Hirschel Kasper

Hirschel Kasper, age 89 years, passed away peacefully April 4, 2024, at Kendal at Oberlin.

Hirschel grew up in Providence, R.I., and was the first born child of parents who had emigrated as children from Russia to the United States before the first World War.

He graduated from Boston University in 1956, and then his interests took him to the University of Minnesota where he obtained a M.A., 1959, and Ph.D., 1963.

While completing his Ph.D., he taught briefly at Iowa State University and then brought his young family to Oberlin Ohio. Hirschel taught Economics at Oberlin College for over fifty years, from 1963 until retirement in 2017. It was estimated that he taught over 4000 students in his Econ 101 course alone.

Hirschel was relentlessly interested in learning and enjoyed teaching and engaging in research at the University of Wisconsin, Cornell University, and Princeton University. He, with his wife and four children, spent a year living in Glasgow Scotland, where he was Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Professor at the University of Glasgow.

His area of interests included labor economics, economic theory, and public policy. Hirschel was a prolific writer, authoring many articles and books on economic issues, poverty, and labor.

He served as a labor arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and was on the permanent panels to hear disputes in the mining industry, local government, and law enforcement. He received the Golden Gavel Award from the AAA in 2003 for his decades of service and wise counsel. He was a consulting member on the Special Committee on Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, with the American Association of University Professors.

Hirschel is survived by his beloved, close family, a generous camaraderie of friends and colleagues, and generations of students who carry on his love of learning and commitment to understanding and justice.

Graveside gathering at Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, on Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 10 am, followed by a Celebration and Remembrance of Life, at Kendal at Oberlin, Heiser Room, at 11 am, and luncheon.

Arrangements by Cowling Funeral Home, Oberlin. On-line condolences may be left at www.cowlingfuneralhomeoh.com

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