H. Gregg Lewis received his A.B. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the University of Chicago.

No Professor of Economics has garnered a more deserving reputation as an exemplary teacher-scholar, or has had a greater collective impact on the intellectual development of an entire generation of graduate students in his field of labor economics, than H. Gregg Lewis. Arriving at Duke in 1976 after an illustrious career at the University of Chicago, Gregg provided the Department what it sought: a strengthening of the overall intellectual environment, and an infusion of professionalism required to move Duke from what was then a highly successful regional university toward one that competed more effectively in the arena of distinguished American Universities. Gregg was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, at Duke a winner of the University Scholar-Teacher Award, and, in 1981, made a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economics Association. He retired from Duke in 1984, and died in January, 1992.

The citation of the latter award captures well some of his enduring contributions. "First, as a key member of the Department of Economics at Chicago from 1939 to 1975, and at Duke since then, he helped infuse their programs with the rigor, discipline, and the craftsmanship that have always been his hallmarks. For this, generations of students and colleagues are in his debt. Second, through his writings and teachings he has strongly influenced and in a real sense helped reorient and redefine the field of labor economics. His works on the impact of union and on labor supply are models of how economic theory, statistical and econometric methods and painstaking handling of data can be joined to produce masterly professional contributions. In these and his other writings Lewis led by his example. His third set of contributions came through the students who worked most directly with him. His constant insistence on the highest professional standards, and his selfless dedication to these students of time and energy beyond any plausible call of duty--these are what helped to produce a veritable cadre of young scientists, and a new wave of scientific research in labor economics.

"For these contributions we recognize Gregg Lewis, who truly deserves to be called the father of modern labor economics."

At Duke his impact was pervasive. Professor and Chair of Economics, Marjorie McElroy, has encapsulated a feeling for his presence here. "For many of us the lessons of Gregg's life are far too broad to be thought of as merely professional. There was a unity in the integrity so manifest in both his professional and personal life. . . .He set high standards for himself and, by example, for those around him. He was brutally honest, yet warm and generous."

Additional information on H. Gregg Lewis' rich life and contributions can be found in the following: