage in challenging established power. He leaves the world of economics and the world in general a better place. — Alan Hutton (Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland)

  • I have never met Dr Lee in person but only communicated with him via email. His comments were always about building a community of economics that is aware of alternative views. He has implanted a new sense of purpose for me in economics as I was beginning to be disillusioned by the lack of reality in the analysis and teaching. I was on the verge of leaving the discipline altogether when I googled heterodoxeconomics and came a number of sources…mostly developed by Dr Lee and heterodox books, blogs, newsletters, etc. And my thinking in economics has changed for the better and I haven’t looked back! THANK YOU DR LEE FOR SHARING YOUR INVALUABLE THOUGHTS WITH US! — Kopano Matsaseng (Pretoria, South Africa)

  • I had a pleasure of hosting Fred Lee when he consented to be part of a debate that we at Western New England College (now University) — the current home of Karl Petrick — ran every year featuring Hayekians from the Foundation for Economic Education and left-wing heterodox economists. Previously, I had only known Fred through his work — and through his creation and running of the Heterodox Eocnomics Newsletter — What struck me about him was that though he did not concede any of the theoretical and empirical ground in the debate with the Hayekians, he remained cordial and respectful — To be really brief, he struck me as a MENSCH. It is a terrible loss we have suffered and we can only hope that the last words of Joe Hill (prophetic that his last post should have been about a Joe Hill calendar — which by the way is great, I just got my five copies!) will be followed by those of us who admired and respected Fred:Don’t mourn for me, Organize! — Mike Meeropol

  • Fred was extremely kind and warm. A wonderful expample as a teacher and adviser. I remember we had a coke after the closing of the AHE 2010 conference in Bordeaux, France, and we discussed about Sraffian economics (it was a sunny and hot day). That was my first time giving a paper at an international conference and he was very interested in what I had to say. I am still very impressed by his atention regarding the new generation of economists and I believe we all should listen more often what our students think. The struggle for a humane and progressive economic science continues. — Tiago Camarinha Lopes (Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil)

  • Where would we be without Fred Lee? I don’t know, but I am sure it would be a worse place than we found ourselves. Fred led by example, his energy, intellect, passion, compassion and generosity seemingly limitless. As someone who used to be a young heterodox economist, my personal debt to Fred Lee is immense. He rallied us, gave us a home and a voice, and most of all helped us develop the confidence to find our own direction. He is a huge loss to heterodoxy. Above all, he was a good man. — Andrew Mearman (University of the West of England, Bristol, UK)

  • I first met Fred Lee when I was starting out as a PhD student. A bunch of us had taken the train to London to attend a Post Keynesian Study Group meeting. After the first presentation, a voice pipes up from behind where I was sitting: ‘I have one question….part one….’. Each part of Fred’s four part question was a fundamental challenge to the presenter that needed to be addressed in some way. I said to a fellow student ‘I hope if I ever present at one of these sessions, that guy is absent that day’. But Fred never missed a PKSG meeting, so he was there when every one of us eventually made our first presentation. But he was nice to us because we were students. He only asked three-part questions. And he was the biggest champion for that group of PhD students, even though none of us attended the university that he taught at. When AFEE had its first summer school, there was a group of students from the UK, because Fred made sure we applied. And over time countless job references, chances to present at conferences, etc. He’s even (very, very ) indirectly responsible for two marriages that I can think of, one of which is mine. When Fred left England to go work in the United States, he asked four of us to take over running the Association for Heterodox Economics annual conference. That’s all you need to know about Fred Lee- that it took four people to continue doing something that Fred did on his own. A great mentor, a great friend, and I miss him very badly. — Karl Petrick (Western New England University)

  • I still remember discussing the nature of reality with Fred. At one point he asked “Is love real?” Evidence in the affirmative lies within the comments on this page. He was a wonderful contributor to the heterodox tradition and will be sadly missed. — Therese Jefferson (Curtin University, Australia)

  • I would like to add my voice to the many remembering the generosity of spirit of Fred Lee and his enormous contribution to heterodox economics. Fred was never too busy to help someone else and was selfless in his efforts to promote a more honest and less ideological economics. As much as anyone, he is responsible for the emergence of heterodox economics as an integrative framework for strengthening and cross fertilizing non-neoclassical economics paradigms. I admired Fred and will miss him. — Steve Cohn (Knox College)

