Memories of Bob Tollison: memories of a friendship

Excerpt

My memories of Bob Tollison begin in some halcyon days. First, a short timeline: I was a terrible undergraduate student, except for economics, literature, art and history, but I was redeemed as a doctoral student of economics at Louisiana State University. A wonderful blend of scholars taught me how to conduct research and how to think about and “do” economics. The job market favored the seller’s side when I received my degree in January 1967 and of numerous job offers, I was urged by my brilliant mentor, Professor James Payne, to go with Texas A&M. A&M was building its Ph.D. program with the help of a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. There, my recently acquired work ethic was enlivened in the company of two fellow Aggie acquisitions, Phil Gramm (later a US Senator) and the late Charles Maurice. We worked constantly, with interruptions for beers and pizza, to develop our skills and to publish (the sine qua non of the day). Still in our mid-twenties, we taught graduate courses and directed both graduate and undergraduate programs and supervised dissertations. Many of our students were our own age. …