Richard Leftwich
November 20, 2017
Richard H. Leftwich, 97, passed away on November 20, 2017. On February 1, 1920, he was born to Rush and Nellie Leftwich on a farm near Burden, KS. In 1941, he received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Southwestern College in Winfield, KS. Richard enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1942, earning the rank of Master Sergeant and receiving the Bronze Star and Good Conduct medals. Richard and Maxine Dieterich were married in 1945, settling in Stillwater, where their three children were born. In 1948, he received the Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago, after which he returned to Oklahoma State as an assistant professor. During his academic career, he served as department head for 10 years, retiring in 1985 as a Regents Professor of Economics. In addition, he directed the OSU Market Economy Education Center. Richard had a distinguished academic career that took him around the country and the world, enabling him to engage his passion for teaching at several universities. He was active in several professional associations, serving as president of the Southern, Midwest, and Southwestern Economic Associations and the Western Social Science Association. In addition, he was inducted into several honorary organizations and received several distinguished teaching awards, including the Oklahoma State University Amoco Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award. He was also inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, was listed in several Who’s Who publications, and authored many books and articles. His best-known textbook, The Price System and Resource Allocation, went through 10 editions and was translated into eight languages. Richard was a fan of the opera, and he and Maxine and traveled through more than 80 countries. He held a commercial pilot’s license and logged more than 5,000 flying hours. In 1992, Richard and Maxine moved to Bloomington, IN, to be near their son Brad. Richard was preceded in death by his wife Maxine, his daughter Judith, and his son Gregory as well as by six brothers and one sister. Surviving him are his son and daughter-in-law, Bradley Leftwich and Linda Higginbotham and their son Seth Higginbotham, as well as by a friend, colleague and companion, Shirley Yu, and his brother and sister-in-law Howard and Marilyn Leftwich.