University Times

Described as a rigorous teacher and scholar, Hector Correa, 74, died unexpectedly in his Forrest Hills home on Aug. 23, 2004.

He was a professor of public and urban affairs at Pitt for 34 years, with joint appointments in the schools of public health and education. He was also director of the Latin American Seminar in Project Design, Evaluation and Implementation.

His area of expertise included the utilization of quantitative methods and computers for policy analysis, project and program design, evaluation and implementation.

One of Correa’s former students, Kevin Kearns, a Pitt associate professor of public and nonprofit management, remembered Correa as a rigorous teacher in his GSPIA classes in the late 1970s.

“Hector had the kind of course you may have not liked when you were in it. But when you go out of school, you really appreciated that class,” Kearns said.

Correa had high expectations in the classroom that “pushed us toward higher standards of achievement and hopefully excellence,” Kearns said.

He was also the kind of teacher alumni the world over would ask about, he said. “He used to terrify students in the classroom,” Kearns said, “but he had a great deal of human caring.”

When Kearns became a GSPIA faculty member, he had the opportunity to see Correa as a colleague with an incredible work ethic. “No matter what time of the day or day of the week, you wouldn’t be surprised to see Hector in GSPIA. He was available to students and dedicated to his research.”

Many faculty and staff remember Correa’s kind and gentle demeanor.

“He was a quiet guy who worked hard and people liked him,” said GSPIA professor Donald Goldstein.

“Hector always said he would never retire and he didn’t, ironically,” Goldstein said. “Even though he died at home, he was working on a paper.”

Goldstein also remembers the typical Correa greeting when he would see him in Posvar Hall: “How is life?”

Correa earned a Ph.D. in mathematical economics from the Netherlands School of Economics, and a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Madrid.

He was survived by his wife Virginia Miller; children Pablo, Blanca, Diego, Juan Francisco, Carlos and Mark.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Oratory, 4450 Bayard Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213.