In Memoriam Wolfgang Franz 1934-2021
Wolfgang Franz took his first economics course as a freshman at Central Washington Univer- sity (then Central Washington State College) in 1961. After the final, his professor, Harold Williams, put a hand on his shoulder and asked if Franz had ever considered getting a PhD. Franz was shocked. He had grown up in postwar East Germany and never attended high school, instead apprenticing as a carpen - ter and cabinetmaker after his family escaped to West Germany. He immigrated to Auburn, Washington, at age 21, and served in the Air Force, became a U.S. citizen, and earned his GED. Because he’d never taken an English class, he entered college on academic proba - tion—which he told Williams. “He said, ‘You have what it takes,’” Franz re - called in a 2002 CWU Retirement Association video interview. Franz continued his economics studies and married his college sweetheart, Joyce West, in 1964. As a senior at Central, he attended a conference that encouraged students to
become college professors — and he was inspired to follow the path Williams predict- ed. In 1969, he earned his doctorate in economics from Washington State University. He had job offers around the state after completing his graduate studies. He chose Central for its focus on undergraduate education and the opportunity to men- tor students, as he’d been mentored. Franz spent his entire 29-
“I consider that I have been very fortunate, first of all having been Above: Wolfgang Franz at home in 2019. Left: 2008 CWU Foundation campaign flyer for the Wolfgang W. Franz Scholarship. mentors by the handful—quite the influence. I couldn’t think of a more satisfying life to have.” WOLFGANG FRANZ a student here and having had
year career at Central. His longtime colleague Robert Carbaugh recalled one of Franz’s most notable classes: a course on public finance in which students applied what they were learn- ing to understanding Washington state taxes and government funding. “He was a tremendous teacher,” Carbaugh said. “He taught his classes and made them really applied to what was going on.” Along the way, he served on faculty senate, represented the faculty in Olympia, and was in - strumental in forming the first faculty union. He was named Distinguished University Professor for Public Service in 1987. He stayed in touch with many students over the years, visiting them when he traveled and keeping a stack of their letters. He put his knowledge to work outside aca - demia as an economic expert in more than 500 court cases involving wrongful damages, continuing after he retired from Central in 1998. In Ellensburg, he raised two sons and was ac - tive in church and community service. Accord- ing to his obituary , he died peacefully in his sleep on Aug. 16, 2021, at age 86. In the 2002 interview, Franz said he truly en - joyed his time at Central. “I consider that I have been very fortunate, first of all having been a student here and hav- ing had mentors by the handful—quite the influence,” he said. “I couldn’t think of a more satisfying life to have.”
Central Washington University transforming lives Wolfgang franz
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