Gregory L. Poe, loving husband and father, and Professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, March 11, 2017.
Greg was born in Memphis, Tennessee on October 31, 1960 to Norman and Gloria Poe. He grew up in Southern California, where he developed his love for surfing and the ocean. He earned his undergraduate degree from Pomona College and received a Master's and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
He was a faculty member at Cornell for 24 years and currently was a Professor in the Dyson School and Area Coordinator for the Applied Economics and Policy Area of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Greg taught environmental and resource economics at the undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. levels, and his corresponding research and outreach program focused on applied welfare economics, non-market valuation, experimental economics, and water pollution policy. He was editor of the academic journal Resource and Energy Economics. Greg loved human interaction and had a gift for asking the often uncomfortable but always pertinent question. His wry, frequently irreverent humor was one of the much anticipated and greatly appreciated feature of Dyson faculty meetings. Greg was a trusted colleague and cherished friend to all.
Greg took advantage of opportunities to see the world. He studied as an undergraduate in Nepal, served in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, and took sabbaticals in England and Australia. He was fond of saying that he lived on five different continents in his adult life. Most recently his work was taking him to Ecuador and Myanmar.
Greg found joy in his family's annual trips to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, where he taught his sons to surf and boogie-board. He was a loving and caring father, who took intense pride in the accomplishments of his sons. On family trips to National Parks and museums, he would insistently read all the informational signs even as the rest of them moved ahead - - much to their frustration and amusement.
He is survived by his wife, Ann; sons, Jeremy and Kyle; mother, Gloria Poe Short; sister, Lisa Poe Elliott (Gary, sons Cooper and Taylor); sister-in-law Karna Hanson; niece, Kestrel Hanson (Jacob); and niece Mally Mancilla (Oscar, sons Rylan and Kylar). He was preceded by his father, Norman; brother, Jeffrey; and stepfather, John Short.
Friends may call on Friday, March 17, 2017 from 4pm to 6pm at the Bangs Funeral Home, 209 West Green Street, Ithaca, NY.
Whether in the office, doing work around the house, or driving, Greg constantly listened to National Public Radio. For those wishing to make a memorial donation, please consider WSKG (online) or mailing a check to NPR (P.O. Box 791490, Baltimore, MD 21279-1490). Alternatively, consider giving to the Surfrider Foundation (online at surfrider.org), a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of the world's oceans, waves and beaches that Greg loved so much.
SERVICES Visitation
Friday, March 17, 2017 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Bangs Funeral Home, Inc. 209 W Green St. Ithaca, New York 14850
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