Dr. Louis Havis Ederington

Dr. Louis Havis Ederington, PhD

Louis was born May, 10, 1944, and spent his childhood years in Warren, Arkansas. His parents were Mary Catherine Bayliss Ederington and Louis Wilson Ederington. He loved spending time on his parents’ farm, riding his horse, Danny and driving his jeep. His great-grandfather, John T Ederington, bought up cotton from the local farmers, and took the bales down river to New Orleans; he then brought back cotton seed and other supplies. In 1869, he built a store, J.T. Ederington’s on the courthouse square. His grandfather, Louis Ederington, and later his father were owners of the store which lasted into the 1970s.

Louis attended Hendrix College from 1962-1966, where he developed two loves: first, Economics, and second, his life partner, Anne Jewell, whom he met in the December of 1963. Anne and Louis were married June 11, 1966, and began their graduate studies at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. Louis obtained his PhD from Washington University. He then accepted a teaching position at Georgia State University, so he, Anne, and baby son Ben came to Atlanta. The family was soon joined by another son Josh, and they lived in Morningside, where Louis commuted by bus to GSU.

Louis was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1978; his doctors had learned about a new drug, so he and Anne spent nearly eight months at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, while the boys lived with their grandparents. After his cancer treatment, he wanted to explore new possibilities, so he decided to apply for a Fulbright Professorship. That took him and the family to Bucharest, Romania for six months in 1980. This was in the time of Ceausescu, so he could not have his own classes, but other faculty members would provide him with lecture opportunities. The boys went to the American School, and Anne also worked there. They also traveled a great deal around Romania.

At GSU, Louis was beginning to move toward Finance, and spent some of his time with the Finance faculty. When he, Anne and the boys moved back to Washington University in 1984, he made the switch permanent. He spent five years at Washington University in St Louis, until the boys graduated from high school, and went off to college. Then he again started exploring other options. He was given the Oklahoma Bankers Chair in 1989, and he and Anne moved to the University of Oklahoma in Norman and the now Michael Price College of Business. They spent 25 years at OU, renovating an older home and enjoying all of the theatre and sports and art on the campus.

With the break-up of the Soviet Union, a former colleague was at USAID, and thought Louis might be interested in working on economic restructuring in the Republics. Louis was interested, and he and Anne decided to move to Tbilisi, The Republic of Georgia in 1993, for a year and a half. He had three different Deputy Prime Ministers that he worked for, two of which were very good. He also went on the advance team for Shevardnadze to Washington DC.

Louis, with Anne went on sabbaticals, teaching and doing research at several Universities: the University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand; Singapore Management University in Singapore; the University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia; the University of Melbourne, in Melbourne, Australia. Louis was given the Michael Price Chair in Finance, and the George Lynn Cross Professorship in Research. When he retired he had many of his former students come back to OU for a series of seminars. His students wrote tributes including the words wise, collegial, generous, honest, and rigorous. On retirement he was designated Emeritus.

Louis and Anne moved back to Atlanta in the summer of 2014, to Lenbrook. They were often traveling, including Gorilla Tracking, birding, and Lou’s love, train travel. Louis was always the photographer, snapping many lasting memories. They also frequently went back to OU for teaching, research, and games. He was diagnosed with CMML, a chronic leukemia, in late 2018. He and Anne continued to travel throughout 2019. But the outbreak of the Covid pandemic put travel plans on hold, and eventually his leukemia became acute. We wish to thank his doctor, Ethan Tolbert, MD for his kindness in helping Louis with his many difficulties; and the Crossroads Hospice team who aided him in the last three days of his life.

Louis is pre-deceased by his parents, and his older brother, John Bayliss Ederington. He is survived by his wife; his sons and daughter-in-laws, Louis Benjamin Ederington and Elizabeth Matthews and William Joshua Ederington and Jenny Minier; and his five grandchildren, Katherine, John, and Emily Matthews –Ederington, and Sam and Max Ederington. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Peggy Ederington and her children, Beth Ederington, and Charles and Debbie Ederington and their children; and his cousins, Nancy Huckabay, Stephen Hurley, Mark Hurley, Joyce Alworth, Jenny Pugh-Henandez, Mary Pugh Manning, Sondra Shepherd, Lanier Bayliss, and John Mark Bayliss; and his second family, his mother-in-law Irma Jewell, Judy Jewell, Becky and Rick Engborg, Joe and Jan Jewell, and John Jewell, plus numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.