Paden, Donald W.

YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT:

1947-1981

RESEARCH INTEREST:

Statistics, Economic Education

BIOSKETCH:

Donald Witt Paden was born on October 25, 1913 in Iowa City, Iowa. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1935, a master’s degree in 1936 and a PhD in 1942, all from the University of Iowa, and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Paden then served as an economist with the U.S. Department of Commerce during World War II.

Paden joined the University of Illinois in 1947. During his time in Champaign-Urbana, Paden earned many leadership positions in the Department of Economics, including serving as the vice chairman of the Department. In addition, he also served as the director of the Center for Economic Education and the director of undergraduate studies for the Department.

Much of Dr. Paden’s work focused on the use of statistics in economics. He was the author of multiple textbooks, and published more than 40 chapters or articles in professional publications. In addition, he was known for his exemplary teaching skills. In 1980, he was named one of 25 outstanding college professors in the fields of economics, mathematics or philosophy by Change magazine.

Dr. Paden would retire in 1981, after more than three decades of service to the University, and became a Professor Emeritus. He focused his time during his retirement on his passion for gardening, cultivating and cloning rhododendron plants in his home in Urbana. Donald W. Paden was deceased on August 6, 2003, at the age of 89.

PHD:

University of Iowa, 1942

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Paden, Donald W, and E F. Lindquist. Statistics for Economics and Business. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1956. Print.
Paden, Donald W. An Introduction to Economic Analysis. St. Paul: West Pub. Co, 1975. Print.
Paden, Donald W. Delivery Pooling for Retail Stores. Washington: Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 1944. Print.
Paden, Donald W. “The Use of Television in Teaching Basic Economics at the College Level.” The Journal of Economic Education, vol. 9, no. 1, 1977, pp. 21–27.
Paden, Donald W. "Technology and the Formation of Human Capital." China's Modernization and Open Economic Policy / Editors: M. Dutta, Pei-Kang Chang, Shao-Kung Lin. (1990). Print.

VITA: