My Mentors
Mentors That Changed My Life
Raymond Vernon
Raymond Vernon (September 1, 1913 – August 26, 1999) was an American economist. He was a member of the group that developed the Marshall Plan after World War II and later played a role in the development of the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. He was the Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, becoming emeritus on his retirement. His formulation of the Product life-cycle theory of US exports, first published in 1966, in turn influenced the behavior of companies. He also held a professorship at the Harvard Business School where he completed a major work, Soveriengty At Bay. After his death, Daniel Yergin, a friend and colleague, referred to him as "the father of globalization". {Source: Wikipedia]
My Remembrance of Ray Vernon Intellectual giant aside, Ray Vernon was one of the kindest and most considerate human beings I have ever known. I had many interactions with him at Harvard, in seminars, office meetings, and as the lead questioner on my Special Field Exam. But it was one gesture, a few years later, that showed his character and lifelong concern for those he mentored. Our paths crossed at a conference where he was a keynote speaker. After giving his talk to a standing room audience, he was leaving the room when somehow he caught sight of me at the back of the room. He stopped and turned abruptly, making his way to me through the packed crowd who no doubt was wondering where he was going. After a warm embrace, he asked how I was doing, how the family was getting along, how others we knew were faring. Then he left, as I did, along our separate paths. But his gift stayed with me: I departed feeling ten feet tall, and whenever I get down on myself, I think of that day. A simple gesture from a person greatly admired that made all the difference.
My Remembrance of Ray Vernon Intellectual giant aside, Ray Vernon was one of the kindest and most considerate human beings I have ever known. I had many interactions with him at Harvard, in seminars, office meetings, and as the lead questioner on my Special Field Exam. But it was one gesture, a few years later, that showed his character and lifelong concern for those he mentored. Our paths crossed at a conference where he was a keynote speaker. After giving his talk to a standing room audience, he was leaving the room when somehow he caught sight of me at the back of the room. He stopped and turned abruptly, making his way to me through the packed crowd who no doubt was wondering where he was going. After a warm embrace, he asked how I was doing, how the family was getting along, how others we knew were faring. Then he left, as I did, along our separate paths. But his gift stayed with me: I departed feeling ten feet tall, and whenever I get down on myself, I think of that day. A simple gesture from a person greatly admired that made all the difference.
George Kozmetsky
George Kozmetsky is in a unique class of exceptional leaders whose success is reflected in the success of those they have influenced. He has mentored countless numbers of students and entrepreneurs over the decades, including Michael Dell, who said about Kozmetsky, “It was a stroke of great fortune to have Dr. Kozmetsky on our team. There’s no question that his guidance was instrumental in our early success and his affiliation gave us a measure of credibility that a new and unproven company could otherwise never have achieved.”
The McCombs School of Business and The University of Texas at Austin today mourn the loss of a great man who left an indelible mark on the institution. He will be forever remembered for his incredible vision, leadership and citizenship.
My Remembrance of GK
When I first met George, I would have never guessed from his lifestyle that he was arguably one of the most influential and powerful individuals in the state of Texas during the last quarter of the twentieth century. George lived modestly given his wealth and stature. No MacCastles, butlers, or chauffeurs for George. He was more interested in working hard, finding opportunities, solving problems, and getting things done… and getting others to help.Which means he was a leader. In fact, George taught me more about leadership than anyone else. He was fearless when it came time to express his vision. Nor was he timid about leading from the front, even when people who listened and followed him had a difficult time understanding what he was saying. George was a lateral thinker and, much like another mentor of mine, Ray Vernon, you had to patiently wait and listen hard while they circumnavigated a litany of thoughts before arriving at was often pure intellectual gold.Years later when thinking about George, I found myself asking where his leadership came from? I couldn’t put my finger on its source. Certainly not when he arrived in Texas to assume a Deanship. His ability to lead was already there. I did have one clue, however, from a conversation we had about his service during World War II. It was the only conversation we ever had about the War. Like most from “the greatest generation,” George didn’t talk about his service overseas. But I believe unknown to most, he had an outstanding war record, serving as an officer in the Medical Corps where he earned a silver star, a bronze star, and a purple heart. My guess is those experiences forged the leadership skills that served him the rest of his life. Thank goodness, he survived.
Robert B. Stobaugh
Robert Blair Stobaugh (15 October 1927 – 14 August 2017) was an American educator noted for his research into energy economics and corporate governance.
