Yael Warshel
While Nelson Polsby is known to most for his contributions to political science, whether through his prolific writings or barking, "Poppycock!" at arguments with which he disagreed, fewer, perhaps, are familiar with his contributions as a mentor, particular to undergraduate students — an experience from which I was privileged to benefit. Anyone familiar with the life of a UC Berkeley undergraduate might find it strange that I, as I am now about to explain, am mourning his loss, that is, the loss of a professor at a big research institute, and all the more so during the days of UC budget cuts and fee hikes. The common lament during my days at Berkeley, and likely still now, was, "You're just a number in a sea of 30,000 students." Upon arrival, undergraduates easily get lost in its overbearing campus bureaucracy, unable to access limited resources and lacking the essential guidance to acquire their training in what this sink or swim institution is famous for, intellectual rigor. In my case, however, I was fortunate enough not to have had that experience — thanks to Nelson Polsby. Nelson was my teacher and later, supervisor, but most importantly, someone who cared about me. Sadly, as my Berkeley classmates' experiences and my own attested, this was something unique. Nelson made my undergraduate experience a good one. I will never forget him for that. more
Michael Grossman
I met Nelson more than 25 years ago, before I came to California. Like Nelson, I had done my work in political science at The Johns Hopkins University, he as an undergraduate and I as a graduate student. We were both students and admirers of Frank Rourke. Nelson was interested in my study on the relationship between the White House and the news media. I was interested in everything he wrote. more
Martyn Webb
I am saddened to learn that one of Berkeley's much loved voices is for ever silenced. Nelson was a person one could not help admiring. I came to IGS thanks to an introduction from the late Melvin Webber of IURD and although not by training a political scientist, Nelson and so many of his colleagues and staff at IGS made me so welcome that I had to do my best. more
Alan Ware
I caught up with the news of Nelson's death yesterday. He made such a strong contribution to the development of research across the Atlantic, that there seems to be strong sentiment on this side that we should also do something to commemorate him. This might take the form of a memorial meeting later in the year to be followed possibly by a published collection of essays, mainly but not exclusively by European based scholars.
Sidney Tarrow
Nelson and I go way back; though I was not in his class at Yale I started teaching there when he was at Middletown and he was one of the people who was most welcoming to a west coast non Ivy Leaguer.
Emmett Buell
Like so many others, I owe a lot to Nelson, including a wonderful sabbatical at IGS in the summer and fall of 1997.
Joe Garrett
Just amazing.
I had an undergraduate class from Polsby in 1968 or 1969. Maybe 1970.
I was a bit scared or intimidated by him at first, but once I relaxed, I realized that he seemed as interesting in hearing my view as in hearing that of a colleague.
Now, I don't think he ever thought my views would change his mind. But it was just amazing to have this guy talk to me after class like an adult whose views were at least worth listening to.
Peter Schrag
I suppose that for many of us, a tribute to Nelson is as much a tribute to ourselves for having been his friend and a member of the great Nelson community as it could ever add to Nelson's luster. I've known him personally for ten years or more and of him for much longer. He was a great friend to and supporter of the work that my colleague John Jacobs, then the political columnist at the Sacramento Bee, was doing on a biography of the late Representative Phil Burton. It would become the first in a set of distinguished political biophraphies published by UC Press, the most recent the book on Pat Brown by Ethan Rarick that Nelson was also proud of. Both John and Ethan were visting scholars. more
Louise Comfort
I do want to share his firm maxim regarding disaster:
"Trailer houses cause tornadoes! Every time there is a tornado, trailer houses are torn from their foundations. Ergo, trailer houses, unsoundly built, trigger tornadoes."
Matt Kroenig
I have a memorable Nelson line.
When I remarked that it is difficult to be a serious social scientist and a public intellectual at the same time, Nelson responded, "That is not true. Who told you that? Probably someone who is neither."
Frédérick Douzet
I once discussed with Nelson the perception of French culture in the United States (you know, good food, luxury, artsy movies, romantic love....) and he had this line: "Well, the only thing the French have been successful at exporting is snobbery!""
A line that should be taught to our diplomats ...