  • Fred Lee will be sorely missed within the heterodoxy and his passing is a tremendous loss. I think as Heterodox economists we should better strive towards Fred’s vision of greater unity within the heterodoxy and amongst ourselves in confronting and challenging the orthodoxy. That is one way Fred’s legacy can remain alive. — Scott Carter (University of Tulsa)

  • I am truly sorry to hear of Fred’s passing away, he has been integral to the efforts at opening up economics, and a staunch supporter of pluralism in the field. I remember how, at times when many of our male heterodox colleagues imagined feminist economics as simply the ‘application’ of their approach to ‘the woman question,’ Fred was among the earliest from the broader field of heterodox economics to provide it with the respect it deserved as a distinctive and independent intellectual formation, listing it as one of the heterodox economics traditions on Het-econ. His effort to break down barriers was never done by ‘absorbing’ others into some ‘bigger’ extant approach as a form of economics-imperialism, but respectfully, conversationally, and with due regard for genuine exchange across intellectual traditions. I also remember his presence at conferences, and his tireless efforts at institutional building and opening up spaces for conversations across varied dissident traditions. A real loss for all economists, whatever their own approach, who value open intellectual exchange and analytic pluralism in the field. — S. Charusheela (U of Washintong-Bothell)

  • I had the privilege of knowing Fred since 1980 when we were both just starting out. He had just had a year at Edinburgh University and Gavin Reid, then a young lecturer there and a fellow PWS Andrews enthusiast, sent Fried a copy of one of my first discussion papers, which was about the neglect of Andrews and other real-world focused economists. Fred passed it on to Alfred Eichnet and it led to the edited collection Why Economics is Not Yet a Science. Much more importantly, Fred and I began corresponding about PK price theory and his PhD work, and we eventually ended up edited Andrews’s collected papers as a result of a dozen years of writing to each other (The Economics of Competitive Enterprise, Elgar 1993). It was only after this was finished that I met Fred face to face for the first time, at the Leeds Keynes conference. That period of close interaction with Fred had a big impact on my views about scholarship, one that I try to convey to my students, especially the PhD students: Fred was exemplary in his pursuit of a ‘leave no stone unturned’ approach to thorough scholarship that is all too rare these days. It was simply amazing to see the lengths he would go to try to fill in missing bits of the Andrews/OERG story. With this kind of scholarship, it is not surprising his major books did not come out as quickly as one might otherwise have expected. We should all think of this aspect of Fred’s way of operating whenever we’re tempted to do a rushed job and not follow up leads that might turn out to be unexpectedly important. And of course, we should always remember Fred’s selfless devotion to the cause of doing economics in a socially-concerned way that is grounded in reality, as conveyed in your obituary, and we should try to do likewise, even if that also is not the easy way. With best wishes to you and to Fred;s family, and with fond memories of Fred, — Peter E. Earl (University of Queensland, Australia)

  • He really did work hard to keep heterodox economic vibrant and collaborative. And he was a really nice guy. I had been meaning to donate the scholarship and your thoughtful note helped me to pull out my wallet and just do it! Walking the walk… — Randy Albelda (UMass Boston)

  • Thank you for the moving obituary of Fred Lee, a man I knew through our common union, the Industrial Workers of the World. The man is an inspiration and I am saddened by his passing. In solidarity, — Peter Moore (Canada)

  • Many of us in Canada knew Fred. I had only met him twice, but my impression of him was quite favourable. … his scholarship was exceptional, he was a community-builder and a greater supporter of his (and other) students. — Jordan Brennan (Unifor, Canada)

  • We have lost a great colleague, a better person and one of the key bases of heterodox economics worldwide. Extremely sad news and very bad times for heterodoxy. — Jorge Garcia Arias (University of Leon, Spain)

  • It is so sad but I am glad I saw him in July at the AHE conference and heard his talk. — Marlene Kim (UMass Boston)

