It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Joel Popkin.

With great sadness, we announce that Dr. Joel Popkin, a distinguished alumni of our own PhD program and of Wharton’s undergraduate program, passed away on December 24th at the age of 92.   Dr. Popkin was a great supporter of the Economics Department, cosponsoring the department reception at annual meetings, being a member of the department visiting committee from 1987-2001, and establishing and continuously supporting the Joel Popkin Graduate Student Teaching Prize in Economics.  His illustrious career included serving as a Lieutenant in the US Army and, after graduate school, holding several prominent government positions at the BLS, the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, and as a director at the Washington, DC branch of NBER.  In 1978, Dr. Popkin founded Joel Popkin and Company, a highly sought-after economic consulting firm specializing in labor and manufacturing research, which he led until his retirement.  As the head of this firm, he traveled extensively around the world and gave expert testimony, including to US Presidential Commissions. During his career, Dr. Popkin’s professional achievements included receiving the Julius Shiskin Award for his contributions to the field of economic statistics.   We are grateful that Dr. Popkin’s wife, Betsy Popkin, says that the family will continue to support the Joel Popkin Graduate Student Teaching Prize.