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Bruce Hale Herrick, Hendon Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Dies at 76

Bruce Hale Herrick, the John F. Hendon Professor of Economics, Emeritus, at Washington and Lee University, died on July 11 at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, from injuries he sustained in an automobile accident in Lexington on July 9. Herrick was 76.

A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 17, at Lexington Presbyterian Church, with Dr. William Klein officiating. A reception will follow at the church. Burial will be private.

“Bruce was a valued colleague, a highly regarded teacher and a distinguished scholar,” said Washington and Lee President Kenneth P. Ruscio. “We will remember him, too, for his eclectic other interests, which ranged from motorcycles to model trains to music. We send our deepest sympathy to the Herrick family.”

Herrick came to Washington and Lee in 1980 from UCLA as professor of economics and head of the Department of Economics. He specialized in economic development, especially in Latin American countries. In addition to co-authoring a major textbook and numerous scholarly articles on the subject, he served as a consultant on economic development and financial issues throughout the world.

“Bruce Herrick was a wonderful friend and colleague, an academic of impeccable credentials, and someone who personified the teacher-scholar at Washington and Lee,” said Larry Peppers, the Crawford Family Dean of the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, and professor of economics. “Superbly educated at Carleton College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he had a broad world view that embraced music, languages and the arts, and this served him well in his field of expertise in economic development. As dean, I quickly learned that Bruce was extremely bright and to the point, and he became an invaluable mentor in his role as department head. We will miss him greatly, and our thoughts are with Dianne and her family.”

A native of Minneapolis, Herrick was born on May 29, 1936. He received a B.A. with distinction in economics from Carleton and a Ph.D. in economics from M.I.T. He was a member of the department of economics at UCLA from 1964 to 1980, serving as associate professor and chairing that department’s graduate committee. At UCLA, he twice won the Warren C. Scoville Distinguished Teaching Prize in economics.

Herrick held several visiting professorships, including at Queen Elizabeth House of Oxford University, the University of Chile, and the University of San Andres in La Paz, Bolivia.

In addition, he was a visiting fellow with the World Bank from 1993 to 1994 and consulted for the World Bank on projects in Peru, Jordan and Mexico.

Herrick served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserve. He belonged to the American Economic Association, the Royal Economic Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

An excellent musician, Herrick performed with the University-Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the choir at Lexington Presbyterian Church.

Survivors include his wife, Dianne W. Herrick, of Lexington, and their children, Robert Wallace Herrick and his wife, Kay Gallagher, of San Jose, Calif.; Susan Herrick Cornish and her husband, Robert, of San Francisco; Andrew Hale Herrick and his wife, Julie Anne, of Palmyra, Va.; two brothers; a sister; and four grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Lexington Presbyterian Church or a favorite charity.

News Contact:
Jeffery G. Hanna
Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs
jhanna@wlu.edu
(540) 458-8459

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