Kathleen Thompson Hill
My little Nelson story:
Between stints as a visiting scholar I was hired by Jerry Lubenow to do marketing for IGS Press' books. Soon after I settled into my desk, Nelson summoned me into his "office." At the time I was a true dinosaur re: computers, was having trouble grasping the whole concept, and was concerned that I was going to be told I didn't make the cut. By now I have written several books on them with glee.
So I went to see Nelson with some trepidation and a tinge of downright fear. It turned out he had actually read my whole c.v. and wanted to chat about one of the last items, which I considered to be almost in a frivolous category compared to working for the Peace Corps, the United Nations, and briefly in the Kennedy White House: the six years of weekdays I had spent with M.F.K. Fisher.
We had the first of several totally enjoyable conversations that day, and I shall always remember the tenderness and kindness with which Nelson made me feel comfortable at IGS from that day on.
Garrison Nelson
I am in a state of semi-shock.
I had talked to Nelson just a few weeks ago about my on-going research on the days of the Congress of the 1950s and 1960s. I was just about to email him about my recent visit to the Dick Bolling Papers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and to tell him that the only academic writings I found in Bolling's papers were articles written by Nelson. I wanted to regale him with tales of John McCormack and learn yet again of Dick Bolling's disdain for McCormack and to swap stories of a US House that has long since passed into memory. But I have learned all too sadly that Nelson Polsby has passed into memory also. He will be sorely missed by the hundreds of us who may never have been in his classroom but will always remain devoted students of Nelson Polsby.
David Hopkins
Most people might be bothered or distracted by having an office with three doorways that served as a pass-through point for people coming and going all day. Nelson Polsby, a social scientist in the truest sense, loved it. His campus home, 115 Moses Hall in the Institute of Governmental Studies, always felt like the center of the action. Nelson ignored the traditional practice of "office hours"; anyone could, and often did, drop by at any time for any reason. An assortment of chairs and a soft, comfortable couch stood in wait for friends, colleagues, current and former students, or even those who wandered in by accident and were invited to sit and introduce themselves. New faces ran a gauntlet of soon-familiar questions: Where are you from? Where did you go to school? What do your folks do for a living? Particularly fortunate respondents might inspire an impromptu map of their native state drawn on a paper napkin with felt-tipped pen, home town marked with an X. Nelson loved people. Though his friends and acquaintances must have numbered in the thousands, he never tired of making new ones. more
Eric Schickler
"The most important thing you can do as a parent is to give your child a sense of efficacy — the belief that if he or she does something, the world will take notice and respond." Nelson Polsby offered this advice to my wife, Terri, and me seven years ago when we were expecting our first child. Even when straying far from his scholarly field of expertise (though some might say that studying Congress offers substantial insight into child psychology), Nelson always thought like a social scientist. No one derived more pleasure than Nelson from simply watching and learning about people — be they Washington elites, members of the House of Commons, or the children of faculty colleagues and graduate students. This capacity for keen observation lay at the root of Nelson's grand scholarly accomplishments and his equally great contributions to the lives of the many people he touched over his seventy-two years. more
Sandy Muir
I've always loved his law: "All my parents' best friends' children are nerds."
François de Chantal
I met Nelson Polsby in the summer of 2006 when I was visiting IGS. To me, Nelson Polsby was a famous academic and I was impressed when I met him for the first time in one of his "afternoon teas." When he said, "You know, François, I am such a Francophobe!" I felt I had made some mistake ... But there was something that ticked my curiosity: I wouldn't know what. I came to enjoy his warm and surprising personality. He proved to be helpful, sincere and, well, nice! Last time I saw him was in January of 2007: I can still see him wave at me with a great smile. We talked and joked ... I can't believe he is not here anymore: all Francophobes should be like him!
Joel Ostrow
I was dismayed to learn of Nelson's passing. He was a generous and great advisor to me, willing to step beyond his immediate field of interest to help foster and nurture mine in legislatures beyond the US. He will be deeply missed.
I know there are countless graduate student alumni who will be saddened by the news and wish to echo my sentiments.
