1929-2021
Bill Glade had a wonderful and productive life as a scholar, researcher, public servant and world traveler and he loved every one of his 91 years, living them to the fullest. He passed away at home on May 2nd.
A genial and outgoing man with a twinkle in his eye and the ability to engage anyone in conversation, Bill was equally at home in the classroom, the halls of government or eagerly visiting museums around the world. His energy was legendary.
He was born in 1929 in Wichita Falls, Texas, and spent his childhood there with his parents William and Billie Hatcher Glade and his younger sister Mary. His lifelong love of foreign travel and all things related to Latin America began early when his mother took Bill and Mary to Mexico each summer so they would learn Spanish.
By the time he entered The University of Texas at Austin, his academic path seemed clear. He received his bachelor’s in business administration and his master’s in economics, culminating with his PhD in economics in 1955, reflecting his growing interest in things international, especially in Latin America.
But the years weren’t all about academics! He met his sister Mary’s roommate, Marlene Joseph, there and they were married in 1954.
Bill began his academic career at the University of Maryland at College Park, followed by a score of years at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he and Marlene raised their active family of two daughters and two sons and he became a Professor of Business & Economics, continuing his specialization in Latin America.
While they loved living in Madison and Bill’s reputation as an outstanding scholar was growing, the lure of their home state was strong and in 1970 they returned to Austin where Bill began his 37 years as Professor of Economics at UT, spending fifteen of those years also as Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies. Upon his retirement in 2007, he became Professor Emeritus of Economics.
Bill was beloved by his students and a great many continued to keep in touch with him long after they graduated, frequently returning for visits and special occasions. His classes were known as challenging, lively and exciting.
He was a prolific writer, with some 100 publications and still found time to give a myriad of lectures and analyses across the continent and beyond for universities, conferences, businesses and governmental agencies, sharing his expertise in Latin American economics, the economics of cultural policy and the arts, international cultural relations, international business, banking and money.
Bill and Marlene spent several exciting years in Washington, DC where Bill received a presidential appointment during the George H. W. Bush administration as Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Information Agency, overseeing a staff of more than 400. Among other posts, Bill was a senior scholar with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian Institution, a consultant for the Ford Foundation and an active member of the Fullbright Commission. Bill was elected to membership in the Cosmos Club in Washington D.C. for his meritorious work in the field of economics.
Known as the perfect gentleman, Bill was always more eager to draw out other people than to talk about himself. Asked what he did for a living, he’d reply “oh, I’m an economist,” and then return the conversation to the other person.
Devoted to his family, Bill encouraged his children to explore the world and one recently remarked that as they traveled together, Bill always had more energy than anyone else and “never met a museum he didn’t like!” A world traveler by nature, Bill visited over seventy countries. Even though he was always eager to embark on world travels, there was nothing he enjoyed more than being home with his family.
He and Marlene were both supporters of the Diocese of Austin and members of St. John Neuman Catholic Church serving as Eucharistic ministers and members of various committees for many years. Bill was also a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. After his retirement from UT, he became a volunteer at Seton Hospital, becoming president of the group in 2010.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marlene, of Austin; children Anita (Jerry) of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Genie (Charles), Patton and John, all of Austin; grandchildren, Graham, Nicholas, Katherine, Grayson, Jacqueline, Helena, Kathryn and James; great grandchildren, Wylder, Elena, Asher, Ezra, Gus and Indy.
Services are pending at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin.
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