“I was more than a little intimidated by his reputation”

The spring before I was to begin my appointment in Cornell’s Government Department my wife and I drove up to Ithaca to go house hunting. The first place our real estate agent, Alan, took us to was on the lower end of Delaware Avenue. It was a small place, in need of a bit of work, perfect for an Assistant Professor on a budget. There was a snag, though, in that while showing us around Alan noted, “Oh, and, you are going to be in the Government Department, so you must know Ted Lowi; he lives right across the way.” Trying to sound more self-assured and sophisticated than I was, I responded with an, “Oh, really, yes, of course I know Ted.” This was technically true, in that I had read his books while still an undergraduate, and was well aware that he had been President of APSA, but I did not actually know Ted then. On the contrary, I was more than a little intimidated by his reputation; I almost balked at living right across the way from the Ted Lowi. But, my wife convinced me I was being silly, and we made an offer on the place the next day. I never regretted that decision (although for the first year after we moved in I left a light on all night in the front upstairs bedroom of the house in hopes that should Ted look out late in the evening he would be impressed by how diligent I was working through the wee hours).

Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we made in that as a result we became neighbors with Ted and Angèle. And, we discovered that they were both remarkable people to be around. They doted on our young boys, were incredibly sweet to my wife, and were unwaveringly supportive of me. All with their own style. Angèle with her garden. Ted with his running. And, for me, meeting up with him on the sidewalk to chat about the state of American politics, the discipline, the field, the people he had worked with around the world, and in our own department. We became friends, went to more than a few hockey games together, and, if I may be so bold, tried to look out for each other a bit.

When Ted passed it left me deeply saddened, as while the field of political science lost one of its most significant scholars, my loss was more personal: I lost a good neighbor and friend.

Allen Carlson

Associate Professor, Government Department, and

Director, China and Asia Pacific Studies Program

Cornell