Craig R. MacPhee, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, died Jan. 5 at his home in Indian Wells, California. He was 81.
MacPhee joined the College of Business faculty in 1969, specializing in international trade, investment and commercial policy. He served as chair of the Department of Economics for 12 years and held the Paul C. Burmeister College Professor of Economics before retiring in 2013.
“Craig brought his global perspective to the study of economics at Nebraska. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses, influencing generations of students interested in global trade, finance and economic development,” said Kathy Farrell, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of the College of Business. “His scholarship, teaching, service and distinguished career in international consulting reflected his deep commitment to improving economic understanding, policy and living standards around the world.”
His academic work included five books and numerous monographs published by the United Nations and the World Bank. He authored 24 book chapters, 27 official international trade publications and many peer-reviewed journal articles. His research appeared in journals such as the Journal of Economic Education, Southern Economic Journal, Economic Development and Cultural Change, International Trade Journal and Journal of Economic Integration.
MacPhee worked with the United Nations in Geneva and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He later served as an advisor on educational and economic reform in Russia, Poland and South Korea. His work with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank took him to Montenegro, Mongolia, Nepal and throughout Eastern and Southern Africa and Southeast Asia. He also lectured at universities around the world, including Oxford University, the Australian National University, Moscow State University and Pusan National University, and testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations.
His professional honors included the Leavey Award for Russian educational reform, membership in Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars, Beta Gamma Sigma, Blue Key Society and Omicron Delta Epsilon. He also served for many years as national treasurer of the Stepfamily Association of America.
Outside the classroom, he was known for his energy and wide-ranging interests. As a teenager, he fought forest fires for the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho's Snake River Canyon. He later worked his way to Europe aboard a Norwegian freighter, an experience that sparked a lifelong interest in international affairs. An avid runner, he competed in several marathons and races. He also enjoyed camping, cooking, entertaining and hosting traditional Robert Burns dinners featuring Scottish poetry, as well as following Nebraska football and volleyball.
A celebration of his life will be held this summer in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation, 4407 N. Division Street, Suite 210, Spokane, Washington 99207 or to plant trees in his memory, visit the Sympathy Store. More information is available in his obituary.
