Dr. Harold Hotelling
The entire Lawrence Tech community is deeply saddened at the untimely passing of Dr. Harold Hotelling, a long-time friend and valued colleague. Dr. Hotelling died on December 29, 2009, the result of a serious head injury sustained in an accidental fall. Dr. Hotelling made significant contributions to Lawrence Tech in many areas and the entire university community will miss him dearly. Dr. Hotelling is survived by his wife Barbara, children Harold Lee (SouYoung), George (Jenny), James, Claire (Justin), and Charles, and grandchildren Dylan and Juni.
Dr. James Rodgers delivered a reflective tribute to Dr. Hotelling at the funeral service conducted on January 4, 2010, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Troy, Michigan. To read the text of his remarks, click here.
Dr. Harold Hotelling joined Lawrence Tech as an Associate Professor of Economics in 1989. He served as chairperson of the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication from 1994 to 1999. He was a very active member of the faculty senate, serving several terms as secretary. Dr. Hotelling took a lead role on the Faculty Handbook Revision Committee of the Faculty Senate and was nominated by the committee and the faculty senate to work with the provost in the revision of the faculty handbook. In this role he worked directly with the provost and the associate provost for the last two years. Dr. Hotelling served as the University Pre-law advisor. In addition, he was a long-standing member of the First-Year advising team with particular interest in assisting Undeclared and academically at-risk students. He was an active and enthusiastic participant in a wide range of campus recruitment events and activities throughout the year.
Dr. Hotelling taught the full range of economic courses along with courses in business law, business ethics, Constitutional law, urban social issues, and law and economics. He was continuously active in course development and improvement. He was the first faculty member to teach in a Lawrence Tech program in Wenzhou, China. He developed and frequently taught an enhanced version of University Seminar for students in the Honors Program, setting the stage for their ongoing commitment to service within the LTU community and beyond. Most recently, he was a Cohort 1 member of the Kern Innovative Teaching Faculty, introducing new instructional techniques in Principles of Economics as part of a large-scale effort to enhance entrepreneurial education for engineering students. Many years ago he was a primary advocate and worked to develop the core curriculum which we continue to use as a foundation for a well educated person.
Dr. Hotelling earned an A.B. from Columbia University, a Certificate in Foreign and Comparative Law from the City of London Polytechnic, a J.D. from the University of North Carolina, and an A.M. and Ph.D. from Duke University. He was a member (inactive status) of the North Carolina State Bar. He is listed in Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in American Law.
Before coming to Lawrence Tech, Dr. Hotelling served in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant JG aboard the USS Independence, practiced law, and taught at the University of Kentucky and at Oakland University. He had testified before the Michigan legislature, reviewed books for the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, and authored a number of papers for professional journals and meetings. He was a policy adviser to the Heartland Institute, whose mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. He gave numerous talks to various groups and had been a commentator on both radio and television. He was writing a textbook entitled Urban Social Policy: Theory, Process, Issues. He and his wife Barbara, a childbirth expert and former president of Lamaze International, jointly authored an article on support for a woman in labor that has been distributed to millions of expectant couples in Lamaze Parents Magazine.
Dr. Hotelling's life was marked by an unwavering dedication to his family, his church, his students, and his profession. He loved family, travel, music, and education. He was a man of unquestioned integrity, gracious hospitality, and gentle humility. He wore his faith, love, and strong ethical values with honor and pride. A long-time member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church of Troy, he was active in various leadership and ministry capacities.
Harold will be missed by all of us as a highly professional and valued colleague. We all benefitted from his keen intellect, tireless devotion, quick wit, and wonderful sense of humor. His contributions to Lawrence Tech will always be remembered, but more importantly he will be remembered as a great person and a dear friend.