MIT Economist Lester Thurow Dies

Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Lester Thurow, who addressed the challenges and consequences of a global economy and once said he just wanted "to make the world better," has died.

The university announced Tuesday that Thurow died Friday at his Westport home. He was 77. No cause was given.

Thurow started teaching at MIT in 1968 and was dean of the university's Sloan School of Management from 1987 until 1993.

MIT President L. Rafael Reif said Thurow "spent his life trying to make society more farsighted and more fair," and "embodied MIT's mission to advance knowledge and educate students in service to the nation and the world."

Thurow was raised in Montana, the son of a Methodist minister and teacher.

He's survived by his wife, two children, two stepchildren, and seven grandchildren.