In Memoriam: Charles F. Phillips, Jr. 1934-2012.
Gunther, William D.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Charles F. Phillips, Jr., 77, who served ODE for almost five
decades including three terms as President, passed away October 17,
2012, at his home in Lexington, Virginia. He was the Robert G. Brown
Professor Emeritus of Economics at Washington & Lee University.
Chuck, as he was known, had an early association with higher
education, being born the son of an economics professor who later became
the president of Bates College in Maine. After he graduated from Hebron
Academy in Maine, Chuck majored in economics at the University of New
Hampshire (UNH), where he graduated in 1956 cum laude and, like his
father who attended Cornell, was tapped by Phi Beta Kappa. Following his
undergraduate work, Chuck enrolled at Harvard University, the same
school his father attended, where he again specialized in the study of
economics and earned his Ph.D. in 1960.
It was in his first year at UNH that he would meet his wife of 55
years, Marjorie Hancock, who was from Martha's Vineyard,
Massachusetts. They dated all four years of their undergraduate work and
had planned to marry after graduation. However, when Chuck announced his
plan to enroll in graduate school at Harvard, his father encouraged them
to wait a year so that they would only have one "adjustment"
to make at a time. They agreed and were married in the summer of 1957
and together raised one son and two daughters. Their son, Charles F.
Phillips, III, maintained a family tradition by majoring in economics as
an undergraduate at Dickinson College.
Chuck began his academic career at Washington & Lee University
(W&L) in the fall of 1959. Almost immediately he devoted a portion
of his professional life to students and student activities and
organizations, serving as Faculty Advisor to Beta Theta Pi, a social
fraternity. He maintained that position throughout his tenure at
W&L. He also served on the University's Fraternity Committee,
Fraternity Loan Committee, and the Student Musical and Dramatic
Organizations Committee. His dedication to students was quickly
recognized when the 1962 student yearbook, the Calyx, was dedicated to
him and a faculty colleague in the English Department.
When Omicron Delta Epsilon was first established at W&L Chuck
was an enthusiastic supporter. He was among the first faculty members
whose contributions were recognized by an invitation to membership. He
became the faculty advisor to the Gamma of Virginia chapter in 1966 and
was elected President of that chapter for the 1968-1970 term. Thus began
a long and distinguished association with ODE.
Based on his work with the Gamma of Virginia chapter, Chuck was
elected by the ODE Executive Board in 1966 to assume the position of
Southeast Regional Director. In 1967 he became a member of the Executive
Board while also serving as Vice-President for Regional Coordination. In
this latter role, Chuck coordinated the activities of all regional
directors, wrote the Society's Newsletter and served on the
Executive Committee. For his efforts he received the Outstanding
Regional Director Award in 1971.
He was elected to serve as Vice-President in 1972-1973,
President-Elect in 1974-1975 and President, for the first time, in
1976-1977. When the untimely death of the next President-Elect occurred,
Chuck graciously agreed to continue as President for the 1978-1979 term,
serving two consecutive terms as President. Following these four years
as President, he served the next two years as Vice-Chair of the Board of
Trustees (1980-1981), and then the next two years as Chair of the Board
of Trustees (1982-1983). In his capacity as President-Elect he was
responsible for developing the Graduate Student Sessions, an important
opportunity for graduate students to make academic presentations at the
annual meetings of the Allied Social Sciences Association/American
Economic Association.
In 1983, Chuck agreed to continue to serve ODE by again becoming a
member of the Board of Trustees. In 1988 he agreed, as a Board member,
to assume the specific role of Chairman of the Competitions and Awards
Committee. In that capacity he supervised the Fisher and Taussig Awards
for best graduate and undergraduate papers respectively. Chuck used his
extensive contacts in the economics profession to solicit specialists in
the various fields of economics to assist in reviewing the paper
submissions. He also initiated and supervised the Outstanding Student
Leadership Award.
In 1996, Chuck would again be asked to step in and serve as
President for the term 1996-1997 when the President-Elect unexpectedly
passed away. Following his term as President, he served again as
Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees (1998-99) and Chairman, Board of
Trustees, 2000-2001. He continued to serve as the Chair of the
Competitions and Awards Committee during this time as well.
All during his association with ODE, Chuck routinely agreed to
assist the Editor of The American Economist, the Society's journal,
by reviewing manuscripts submitted for publication. When he retired from
ODE in 2007, the Executive Board of ODE awarded him the honorary title
of President Emeritus.
Chuck's professional life was no less hectic. In his teaching
he specialized in industrial organization, regulated industries and
corporate economics. In addition to his teaching duties, he published
four books, including Competition in the Synthetic Rubber Industry
(1963), The Economics of Regulation (1966, 1969), Competition and
Monopoly in the Domestic Telecommunications Industry (1974), and The
Regulation of Public Utilities (1965, 1984, 1992). This last book
cemented his reputation as an expert in utility regulation and is still
used by public utilities, rate regulators, and attorneys. Chuck was
invited to be a member of the faculty of the "Public Utility
Executive Program" held annually at the University of Michigan. He
provided testimony in many rate hearings held in state and federal
courts. He also edited or co-edited nine books and published dozens of
academic articles, in addition to presenting papers at academic
conferences. Chuck taught at W&L for 44 years and retired in 2003.
At this point in reviewing Chuck's involvement with ODE and
his academic achievements, it would be difficult for many people to
believe that he had any time left for public service. Yet Chuck believed
in public service and that led him in 1967 to run for a place on the
city council of his home town, Lexington, Virginia. He won that race and
served on that body until 1971, at which time he ran and was elected
mayor of Lexington. He served as mayor for a total of 17 years! In
addition, he served many local agencies in various capacities.
Chuck's public service included work with the Maury River Senior
Center, the United Way of Lexington-Rockbridge County, the Lexington
Presbyterian Church, the Rockbridge Area Presbyterian Home, the Historic
Lexington Foundation, the Stonewall Jackson Foundation, and the Valley
Program for Aging Services. For these and other activities, he received
the Philanthropist Award from the National Society of Fund Raising
Executives (Shenandoah Chapter) in 1991.
Chuck's public service extended beyond his home town. In 1971
he was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to a commission to examine
legalizing pari-mutuel betting on horse racing in Virginia. In 1972,
President Richard Nixon appointed Chuck to the Commission on the Review
of the National Policy on Gambling.
Kenneth P. Ruscio, the President of Washington & Lee University
accurately summarizes Chuck's life by stating: "This is a
great loss for the community as well as the University. Not only was
Chuck an eminent scholar and a highly regarded teacher, but he was also
a tireless public servant."
While we all mourn the loss of a dear friend and colleague, we are
at the same time grateful for his tireless service. Chuck lived his life
as if inspired by Nelson Henderson who said: "The true meaning of
life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
Chuck is survived by his wife, three children, seven grandchildren,
and a sister.
William D. Gunther
Executive-Secretary Treasurer Emeritus
Omicron Delta Epsilon
