Memorial
Otto Gustavo Wadsted 1933-2010
By Luigi Logrippo with many
collaborators
Otto Gustavo Wadsted was born Danish in Washington, D.C. on December 6,
1933. His father and grandfather were noted Danish diplomats also called Otto
Wadsted. Traces of their activities can be found on the Web. Here is a photo of his father
(playing the piano) and his grandfather and grandmother (far right). His
grandparents are also here.
Otto’s mother was Concepción Carafí, also known as Beba. She was from a
family of long Uruguayan-Argentinian lineage. Here is a photo of her and his
son Otto as a six month old baby, at the Danish Embassy in Washington. Aquí está una breve historia de
la familia Carafí.
In his early life, Otto lived in several countries: the USA, then after
WW II in Italy, and then in Brazil. In Brazil he obtained a Civil Engineering
degree in 1956 and worked as a civil engineer in Rio de Janeiro during the
heady days of President Kubitschek. Brazil and Rio always occupied a very
special place in his heart. Here is a photo of Otto and
his mother taken in 1957.
He completed a Master’s degree in Engineering and Administration at MIT
in 1966. He did further graduate work at Columbia, and, I believe he told me,
also at Harvard. Here are some photos of him in the mid-sixties Photo, Photo, Photo. He worked for some
time at the World Bank, and this activity took him to several countries that he
got to know well, especially Venezuela and Bolivia.
In 1971 he got a position at the University of Ottawa (Canada), where he
taught in the Department of Economics until 1996. He was very proud of the many students he introduced to
economics. He was very interested in the problems of developing countries,
industrialization, employment, and poverty. He was a systematic and
enthusiastic teacher and researcher. Some of his publications can be found by
browsing the Web. Here is a Photo
of him taken in 1991.
He never married, and lived with his mother in her later years. He lived
in the Sandy Hill area of Ottawa and frequented late evening Sunday Masses in St. Patrick’s Basilica downtown. He liked
to remember an episode where he dived in the frigid Rideau Canal to save a
suicidal woman, episode that was reported in the local media (without
mentioning his name).
Otto died alone in his apartment on or about May 27, 2010 and was buried
on July 21, 2010 at Capital
Memorial Gardens, 3700 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa. His grave is located
on Lot 43, Space C3 – Singles. Here is a photo of his headstone.
Personal note: having been
acquainted with Otto for over 30 years I did not want to let his death go
unnoticed. He was a solitary and private man, but he deeply valued personal
relationships, and had much human insight. One of his preferred topics was to
share his knowledge of South American history, culture and economy. He had a
vast culture and could discuss many topics with competence and fervent
interest, in at least six languages. In his later years he talked a lot about
the relationship between the dead and the living and discussed how various
cultures related with the dead. When his barber died, and he felt that his
family was not grieving, in reaction he let his hair grow for a long time and,
uncharacteristic of him, he wore a pony-tail.
Some people who knew Otto will see this note, and may wish to add their
recollections to mine. Please do not hesitate to write me at: logrippo@uottawa.ca - en
Français, Español, Portugués, English, Danska ….
[Afterthought: I was surprised by the many people who saw this memorial
and reacted to it, since I posted it in early 2011. These are all people who
independently searched Otto’s name on the web and found this page. Some wrote
the messages you will see below and some gave me other information, such as
photos].
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Received on March 29, 2011 from his former University
of Ottawa colleague Dr. Emmanuel Apel, now in Paris: Otto was a
great and cultured man, as well as an excellent professor, much appreciated by
his students. He was always very generous with the time spent trying to help
his students. I knew him well as a colleague from 1971 until the
mid-1990s. Sad to learn that he is no
longer with us.
Received on
April 21, 2011, from Prof. Amer
Al-Roubaie, Dean, College of Business and Finance, Ahlia University,
Manama, Bahrain: I am very saddened to learn about the death of Otto
Gustavo Wadsted. I was one of his students at the University of Ottawa in late
1970s. He was excellent professor and highly committed to his students. He was
a man of great integrity and ethics as well as a man of knowledge and wisdom.
Although he was my professor for a short period, he was in constant touch with
me all these years until his death. This is indeed a reflection of his
outstanding personality not only as a concerned teacher, but also as a close
friend. His memories with me will remain forever. May his soul rest in peace!
Received on
July 3, 2011 from Mrs. Anita van
der Linden, New York City: My mother Betty Yu-Lin Ho has this picture of Otto G.
Wadsted from 1964 in
her apartment in New York City. My mom
is very sorry to hear that he died. She typed his thesis for him back in the
1960's when he was at Columbia University. She thought he was a very
intelligent man.
