In Memoriam

Abstract

In Memorium In Memoriam: Carol Hirschon Weiss (1926–2013) American Journal of Evaluation a The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permission: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1098214013490225 aje.sagepub.com Marvin C. Alkin 1 Carol Hirschon Weiss, Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, passed away on January 8, 2013, in Boston, Massachusetts. Born and raised in New York, she earned a bachelor’s degree in govern- ment from Cornell University, a master’s degree in government, and a doctorate in sociology (1977), both from Columbia University. A year after receiving her PhD, she joined the faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She was named the Beatrice B. Whiting Professor of Education in 1999 and she continued her prolific career in evaluation until retirement in 2006. Over the course of her work in the evaluation field, Carol published 11 books and countless journal articles. Especially notable are two comprehensive texts on evaluation: Evaluating Research: Methods of Assessing Program Effectiveness (1972) and Evaluation: Methods for Studying Programs and Policies (1998). Carol’s early work on evaluation utilization in the late 1960s was the impetus to focused research on evaluation utilization and a recognition of the evaluator’s role in fostering use. Her work on the politics of evaluation demonstrated that politics were inherent in every aspect of evaluation. Also, she developed some of the earliest ideas about the value of basing evaluations on the theory underlying programs. Five of her colleagues and friends in the evaluation field who have been influenced by her work have written tributes in her memory. University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Downloaded from aje.sagepub.com at UCLA on January 15, 2015