Ed was a good neighbor for many years, and had a great sense of humor. He and I developed a tradition of taking our kids trick-or-treating to friends' homes, where Ed and I trick-or-treated with drink glasses to be filled at the same time. One year he had to phone his wife Eloise to pick him up, because the drinks had left him unable to climb the hill back to his home. I also admired his economic/livability perspectives. Good guy all way 'round.
Ed was a talented visionary, as John describes. He was personally a fried and supporter. I came to Oregon as an Assistant Professor in Economics. I did not last all that long, as the sole leftist in the faculty, but Ed supported me because of my teaching. He was a great teacher and valued good teaching. I later worked in public policy and often relied on ECO Northwest analysis and contributed when I could. You did good work, Ed, thank you.
I enjoyed chatting with Ed when we were office neighbours. He always had an interesting take on events. I am sorry to see news of his passing, and I am sure he leaves big shoes to fill for the rest of us.
As one of his nieces I knew a bit about his work and have read a few of his op eds, but did not realize the depth of his contributions to Oregon economics and ecology. Thank you for this article!
I remember professor Whitelaw’s classes well. He always let us use the inside cover of our blue books for crib notes on mid-terms. But the most memorable thing was that he always wore sunglasses & a group of us who sat in the back bet it was because he was hung over or high. After our last class we finally asked if if that was why and he said some snarky remark like “wouldn’t you like to know?”
He was a great professor & I got A+ in his course.
Beautifully written John. I think Ed would be grateful for the picture you paint of an ever changing economic and environmental landscape, the impactful role he has played and the complexity of all corners of a beautiful Oregon. Ed will certainly be missed. Heavy heart.
Jim Stembridge's comments brought back fond memories. I took Regional Economics with Ed in 1974-5. Ed always stressed "critical analysis." Read an article or proposition first, to understand what the author is saying. Then read it again, to decide whether you think the argument is valid or nonsense, and have good reasons for your position. Ed trained us to be clear-thinking, precise and concise. He showed us how economics, which can be quite theoretical, can be applied to real problems. And that it should be.
Ed had a great sense of humour. He once told us of an encounter with a student who said, "No matter what you say, you won't change my mind." Ed's response was, "Well, then there's no point in us talking, is there?" Classic Ed! That story was both funny and instructive.
Ed was a big man (tall), with a big voice, both figuratively and literally. He made great contributions to the University, state and country. He made a huge difference and will be sorely missed. Sleep well, dear teacher and friend.
So sorry to hear of Ed's passing. Your tribute is heart-felt and apt. I remember meeting him for a job interview at JFK airport 22 years ago and being lucky enough to kickstart my career under the guidance of Ed, Terry, and yourself. He had a humble irreverence in that he questioned things but didn't jump to endorsing his own views too quickly. The Pac-NW benefited immensely from his thoughtful gaze, and his approach and values live on. Thanks Ed.
Through some 20 years of education and many more of teaching, my most memorable, influential, and effective teacher was W. Ed Whitelaw. Specifics have faded after nearly half a century, but these are some of my dearest memories.
The UofO class, “Regional Economics” (1972-73-?) was especially lively and fascinating. Professor Whitelaw made it so.
Professor Whitelaw loved the “Gotcha,” an occasional surprise quiz on the day’s reading assignment. The word was exclaimed with a high itch in the middle. It took just five minutes of class time, but was a wonderful incentive to keep up with the reading and facilitate class participation. Professor Whitelaw made six-or-eight “Gotcha”s part of the course grade, but allowed you to drop one or two of your worst. So each new “Gotcha” became an opportunity to improve, something to be hoped and prepared for, rather than dreaded. To me, this was a revelation, the best in inspirational education.
Professor Whitelaw placed a word-limit on each little “Gotcha!” essay. The word limit was strictly enforced and required a careful choice of to-the-point wording, no beating-around-the-bush, just the answer, no context. I cannot think of a specific example, but here’s a reasonable facsimile:
“Explain why urban sprawl increases transportation costs (35 words maximum).” Gotcha!! And a hastily-prepared answer might be “Urban sprawl increases city transportation costs because average trip distances increase. Low population density means inadequate mass transit, therefore the use of automobiles increases as well as land dedicated to lane-miles, parking, and the sales and servicing of automobiles.”
You may notice that there are 39 words in my answer. Professor Whitelaw would have drawn a line through my last four words. A better answer would have been “Urban sprawl increases city transportation costs because average trip distances increase. Low population density means inadequate mass transit, therefore automobile use increases as well as land dedicated to automobile lane-miles, parking, sales, and servicing.” Tidy 34 words. "Ofs” and three other useless words removed. I don’t know what score this answer might have earned, but Professor Whitelaw’s grading task was, for him, relatively easy, with just thirty-five words per student, a very tidy and effective learning technique that I incorporated into my teaching.
Two other non-class memories:
Professor Whitelaw once published a book. With “Whitelaw, W. Ed” listed as the author, he lamented that people thought he had merely edited the book.
Professor Whitelaw was a movie buff. At the time, he was enthusiastic about a specific movie, relatively unknown at the time, a film that, upon reflection, particularly embodied his own take on life. The movie was “Harold and Maude”, and here’s a film quote from Maude (Ruth Gordon):
“A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life. Reach out. Take a chance. Get hurt even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me a V. Give me an E. L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room.”
A smart visionary, inspiring teacher, fighter for what he believed was right, and an all-around humorous and great guy without airs: a true Oregonian (a summary sentence that would fit an assignment question of his having a word limit=25). Our turn-of-the-century Pacific NW econ class missed out on the bus tour of Eugene for mysterious reasons, but the hours spent honing an economic argument to be crystal clear remain to this day. In addition to his timberlands and urban economic contributions, I remember him running through some reasons to remove the four Snake River dams. That it is finally starting to be taken more seriously in 2021 is yet another testament to his far-sightedness.
How he gave so much to his students (the cub economists of yore turned oldsters of present day) and the field of environmental economics and yet still had so much to give for family and friends is simply amazing. There are so many great memories of him, and he will be missed so much.
I worked at ECONW for 7 years in an office job. Ed was always kind, always said thank you and had such a drive to be a pebble in the Pond. In my time there I saw him positively affect so many lives. So sorry for his families loss.
It was my very good luck to have had the opportunity to work with Ed. In our litigation against GE for the damages associated with GE's pollution of the Hudson River with PCBs, Ed was our star expert witness on the subject of the economic damages incurred by the Town of Halfmoon, NY whose water supply system had been taken out of operation thanks to GE.
We retained Ed in 2013 and I finally met Ed in person in April 2014 in Washington DC, the day before his expert deposition at the office's of GE's litigation counsel at Williams & Connolly. It was an adventure working with Ed.
As an environmental litigator, I've retained lots of experts and a few near-experts. Ed was a real expert. As I've told many people, he practically invented the field of environmental economics. He was a terrific teacher. He was patient and generous with his time.
When the case settled in 2016, I stayed in touch with Ed. We developed a bit of a routine of telephone conversations, usually on Sunday mornings. We had scores of those calls. Often Ed would call at 7 or 8 AM NY time. As those who knew Ed can attest, he had unusual sleep habits. I'd joke with him that he resided in Oregon but lived on London time. Many of our calls were spent commiserating over the ascendency and then the corrupt rule of Trump.
The most important conversations I had with Ed followed the death of our son, Jeff in 2017. In many ways, Ed was my grief counsellor. I will not go into details, but he was both wise and empathetic. From my perspective, that sums it up: Ed was wise and empathetic. We should all be remembered like that.
To Ed's family and friends, from Dave Engel in NY, please accept my condolences.
Such good memories of my professor, employer, and friend. Like so many others, I first met Ed as my Econ 101 professor, and that turned out to be instrumental in my change in majors, my eventual Econ degree, and my career. From Econ 101, to employment at ECO NW starting back in the Bijou Theater building (the smell of movie popcorn in the offices each evening) and the move to the Atrium, and beyond, there are so many memories, all good. Ed excitedly introduced me to the "chicken cart" or "chicken man" and I've been a loyal customer of Kit's Cart de Frisco food ever since. I babysat his daughters a few times, and always enjoyed his positive outlook, humor, and support in those early years. And since leaving ECO in 1989 to the job Ed encouraged me to apply for and I've now held for 33+ years, I've always enjoyed running into him from time to time. Sad to hear this news, but a life well lived.
I know this history as I moved to Eugene in'73. I worked downtown in the 80s when it was a ghost town. I knew of Ed W. not personally by observing him in media and events. It is nice to see where the visionary part of his life impacted Oregon. My family was at the rally for saving the owl/forests in Portland and many others as well. There was lots of other jobs in the forest like tree planting back then. I think things have deteriorated as corporate control over everything has increased. Maybe Eugene wouldn't be like a vast homeless refugee camp if there were good paying jobs in the forest and workers could live in those camps instead on he street. Eugene's homeless aren't outsiders they are often Oregon's rural displaced and city kids whose parents left them here for rv road travel (Nomads).
Ed was my favorite professor from '72-'74. He opened my eyes to the joy in Economics and I continued to admire his work as a consultant and visionary in the years that followed. He had an incredible energy and fun-loving spirit!
