It was with shock and sadness that I learned of Prof. Prasch’s passing.  I first met Bob his second year at Middlebury, taking his History of Economic Thought economics senior seminar.  I don’t know what drew me to that particular class – I probably selected because it met in the afternoons and didn’t involve a ton of complex math.  It continues to be, however, one of my most memorable courses during my four years at Midd.

Bob was a dedicated teacher and immersed himself in the community – he was one of the most approachable professors that I had the pleasure of meeting.  I can distinctly regularly remember running into him outside of Proctor or Monroe and chatting for ten or fifteen minutes about some economic topic or the news of the day.

Bob had a way of making pretty dense historical texts seem as relevant today as when they were written.  His mix of humor and stories made the material take on real meaning that I have returned to many times in the 13 years since.  Despite that sense of humor, he was no slouch when it came to grading – he identified the potential of his students and pushed them to succeed.  But he also provided support and encouragement so that as a student you wanted exceed those expectations.

The Middlebury community has lost a great teacher and scholar and he will be missed.

–Aaron D. Sawchuk ’02