For many people around the globe 2020 has been a decidedly challenging year. Covid 19 has brought much of the planet to a standstill. Many hundreds of thousands of people have found themselves, all too frequently in vain, grappling with a deadly disease. We hope it goes without saying that our sympathies go out to everyone who’s had to deal with this unwanted guest.
Alongside watching and hoping that Covid 19 keeps its distance from family, friends and colleagues, we at ‘German Politics’ have also had to come to terms with the passing of two long-time friends. Ruth Wittlinger, the Chair of the International Association for the Study of German Politics (IASGP), the organisation that owns the journal, and Wade Jacoby, a key member of our editorial team, both sadly passed away in February 2020. Neither departure was Covid 19 related, but the passing of Ruth and Wade nonetheless came very much out of the blue.
Ruth Wittlinger
Although Ruth Wittlinger had been ill for some time, her passing came as a shock to all who knew her. The Ruth that we knew was out-going and affable, energetic and entertaining. She really will be missed.
Ruth took over from Dan Hough as Chairperson of the IASGP in 2018. In truth, Dan had been badgering her to take on one of the officer roles for quite some time; she was well-organised, she was an excellent communicator and she had a passion for her subject that immediately shone through. She was a stand-out candidate for the job.
That Ruth took a little bit of persuading should be seen as nothing but positive. Ruth wrote two books (on German national identity and on Thatcherism and literature) that received wide acclaim. She wrote a significant number of journal articles and book chapters and, amongst other things, she also co-edited a 2018 special issue of ‘German Politics’ on the German-American relationship. Ruth produced work that people read.
Her strong academic credentials nonetheless never led Ruth to push herself forward; she was confident, but never over-bearing. More-than-able, but naturally restrained in showing it. She was thoughtful and wouldn’t jump into something unless she really did think it was the right thing to do. It’s for that reason that she took time to come round to the idea of heading up the IASGP.
In the short time that she was Chairperson of the IASGP she made a real impact. The team that she put in place brought a step change in IASGP activity. A new website appeared, new initiatives have been developed and the IASGP is moving in the right direction at the right speed. This is what happens when people like Ruth take on leadership roles; quietly, things begin to gain momentum.
The IASGP, and indeed the wider academic world of which she was a part, has subsequently lost one of its most able souls. Ruth, you’ll be very sadly missed.
Wade Jacoby
Much the same can be said of Wade Jacoby. Wade was an intellectual titan. His work was taken very seriously not just by fellow academics, but also by policy-makers. His contributions in the area of political economy were thoughtful, engaging and at times fascinatingly provocative.
Wade sadly passed away whist out mountain-biking with his friends. For many of us this makes no sense at all; as a former American Footballer of significant repute who lived a generally healthy lifestyle he's the last person you’d expect this to happen to. He was 55.
Much like Ruth, Wade was a kind, empathetic person. He had time for everyone. Indeed, he mastered the art of getting the tone and style of his explanations right. An undergraduate could be inspired by a Jacoby talk just as a policy-maker would find herself sitting up and listening. Furthermore, Wade could be every bit as engaging in the non-academic setting; anyone who has listened to him talk about the Seattle Seahawks or the engaged with him on one of the many projects that he undertook won’t need any convincing of that.
This edition of ‘German Politics’ is rather fittingly a special issue on questions that were close to Wade’s heart. Indeed, Wade has a contribution in this SI that he finished just before Christmas. The contribution is, as you'd expect, intellectually sharp and theoretically rigorous. It also poses characteristically awkward questions for both academics and policy-makers alike. It's Wade at his razor-sharp best.
Everyone connected to the journal will miss both Ruth and Wade. They both provided great service to the academic study of Germany. They also enriched the lives of many others around them. They will be sorely missed.