The noted economist Robert Burton Ekelund Jr. passed away on August 17, 2023, a few weeks shy of his eighty-third birthday. He was my lifelong friend, colleague, coauthor, and confidant. His death is mourned by the many who knew him. Bob was born in Galveston, Texas, obtained a master’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, and was awarded a PhD in economics by Louisiana State University. He began his academic career at Texas A&M University and ended it at Auburn University, where he also served briefly as acting codirector of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts. He retired from Auburn University in 2003 as the Catherine and Edward Lowder Eminent Scholar Emeritus and remained in Auburn for the remainder of his life. He was a policy adviser at the Heartland Institute, a research fellow at the Independent Institute, and an adjunct faculty member at the Mises Institute. Shortly before his death he was named a Distinguished Fellow of the History of Economics Society, its equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. In an age of specialists, Bob Ekelund was a modern polymath who combined prodigious talents with a warm and engaging personality. His memory lives on in the hearts and minds of his many friends, associates, colleagues, and former students.
Bob’s father was the son of Swedish immigrants, and his mother was a Louisiana Cajun. This unlikely provenance made for a unique product in many respects. He was an only child