"I find inspiration in things Ted has said"

I met Ted Lowi in the fall of 1999 when I was a first year PhD student in the Department of Government. I was in my early 20s and green enough that, from my perspective, Ted’s reputation didn’t precede him. But because I was so green, I came to appreciate Ted as a person before I fully understood that he was an institution.

I will always remember the intensity of his emotions and his dynamic personality: his flashing blue eyes, the excitement that would overtake him when he had a theoretical insight, his enormous sense of humor, and even his humorous indignation over some bad idea or other. But fundamentally, Ted was a kind soul, looking out for those of us who were struggling with the very isolating life of a grad student or the very personal task of writing a dissertation. Indeed, Ted looked out for me so well that he agreed to be on my dissertation committee despite the fact that my dissertation had nothing to do with American politics whatsoever. And I certainly remember tears welling up in his eyes from time to time — his deep well of emotions was always bubbling up to the surface — and loving him for it.

To this day I find inspiration in things Ted has said, both in his published work and various “Lowi-isms.” But I also still think about how he said these things, why he said them, and how his whole being reached out to communicate with others. And so while I will always treasure the record of his thinking left for posterity, I treasure more my memories of the person who was much more remarkable than even his most remarkable thoughts.

Craig Ewasiuk

PhD, Government, Cornell

Attorney, Office of the General Counsel, National Labor Relations Board