The Legacy

Abstract

As academics, we may provide a legacy by the impact on the people we help educate, by the ideas we help generate, and by the institutions we influence. Jim Graaskamp left a legacy in each of these areas. Graaskamp, Richard Ratcliffs successor at Wisconsin, took the lead in the transition of that program into an interdisciplinary approach. The key was relevance. Graaskamp certainly had inde- pendent critical thought and recognized the internal authority of the individual. He saw a changing system and adapted techniques of analyses and knowledge from other disciplines to the real estate arena. Much of Jim Graaskamp’s writing was related to his teaching. Or it might be said that much of his teaching was related to his writing, especially of his consulting research projects. Essentially Graaskamp was living outside Plato’s cave and brought his knowledge back to the students in academia. He was an agent of change for society’s decision-making. Graaskamp was an iconoclast of the first order.

1. Maury Seldin, Realtor Chair Professor Emeritus, The American University, is chairman of the board of the three organizations that comprise The Hoyt Group: (1) Homer Hoyt Advanced Studies Institute in Real Estate and Land Economics, which houses the Weimer School of Advanced Studies in Real Estate and Land Economics, (2) Homer Hoyt Institute, the support organization for the Weimer School, and (3) Hoyt Advisory Services, the R&D unit, a wholly owned subsidiary engaged in research and consulting. Together, these serve as a think tank in real estate and urban land economics. See the Hoyt Group webpage at www.hoyt.org.