UT Dallas is mourning the loss of longtime economics professor Dr. Irving Hoch, who taught at UT Dallas for 18 years. Hoch died May 25 at age 86.
Former colleagues have had nothing but praise for Hoch, said Dr. Denis Dean, dean of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS).
Dr. Irving Hoch began teaching at UT Dallas in 1985. He was honored with the title professor emeritus in 2003.
“People like that are rare, and we’ll certainly miss him,” Dean said.
Hoch began his career as a staff economist for the Chicago Area Transportation Study in 1956. He later became an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and a researcher at Resources for the Future, a nonprofit organization that conducts independent research in economics in Washington, D.C.
After coming to UT Dallas in 1985, Hoch became a favorite among students and received accolades for his teaching abilities.
Dr. Donald Hicks, professor of public policy and political economy, said Hoch’s attention and love for his students was remarkable. Hoch worked with them outside the classroom and guided several through the graduate program.
The Irving Hoch
Endowed Scholarship
The Irving Hoch Endowed Scholarship will continue the professor’s legacy at UT Dallas, along with the Irving Hoch Seminar Room in Green Hall. Donations in memory of Hoch can be made online here or mailed to Irving Hoch Endowed Scholarship c/o UT Dallas, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 800 W. Campbell Road, AD13, Richardson, TX 75080.
“Students basically returned that love. In a way, he wasn’t Professor Hoch, he was Uncle Irv,” said Hicks, who also serves as special assistant to University President David E. Daniel.
In 1995, Hoch earned the Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award. The UT System sponsors the annual award to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching at each of the UT System’s academic institutions.
“Irv treated everyone here (junior and senior faculty, students and staff) in the same courteous manner,” said Dr. Euel Elliott, professor of public policy and political economy. “He was always very generous with his time and – up until the time he retired – spent many, many hours working with students outside the classroom.”
Hoch enjoyed teaching and research and would come to campus on a regular basis after his retirement, added Elliott, who also serves as EPPS associate dean of undergraduate studies.
“He will certainly be missed by those of us who knew him, and the University has lost a superb teacher,” Elliott said.
Hoch’s areas of specialization included urban economics and real estate, natural resource and environmental economics and health economics. He had been a professor emeritus in EPPS since 2003.
“Irv was what I would call a gentle soul,” Hicks said. “He had absolutely no ego. He was a humble man – humble and brilliant.”
Hoch is survived by his wife of 20 years, Sharon Hoch, and his younger brother, Melvin Hoch of California. His first wife, Jean Hoch, preceded him in death after 24 years of marriage.