  • I met Fred Lee just one time in 2006, but I wrote him several emails for having some suggestions in the Italian debate on research output evaluation in economics. He was always very kind. — Stefano Lucarelli (Università degli studi di Bergamo, Italy)

  • Fred will be missed, and will remain with us. — Michele Naples (The College of New Jersey)

  • I am shocked and very saddened. May he rest in peace. I have met Fred a number of times in the UK and elsewhere during various gatherings organized by the PKSG and AHE. We had also wonderful “heterodox” cooperation and interaction via email. With my deepest sympathy, — Nikolaos Karagiannis (Winston-Salem State University)

  • I remember Fred (who did not know me at the time) filling me on the Roosevelt Economics Dept. on the steps of a Hotel in New Orleans at an ASSA meeting many years ago, a job I eventually got (thought not that year). He could very critical – did not mince his opinions! (I had this experience with Fred’s comments on some of my ASSA presentations), and my Friends in Oak Park (cc’d above) told me stories when I moved here 20 years ago after Fred had left for England and than Missouri, about his outspoken atheism not always sitting well with fellow Oak Parkers (not them or I – all atheists ourselves) , but a great human being and a tireless organizer for the cause of radical/heterodox economics! It was this unwillingness to “bend” his opinions to convention – a true critical thinker – that led him to the enormous contributions that marked his life. — Ron Baiman (Benedictine University)

  • My condolences on the passing of our good and distinguished friend. — James K. Galbraith (University of Texas Austin)

  • It’s very sad to hear that. It would have been nice if we could have told him how much his research has helped us. — Post-Crash Economics Society, University of Manchester, UK

  • I’m directing this to you as Chair of the fantastic UMKC Econ Department, but why I’m writing I don’t really know. I never met Fred Lee or even corresponded with him, but his work on post-Keynesian price theory, and in particular his expertise on Gardiner Means, has been indispensable for my own work. I’m a graduate student in history at UC-Santa Barbara, studying with the labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein, and am currently at work on a dissertation on inflation in the postwar US, in particular how it served to regulate labor relations and delimited the prospects for social democracy in this country. My current focus is on the durability of an anti-monopoly tradition in Congress after the war, and in particular on John Blair and the Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly. I recently learned Dr. Lee had been working on similar issues, and just last week had begun to compose a message to him on the subject. I was stunned to see this terribly saddening news. I just thought I’d write to provide one datum on Dr. Lee’s far ranging influence. I am in history (though I’d probably be in economics were it not for the dismal state of the field, UMKC excepting), which I think provides evidence enough that his work crossed disciplinary boundaries. From everything I read, it seems like he was a wonderful person, in addition to a great mind. We need more economists like him. — Samir Sonti (UC Santa Barbara)

  • So sorry to hear about Fred’s passing. He was one of the few really good guys in the profession. And I always admired his “don’t let the idiots win” attitude. — Steve Pressman (Monmouth University)

  • My deep sympathy to all who knew Prof Lee. I regret that I only knew him via this listserve, yet even so, I got a great sense of his impact and contributions. I wonder if someone could re-send information about how to contribute to the scholarship fund Prof Lee had set up with AFEE. — Carol Scotton (Knox College)

  • Fred was a colleague of mine at U.C. Riverside for a few years, when we were constantly under attack from a phalanx of hostile and often vicious deans and Monsanto grantees and others for our “Marxism”. That was a wide umbrella that covered almost anyone left of Dick Cheney, plus some deeper Marxists and probably some CIA agents and agents provocateurs. That is probably why Fred hit the road before long. Anyway, Fred had an obsessive work ethic. He came to meetings of the Department but rarely looked up from his sheaf of papers, rarely spoke. I hardly got to know him personally. I never knew of his IWW connection. If I had I would have marked it in his favor, but how could he have known that? Surrounded by spies, in whom could he confide? I thought his obsession with being “heterodox” was not an optimal stance. I’ve generally found it more positive to say “Orthodoxy is my doxy; heterodoxy is the other fellow’s doxy”. And yet in our brief intersections I came to admire his independence and courage and self-sacrifice and conscientiousness. So year’s later, when Larry Moss died and we needed a new Editor for the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, I nominated Fred – and he got the job, much to the disgust of some Austrians who had wanted it. Larry, who had an Austrian tendency in his form of heterodoxy, had left an inventory of accepted mss, which Fred duly edited and published – it must have been hard on him, but he had no fear of hard work. After about 4 years his original contract ran out, and the Board had turned over a bit (as Boards do), and the new Board let him go. He conscientiously completed his duties to the end, and, like Jesus on the cross, “He never said a mumbling word”. I never knew he had health problems, let alone fatal ones. So God bless you, Fred, in the place where you have gone, whether you believed in one or not. We will remember you down here for your courage and good works. — Mason Gaffney (UC Riverside)