Ed was a good neighbor for many years, and had a great sense of humor. He and I developed a tradition of taking our kids trick-or-treating to friends' homes, where Ed and I trick-or-treated with drink glasses to be filled at the same time. One year he had to phone his wife Eloise to pick him up, because the drinks had left him unable to climb the hill back to his home. I also admired his economic/livability perspectives. Good guy all way 'round.
Ed was a talented visionary, as John describes. He was personally a fried and supporter. I came to Oregon as an Assistant Professor in Economics. I did not last all that long, as the sole leftist in the faculty, but Ed supported me because of my teaching. He was a great teacher and valued good teaching. I later worked in public policy and often relied on ECO Northwest analysis and contributed when I could. You did good work, Ed, thank you.
I enjoyed chatting with Ed when we were office neighbours. He always had an interesting take on events. I am sorry to see news of his passing, and I am sure he leaves big shoes to fill for the rest of us.
As one of his nieces I knew a bit about his work and have read a few of his op eds, but did not realize the depth of his contributions to Oregon economics and ecology. Thank you for this article!
I remember professor Whitelaw’s classes well. He always let us use the inside cover of our blue books for crib notes on mid-terms. But the most memorable thing was that he always wore sunglasses & a group of us who sat in the back bet it was because he was hung over or high. After our last class we finally asked if if that was why and he said some snarky remark like “wouldn’t you like to know?”
He was a great professor & I got A+ in his course.
Beautifully written John. I think Ed would be grateful for the picture you paint of an ever changing economic and environmental landscape, the impactful role he has played and the complexity of all corners of a beautiful Oregon. Ed will certainly be missed. Heavy heart.
Jim Stembridge's comments brought back fond memories. I took Regional Economics with Ed in 1974-5. Ed always stressed "critical analysis." Read an article or proposition first, to understand what the author is saying. Then read it again, to decide whether you think the argument is valid or nonsense, and have good reasons for your position. Ed trained us to be clear-thinking, precise and concise. He showed us how economics, which can be quite theoretical, can be applied to real problems. And that it should be.
Ed had a great sense of humour. He once told us of an encounter with a student who said, "No matter what you say, you won't change my mind." Ed's response was, "Well, then there's no point in us talking, is there?" Classic Ed! That story was both funny and instructive.
Ed was a big man (tall), with a big voice, both figuratively and literally. He made great contributions to the University, state and country. He made a huge difference and will be sorely missed. Sleep well, dear teacher and friend.
So sorry to hear of Ed's passing. Your tribute is heart-felt and apt. I remember meeting him for a job interview at JFK airport 22 years ago and being lucky enough to kickstart my career under the guidance of Ed, Terry, and yourself. He had a humble irreverence in that he questioned things but didn't jump to endorsing his own views too quickly. The Pac-NW benefited immensely from his thoughtful gaze, and his approach and values live on. Thanks Ed.
Through some 20 years of education and many more of teaching, my most memorable, influential, and effective teacher was W. Ed Whitelaw. Specifics have faded after nearly half a century, but these are some of my dearest memories.
The UofO class, “Regional Economics” (1972-73-?) was especially lively and fascinating. Professor Whitelaw made it so.
Professor Whitelaw loved the “Gotcha,” an occasional surprise quiz on the day’s reading assignment. The word was exclaimed with a high itch in the middle. It took just five minutes of class time, but was a wonderful incentive to keep up with the reading and facilitate class participation. Professor Whitelaw made six-or-eight “Gotcha”s part of the course grade, but allowed you to drop one or two of your worst. So each new “Gotcha” became an opportunity to improve, something to be hoped and prepared for, rather than dreaded. To me, this was a revelation, the best in inspirational education.
Professor Whitelaw placed a word-limit on each little “Gotcha!” essay. The word limit was strictly enforced and required a careful choice of to-the-point wording, no beating-around-the-bush, just the answer, no context. I cannot think of a specific example, but here’s a reasonable facsimile:
“Explain why urban sprawl increases transportation costs (35 words maximum).” Gotcha!! And a hastily-prepared answer might be “Urban sprawl increases city transportation costs because average trip distances increase. Low population density means inadequate mass transit, therefore the use of automobiles increases as well as land dedicated to lane-miles, parking, and the sales and servicing of automobiles.”
You may notice that there are 39 words in my answer. Professor Whitelaw would have drawn a line through my last four words. A better answer would have been “Urban sprawl increases city transportation costs because average trip distances increase. Low population density means inadequate mass transit, therefore automobile use increases as well as land dedicated to automobile lane-miles, parking, sales, and servicing.” Tidy 34 words. "Ofs” and three other useless words removed. I don’t know what score this answer might have earned, but Professor Whitelaw’s grading task was, for him, relatively easy, with just thirty-five words per student, a very tidy and effective learning technique that I incorporated into my teaching.
