Robert F. Dernberger was a scholar, one of the world’s foremost experts on the Chinese economy. He relished the simple pleasures of life and loved his family fiercely. He lived a rich, colorful life and was an exceptional raconteur.

He died March 5 at the age of 85.

Born and raised in Pontiac, Michigan, he joined the Army at age 18. He learned Chinese at the Army Language School in Monterey, California, and served as an interpreter in the Korean War. He attended the University of Michigan on the G.I. Bill, and earned a bachelor’s and master’s in Far Eastern studies and a master’s in economics. He was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Honor Society. 

While in Ann Arbor, he met and married the love of his life, his wife of 60 years, Irene. He was awarded a Ford Foundation Foreign Area Fellowship to attend Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in economics. It was during his time in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that his daughters Heidi and Julie were born. As part of his Ph.D. studies, the family spent a year in Hong Kong. 

His first teaching position was at the University of Chicago. In 1966, he joined the faculty of U-M and was awarded full professorship and tenure in 1974. He served jointly in the Department of Economics and the Center for Chinese Studies. In 1975, as China was re-establishing relations with the West, he was a member of the first academic delegation sent to China under the provisions of the Shanghai Communique. Dernberger made 10 research trips to China throughout his career, and served on several academic panels focused on China. 

A founding member of the Association of Comparative Economics Studies, Dernberger served on the board and also as president of that organization. He served on the University Senates of The University of Chicago and U-M, as well as several other university, national and international councils and committees.  He chaired the U.S. Congress Advisory Panel for the Study of Technology Transfer to China, and made several presentations to various Congressional panels and seminars at the U.S. State Department. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency consulted with Dernberger on China’s defense expenditures. 

In the 1980s, he served as a research associate at the East West Center in Oahu, Hawaii. At the time of his retirement from U-M in 1989, he was chairman of the Center for Chinese Studies. After his retirement, the Board of Regents honored his distinguished services to the university by naming him professor emeritus of economics.  

After retiring from U-M, Dernberger spent several years working to establish a Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Aviero in Portugal. 

Dernberger published numerous scholarly writings, including contributions to journals and volumes on China’s development and the Chinese economy. He also served on editorial boards and as editor for several publications. 

He delighted in traveling with Irene; spending time with his children and grandchildren; attending to his vast stamp collection; and working on his model train set. At the time of his death, he was in the process of editing his comprehensive autobiography. 

He was brilliant, beloved and endlessly entertaining. He was always cheerful and was a master toaster. As one of his grandchildren noted, “He was who Forrest Gump would have been if Forrest Gump had the highest, rather than the lowest I.Q.” His stories never ceased to amaze and surprise.

Dernberger’s passion for reading and learning never abated. In his last hours, he expressed gratitude for a long and well-lived life. 

He will be dearly missed by his devoted wife, Irene Jackman Dernberger; beloved daughters and sons-in-law Heidi and Jeffrey Lassaline, and Julie and Dr. Stephen Tamarkin; treasured grandchildren Jordan, Christopher, Michael and Spencer Lassaline and Sarah, Dan and Ben Tamarkin; respected sister, Pat Edwards; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Dernberger made regular donations to The Salvation Army, The Humane Society of Huron Valley and The Ronald McDonald House.  If you are so moved, please make a donation to the charity of your choice. 

— Submitted by Julie Tamarkin