RIP Charles Andrain

I just learned that Charles Andrain has died at 81. He was Professor Emeritus of Political Science at San Diego State University. While I was doing my M.A. there (1992-1994) he was Graduate Coordinator/mentor and I spent a lot of time talking to him. Just a genuinely good guy. An email from SDSU hits the nail on the head:

Throughout his career at SDSU, and even after his retirement in 1998, Andrain dedicated himself to research and writing, seeking out living spaces close to libraries and spending his days happily surrounded by books. As a long-time faculty member at SDSU, he eagerly shared his encyclopedic memory on a broad range of issues with his students who remember him as a compassionate mentor who ultimately became their lifelong friend. Under his care and supervision, the MA program in Political Science thrived and he was instrumental in encouraging students to pursue graduate level research and degrees.

I talked to him about Ph.D. schools as I went through the nerve-wracking application process. He read a ton and published a ton. After I became a professor myself, he periodically sent me letters (always letters) with clippings, discussions of how he used my work, and examples of his own. He is the only person in many years to whom I sent a hand written letter.

I will raise my glass to him.