Two other non-class memories:
Professor Whitelaw once published a book. With “Whitelaw, W. Ed” listed as the author, he lamented that people thought he had merely edited the book.
Professor Whitelaw was a movie buff. At the time, he was enthusiastic about a specific movie, relatively unknown at the time, a film that, upon reflection, particularly embodied his own take on life. The movie was “Harold and Maude”, and here’s a film quote from Maude (Ruth Gordon):
“A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life. Reach out. Take a chance. Get hurt even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me a V. Give me an E. L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room.”
A smart visionary, inspiring teacher, fighter for what he believed was right, and an all-around humorous and great guy without airs: a true Oregonian (a summary sentence that would fit an assignment question of his having a word limit=25). Our turn-of-the-century Pacific NW econ class missed out on the bus tour of Eugene for mysterious reasons, but the hours spent honing an economic argument to be crystal clear remain to this day. In addition to his timberlands and urban economic contributions, I remember him running through some reasons to remove the four Snake River dams. That it is finally starting to be taken more seriously in 2021 is yet another testament to his far-sightedness.
How he gave so much to his students (the cub economists of yore turned oldsters of present day) and the field of environmental economics and yet still had so much to give for family and friends is simply amazing. There are so many great memories of him, and he will be missed so much.
I worked at ECONW for 7 years in an office job. Ed was always kind, always said thank you and had such a drive to be a pebble in the Pond. In my time there I saw him positively affect so many lives. So sorry for his families loss.
It was my very good luck to have had the opportunity to work with Ed. In our litigation against GE for the damages associated with GE's pollution of the Hudson River with PCBs, Ed was our star expert witness on the subject of the economic damages incurred by the Town of Halfmoon, NY whose water supply system had been taken out of operation thanks to GE.
We retained Ed in 2013 and I finally met Ed in person in April 2014 in Washington DC, the day before his expert deposition at the office's of GE's litigation counsel at Williams & Connolly. It was an adventure working with Ed.
As an environmental litigator, I've retained lots of experts and a few near-experts. Ed was a real expert. As I've told many people, he practically invented the field of environmental economics. He was a terrific teacher. He was patient and generous with his time.
When the case settled in 2016, I stayed in touch with Ed. We developed a bit of a routine of telephone conversations, usually on Sunday mornings. We had scores of those calls. Often Ed would call at 7 or 8 AM NY time. As those who knew Ed can attest, he had unusual sleep habits. I'd joke with him that he resided in Oregon but lived on London time. Many of our calls were spent commiserating over the ascendency and then the corrupt rule of Trump.
The most important conversations I had with Ed followed the death of our son, Jeff in 2017. In many ways, Ed was my grief counsellor. I will not go into details, but he was both wise and empathetic. From my perspective, that sums it up: Ed was wise and empathetic. We should all be remembered like that.
To Ed's family and friends, from Dave Engel in NY, please accept my condolences.
Such good memories of my professor, employer, and friend. Like so many others, I first met Ed as my Econ 101 professor, and that turned out to be instrumental in my change in majors, my eventual Econ degree, and my career. From Econ 101, to employment at ECO NW starting back in the Bijou Theater building (the smell of movie popcorn in the offices each evening) and the move to the Atrium, and beyond, there are so many memories, all good. Ed excitedly introduced me to the "chicken cart" or "chicken man" and I've been a loyal customer of Kit's Cart de Frisco food ever since. I babysat his daughters a few times, and always enjoyed his positive outlook, humor, and support in those early years. And since leaving ECO in 1989 to the job Ed encouraged me to apply for and I've now held for 33+ years, I've always enjoyed running into him from time to time. Sad to hear this news, but a life well lived.
I know this history as I moved to Eugene in'73. I worked downtown in the 80s when it was a ghost town. I knew of Ed W. not personally by observing him in media and events. It is nice to see where the visionary part of his life impacted Oregon. My family was at the rally for saving the owl/forests in Portland and many others as well. There was lots of other jobs in the forest like tree planting back then. I think things have deteriorated as corporate control over everything has increased. Maybe Eugene wouldn't be like a vast homeless refugee camp if there were good paying jobs in the forest and workers could live in those camps instead on he street. Eugene's homeless aren't outsiders they are often Oregon's rural displaced and city kids whose parents left them here for rv road travel (Nomads).
Ed was my favorite professor from '72-'74. He opened my eyes to the joy in Economics and I continued to admire his work as a consultant and visionary in the years that followed. He had an incredible energy and fun-loving spirit!
Sad news. Good person and a very good teacher. Always positive. We talked about Kenya and biryani when I was a student in 85-87 timeframe.