I can hardly say I knew Bob very well. We only had short conversations in successive meetings at various conferences over the years. During these occasions, what always struck me the most about him was his constant reference to his wife, Tina, whom he loved dearly and who was so important to him. I remember especially well when we shared a conference dinner in Paris in 2012, in which there were many colleagues present, such as Alain and Alicia, and, at this special occasion, we also met his wife.  We could see how his eyes sparkled when he saw her so alive and happy!

I have had only limited opportunities to know his work as an economist. But, at every conference that we had attended, I would never miss his presentations, comments and debates in which he was involved. The last time we spoke to each other was in Boston this year. We were preparing to have him visit our graduate economics faculty at the National Autonomous University of Mexico so that we can share his immense knowledge, particularly of the banking and financial sector, with our students and we were all so enthusiastic about publishing in Spanish some of his contributions.

With Bob I had the rare opportunity to meet a sweet, charming, and generous person. He was truly an extraordinary man and an outstanding economist, and I’ll always miss him.

Eugenia Correa

Professor of Economics, Mexico National University.