In Memoriam
Stephen H. Sosnick
Professor of Agricultural Economics, Emeritus
UC Davis
1930-2014
Stephen H. “Steve” Sosnick, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at UC Davis, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on August 17, 2014. He was 84 years old. Steve’s association with the University of California began when the 17-year-old high school graduate entered UC Berkeley, where he received a Phi Beta Kappa Key and an A.B. in Economics in 1950. He continued his studies at UC Berkeley and completed his Ph.D. in Economics in 1956.
Steve began his academic career in 1954 as an Instructor in Economics at Princeton University. He then joined the faculty of the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis as an Assistant Professor in 1957 and had a distinguished career for 34 years, retiring in 1991. When Steve came to the University of California, Davis (UCD), the campus and department were at the beginning of a growth spurt that continued for many years. His intellectual rigor and academic standards helped set the tone and character for the department as it achieved national prestige and international recognition.
Steve’s love for games and gaming – rules, theory, strategy and play – were evident in his personal and professional activities. He loved chess, playing during his undergraduate years and later as a Davis city chess champion. Steve was also involved in duplicate bridge and was a long-standing member of a Departmental group that conducted a probability seminar (AKA poker) the second Thursday of every month. His play was characterized by careful consideration of probabilities, betting and card replacement strategies and an occasional bluff. Steve loved wild cards and his version of “take it or leave it,” which he played at almost every opportunity, became known as “Steve’s Game.” Steve also loved to play volleyball, participating in noontime games at Hickey Gym with other staff and faculty and later in evening games with community members. His passion for volleyball continued through age 79 with teammates and competitors usually half his age.
Steve’s academic teaching and research covered a variety of topics. An early focus of his research was on commodity auctions where he applied game theory to bidding strategies and outcomes in real world cattle auctions. Steve obtained cooperation from a livestock auction and auctioneer and conducted weekend auction experiments using graduate student bidders with monetary incentives. He continued his study of auctions in 1971 during a year’s leave at the Vrije Universiteit in the Netherlands. This mix of theory with real world applications characterized much of Steve’s work as was evident in the topics covered by his publications. These included workable competition, antitrust economics, marketing cooperatives, comparative economic systems, farm labor and seasonal farm workers, non-stoppage strikes, methods of depreciation, municipal expenditures, government budgeting, and stock splits.
Both graduate and undergraduate students appreciated Professor Sosnick’s teaching style which was characterized by careful preparation, a rigorous treatment of topics, thorough explanations, and difficult examination questions. Steve’s teaching included courses in agricultural marketing, microeconomic theory, welfare economics, industrial organization, corporation finance and managerial accounting. He also initiated and taught new offerings in tax accounting and agricultural labor in the Department’s managerial economics program. Steve was proud to have never missed a class during his 34 years of teaching and that he never bought a parking sticker – he bicycled to work every day.
Steve became the CEO of Toy World, Inc. – a company with a dozen toy and game stores located in Oregon and California – in 1991 after his retirement from UCD. He remained in this position until 2003 when he switched from full-time work to various part-time activities more characteristic of retirement.
Galya “Gale” Sosnick, his wife of 63 years, who was with him when he died, survives Steve. Daughters Beryl Sosnick and Elika Rosenbaum; sons Randall and Tobin, and his five grandchildren, Erin, Greer and Kira Rosenbaum, Loren Sosnick and Dorian Williams, also survive him.
Hoy Carman
Warren Johnston
Samuel Logan
Alex McCalla
Steve began his academic career in 1954 as an Instructor in Economics at Princeton University. He then joined the faculty of the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of California, Davis as an Assistant Professor in 1957 and had a distinguished career for 34 years, retiring in 1991. When Steve came to the University of California, Davis (UCD), the campus and department were at the beginning of a growth spurt that continued for many years. His intellectual rigor and academic standards helped set the tone and character for the department as it achieved national prestige and international recognition.
Steve’s love for games and gaming – rules, theory, strategy and play – were evident in his personal and professional activities. He loved chess, playing during his undergraduate years and later as a Davis city chess champion. Steve was also involved in duplicate bridge and was a long-standing member of a Departmental group that conducted a probability seminar (AKA poker) the second Thursday of every month. His play was characterized by careful consideration of probabilities, betting and card replacement strategies and an occasional bluff. Steve loved wild cards and his version of “take it or leave it,” which he played at almost every opportunity, became known as “Steve’s Game.” Steve also loved to play volleyball, participating in noontime games at Hickey Gym with other staff and faculty and later in evening games with community members. His passion for volleyball continued through age 79 with teammates and competitors usually half his age.
Steve’s academic teaching and research covered a variety of topics. An early focus of his research was on commodity auctions where he applied game theory to bidding strategies and outcomes in real world cattle auctions. Steve obtained cooperation from a livestock auction and auctioneer and conducted weekend auction experiments using graduate student bidders with monetary incentives. He continued his study of auctions in 1971 during a year’s leave at the Vrije Universiteit in the Netherlands. This mix of theory with real world applications characterized much of Steve’s work as was evident in the topics covered by his publications. These included workable competition, antitrust economics, marketing cooperatives, comparative economic systems, farm labor and seasonal farm workers, non-stoppage strikes, methods of depreciation, municipal expenditures, government budgeting, and stock splits.
Both graduate and undergraduate students appreciated Professor Sosnick’s teaching style which was characterized by careful preparation, a rigorous treatment of topics, thorough explanations, and difficult examination questions. Steve’s teaching included courses in agricultural marketing, microeconomic theory, welfare economics, industrial organization, corporation finance and managerial accounting. He also initiated and taught new offerings in tax accounting and agricultural labor in the Department’s managerial economics program. Steve was proud to have never missed a class during his 34 years of teaching and that he never bought a parking sticker – he bicycled to work every day.
Steve became the CEO of Toy World, Inc. – a company with a dozen toy and game stores located in Oregon and California – in 1991 after his retirement from UCD. He remained in this position until 2003 when he switched from full-time work to various part-time activities more characteristic of retirement.
Galya “Gale” Sosnick, his wife of 63 years, who was with him when he died, survives Steve. Daughters Beryl Sosnick and Elika Rosenbaum; sons Randall and Tobin, and his five grandchildren, Erin, Greer and Kira Rosenbaum, Loren Sosnick and Dorian Williams, also survive him.
Hoy Carman
Warren Johnston
Samuel Logan
Alex McCalla
