The Department of Economics was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Associate Professor Emeritus Michael Hadjimichalakis on October 3rd from a stroke. He had been in a rehabilitation center following an earlier stroke in June.
Michael retired in 2013 after teaching at UW for 44 years, continuing to teach one class each quarter after retirement.
Born in 1938 in Cyprus, Michael earned his diploma (B.A.) in Economics at Athens Supreme School of Economics and Business Science in 1964. Following graduation from Athens, Michael taught in the Economics department there as a lecturer for a year before moving to the U.S. in 1966, where he completed both the M.A. (1968) and Ph.D. (1970) in Economics at the University of Rochester in New York. He was hired in 1969 as an assistant professor at the University of Washington and was promoted to associate professor in 1972.
Michael served as a Visiting Professor with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system from 1980 - 82 and was a Visiting Scholar for the Bank of Japan in the spring of 1984. He was awarded the Department of Economics Henry Buechel Memorial Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching in 1995 and again in 2010.
Professor Judy Thornton, who was already teaching in the department when Michael was hired, noted "Michael’s students told us that his macroeconomics course was one of their favorites at the university. They appreciated the focused rigor of his text, written with his spouse, Karma, his real world description of how policy-makers collected and evaluated information, and, especially, his enthusiasm for his subject and for the students who were mastering it. Our admiration for Michael and our grief at losing his positive presence are genuine. We all miss him."
Michael was predeceased by his wife of 42 years, Karma Hadjimichalakis, a lecturer in economics with the UW Foster School of Business. He will be remembered for his gentle manner, ready smile, and his ability to engage anyone in conversation.