{"id":21027,"date":"2025-04-24T13:11:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T17:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&p=21027"},"modified":"2025-04-24T13:11:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T17:11:53","slug":"he-prepared-us-for-the-road-ahead","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/24\/he-prepared-us-for-the-road-ahead\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He prepared us for the road ahead\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Wayne Gray feted by colleagues, former students at day-long symposium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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They spoke about displaced workers during the Great Recession, the fraying social safety net, trade linkages, and global value chains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They examined the financial burden of a cancer diagnosis, the woes of data breaches, and the \u201cgeography of innovation\u201d in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They dove into e-commerce, the economies of cities, and local labor markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the participants who rose to the podium at the Wayne Gray Symposium were fluent in so many subjects that it might surprise an observer to know that they actually shared expertise on a singular topic: Wayne Gray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Clark economist, who is retiring from teaching after 41 years in the classroom, was feted by colleagues from across academia during the day-long program held in Room 202 of the Alumni and Student Engagement Center. The presentations were capped by a panel featuring four former students, who recalled the mentorship, collaboration, and friendship of their professor during their Clark days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n