Bruce T. Allen earned a BA in Economics from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a PhD in Economics from Cornell University, Bruce was a professor of Economics at Michigan State University. He taught Applied Microeconomics to both undergraduates and MBA students. He was especially proud to have taught in the Executive MBA program in Troy, Michigan for 38 years. Bruce’s field of interest was Industrial Organization, and he published articles on the Portland Cement Industry and various aspects of the transportation sector. His interest in economics was much broader, however, and Bruce was a regular attendee at Department seminars, no matter what the topic of the paper being presented.
One cannot write about Bruce without mentioning his love or trains – model trains, actual trains, the economics of railway transportation, . . . His family remembers that “To say Bruce was an enthusiastic railfan would be a massive understatement. At a young age, his daughter Elizabeth thought “vacation” meant “train trip,” and his daughter Catherine included train museums on her own family vacations just so she could send pictures to Dad. If attending a restaurant next to train tracks, well… wait staff beware! Bruce would jump up and run out the door to watch any passing train go by. Trains were chased... Railfan trips were taken… And then there was his impressive model train layout depicting the Burlington Northern Railway in the 1945-1955 era.”
Colleagues will also remember that Bruce was a member of the MSU Choral Union, as he regularly circulated by email announcements of the group’s upcoming performances with the subject line “Shameless Plug”.
Bruce was a wonderful colleague. As one fellow faculty member put it, “he was a true gentleman and a gentle man.”