Otto Eckstein
Title
Otto Eckstein
Creator
Jacob Schlitt
Description
"It was a slow morning at the Field Services Division of the US Commission on Civil Rights. "
Date
2007-05
Format
application/pdf
Type
text
Language
en
Coverage
1945/1984
Identifier
Otto_Eckstein
Text
Otto Eckstein
It was a slow morning at the Field Services Division of the US Commission on Civil Rights. Sam Simmons, the division director, was in a meeting with the Commission director Bill Taylor. Whenever Sam had a meeting with Bill, it was usually about money, and Sam would say he was putting on his knee pads, to beg for an increase in funding for the field operation. Sam’s secretary, Phoebe Nelson, was typing a report, and John Binkley was, as usual, on the phone with one of the field staff.
It was the summer of 1966 and I had been at the Commission for less than a year, hired by Sam and assigned to be the Commission's Northeast field representative. I was beginning to get the hang of the job, flying up to Boston, meeting with the Advisory Committee there and in the other New England States, and occasionally taking the train to New York City and Newark. There was a lot to do, and I was really enjoying it. It was a wonderful time to be involved in civil rights.
I had returned to the office from “the field” and had completed my reports, and was taking it easy, reading the Washington Post. The story that caught my eye was about the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. It mentioned one of the Council’s members, Otto Eckstein. The name had a familiar ring to it. The article described him as a professor of Economics at Harvard University. But that is not where I knew the name. I knew him from Stuyvesant High School.
It was 21 years before, the spring of 1945. I was a senior, and an officer in the high school History Club. One of the other members of the History Club was a junior who I remembered as being bright and eager and serious. He had come from Germany and spoke with a slight accent. He was of medium height and wore glasses. His name was Otto Eckstein. When the seniors received their Yearbooks and were making the rounds of the classrooms getting the autographs of their classmates, I met Otto in the hall and he asked me if he could sign my Yearbook. I was touched by his request. His picture was not in the Yearbook since he was not graduating. I offered him the back page where he wrote "Gobs of luck and the best of everything. From Otto Eckstein."
And now 21 years later, Otto is a member of the Council of Economic Advisors, appointed by President Johnson, and a Professor of Economics at Harvard University. As I said, it was a slow morning , so I picked up the phone and called Information for the number of the Council of Economic Advisors, and put in a call to the Council. When someone answered with "Council of Economic Advisors," I asked for Otto Eckstein. When I was asked "Who is calling?" I responded, "A friend." A moment later, I heard "Hello, who is this?" and I replied, "Hello Otto, this is your old friend from Stuyvesant, Jake Schlitt." There was a slight pause and a quizzical "Who?" and I repeated Jake Schlitt from Stuyvesant, and added in a hurt voice, "Don’t tell me you don't remember me." I quickly explained that I had seen the article in today's paper mentioning him and decided to call him on an impulse. I forgave him for not recognizing my voice, and hopefully cleared the air by describing what I was doing in Washington, and suggested that we bring each other up-to-date on what we have been up to lo these past 20 years.
It turns out that Otto entered the Army after graduating from Stuyvesant and then went on to Princeton, got his PhD. from Harvard in 1955, joined the faculty, and was named a full Professor of Economics in 1963. His specialty was economic forecasting based on econometric models. I filled him in on my career—after CCNY, organizing for the ILGWU, the Army, the Jewish Labor Committee, the Laundry Workers, AFSCME and now the US Civil Rights Commission. We both were pleased to hear how well each of us had done. I ended our conversation with the hope that we would "do" lunch some time when he was next in Washington. I was very pleased with myself.
Having reconnected with Otto, I began following his career. Soon after leaving the Council, he was involved in forming an economic forecasting company called Data Resources Inc (DRI). He became its President, but continued teaching at Harvard. (Reminds me of the line from a Sholem Aleichem story: If I was as rich as Rothschild, I’d be rich because I would do a little teaching on the side.) About the time I came to Boston to be the director of the New England Regional Office of the Commission, 1979, DRI was sold to McGraw-Hill for over $100 million Otto did quite well as a result of the sale.
And another wonderful coincidence: I bumped into Otto the following year at Logan Airport. I recognized him as I was either coming from or going to Washington. I stopped him, reintroduced myself, and asked him how he was doing. He was very pleasant, and we talked about our families. He assured me that I will enjoy living in the Boston area. He lived in Lexington. He didn't invite me to visit, and we didn't exchange phone numbers, but I am sure he was as pleased as I was to have reconnected, and to put a face with the voice from 14 years before. In March 1984, Otto died of cancer at the age of 56.
