Not long after I graduated and began teaching, Barry Commoner invited
me to Washington University because of my work on energy use in
Agriculture.  He also published my article in his magazine, Ecology,
and even wrote a forward to my first book, Farming for Profit in a
Hungry World: Capital and the Crisis in Agriculture.

I only ran into him a few times after that.  We would only exchange a
few words.  He was always engaged with other people and I did not want
to disturb him.  I wish that I had been able to spend enough time with
Barry Commoner to call him a friend.  Nonetheless, I am grateful for
our brief time together and even more grateful for the wonderful work
he did.

His obituaries cover some of his most important work, but they
neglected something that impressed me.  Many of the people who worked
for him were "unqualified," in the sense that they lacked the
credentials normally required for their jobs.   I believe that they
did a better job appreciating that Barry Commoner gave them a chance
that others would deny them.

We many more Barry Commoners.  Thank you Barry.

-- 
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA
95929

530 898 5321
fax 530 898 5901
http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com
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