Received on
August 20, 2011 from Mr. Bent Ritz Petersen, Denmark: Otto Gustavo
Wadsted and I go back 66 years to 1945. Denmark was a free country
again after the German occupation. Otto had been admitted in the catholic
school that I attended as a protestant. It had a reputation for discipline
exercised by German Jesuit priests.
Otto was
newly arrived from Rome, and on his first school
day he was introduced to this class of boys of his own
age. He was invited to sit next to me sharing my double desk, and his eyes
were full of expectation. He did not take long to convince everybody that
he possessed sound knowledge of mathematics and
superior English, also fluent written and spoken Danish. He
demonstrated his competence in a pleasant, leaning back style, and won
everybody's admiration.
We spent time
together after school, and sometimes I would accompany him to the pension where
he lived with his mother. We communicated in English, and Otto was full of
fun and even mischief. Our ways separated as Otto and his mother went
to Brazil, but we maintained correspondence for a couple of
years. When I saw Otto again, we were young men. He came
to Copenhagen, and his father, whom I had met on a previous occasion, had
made arrangements with my father for a surprise party.
His visits
were sweet and short, but within a week we would become school boys
again. I remember two more visits - both of them unannounced, but
then we lost contact. His death has left a void. Honour to his name.
Received on
November 29, 2011 from Mr. Byron Nutting, CFO Jazz Resources Inc. Vancouver BC. Canada. I was a
student of Prof. Wadsted at the University of Ottawa. I have many fond
recollections of him. I took his course in mathematical economics. It was very
important for my career to pass this course. During the final exam I did not
think I would pass. I was having problems with some algebra. While he was
passing by I mentioned this to him. He had a look at what I was doing and said
that it looked ok. Thus encouraged I continued with my algebra and managed to
pass the course. I am forever grateful for his kindness.
Received on
December 8, 2011 from Prof.
David J. Murrell, University of New Brunswick. I was a
struggling fourth and fifth year student in economics at University of Ottawa.
I was fortunate enough to take two courses from Professor Wadsted at the time, and to work as a
teaching assistant for him. He was a very thorough and careful professor -- who
demanded a lot from us. At the time I had good grades, but was financially
impoverished. Through this he gave me
encouragement to continue. I might add that one term paper I did for him led me
to construct elementary GDP estimates
for the province of Saskatchewan -- work I later extended as research at
the Conference Board of Canada. Sorry to hear of his death.
Received on Jan 24, 2012 from Stéphane Gagnon,
Professeur dans le département des Sciences de l’administration, Université du
Québec en Outaouais. I was blessed on many levels to befriend Prof.
Wadsted, a true humanist with unconditional kindness and affection. I took his
International Trade elective at University of Ottawa in fall 1990. Along with
fellow classmates (some of them magna and summa cum laude), we often stayed
after 10pm until midnight to listen to his numerous stories about political
economy and history. He always made us feel as if we were at Oxford, sharing a
cup of his famous thermos and cookies, while filling our gaps with empirical
evidence to back the equations he had just presented in class.
His unique
pedagogical approach continues to inspire me today, and in spite of its
implicit cost I remain committed to his encyclopedic approach to social
sciences. We stayed in touch after graduation and I met him every year or so
(until 2005) for coffee or dinner (he gathered alumni a few times at the Yang
Sheng). He always shared knowledge and insight, taking genuine interest in my
journey as grad student, professional, and man (he met all of my life partners
except my present one).
Prof. Wadsted
was a very special man who lived a humble, discrete, but fulfilling life. He
was a philosopher in the classical sense, with enlightening lessons blending
theory and human experience.
As I read
others’ comments on this page, I am touched that we all share the same feeling
about him and his passing. His memory will live long with us, and his teachings
too. God bless his soul.
