Professor Emeritus Barry Gordon

Barry Lewis John Gordon grew up in Sydney.  Born in February 1934 at Randwick, he lived his early years in the nearby suburbs of Coogee and Clovelly as an only child.  The family moved to the then rapidly-growing western suburb of Bankstown in the after-war years and Barry completed his schooling at St Patrick’s College Strathfield, with Barry winning a University of Sydney Bursary which would cover University undergraduate fees.

Tertiary studies were commenced in 1951 in the Faculty of Economics at The University of Sydney. Here he was introduced to Moira Gallagher, one of the very few women who at the time attended Economics I lectures. Thus commenced a relationship which developed and lasted until his death in March 1994.

While an undergraduate, Barry served his then-compulsory National Service Training in the University regiment and at the R.A.A.F. Richmond between 1952 and 1954 and completed his obligations in this regard before coming to Newcastle in 1956. In that year he joined the recently established Newcastle University College then housed at the Tighes Hill campus of NSW TAFE.

Barry graduated B.Ec. with Honours in Economics from the University of Sydney in 1956. Subsequently Barry was awarded the degree of Master of Economics from the University of Sydney in 1959 for a thesis entitled “The organisation and operation of sales finance companies in the hire purchase system in Australia”.  In 1990 the University of Sydney awarded Barry the degree of Doctor of Science in Economics.

Awards from the University of Newcastle included Ph.D (1968) for a thesis entitled “The Anti-Ricardian Tradition: some neglected Critics of Economic Orthodoxy, 1800-1850”, conferred in a ceremony at Newcastle City Hall (the second Ph.D awarded by this University), and the title of Professor Emeritus in 1994.

Barry’s career in Newcastle commenced with annual appointments as a Teaching Fellow (Economics) in the Department of Arts at the Newcastle University College of New South Wales University of Technology from 1956 to 1959. He then gained a tenured appointment as a Lecturer in Economics from the beginning of 1960 and finally Associate Professor in 1980 at the now independent University of Newcastle.

During his career at Newcastle Barry lectured extensively in areas of the history of economic thought, labour economics, industrial relations and regional economics until finally accepting an offer of voluntary early retirement from the University of Newcastle at the end of 1994. Barry published numerous books and articles on his research, particularly in the areas of the history of economic thought, industrial relations, regional economic development and the author JR Tolkien.

In the early 1960’s Barry contributed to the University of Sydney Adult Education Programme in Newcastle taking groups of students into the wilds of labour economics and industrial relation and also jazz music. A keen Jazz drummer, Barry played with a local group known as the University Jazz Group for many years and was a member of the Musician’s Union of Australia.  [1964 photo]

A member of Newcastle Rugby Club and associated with the playing, coaching and administration of Rugby in Newcastle from 1956, Barry was appointed a selector for the Newcastle District Team in 1963.  Barry also became a member of Dixon Park Surf Life Saving Club in 1980.

Overseas study, teaching and research took Barry away from Newcastle for a number of periods over his life time, commencing with 1965-66 Research Associate at Harvard University Boston, USA, teaching at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); 1973 Academic Visitor in the Department of Economics, London School of Economics; 1979 Academic Visitor, Queen Mary College, University of London; visiting member of Senior Staff Common Room, Magdalen College, Oxford; Visitor, Kings College, Cambridge; 1986 Visiting Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford; 1990 Visiting Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford.