He was noted for his contributions to macroeconomics, the theory of income distribution, comparative economics and Western understanding of the Japanese economy. The retired professor continued to attend conferences and teach at Duke until he became ill during the Spring 1997 semester.

      Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Dec. 2, 1914, Dr. Bronfenbrenner graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. He received his doctorate in economics in 1939 from the University of Chicago.

      In addition to his Kenan professorship at Duke, Dr. Bronfenbrenner held a Fulbright appointment in Japan and visiting appointments at the Center for Advanced Study in Behaviorial Sciences at Stanford, the University of Sussex and at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

      In January 1997, Dr. Bronfenbrenner was named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economics Association. His scholarly associations also included serving as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, vice president of the American Economic Association (1975) and president of both the Southern Economic Association (1979) and the History of Economics Society (1983).

      In 1984, Bronfenbrenner became professor emeritus at Duke, and the Martin Bronfenbrenner Graduate Fellowship was established in his honor. For the next six years, he was professor of international economics at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, returning to Durham in 1991.

      Dr. Bronfenbrenner wrote five books and approximately 250 articles for scholarly publications.

      The fluent Japanese speaker also published a fiction collection, "Tomioka Stories from the Japanese Occupation," based upon his experience as a language officer in Japan after World War II.

      Dr. Bronfenbrenner is survived by his wife, Teruko Okuaki Bronfenbrenner, of Durham; a son, Kenneth Bronfenbrenner, of New York; a daughter, June K. Bronfenbrenner-Walker, of Severna Park, Md.; and a grandson, Brian J. Walker, of Severna Park, Md.

      A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7th, in the auditorium at The Forest at Duke at 2701 Pickett Road. The Duke Economics department will sponsor a memorial lecture Fall 1997.