Prof. Hugh Folk

Hugh Wilds Folk was born in Georgia in 1930. As an undergraduate, he attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Industrial Management. He received his doctorate in Economics from Duke University in 1960.

Dr. Folk joined the University of Illinois in 1966 with a joint appointment in the Department of Economics and the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations. During his tenure at the University, he wrote on subjects such as engineering, technical job markets, youth unemployment, and human resources.

While at the University, Dr. Folk earned a stellar reputation as an econometrician, attracting praise from economists throughout the country. As a result, numerous other Universities, including the University of Hawaii at Manoa, courted his services. Folk accepted a position at Hawaii in 1977, after developing an interest in the economies of Asian countries.

“I leave the University of Illinois with regret, but with some satisfaction of having done some things well worth doing,” Folk wrote in his resignation letter. “It has been a challenging and stimulating eleven years. I am proud of having been associated with the work of this great university.”

After leaving Illinois, Dr. Folk proceeded to teach economics at Hawaii for nearly four decades before passing away in Manoa on December 2, 2016, aged 86.

PHD:

Duke University, 1960

Selected Publications:

Folk, Hugh. The Shortage of Scientists and Engineers. Lexington, Mass: Heath Lexington Books, 1970. Print.
Folk, Hugh. Private Pension Plans and Manpower Policy. , 1963. Internet resource.
Folk, Hugh, and Paul T. Hartman. Pensions and Severance Pay for Displaced Defense Workers. Washington, D.C: U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, 1969. Print.
Raab, Earl, and Hugh Folk. The Pattern of Dependent Poverty in California. Berkeley, 1963. Print.
Folk, Hugh. Employment Effects of the Mandatory Deposit Regulation. Springfield: Institute for Environmental Quality, 1972. Print.