The Strauss Center was deeply saddened to lose one of our most treasured family members, Elspeth Davies Rostow, on Sunday, December 9th, 2007.

It should come as no surprise to those who knew her that Professor Rostow was active until the end ““ in the 72 hours before her passing she, among many other activities, completed grading for the popular class she co-taught with Jim Steinberg, tweaked the syllabus of her spring semester course on the American Presidency, held court at the LBJ Library Christmas party and quizzed my six-year-old daughter, Catherine, for her first spelling test. She was a remarkable woman, a trailblazer and an innovator, whose tremendous accomplishments were marked by her legendary grace, poise, insight, wit and kindness.

And without her, there never would have been a Strauss Center.

I say this not only because of the mutual affection and high regard between Elspeth and her husband Walt and Helen and Robert Strauss, admiration that spanned decades. For some reason, I often found myself in the position of carrying marriage proposals to Elspeth, and there is only one ““ from Bob Strauss ““ that brought a smile and not a dismissive wave of her hand. There are few people I heard Elspeth speak of with as much respect and esteem as the Ambassador. While one could not imagine different beginnings ““ Elspeth on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Bob Strauss in a small town of West Texas ““ both represent the best sides of public service, of giving to your community and nation, of teaching, both in the classroom and through the model of their exemplary lives. No two people better reflect the Strauss Center’s creed ““ civility, innovation and leadership.

Elspeth Rostow was legendary for her ability to bring people together, and the effort to create the Strauss Center was no exception. Several years ago, I approached her with an idea to expand and broaden UT’s activities in international affairs, including building a new kind of research center. She enthusiastically embraced the proposal, enlisted Admiral Bob Inman in the effort, and began using her enormous influence around campus to pave the way for an unknown, lowly assistant professor to make his case with the powers that ran the University of Texas. Elspeth advocated for the now famous “Tarry House” lunches, hosted by Bob Inman and Law School Dean (and now President) Bill Powers, convening the major campus stakeholders to make our plans a reality. I think it is fair to say that Elspeth’s involvement and support helped convince Ambassador Strauss that this was an activity worthy of his name. And when discussions to create a professorship in hers and Walt’s name surfaced, she insisted it be housed in the center named for Bob Strauss.

Of course, the Strauss Center is only one of many successes in a legendary life. In the past few weeks, scores of students, professors, friends and admirers from around the world have shared their stories and conveyed the influence she had on their lives. In reflecting upon her rich legacy, one is overwhelmed by her possession of qualities too numerous to list. But three themes do emerge, concepts which animated her life, and which I believe explain her passion she had for the Strauss Center, the LBJ School and the University of Texas: the importance of ideas, institutions and individuals.

Ideas: Elspeth Rostow grew up in the Columbia University of Dewey and Beard, witnessed history in the Europe of Monnet and Myrdal, taught economics at the MIT of Samuelson and Solow, parried with Schlesinger and Galbraith in the salons of Cambridge and debated America’s global policy in the Georgetown of Bundy and Lippmann. In a world where process and power can dominate, Elspeth always recognized the fundamental importance of ideas, the transformative power of thought and the need to create an environment for innovation and creativity to flourish.

Institutions: In her twenties, Elspeth joined others to create an entirely new academic discipline, American Studies, and in her forties, helped her husband Walt establish the world-renowned Center for International Studies at M.I.T. In her sixties ““ an age when most people consider retirement ““ Elspeth took over a fledgling LBJ program and transformed it into one of the top public policy schools in the nation. In the 1980s, she was asked by President Reagan to serve on the Board of the newly created (and not uncontroversial) U.S. Institute of Peace. Her remarkable skill at bringing together opposing ideas and big egos are credited by many for the success of USIP, and within a few years, she was named the board’s chair. She recognized that ideas alone, while critical, were not enough. Professor Rostow always understood that institutions ““ their values, structure and influence ““ mattered greatly.

Individuals: Elspeth treasured the wondrous diversity and potential of individuals. This should come as no surprise ““ Elspeth bar-hopped with Leadbelly, was immortalized in the poetry of John Berryman, translated the famed May 1962 White House dinner conversation between Andre Malraux and Arthur Miller and was played by Eva Marie Saint in The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming. But it was the extraordinary amount of time and energy she spent with the less famous individuals ““ the students in her classes, the professors who came to her office regularly seeking advice and counsel, and the less privileged children served by her Austin Project ““ that may be her greatest legacy. I remember leaving my office late one evening, only two days before Christmas, seeing Elspeth in her office with a stack of papers in front of her. She was writing seventeen different recommendation letters for one student, taking great care to tailor each letter to highlight his chances of admission. It was clear to me that she would be at this task for many more hours, yet it went without question that she would do whatever she could to help this young student reach his full potential and to make a difference in the world. Her dedication to individuals was unparalleled. Elspeth was not, as those who knew her can attest, prone to flattery or hyperbole. This meant that when she offered her highest assessment of a person ““ “She/he is talent” ““ it carried weight. She reminded us how much individuals mattered.

It is almost impossible for me to imagine the Strauss Center, the LBJ School, the University of Texas, or frankly, my own and my family’s life without Elspeth. That she will be greatly missed goes without saying. But Elspeth does live on, in the lives of thousands of students, professors, policymakers and friends whose ability to do more than they hoped, to be more than they dreamed, was made possible in no small measure by her influence on their lives. And she lives on in the Strauss Center, as we try to live up to her ideals and her hopes and ambitions for us in the years ahead.

Elspeth Rostow’s bio