Roger Masters
I had the pleasure of meeting Nelson during the short time I taught at Yale in the 1960s: it's a good measure of his personal warmth and honesty that the resulting life-long friendship enriched BOTH my understanding of American politics AND my joy in sharing his infectious good humor and openness. He did so much for the profession of political science not to mention the myriad lives he touched that words can't convey the loss we feel. With my heartfelt condolences to Linda and his family go my thanks for sharing this extraordinary human being with the world of higher education and scholarly research.
Ira Sharkansky
I met Nelson Polsby when I was a first year graduate student, and he was in what I think was his first job: a one-year appointment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I had graduated from Wesleyan, he was considering an offer from its Government Department, and we chatted on a number of occasions. more
Gerald Pomper
Nelson and I shared our professional lives, our interest in American politics, even our chronological age. Fortunately for me, we had many opportunities to discuss scholarship, elections, the discipline and the world. more
Edwin Truman
Tracy and I spent the summer of 1969 visiting Berkeley. I was an economist working with Frank Levy, but I made contact with Nelson, who had taken a seminar with my father at Yale. He was immediately welcoming, in part, because he was a social scientist first and a political scientist second. He and Linda had us over to their home several times that summer, and we were able to stay in touch from time to time in the ensuing years. We have lost a wonderful man, but we are blessed with having been touched by him.
Herb Kaufman
Nelson and I met more than fifty years ago, when he first came to Yale as a graduate student. Nominally, I was his instructor, but it soon became apparent that he had as much to teach me as I had to teach him. He accepted this adjustment of roles graciously, and over the years, as he rose to leadership in political science, he continued to be most considerate of me. But, while I am deeply grateful to him for his kindness, I treasure even more the warmth of the friendship he and Linda extended for half a century. He was not only a superb scholar; he was an admirable human being, and he lives on in the hearts as well as in the minds of all of us who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Fred Greenstein
How does one say goodbye to a friend of a half century? Nelson materialized in James Fesler's public administration seminar at Yale in the fall of 1956 and instantly established himself as a font of insight, erudition, and superlative wit. All of that has been honed over the years. We were colleagues at Wesleyan, collaborators on the 1975 Handbook of Political Science and the kind of friends with whom one picks up without skipping a beat. That will continue in the Hereafter, should there be one. In reading the outpouring of praise on the IGS website, I am reminded of a Nelson's comment when we appeared alphabetically on a panel: "I am the victim of anticipatory plagiarism." He may be gone but he won't be forgotten.
Ken Greene
Nelson's sense of humor is legendary and I'm sure others will have even better stories, but one has always brought a smile to my face. It seemed that Nelson never much liked being alone so he created an inviting atmosphere around his 20-seat conference table, with a small space reserved at the end as his desk. more
Wendy Schiller
I met Nelson Polsby once, in the 6th floor lounge of Brookings Institution's division of Governmental Studies, when I was finishing my PhD. It was a brief meeting, but memorable. A short time later, he was asked to review my first book, and he sent me a note to tell me it was good work. That was twelve years ago, and I still have the note. It was a small thing to him for sure, but it was one of those academic peaks that are few and far between, and it meant a lot.
Chris Demchak
As a grad student twenty odd years ago in Berkeley, I sat in a large class around the great (and by all accounts intimidating) intelligence of Nelson Polsby. Somehow when the spotlight moved to me, I stood my ground and barked back enough to get a "hmm, OK" from him. Then the potentially intellectually demolishing spotlight moved on, and I had passed the acceptable intellect gate. Nelson then agreed to be on my dissertation committee and became a beloved mentor and friend. He never minced words but always with kindness, pointed a way if you asked. Below is a poor rendition of the words of wisdom he passed along to me over the years. more
Bernard Grofman
Nelson was my "ostensible housemate" at the Center for Advanced Study in 1985-86. Center Fellows were expected to live in Palo Alto and immediate vicinity; even Berkeley was too far away. But Nelson didn't want to leave Linda, and so he didn't. He paid his full share of the rent on the apartment we officially shared, but he went home to Linda just about every night. I remember Nelson at the volleyball court at CASBS slamming balls back; I remember Nelson at conferences, slamming ideas back if they came too slow or with not enough depth. Nelson was one of the most remarkable people I've ever known. He knew everybody and remembered everything they'd ever said to him. I think of Nelson as to Congress scholars as Sam Rayburn is to House leaders — only once in a lifetime at most are folks this special going to come along. I was very happy to be a friend. He once said to me jokingly, after I showed woeful lack of knowledge of Congressional history, that he'd forgotten more about Congress than I would ever know. And, 20 years later, he's still quite right.