Reçu le 20 février 2012 de la part de Gilles
Grenier, Professeur, Département de science économique, Université d'Ottawa. J'ai été le
collègue d'Otto Wadsted au Département de science économique de l'Université
d'Ottawa de 1981 à 1996; j'ai aussi été le directeur de ce département de 1985
à 1989. Otto Wadsted était un professeur avec des habitudes bien
particulières : il vivait la nuit et dormait le jour. Les seules fois où on le
voyait étaient lors des assemblées départementales, qui avaient lieu trois ou
quatre fois par année. Sinon, tous les échanges avec lui se faisaient par
correspondance. Une secrétaire qui a été à l'emploi du Département pendant
plusieurs années m'a avoué ne l'avoir jamais vu. Les relations entre Otto
Wadsted et l'Université d'Ottawa ont parfois été difficiles. Pendant longtemps,
il a refusé de fournir à l'Université son adresse et son numéro de téléphone à
la maison, malgré les nombreuses demandes. Pour sa défense, il disait qu'il ne
voulait pas être dérangé durant la journée étant donné qu'il dormait. Une autre
fois, lorsque le Département devait changer de locaux, il n'a pas accepté le
nouveau bureau qui lui avait été alloué et ses effets personnels sont demeurés
dans des boîtes pendant des années. Il avait plaidé en vain de garder son
ancien bureau, mais l'étage au complet avait été attribué à une autre unité
scolaire. Comme directeur du Département, j'ai eu à gérer diverses situations conflictuelles
qui le concernaient. Cependant, lorsque j'avais l'occasion de lui parler en
personne, j'étais toujours impressionné par son amabilité et sa gentillesse. Je
me souviens en particulier de la fois où, suite au décès tragique d'une
collègue avec qui il avait eu des relations particulièrement tumultueuses, il
m'avait téléphoné pour me faire part de sa grande tristesse. Il était vraiment
ému et affecté par ce décès, et comme il était très croyant, il avait fait
célébrer une messe à sa mémoire. Enfin, Otto Wadsted était un excellent
enseignant, comme plusieurs de ses anciens étudiants en ont témoigné.
Recebido de Francisco Ludgero Sobrinho em 12 de outubro
de 2013. Quero aqui expressar os meus sentimentos sobre a triste
notícia do falecimento do Dr. Otto Gustavo Wadsted. Desde o fim de 1968,
comecei a trabalhar para o Dr. Otto, fazendo algumas tarefas na cidade do Rio
de Janeiro; sempre me tratou muito bem, e, apesar da diferença de nível
cultural e social me tratava como de
fosse um irmão dele. Passou a demonstrar grande confiança em minha pessoa,
entregando-me algumas tarefas de grande responsabilidade para resolver. Era
portanto o Dr. Otto um homem pacífico, muito humano e humilde, ao ponto de
visitar a minha casa em uma comunidade do Rio de Janeiro, e eu que me
encontrava doente (problema nos ossos),
quando chegou já veio trazendo alguns remédios para mim.
Assim era o Dr.
Otto; se aproximava de qualquer pessoa pobre, e sem fazer distinção, conversava
com todos.
Estando nos dias
de viajar para o Canadá, quando esteve em minha casa, tirou foto de toda a
minha família, e até fez promessas de enviar-me cópias das fotos, mas, deve ter
acontecido algum problema, pois, não enviou.
Me contou certa
vez, que, quando a trabalho na África do Sul, hospedou-se na residência de um africano onde todos dormiam no chão.
Ele com facilidade adaptou-se , a essas condições; isso nos mostra, o homem
humilde que era; outra pessoa com os mesmos recursos que ele, teria proucurado
um lugar onde lhe fosse oferecido mais conforto.
Enfim Dr. Otto,
retornou ao Canadá, não nos vimos mais, apenas através de cartas nos
comunicávamos, mesmo de longe, proucurava manter seu braço amigo estendido ao
meu favor, por ocasião de final de ano, estando eu desempregado, trabalhava de
vendedor ambulante, quando me surpreendeu com uma carta que dizia mais ou menos
assim: "Prezado Ludgero, lembrei-me que você trabalha de ambulante, e não tem deonde tirar o décimo terceiro
salário,estou lhe mandando uma quantia equivalente ao décimo terceiro salário,
para que você não só veja os outros receberem mas que também receba."
Mandou-me o valor acima por ele mencionado, até mais do que eu realmente
receberia se estivesse trabalhando de carteira assinada; isto é mais uma prova
do homem bom e humilde que era, eu já não trabalhava mais para ele há muito
tempo, não precisava ele ter preocupações quanto as minhas percebições
financeira, mas teve, não por responsabilidade empregador X empregado,mas por
humanidade e generosidade.
Nos resta agora,
somente as saudosas lembranças do Dr. Otto Gustavo Wadsted.
Recibido de su prima Petroushka Vitale (Montevideo),
el 6 de febrero 2015. El comentario que puedo agregar acerca de Otto, es
que era un hombre muy sensible y siempre considerado con el prójimo. Además de
ser muy culto, y en sus buenos tiempos…muy ocurrente y divertido. Cuando yo
vivía en Nueva York, era como un hermano mayor. Sus amistades y las mías
siempre congeniaban, por lo tanto salíamos todos juntos. Tanto a un concierto,
como al teatro a un Formal Party…y los parties que no eran muy formales
también.
En una ocasión
íbamos al “White Elephant Ball” en el Pierre Hotel. Black Tie y traje largo.
Entramos al elevador junto con dos parejas, y de repente hubo un corto circuito
y el elevador se quedó parado. Nadie venía a socorrernos, después de largo
rato, Otto se sacó su elegante chaqueta negra e hizo una pequeña almohada, para
que yo me sentara mientras esperábamos. Los otros dos caballeros siguieron su
ejemplo. Entre el calor y la falta de aire, y que nadie nos oía, nos pusimos a
deliberar, acerca de filosofía. En lo mejor de la conversación llegó el grupo
de rescate. Cuando salimos del elevador había un espejo justo enfrente de
nosotros…cuando nos vimos, transpirados, nosotras con el maquillaje todo
corrido, las chaquetas de los caballeros todas arrugadas. Terminamos olvidando
el elegante baile al cual debíamos concurrir, y nos fuimos a comer una pizza y
a seguir con nuestra filosófica conversación interrumpida.
Received from Jackson Shaw, IT entrepreneur, on August
3, 2016. I started my very first full-time job at the
University of Ottawa in 1984 in the Computing Center. I had the pleasure of
helping many students, faculty and staff during those years including Prof.
Otto Wadsted. Otto always stood out to me. He had a twinkle in his eye,
mischief in his mind and always an inviting smile on his face. He’d frequently
drop by my office just for a chat and a smoke of the cheroots he always seemed
to have handy. I’m saddened to find out he has passed on but heartened by the
fact he’ll be waiting for me, cheroot in hand, to celebrate my arrival. I only
hope they allow smoking up there.
Received from Christa Phillips (Montana, USA) on September 6, 2016. In memoriam: Love
remains. Thank you for having been in my life, Otto.
Received from Brenda Gayle-Anyiwe, Professor in the
Faculty of Business, School of English and Liberal Studies, Seneca College,
Toronto (Ontario, Canada) on May 28, 2018. As a
consummate teacher, a remarkable quality of Professor Wadsted’s instruction was
his attention to the development of logical argument while, at the same time,
discerning the understanding of students. If gaps in comprehension became
apparent, he would elucidate the reasoning of an aspect, even before questions
were asked. He was committed to enabling learning.
A
phrase he used, ‘out to the stars and
beyond,’ resonated. It is included in this poem Scholastic Legacy, which is dedicated to his memory.
Scholastic
Legacy
Out to the
stars and beyond he bid us
Go as on
Cartesian planes of light
In search of
certainties that may be found
Beyond the
bounds of our known universe
Of
intellectual thought, impelled onward
By meticulous
perspicacity
As
mathematicians who delight in
Creativity and
logic; then we,
In turn, hope
to advance the radiance
Of
unparalleled teaching and learning
With the joy
of striving for scholarship,
And so create
secure scholastic bonds
Between sagacity
past and to come,
That will
enlighten minds and transform lives.
Out to the
stars and beyond he ventured
Forth as on
ethereal beams of light
In their
interminable reach toward
Far nebulae
that arc eternities
Of space and
time, where sentience, unconstrained
By finite
bonds, may seize at certitudes -
Verities
philosophers comprehend
Unfettered in
infinities of truths;
Then we, in
turn, will embark from the dark
Confines of
ignorance to grasp realities
Twinkling in
distant galaxies of thought,
Summoning the
reach of reason along
Pristine paths
towards illuminations
Brilliant as
celestial supernovae.
Received from Danny Napier, Department of Geography, University of
Ottawa on March 20, 2022.
I
believe that Professor Wadsted truly cared about his students and, over the
years, I often think about what he did for me especially with respect to my
thesis defence.
I came
to the University of Ottawa in the Fall of 1972 to pursue my Master’s degree. I
had a Foreign Area Fellowship to do my Master’s research in Ecuador and I had
been accepted by the University of Ottawa.
I did my field research in Ecuador in the
summer of 1973 and finished my course work for my Master’s in the spring of 1974.
I believe I enrolled in Prof. Wadsted’s International Trade course in the Fall
1973. I also asked him to be one of my advisors on my Master’s thesis at that
time. I didn’t actually complete my thesis until 1978 when I was working in
Peru for the Canadian Transport Commission on a two-year CIDA funded project.
I
believe you can find my Master’s thesis in the University of Ottawa library
archives. It is entitled “Market Information and Potato Price Instability in
the Sierra of Ecuador”.
While
the thesis was written to fulfill my Master’s requirements in the Geography
Department, it had substantial economic elements; hence, the reason for having
Prof. Wadsted as one of my advisors.
I am
sitting here holding my Master’s certificate and continuing to thank Prof.
Wadsted for the major role he played in supporting me in the completion of my
degree.
Last updated: 2022-06-20
