Dr. Tracy Miller, an economist at Grove City College was a graduate student of Gary Becker at the University of Chicago. Dr. Miller provides a sketch of Becker’s contributions as well as some personal reminiscences of Becker as a professor:
Unlike some other professors I had in graduate school, I never recall Becker using offensive language in the classroom or in private conversation. Although he never said anything to indicate that he was a Christian, some of his students did research on the economics of religion and he appreciated their work and respected their convictions.
I had great respect for Dr. Becker as a teacher and scholar. In the classroom, he would frequently pick a student and call on him to answer a challenging question. The questions he asked often required the student to apply theory in a new way, not just recall something from the reading.
His approach was intense and intimidating, but his former students appreciate the way he challenged them. His passion for applying economics to a wide variety of contemporary issues was contagious. He influenced hundreds of graduate students at the University of Chicago and took a continuing interest in the work of his former students.
- See more at: http://www.visionandvalues.org/2014/05/remembering-gary-becker-a-great-economist/#sthash.WJuLXbSO.dpuf