Donald Fowler
Nelson Polsby was a quintessential scholar, author and teacher. I met him thirty-five years ago and have enjoyed intermittent contacts with him since. For two decades I have used his and Aaron Wildavsky's Presidential Elections textbook in my class on American Political Parties at the University of South Carolina. Everyone who cares about the state of knowledge and scholarship in American politics will miss, but long value, Professor Polsby's life, vigor, humor, and intellect.
Mervin Field
In counting the many ways that Nelson Polsby has helped me in my career I am left with a deep sense of gratitude and much dismay that he is no longer with us. more
Albert and Susan Cantril
Nelson was a spontaneously generous human being who leaves an extraordinary mark especially when it comes to our understanding of governing institutions, parties, and practical politics.
He will be remembered for his imaginative use of qualitative and quantitative information to come up with inventive and unencumbered insights into what makes things tick in the corridors of power. He had a priceless way of cutting to the quick and seeing connections.
Nelson loved what he did and genuinely enjoyed free-wheeling discussion. To his credit in this time-pressed world, he wasn't ruled by the clock. He always had time for students and colleagues and their ideas. Nelson will be greatly missed.
David Hadwiger
I want to share how Nelson affected people more broadly than his immediate friends and co-workers.
I first learned about Nelson when I was a high school debater in Ames, Iowa. The national high school debate topic was reform of presidential elections. Across the country, high school debaters quoted Polsby and Wildavsky frequently that year (1975) to support arguments about reforming the electoral college and political parties. Their names and quotes were played like trump cards at critical points in debates.
When I was in the doctoral program at Cal, my father, a political scientist at Iowa State University, came to visit once and joined Nelson and other faculty and graduate students for the IGS tea. My dad had cut his political teeth working for then-U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy, but I had never seen him star-struck like he was at that tea. He had been teaching Nelson's books for decades and tremendously enjoyed the opportunity to talk to Nelson about the current political outlook and theories about domestic politics.
For me, Nelson's best advice was his encouragement that we "paddle around" in Congress or in Washington if we wanted to study American politics. This kind of inductive research is critical to forming assumptions and identifying key variables that underpin all the statistical stuff. This is advice that would still benefit young scholars of American politics today.
David Cohen
We came from different worlds and had a 44 year friendship of laughter, gossip, sharing likes and dislikes, having our differences and appreciating each other, greeting and parting with hugs. more
George W. Jones
I first came across Nelson as a graduate student in the early 1960s as I investigated who had governed in Wolverhampton, an English West Midlands town, between 1888 and 1960. Dahl's book on New Haven and Nelson's Community Power and Political Theory enabled me to see through what he called "quasi-Marxian" ideology, and focus on real people in real conflicts. When we eventually met at LSE and had a year as colleagues, he was equally impressive, full of insights and subtle connections not only about US politics but also about the UK. He helped sharpen my analysis of how the US and UK government differed. He showed that facts must support theory, that theory must encompass people, and that an apt amusing anecdote could enhance a social-science generalisation. When I went to Berkeley he and Linda were splendid hosts, generous with their time, and introducing me to his networks of scholars, journalists, pollsters and politicians. I shall miss most of all long conversations with Nelson about US and UK politics. He challenged, stimulated, and enlightened.
Ivy Cohen
I still have the presidential campaign button Polsby-Wildavsky 1984 from that presidential election.
Nelson Polsby brought political science to life. My first week as an undergrad at Cal, Nelson was the first professor to call on me in class. He had a wonderful personal connection with all students who were interested in learning from his experiences and study. Often glib, he used humor to express his frustrations — and even admiration — for democracy, politics and the inner workings of government. It was a great privilege and genuine thrill for me to meet with him periodically most years since graduation until I moved east a few years ago. He was interested in his students' professional paths and always ready to banter about observations of news of the day. He was a major part of my university experience and I will treasure his memory.