  • I am deeply saddened by this great loss. Fred understood heterodox economics in its broadest sense and his scholarship reflected this judgment. More than anyone else, he established heterodox economics as a subject of historical inquiry. Heterodox economics was for Fred primarily a community, which he nurtured and shaped, through newsletters, networks, conferences and organisations. Fred and I co-wrote a paper on oral history and the history of heterodox economics. The collaboration emerged after years of his unfailing encouragement and generosity, sharing archives, ideas, and patient corrections as I wrote a doctoral thesis on the history of post Keynesian and radical economics. Fred’s research was unfailingly serious, sourced, and thorough, and I learned so much from him. — Tiago Mata

  • I am very sad to hear of Fred’s passing. I didn’t expect it quite this soon. We have lost a great colleague. — Fred Moseley (Mount Holyoke College)

  • A great loss for Heterodox Economics! My deep sympathy for his family. — Jairo Parada (Universidad del Norte, Colombia)

  • I feel very sad to read that Fred is no longer. I met him over 40 years ago and then from time to time at the Post Keynesian Economics Study Group seminars in London. I corresponded with him on several occasions. The last time when he asked me to pass on to him what information I had about the Conference of Socialist Economists in Cambridge some 40+ years ago. He has been instrumental in fostering alternative approaches to economics. We owe him a lot and he will be remembered. — Grazia Ietto Gillies

  • Despite the short time I spent at UMKC, I remember him well. I’ll always remember him for his kindness to us and for his commitment to fighting the cause of the oppressed. Will definitely remember the Harry Potter movie we watched together and the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner he and his wife made us in 2005. May his legacy live on in his work and the many lives he touched. – Tung-Yi Kho (SOAS)

  • Fred Lee was more than a “card-carrying member” of the Wobblies. A member of the IWW since 1985, Fred was elected soon afterwards Chair of the General Executive Board at the same time that he was Professor of Economics at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Here are two 1988 interviews Chairman Lee did with the Chicago Reader and L.A. Times, explaining the strange migration and history of Joe Hill’s ashes. (Some of the ashes were mailed to Fred, he told me and other colleagues, at his Roosevelt University address.) — Steve Ziliak (Roosevelt University)
    http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/what-ever-happened-to-joe-hill/Content?oid=873072
    http://articles.latimes.com/1988-11-20/news/mn-590_1_joe-hill-s-ashes
    http://www.roosevelt.edu/CAS/Programs/ECON/History.aspx

  • I had planned on writing some brief comments about Fred, but you captured most of what I was going to say. However, I do want to add one other area where I believe Fred made a very nice contribution, which justifies in my mind why he deserved the president slot for AFEE. From a number of talks that Fred gave over the years, I recognized that for him the central raison d’etre of an economy is the provisioning of goods and services for people, and for him that’s the purpose of an economy. By focusing on provisioning it avoids the neoclassical error of confusing all pecuniary activities with human well-being. Though there was more class struggle and Sraffa analysis in Fred’s view then this, I believe he recognized the importance of the institutionalist view of the interaction of technology (knowledge and innovation) and social institutions — the process to provision, which is often impeded by the inherently conservative nature of social and economic institutions, some of which are much more powerful than others. While improving provisioning may be universal, things and institutions change over time and place. This means that Institutional economics relies on observation and measurement of the real world as it changes, instead of being caught up in an ideological bubble. This follows the definition of provisioning by Gruchy, “the study of the part of the evolving social system that is concerned with the provision of scarce material goods and services” (1972, 337). And Veblen’s definition of the economy as “… a process for the provision of the aggregate material means of life” ([1919b] 1990, 285). Veblen’s contrast between the pecuniary and the industrial is central here. Only if production goes through the market process does it have a pecuniary value, and only then does it count. Or to express it in a way Fred would approve, I believe: since prices measure value in exchange they cannot always be relied on to establish value in use, which more closely parallels provisioning. This leads markets to be an imperfect measure of provisioning and must be supplemented by non-market goods through the public or nonprofit sector. Yes, as Barkley mentioned, we had our differences with Fred, but I always found him a passionate man who cared very deeply that economics be there to serve people and not the other way around. I will miss him. — Ric Holt