May 2007
It was a slow morning at the Field Services Division of the US Commission on Civil Rights. Sam Simmons, the division director, was in a meeting with the Commission director Bill Taylor. Whenever Sam had a meeting with Bill, it was usually about money, and Sam would say he was putting on his knee pads, to beg for an increase in funding for the field operation. Sam’s secretary, Phoebe Nelson, was typing a report, and John Binkley was, as usual, on the phone with one of the field staff.
It was the summer of 1966 and I had been at the Commission for less than a year, hired by Sam and assigned to be the Commission's Northeast field representative. I was beginning to get the hang of the job, flying up to Boston, meeting with the Advisory Committee there and in the other New England States, and occasionally taking the train to New York City and Newark. There was a lot to do, and I was really enjoying it. It was a wonderful time to be involved in civil rights.
I had returned to the office from “the field” and had completed my reports, and was taking it easy, reading the Washington Post. The story that caught my eye was about the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. It mentioned one of the Council’s members, Otto Eckstein. The name had a familiar ring to it. The article described him as a professor of Economics at Harvard University. But that is not where I knew the name. I knew him from Stuyvesant High School.
It was 21 years before, the spring of 1945. I was a senior, and an officer in the high school History Club. One of the other members of the History Club was a junior who I remembered as being bright and eager and serious. He had come from Germany and spoke with a slight accent. He was of medium height and wore glasses. His name was Otto Eckstein. When the seniors received their Yearbooks and were making the rounds of the classrooms getting the autographs of their classmates, I met Otto in the hall and he asked me if he could sign my Yearbook. I was touched by his request. His picture was not in the Yearbook since he was not graduating. I offered him the back page where he wrote "Gobs of luck and the best of everything. From Otto Eckstein."
And now 21 years later, Otto is a member of the Council of Economic Advisors, appointed by President Johnson, and a Professor of Economics at Harvard University. As I said, it was a slow morning , so I picked up the phone and called Information for the number of the Council of Economic Advisors, and put in a call to the Council. When someone answered with "Council of Economic Advisors," I asked for Otto Eckstein. When I was asked "Who is calling?" I responded, "A friend." A moment later, I heard "Hello, who is this?" and I replied, "Hello Otto, this is your old friend from Stuyvesant, Jake Schlitt." There was a slight pause and a quizzical "Who?" and I repeated Jake Schlitt from Stuyvesant, and added in a hurt voice, "Don’t tell me you don't remember me." I quickly explained that I had seen the article in today's paper mentioning him and decided to call him on an impulse. I forgave him for not recognizing my voice, and hopefully cleared the air by describing what I was doing in Washington, and suggested that we bring each other up-to-date on what we have been up to lo these past 20 years.
It turns out that Otto entered the Army after graduating from Stuyvesant and then went on to Princeton, got his PhD. from Harvard in 1955, joined the faculty, and was named a full Professor of Economics in 1963. His specialty was economic forecasting based on econometric models. I filled him in on my career—after CCNY, organizing for the ILGWU, the Army, the Jewish Labor Committee, the Laundry Workers, AFSCME and now the US Civil Rights Commission. We both were pleased to hear how well each of us had done. I ended our conversation with the hope that we would "do" lunch some time when he was next in Washington. I was very pleased with myself.
Having reconnected with Otto, I began following his career. Soon after leaving the Council, he was involved in forming an economic forecasting company called Data Resources Inc (DRI). He became its President, but continued teaching at Harvard. (Reminds me of the line from a Sholem Aleichem story: If I was as rich as Rothschild, I’d be rich because I would do a little teaching on the side.) About the time I came to Boston to be the director of the New England Regional Office of the Commission, 1979, DRI was sold to McGraw-Hill for over $100 million Otto did quite well as a result of the sale.
And another wonderful coincidence: I bumped into Otto the following year at Logan Airport. I recognized him as I was either coming from or going to Washington. I stopped him, reintroduced myself, and asked him how he was doing. He was very pleasant, and we talked about our families. He assured me that I will enjoy living in the Boston area. He lived in Lexington. He didn't invite me to visit, and we didn't exchange phone numbers, but I am sure he was as pleased as I was to have reconnected, and to put a face with the voice from 14 years before. In March 1984, Otto died of cancer at the age of 56.
May 2007
Original Format
application/msword
Collection
Citation
Jacob Schlitt, “Otto Eckstein,” Autobiographical stories & other writing by Jacob Schlitt, accessed April 27, 2024, https://tsirlson.omeka.net/items/show/56.