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Abramo Fimo Kenneth Organski
Abramo Fimo Kenneth Organski, professor of political science and senior research scientist, Center for Political Studies, Institute for Social Research (ISR), born in Rome in 1923 and emigrated to the United States with his parents and brother in 1939, fleeing the anti-Jewish laws of the Mussolini regime. He became an American citizen in 1944 and served with the U.S. Armed Forces in 1943-45.
He held a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University and after teaching at Brooklyn College in 1952-64 he joined the U-M faculty. Organski also was a visiting professor at Columbia University; the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; the University of Pennsylvania; the universities of Turin, Catania and Florence; and at the Agnelli Foundation in Italy.
Organski was "a major figure in the department and ISR, a marvelous teacher," said John E. Jackson, chair of the Department of Political Science. "Students continually come up to me and comment on his courses. He motivated a significant number of people, both undergraduates and graduate students, and his scholarly work has been a major factor in the way we think about international relations. I will also remember him as a delightful, humorous, playful individual."
Organski's books included World Politics; Population and World Power, co-authored with his first wife, Katherine Davis Fox; Birth, Death and Taxes, written with several of his students; Stages of Political Development; The War Ledger, written with Jacek Kugler; and The Thirty-Six Billion Dollar Bargain.
Organski's accomplishments were recognized in many ways, including receipt of the University's Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award and serving as the James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science in 1985-87. In 1992 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Conflict Processes Section of the American Political Science Association for his contributions to the study of international conflicts. He also was a Social Science Research Council Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow.
Organski was an honored guest at the University of Bologna when it celebrated its 900th anniversary and was awarded the Cavalieri dela Republica by the government of Italy.
In 1981, Organski, Jacek Kugler and Bruce Bueno de Mesquita founded Policon Corp., now known as Decision Insights Inc. and based in New York, to help the federal government and private corporations deal with complex negotiations and disputes. At the time of his death he was chairman of the board of the organization.
He will be remembered not only for his intellectual depth and originality, but also for his ebullience, love of language, human warmth and gift for friendship. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and will be deeply mourned by his wife Patricia Joan Bard; his daughter, Elizabeth Anna Organski-Horn and her husband, Steven of Whitmore Lake; his son, Eric Fox Organski of Savannah, Ga.; his grandson, Steven Horn Jr.; his brother, Guido Organschi of Litchfield, Conn.; and generations of devoted students.
A memorial service will be held in mid-April. Call Muehlig Funeral Chapel for details. Memorial contributions may be made to the A.F.K. Organski Fund, Center for Political Studies.
Beverly C. Payne Jr.
Beverly C. Payne Jr., research scientist emeritus at the Institute for Social Research, died March 3, 1998 in Naples, Fla. He was 89.
Wilde held an B.S. from Miami University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
He joined the U-M as professor of physiology in 1956 and retired in 1975. In granting him emeritus status in 1975, the Regents said: "Prof. Wilde contributed his knowledge to both instructional and research programs of the Department of Physiology and the Medical School during his 19 years at the University."
Prior to joining the U-M, Wilde was assistant professor at Louisiana State University and held senior research appointments with the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the National Institutes of Health. In 1931-45 he held teaching posts at the University of Minnesota, Miami University, University of Rochester, University of Wyoming and Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He was an associate professor (1947) and then professor (1956) at Tulane University.
Wilde was an alumnus member of Phi Beta Kappa and a member of both the American Physiology Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science, the latter for 50 years. He published more than 30 papers and refereed articles for the Atoms for Peace Conference.
Wilde served in Civil Defense in World War II and taught meteorology in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He also was a member of the Vanderbilt Property Owners Association.
Wilde was married to Mary Koehler and was died Feb. 25, 1998 at age 99.
Tremendous expansion of the U-M marked Hatcher's term in office, which ran from 1951 to 1967.
From 17,000 students in 1951, enrollment jumped to 37,000 students in 1967. The budget increased from $44.5 million to more than $186 million in the same period. Shortly after he took office the University purchased land for North Campus and began development there. Regional campuses were established in Flint and Dearborn.
