Special Tribute:
Thank you Ed
 

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ThePSCReport^online!
A Semi-Quarterly Journal for the Alumni of the University of Rhode Island Political Science Department. 

Faculty Editors:
Professor Alfred Killilea
Professor Nicolai Petro

Editor:
Michael D. Fox

Associate Editor:
Sherry Keneson-Hall

Supported by the generous
donations of the University of Rhode Island Political Science Alumni.

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Thank You Ed   Top: Ed reaping the rewards of teaching Bottom:  Ed and his  wonderful family who gracously shared him with all of us.

    I remember my first meeting with Ed. I had just recently transferred to the univsersity from C.C.R.I. and was lost in the maze of majors. Though I had settled on philosophy, there was something lacking - the application of what I was learning. It was in a class team-taught by Ed and Gerry Tyler (American Public Opinion) that I found what I had been looking for: the hard science behind all of the theory. And it was Ed who introduced me to the math.

    I know what you're probably thinking. For those of us that can remember bi-modal distributions, Tau-b and Kramer's V, this mathematical part of political science was the absolute last thing any of us wanted to deal with. And for those graduate students who suffered through Scope and Methods with its more intense math working our way through the "veil of ignorance" to a more full understanding of opinion measurement, these memories are probably a bit more painful...

    But it was through Ed's more focused and precise view of the workings of politics, and of people for that matter, that I learned my most important lesson: that a theory, if it cannot somehow be measured, tested or proved, will never be anything more than a theory. And that a theory without any practical means of application just isn't worth a hill of beans.

    Granted, I did not always agree with Ed's views. But, in every disagreement (some might say argument), I always knew that I had to be on my toes, that I had to be prepared with factual evidence, and that I had better have all of my ducks in a row, because one of Ed's most wonderful qualities, is his ability to point out the factual errors in your argument and any evidentury lackings no matter how hard you try to hide them. In other words, Ed always knows when you are attempting to BS him. (But I still think our conclusions were valid on that report...)

    This being the case, I would just like to say Thank You Ed. You have taught me much and I will miss you. Peace.

I will of course, doublecheck my data, but I think the Cramer's V on our Alumni response here will indicate a strong positive correlation between the students who have met you and those who will also miss you. (accurate, of course, to the 95% confidence level, plus or minus three percentage points.)

 While my thoughts are all well and good, we here at the PSC Report thought there could be no more fitting tribute to Ed than to allow several of his fellow faculty members to offer their own special thank-yous. 

     How does one begin to describe all that Ed Leduc has contributed to U.R.I. over a span of 31 years?  As someone who arrived as a faculty member in political science the same day as Ed, I know he has taught me important lessons about loyalty, modesty and tenacity.  Ed had been an undergraduate at U.R.I and a T.A. in the master's program under the legendary Dave Warren before going to the University of Indiana for his Ph.D. and a faculty position at Penn State in Political Science and the Center for Air Pollution Control.  I remember in the fall of 1969 how proud Dave Warren was to have his former student return to U.R.I. as a colleague.  I soon found out why.  Within a year Ed was commuting to UConn on an N.I.M.H. grant to study statistics. 

     This is where the lesson in modesty comes in.  From the very beginning of his 31 years as a U.R.I. faculty member, Ed was a lonely voice calling out to faculty, students and administrators that they had to prepare for the computer age.  His challenge was a difficult one so he was mostly ignored, but he was absolutely right.  He was right for thirty years and extended himself to anyone who would take statistics and computers seriously.  As it gradually became clear how essential knowledge of computing was, Ed never gloated but quietly went about tutoring his recalcitrant colleagues.

     Ed's loyalty to the department was evidenced not only in the good cheer with which he undertook difficult teaching assignments but especially in his service for two terms as Chair of the Department.  No less taxing was his work as Director of the U.R.I. Bureau of Government Research.  Ed also did more than his share of advising at University College where he challenged each student to work to make herself or himself distinctive.

     Ed's tenacity was evident when he taught himself not only increasingly more complex computer programs but also when he taught himself in mid-career how to put nasty spins on a tennis ball en route to becoming a very strong tennis player.  That same tenacity led Ed to become an indefatigable critic of what he considered simplistic ideas about reforming government.  Ed provided some of the strongest arguments in print against changes in the judicial nominating process in Rhode Island.

     He has well earned the chance now to follow a different beat of the drum, one by which he will be no less loyal, modest or tenacious but which will allow him more choice and more time with his family.  His wonderful wife Dottie and his three sons, Rob, Charles and Joe and grandson Evan surely deserve more of the time of this extraordinary man.  U.R.I. will feel deeply his absence but he has left a mark on the spirit of this community of learners that will endure as a marvelous legacy.