He earned a degree in chemical engineering from Louisiana State University,[a] and went to work as an engineer at companies such as Esso, Caltex and Monsanto Chemical Company. After leaving Monsanto, he earned a doctorate degree in business administration from Harvard University. He spent 29 years as a professor at the Harvard Business School (HBS). He served as director of the HBS Energy Project from 1972 to 1983. According to Harvard Business School, Stobaugh focused his research interests in three areas: corporate governance, energy and international business. The school credited him with writing or coauthoring fifteen books and over one hundred other publications during his 30-year career with the school. Arguably, his most notable publication was Energy Future: the Report of the Energy Project, which he co-authored with Daniel Yergin in 1979. My Remembrance of Bob Stobaugh At HBS, the doctoral program was an apprenticeship system. Only a few students were admitted each year because developing them into university teachers and researchers took time. It was a labor-intensive undertaking. And only a few, less than 50% who were admitted, would get the degree. There were many obstacles along the way, and to avoid derailment, each doctoral candidate was apprenticed to a professor. Robert Stobaugh was my supervisor, and I was his apprentice for the next six years.He was to become during those years my mentor. But never my friend. And looking back, that was a good thing. Bob took his duty seriously. His job was to make sure I had the research skills to make valid contributions to human knowledge. That set the bar pretty high, but it was still only part of his job. Tough I didn’t realize it at the time, the rest of his job was to toughen me up. To do so, he pushed me hard, to the breaking point, especially with the dissertation. When others were willing to “sign off,” Bob said no. Still not good enough. Work harder. Fail better. Pick yourself up and get it done. In the end, it all paid off. The dissertation won a prestigious award and later became the first book written on the foreign R&D investments made abroad by U.S. Multinationals. It helped launch my career. I’ll always owe a debt to Bob Stobaugh, but it is I must confess a bittersweet one.
He earned a degree in chemical engineering from Louisiana State University,[a] and went to work as an engineer at companies such as Esso, Caltex and Monsanto Chemical Company. After leaving Monsanto, he earned a doctorate degree in business administration from Harvard University. He spent 29 years as a professor at the Harvard Business School (HBS). He served as director of the HBS Energy Project from 1972 to 1983. According to Harvard Business School, Stobaugh focused his research interests in three areas: corporate governance, energy and international business. The school credited him with writing or coauthoring fifteen books and over one hundred other publications during his 30-year career with the school. Arguably, his most notable publication was Energy Future: the Report of the Energy Project, which he co-authored with Daniel Yergin in 1979. My Remembrance of Bob Stobaugh At HBS, the doctoral program was an apprenticeship system. Only a few students were admitted each year because developing them into university teachers and researchers took time. It was a labor-intensive undertaking. And only a few, less than 50% who were admitted, would get the degree. There were many obstacles along the way, and to avoid derailment, each doctoral candidate was apprenticed to a professor. Robert Stobaugh was my supervisor, and I was his apprentice for the next six years.He was to become during those years my mentor. But never my friend. And looking back, that was a good thing. Bob took his duty seriously. His job was to make sure I had the research skills to make valid contributions to human knowledge. That set the bar pretty high, but it was still only part of his job. Tough I didn’t realize it at the time, the rest of his job was to toughen me up. To do so, he pushed me hard, to the breaking point, especially with the dissertation. When others were willing to “sign off,” Bob said no. Still not good enough. Work harder. Fail better. Pick yourself up and get it done. In the end, it all paid off. The dissertation won a prestigious award and later became the first book written on the foreign R&D investments made abroad by U.S. Multinationals. It helped launch my career. I’ll always owe a debt to Bob Stobaugh, but it is I must confess a bittersweet one.
Seymour "Sy" Siegel
Richard S Rosenbloom
John Silber
’Dr. Seymour Siegel passed away on April 26, 2023 at the age of 90, surrounded by his loving family. Always a gifted student with a passion for Science, Seymour earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and Physics from Brooklyn College in 1954. He fondly remembered the time he spent in Dr. Coonfield’s office with his fellow Science Majors, including his girlfriend Dorothy. He did his graduate work at Harvard University, earning a Master’s Degree in Chemistry in 1956 and a PhD in Chemical Physics in 1958. He married Dorothy, the love of his life, in 1955. His son, Eric, was born in a snowstorm while Dr. Siegel was at Harvard.
When he retired from UCLA, Sy joined the faculty of Pepperdine University, where he taught Technology Management to middle management students. He often led student field trips to Europe and Asia as part of the curriculum, visiting foreign companies to learn about business and technology in innovative ways. His reputation as a “tough” professor with the highest standards was always tempered with the respect and affection his students had for him, and with the value they placed on how much he taught them. Dorothy also enjoyed meeting up with the group during these amazing trips, and then travelling alone with Seymour after the students departed. Dr. Siegel had an illustrious and varied career that he enjoyed thoroughly. He had a brilliant, inquisitive mind for all of his 90 years and took great joy in intellectual challenges and new experiences. While no one could overlook his powerful intelligence, all who knew him cherished his kindness, his sense of humor, and the warmth and sparkle of his personality.