  • I am so sorry to hear this. I will always remember Fred for his ‘stubborn heterodoxy’, always bringing in a perspective in discussions that is solid, historically grounded, and to the point. And I will always remember that we shared the Gunnar Myrdal Prize in 2001, 2000 euro each, from which he bought his daughter a violin and I bought myself a double
    bass. — Irene van Staveren (International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Really sorry to hear about Fred, though I knew he didn’t have long. — Ronnie Phillips

  • I have met with Fred Lee in Utah in 2007 at the ICAPE conference, and still remember his compassion for the advancement of heterodox economics. He will not be forgotten for his efforts to promote heterodox economics. May he rest in peace. — Hüseyin Özel

  • I am so deeply moved by the sad news: how could this be? I didn’t know he was ill. I really can’t say we were very close, but I know he knew who I am, always, no matter where or how much time had passed since the last time we met. At a meeting, a conference, he always had a kind smile and generous words towards our latest research topic. May he rest in peace. — Jose A. Cordero (Universidad de Costa Rica)

  • I am sad to hear about Fred. However, his life and work will continue to be a great inspiration for the young heterodox scholars and generations to come. To my work in the history of heterodox economics, he will always be a huge influence. — Marco Cavalieri (Brazil)

  • I join a long line of folks that regret Fred’s passing. I am one of his doctoral students, but unlike some I’ve not had the privilege of finishing with him. He taught me so much and changed the way I think of the economy and society in general. I’ll never be the same. Fred taught me that economics is about social provisioning, and that social provisioning is about people. I’ll never forget that and I’ll never forget him. He’ll always be in my economics. The last thing he told me was that, “You should never hold back, even if it makes them uncomfortable.” I won’t disappoint him. Rest in peace Fred. — Mitch Green (UMKC student)

  • I share the grief of those who have already posted about Fred’s death. I wish to note that despite his illness, Fred worked tirelessly in helping to ensure that AFEE, and especially the JEI, continue to be strong. In Fact, Jan Knoedler, Eric Hake, and I received an e-mail from Fred just a week ago in which he asked us to keep him engaged in the work we have been doing with various publishers on the future of the JEI. Irrepressible and irreplaceable in the world of heterodox economics, Fred’s legacy will always endure. — David Zalewski (Providence College)

  • Some untimely deaths are indeed. I have known Frederic Lee since the URPE-ASSA meetings of1984 (Dallas), where we were both presenting a paper in the same session. We, again, where in the same session at the URPE-ASSA in 2013 (San Diego); I saw him for the very last time in the 2014 URPE-ASSA in Philadelphia and I did not know. Please convey my condolences to his family, friends, and students. — Cyrus Bina (University of Minnesota Morris)

  • I was very impressed with Fred, in the short time I had to interact with him, and very moved by the conference [AHE 2014 Conference at Greenwich] you [Jo] and his other students put on for him. His legacy and spirit will live on for a very long time, I’m sure. — Ashton Phillips (George Washington University)

  • Very sorry to hear this……..very sorry. Sad news. I thought Fred was a good guy and outstanding scholar. He definitely will be missed. — Thomas Lambert (Northern Kentucky University)

  • I am very sorry to hear the loss of Professor Lee. My deepest sympathies go out to you [Jo] and his family. May God give you and his family the comfort and peace that you seek and may the soul of Professor Lee rest in peace. My condolences. Tuna Baskoy (Ryerson University, Canada)

  • That’s sad, what a big loss. — Mary King (Portland State University)