    But Ed is more than just a computer guru who freely gives of his time and expertise to help his technologically challenged fellow department members.  He has been a good and gracious colleague who has carried more than his fair share of departmental discussions.  Students may jestingly complain about having to take his "grope and method" course; but they, like his friends in the department, admire and respect his teaching and his willingness to go that extra mile for both students and colleagues.

    We shall miss his full-time presence, but take comfort knowing that he will continue, on his own schedule, to remain available to the department.  For all his years of department contributions we say:  "Well done and thank you."  Hey Ed, can you tell me why I can't get my printer to print?

    Ed Leduc has been a superb colleague and good friend during my quarter century here at URI. Three things in particular come to my mind when I think of Ed and his work. First, he has always been more than willing to do his share and then some to fill departmental needs, both expected and unexpected. From setting up computers to supervising internship programs to teaching needed MPA and methods courses to advising students, Ed has always opted to do what would help the department and to give a great deal of extra time to those services even when this hindered the pursuit of projects that were of greater personal interest. I have always been impressed by and thankful for Ed's selflessness in these matters, but never more so than the times I was Director of the MPA program and Chair of the department.

    Second, all of Ed's work is characterized by thoroughness and attention to detail. When Ed has a job to do, you can be sure it will be well done and done with great insight into the small components that create a quality product. A good example of this is how our secretary, Sharon Woodmansee, a paragon of efficiency, was hired. At the time, Ed was Chair of the department. As is the state's procedure, Ed was presented with three candidates for the secretarial position. Two of the candidates were extremely speedy typists. Sharon was less speedy. But Ed knew that the timely completion of typed work was more a product of efficiency and the ability to perform many tasks well than simple typing speed and accuracy. He devised a test whereby the candidates would have to type a manuscript. Every few minutes, however, they would be required to turnover an index card describing another task they had to do before returning to the typing. In this test, Sharon far outperformed the competition, completing the typing and the other tasks quickly and accurately despite the interruptions. The selection of Sharon alone would put Ed in the PSC Hall of Fame as far as I am concerned, but this story also serves as an example of the way Ed brings his intelligence and thoroughness to bear on his work.

    Third, Ed has so often been the sober voice for the needed collection and analysis of data in a department filled with theorists ready to reason deductively from timeless premises or to generalize from anecdotal evidence. This is true on both scholarly, administrative and curricular issues. I have never asked Ed if this has been difficult for him because he has always done it with good humor, but I suspect that it can be tiring to be consistently the lone voice for the need for more empirical evidence and then very often being the one responsible for obtaining it. 

    For all of these reasons, Ed's well deserved retirement will be a loss to the department. I know Ed has many interests he will be pursuing, but I hope, as an Emeritus Professor, one will remain helping out the department, on occasion, with his sage advice.

    Ed was promoting computer literacy and quantitative thinking skills in the department and on University committees well before it became fashionable to do so. Ed was a pioneer in having students communicate with him and with each other through electronic conference networks, e-mail and the web. To facilitate this communication, Ed secured competitive grants from the URI Foundation for a computer work station in the modest political science "mini-laboratory" near the Political Science office. With Larry Rothstein, he also secured a grant for a large, high quality television to connect with the internet in our classrooms. By using a multitude of graded exercises and providing countless hours of "hands on" instruction, Ed worked with students individually and in groups to make sure they mastered the techniques and logic of data analysis. He did all this with incredible patience and good humor.

    Ed is a wonderful colleague and friend. One way we can honor Ed's years of exceptional service to the Political Science Department is to try our best to emphasize the importance of quantitative thinking in our curriculum and classrooms.

    Our thanks to you, Ed.

Edgar C. Leduc (Ph.D., Indiana University, 1963) Professor. Professor Leduc taught at Pennsylvania State University with a joint appointment in the Institute of Public Administration and the Department of Political Science. There he served as Associate Director and in 1968 as Acting Director of the Center for Air Environment Studies at Penn State. Research in the CAES concerned arrangements for controlling air pollution in Pennsylvania and construction of air basins under the Clean Air Act. Professor Leduc joined the faculty of URI in 1969 and taught courses in American state politics, scope and methods, research methodology, statistics, public administration and public policy. He has also served as Acting Director of the Bureau of Government Research.

The PSC Report
Al Killilea, Faculty Editor
Political Science Department
University of Rhode Island
Washburn Hall
Kingston, RI 02881