George H. Lamson III

George H. Lamson, III, of Northfield, MN, the Wadsworth A. Williams Professor of Economics at Carleton College, died on Monday, (October 14, 2002) of complications from pulmonary edema and pneumonia brought on by hiking at high altitudes in China. He was serving as a visiting professor at a university in Chengdu in Western China at the time. George was born February 21, 1940, attended local schools in Simsbury and graduated from Simsbury High School. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Public Affairs from Princeton University in 1963. His freshman year at Princeton he was named Simsbury Community Ambassador to France. He wrote articles on his Belfort, France experience for The Farmington Valley Herald. His junior year he was employed by the Office of Economic Research, Government of Liberia, as a member of a student exchange program. In the summer of 1962 he returned to Liberia where he was employed by the National Iron Ore Co. He again returned in 1966 for dissertation research in French-speaking W. Africa for a Ford Foundation Fellowship and worked as an interpreter for the French Ministry of Planning traveling extensively in West Africa. He earned his Master's Degree in economics from Northwestern, in 1966, and his Ph.D., also from Northwestern, in 1971. He began teaching at Carleton in 1969, and was named the Williams Professor of Economics in 1982. George loved to travel, and was whole-heartedly devoted to learning about Africa, Eastern Europe and China. When he developed an academic interest in China, he audited a Chinese language course at Carleton to prepare to travel there. He developed close relationships with students in China, and helped several prepare for admission to graduate school in the United States. "George's devotion to his students, both in Northfield and in China, was a model for a liberal arts college," said Michael Hemesath, professor of economics and chair of the economics department. "He regularly hosted students in his home, and engaged students inside and outside the classroom." While in his early 40s, George became an avid exerciser, and enjoyed running and cycling. He was an instructor for the American Lung Association's Quit Smoking Clinic for many years. He also loved jazz music particularly from the 20s and 30s. He also loved art and history and architecture, which came together in his recent academic interest, the economics of monument preservation. He was particularly interested in the Great Wall in China and Ankor Wat in Cambodia. He spent the spring and summer of 1994 teaching and conducting research in China, and spent a sabbatical in the fall of 2001 teaching advanced macro theory at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. He directed Carleton's economics seminar in Cambridge, England, four times, most recently during the summer of 2002. George is survived by his wife, Susan; two sons, Scott of Philadelphia and Brandon of Alexandria, VA; his parents, Arroll and Marguerite "Peggy" Lamson of West Simsbury; a brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Cherrie; a niece, Stephanie; and a nephew, Craig. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, in Skinner Memorial Chapel, Carleton College. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be sent to Carleton College, Northfield, MN for scholarships for international students.