An authority on the management of technology and innovation and an HBS faculty member for 41 years, Richard Rosenbloom (MBA 1956, DBA 1960), the David Sarnoff Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, passed away in October at the age of 78.
His work focused on exploring the strategic uses of technology by corporations and the relationship between technological change and competitive strategy, as well as the social consequences of technological change. The Isidor Straus Professor of Business History, Emeritus, Tom McCraw noted, “Dick was a model for how to live both the life of the mind and the human spirit: the rare combination of a tough, critical intellect and an upbeat temperament.”Source: HBS Obituary My Remembrance of Dick Rosenbloom
More than anyone else, Dick taught me the need to "get into the field" when conducting research on human beings and their organizations, procedures, and mores. I can remember having a meeting with him after he'd read an early draft of my thesis proposal. He nicely explained that I had spent more than enough time in the stacks of Baker Library. What I needed to do was get off campus and find out what was really going on with R&D investments being made abroad by U.S. Multinationals. That was just fine with me since my research sites were in Switzerland, Belgium, France, and the U.K. Baker Library stacks versus Europe! I'll take Paris anytime. Thank you Dick Rosenbloom.
His work focused on exploring the strategic uses of technology by corporations and the relationship between technological change and competitive strategy, as well as the social consequences of technological change. The Isidor Straus Professor of Business History, Emeritus, Tom McCraw noted, “Dick was a model for how to live both the life of the mind and the human spirit: the rare combination of a tough, critical intellect and an upbeat temperament.”Source: HBS Obituary My Remembrance of Dick Rosenbloom
More than anyone else, Dick taught me the need to "get into the field" when conducting research on human beings and their organizations, procedures, and mores. I can remember having a meeting with him after he'd read an early draft of my thesis proposal. He nicely explained that I had spent more than enough time in the stacks of Baker Library. What I needed to do was get off campus and find out what was really going on with R&D investments being made abroad by U.S. Multinationals. That was just fine with me since my research sites were in Switzerland, Belgium, France, and the U.K. Baker Library stacks versus Europe! I'll take Paris anytime. Thank you Dick Rosenbloom.
John Robert Silber (August 15, 1926 – September 27, 2012) was an American academician and candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996, he was President of Boston University (BU) and, from 1996 to 2002, Chancellor. From 2002 to 2003, he again served as President (Ad Interim); and, from 2003 until his death, he held the title of President Emeritus.
In 1990, he won the Democratic gubernatorial primary to become one of two major-party candidates for governor of Massachusetts in the general election of 1990. He lost that election to the Republican William Weld, who won by 38,000 votes.
After receiving his PhD from Yale, Silber became professor of philosophy and served as dean of the University of Texas's College of Arts and Sciences (1967–70). He had a liberal reputation in his days at Texas, though at Boston University he was best known as a conservative spokesman in academia. Source: Wikipedia My Remembrance of John Silber John's daughter wrote sometime after his death that "people either loved or hated him." I can't say I loved John Silber, but I sure liked him. I worked daily with John, and you always knew where you stood with him. Generally we got along very nicely and he allowed me to see how he had transformed a lower tiered commuter's school into a world class university. He also spent time grooming me for greater things, some of which never came to pass, while others, less expected, have come to pass. Most of all I remember his sardonic sense of humor. I was blessed to know him.
In 1990, he won the Democratic gubernatorial primary to become one of two major-party candidates for governor of Massachusetts in the general election of 1990. He lost that election to the Republican William Weld, who won by 38,000 votes.
After receiving his PhD from Yale, Silber became professor of philosophy and served as dean of the University of Texas's College of Arts and Sciences (1967–70). He had a liberal reputation in his days at Texas, though at Boston University he was best known as a conservative spokesman in academia. Source: Wikipedia My Remembrance of John Silber John's daughter wrote sometime after his death that "people either loved or hated him." I can't say I loved John Silber, but I sure liked him. I worked daily with John, and you always knew where you stood with him. Generally we got along very nicely and he allowed me to see how he had transformed a lower tiered commuter's school into a world class university. He also spent time grooming me for greater things, some of which never came to pass, while others, less expected, have come to pass. Most of all I remember his sardonic sense of humor. I was blessed to know him.