  • Fred was a tremendous force for good economics. I’m sorry he suffered at the end. He will be greatly missed. — Robin Hahnel (American University and Portland State University)

  • It is so sad to lose Fred, a tireless champion of the left and heterodox economics. I first met Fred at a Post Keynesian conference in the early 80s when we were both graduate students? Fred working with Al Eichner at Rutgers and me working with Ed Nell and others at the New School. We maintained our friendship over 3 decades and supported one another during times when the frustration of dealing with mainstream economics and even difficult heterodox personalities became overwhelming. He will be sorely missed. — Steve Pressman (Monmouth University)

  • I, like many, receive this news with sadness. We have observed Fred’s tireless commitment to the advancement of economic knowledge and education. His accomplishments have been many and noteworthy. Good bye, Fred Lee. — Daniel Underwood (Peninsula College)

  • Wow. I am ever so sorry to hear this. Fred was an exceptionally well read economist & colleague. He was also a tireless organizer & institution builder. Our conversations invariably pushed me to think harder and/or more clearly. We were all richer for having known him. RIP Fred. — Robert Prasch (Middlebury College)

  • Even greater than Fred’s commitment to the advancement of knowledge was his unwavering commitment and concern for all of us, his students. Never was there any one who demanded more but did everything within his power to help each of achieve our full potential. — Doug Meador (University of Saint Francis)

  • This is very sad news indeed! My thoughts are with Fred’s family and also with his colleagues and students. — David Dequech (University of Campinas, Brazil)

  • My goodness. I had no idea. My thoughts are with his family and in recognising his huge contribution to all our work. We all owe him a huge and overwhelming debt of gratitude for his wonderful and innovative work. — Miriam Kennet (The Green Economics Institute, UK)

  • Very sad! Still remember our discussions confronting Marxism and Post-Keynesianism. A great loss. — Fabien Tarrit (Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne)

  • I echo others’ sentiments in greatly appreciating all that Fred Lee did for heterodox economics over many years. — Richard Wolff

  • It is very, very sad to hear that Fred is no longer with us. It was only 3 weeks ago that I invited him to join again the Scientific Advisory Board of the 2nd World Keynes Conference which I am planning with a few Turkish colleagues to hold in 2015 that I learned about Fred suffering from lung cancer but I had no idea that it was that serious. The heterodox community lost one of its most hard working, most challenging, most innovative and most helpful members. Deeply sorrow. — Arne Heise (Hamburg University)

  • This is shocking news. Fred was such a tireless worker towards the development of heterodox thinking. Please pass my condolences to his family. — Tidings P. Ndhlovu (MMU Business School)

  • Extremely sad news. The greatest paladin of our just quest is no more. — Luís Francisco Carvalho (ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon)

  • I just learned of the passing of Fred Lee. I’m deeply, deeply sorry. With all of you having been very close to him as colleague, teacher and friend, please accept my heartfelt sympathies. I am happy at least that I was able to see him last month in Kansas City (indeed that was the third time since last January that we saw each other) and I shall always retain some very good memories of having crossed path with him over the last few decades beginning with when he was still a graduate student of Al Eichner at Rutgers. I am truly very sad and, although I shall not be able to come to the funeral service, please give my sincere condolences to all his loved ones that he left behind. Yours sincerely, — Mario Seccareccia (University of Ottawa, Canada)

  • It is with profound sorrow that I just found that Professor Lee passed away last night. I was now working on the paper for the book [Fred Lee Festschrift] and just received an e-mail from the PKSG list informing that. It is an enormous loss for the academic world. Let us hope that his extremely important research be continued. — Nuno Martins (University of the Azores, Portugal)

  • Fred Lee was our distinguished guest at the 2006 HETSA conference held in Ballarat, Australia. He later stayed at my house in Carlton where he took a great interest in my cat! Jackson. The Australian HET community salute him. Kind regards. — Alex Millmow (Federation Business School and President of the History of Economic Thought Society of Australia)

  • A great economist and a better person. — Guillermo Cavazos

  • I am very sorry to hear of the death of Fred Lee, a distinguished economist. — Giancarlo de Vivo (Università di Napoli “Federico II”, Italy)