Among the numerous buildings completed on the Ann Arbor campus during Hatcher's years in office were the School of Music's Moore Building, the Institute for Social Research and the Undergraduate Library, which Hatcher identified as one of the major accomplishments of his tenure.
The Undergraduate Library's long hours and open shelf access were an innovation for academic libraries. Book circulation figures soared and more faculty members began to require wider reading by their students. "That revolutionized undergraduate training, as of that time," Hatcher said in a 1988 interview.
"President Hatcher had a noble bearing, a noble mind and a level of human courtesy unknown in our time," said President Lee C. Bollinger. "He presided over the University during one of its more formative stages. His name will always be mentioned in the same breath as Michigan."
"The years President Hatcher spent in expanding and strengthening the U-M immediately after World War II laid the groundwork for a new era," according to President Emeritus Robben W. Fleming.
"The result is a different institution: it is not only bigger, but more comprehensive in the way it serves both undergraduate and graduate students. The University and the state of Michigan owe Harlan Hatcher an immense debt of gratitude for the wisdom and grace that marked his presidency."
Before being named the University's eighth president in 1951, Hatcher was vice president at The Ohio State University (OSU). He also had been a professor of English at OSU and dean of its college of arts and sciences. His scholarly research focused on American literature and history, particularly of the Midwest, and he wrote several books on the Great Lakes region.
After his retirement, Hatcher kept active in numerous civic and cultural groups. He sat on the board of directors of the Center for the Great Lakes, which he described as "an international endeavor to save our lakes, to make them more useful and prosperous and to ensure their health." At the U-M, he remained interested in the workings of campus libraries and regularly attended classical music concerts.
Hatcher died Feb. 12, 1998 in Ann Arbor. He was 82.
A member of the U-M faculty for 43 years, Ackley was a leader in national economic affairs for several decades, including serving as an adviser to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. An expert on the Italian economy, he also was ambassador to Italy.
He held an A.B. from Western Michigan University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the U-M. Following a year of teaching at Ohio State University, he joined the U-M faculty in 1940 as an instructor in the Department of Economics. He was on leave from the department in 194146, serving in the Office of Price Administration and the Office of Strategic Services in Washington, D.C.
He returned to the U-M in 1946 as assistant professor, was named associate professor in 1947 and professor in 1952. He served as chair of the department in 195461. He retired in 1984.
He was a visiting professor at the School of Business Administration, University of California, Los Angeles, in 1949, and served as an economic adviser and assistant director in the Office of Price Stabilization in 195152.
He was a Fulbright research scholar in Rome, Italy, in 195657, where he studied problems of Italian unemployment and inflation. He returned to Rome in 196162 as a Faculty Research Fellow of the Ford Foundation.
He took a leave of absence from the U-M in the early 1960s and served as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and chaired that group for four years. He was ambassador to Italy in 196869 and in the 1970s served as a consultant to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Council of Economic Advisers and the Secretary of the Treasury. He also was a member of the National Advisory Council on Social Security in 197880.
Ackley was widely published in both professional and popular media. His Macroeconomic Theory, translated into several languages, has been a standard advanced text since it was published in 1961. He also was the author of Stemming World Inflation (1971) and Macroeconomics: Theory and Policy (1978) and joint author of Asia's New Giant: How the Japanese Economy Works (1976).
He was awarded the Cavaliere del Gran Croce by the government of Italy in 1969 for his monograph and articles on the Italian economy, written in Italian. The award is that country's highest civilian honor.
Other awards include honorary degrees from Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Western, being named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, receiving the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award from the U-M and being named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association. He also was a Distinguished Senior Lecturer in LS&A; in 1983.
His professional memberships included the American Economics Association, which he served in a number of capacities over the years including president in 1982, the Michigan Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Economics Club.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Bonnie Lowry Ackley; son David and daughter-in-law Gayle of Bologna, Italy; son Donald and daughter-in-law Melissa of Williamsburg, Va.; sister Margaret and brother-in-law Ernest Bonjour of Kalamazoo; sister-in-law Margaret Ackley of Kalamazoo; and five grandchildren: Kenna, Elizabeth, David, Robert and Stephen.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of South Central Michigan, Box 1713, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
