Professor Emeritus Gary Chaison Passes
The School of Business is incredibly sad to share that our beloved colleague, faculty emeritus, and friend Gary Chaison passed away on Thursday, February 17. Gary taught at Clark for 36 years, making numerous personal connections across campus with staff and students. He was a noted expert on labor relations, contacted frequently by national and international business journalists. Gary passed away at age 78 after an illness.
Read more about Gary’s career in the University’s story on his passing, and see below for some beautiful anecdotes about our colleague from the faculty and staff of the School of Business.
Gary Chaison was a delightful colleague. He had a wry sense of humor and was always ready to tease others or deliver a joke. His informal manner belied his status in the field and created a friendly and welcoming manner at School of Business. Gary was a caring mentor to faculty colleagues. He provided valuable advice to new faculty, helping them settle in and succeed at Clark. He shepherded numerous faculty colleagues through the process of earning tenure and promotion, providing sage counsel and calming concerns. He spent countless hours preparing documents in support of colleagues’ applications for tenure and promotion. He never mentioned the work involved; he just did what was needed to support others. This was characteristic of Gary.
– Dr. Laura Graves, professor of management
I considered Gary a good friend and colleague, in that order. He would always say hello and ask how I was doing and how my family was; he genuinely cared. When it came to students it was the same. He would take his advising appointments very seriously, never rushing students. I would often hear them laughing next door… He reached out regularly to many of us in School of Business since his retirement and we were always so happy to have lunch with him at Peppercorn’s, or later to hear about his move to Florida and his life there. He was always happy to hear about our lives at Clark and updates on our families. We will really miss our friend.
– Andrea Aiello, School of Business associate dean
If not for his generous spirit and kindness, I would not be at Clark for the past 20+ years. I was in the midst of my dissertation when I arrived and personal situations pulled me away from that work. While teaching here he offered, or insisted, that I send him the first chapter of my dissertation. He read it, commented it, and then asked for the next chapter. He spent countless hours reading and commenting on it until I finished. It would not have happened had he not taken his own time and given me the encouragement and push I needed to finish and get my PhD. It wasn’t just a pat on the back kind of encouragement. It was specific, thoughtful, and personalized encouragement that truly made a difference in my life. I know he did this for others as well.
– Dr. Donna Gallo, senior lecturer
My first office in School of Business was directly across from Gary’s. He chatted with me every single day those first couple of years, teaching me something, cracking a joke, or asking if I had any chocolate to share. He helped make my transition to Clark an easy one. Lucky me.
– Meredith Galena, communications specialist
Gary’s published obituary can be found here.