  • Very sad news, though (of course) not unexpected. … — John King (La Trobe University, Australia)

  • I was very sorry to hear about Fred. — Michael V. White (Monash University)

  • Thank you for informing the AFEEMAIL community about the sad news of Fred’s passing. Eric, Dave and I had received a very concerning note three weeks ago, so this news is not entirely a surprise. Sad all the same. We will make certain to honor him at the upcoming AFEE meetings.Keep us posted on any information you receive. — Jan Knoedler (Bucknell University and the President of AFEE)

  • It is with sadness that I write to inform you of the passing of one of our long-standing faculty members, Fred Lee. Fred was an internationally recognized scholar who was incredibly devoted to his students and his department. He was active in the life of the College and will be greatly missed. My thoughts go out to the faculty of Economics and Fred’s family. I have been told a memorial is planned in St. Louis and will provide more information as it becomes available. Sincerely, — Wayne Vaught (Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, UMKC)

  • I want to thank you for all that you[Free Lee] have done for me. I know that things would likely have gone very differently for me without your assistance. You are a friend, a colleague, and a fellow worker, and I am grateful for these things. Your dedication to improving the lives of working people is an inspiration. Concern for the well-being of poor and working people is uncommon among academics, but through your work and actions you have shown that you are unwilling to compromise your commitment to social justice, your personal convictions, or, ultimately, your integrity. This is an example that we should all do our best to emulate. Your impact on students, colleagues and our discipline will be measured for decades to come. I hope you and your family find some comfort in the difficult days ahead. But I want you to know that my commitment to the ideals we share is undiminished, and your example motivates me every day. I will mourn, but then I will organize. In solidarity, — Erik Olsen (UMKC, before Fred’s passing)

  • Fred was much liked and respected in this country, inside and outside of Stoke. I was lucky enough to see him for a few minutes last summer when he was visiting Paul Downward, across the street from whom I live. I have fond memories of all our visiting scholars, including Fred, your good self and Susan (M’Gowan?). Recently started my 15th year of retirement – much to my surprise. Still see Jean Mangan and Steve Hurd on walks, and Jamie Roper, Ian Jackson and John Wyld at beer festivals. John has recently retired, as has Jean although she has some PhDs to see through to completion. — Alistair Dawson

  • Thanks for letting the AFEE list know of this terrible news. I’m deeply saddened. — Robert McMaster (University of Glasgow)

  • This is so sad. Fred was a great scholar, mentor and friend. — Paul Downward (Loughborough University, UK)

  • We are all going to miss him. However, I know that you two were close and so I’m thinking of you [John Henry]. Peace. — Reynold Nesiba (Augustana College)

  • Thank you for spreading the word about Fred. He was an original ? there is no one with his righteous anger, his energy in defending inconvenient ideas, his enthusiasm in explaining mark-up models. Please add my condolences to what must already be a mountain of expressed feelings of loss and sadness. I will try, as everyone who knew him must, to carry on the fight for something approximating a better world and a truer economic compass to steer it by. Warmest regards, — Gary Dymski (Leeds University)

  • I first met Fred at Warren Samuels’ house when I was a grad student, and we spent an hour arguing about whether there was any usefulness in the idea of a demand curve. That was my first clue that there were not many things in the world which Fred and I would see eye-to-eye! We had many wonderful disagreements over the years, and I would always greet him with a shout of “How’s my favorite radical doing?!” But Fred was an incredibly generous scholar. I met him when Warren and I were working up our article and book on Gardiner Means, and Fred graciously put all of the voluminous means material that he had acquired (and most of which he had not yet himself used) at our disposal. I will miss him, but it is good to know that his suffering has come to an end. Best wishes, — Steve Medema (University of Denver)

  • I am so sorry to hear your sad news about Fred. Fred was such a wonderful person. With deepest sympathy. Yours sincerely, — Spencer Pack (Connecticut College)

  • Fred was a force for heterodoxy and had a deep moral view of the world. He did good work and was a role model. It will be strange not to have his presence. I feel sorry for Ruth. It is not easy to be left behind after so many years. — John Davis (Marquette University)