Stanley “Stan” Byron Block, Ph.D., CFA, 81, who taught finance at Texas Christian University for 45 years and was Emeritus Professor of Finance, died July 11.
He was a renowned finance professor whose influence was felt throughout the world of finance and education.
Former students donated substantial funds to create the Dr. Stan Block Endowed Chair in Finance – the only chair ever created by students to honor a professor in TCU’s history. Mr. Block was the first holder of that chair, the family said in his obituary.
He gained national recognition as the lead author on numerous bestselling textbooks which sold more than a million copies and were translated into numerous languages worldwide. In total, he published over 35 books and more than 50 articles in leading journals.
Mr. Block gained additional worldwide attention for TCU when he developed the nation’s first student-managed investment portfolio known as the Educational Investment Fund (EIF).
In the words of a colleague, the EIF “has put TCU on the map” in business courses and “changed the way portfolio management and investment is taught in the U.S. and globally,” the obituary said.
Over the years, more than 100 universities requested and received copies of the EIF’s operation manuals and emulated the fund. TCU’s Neeley School of Business selected him as its outstanding teacher seven times, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
In 2006, he won the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement.
He served as chairman of the Finance Department for many years and also served as interim dean of the Neeley School on two occasions.
Mr. Block was born in Corpus Christi Oct. 4, 1939.
He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1961, an MBA from Cornell University 1964 and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in 1967.
Mr. Block was an avid distance runner who never missed a day of training. For many years, he routinely placed first in his age group in the top races in Fort Worth. He also was a lifelong baseball fan who had an encyclopedic knowledge of the game.
He is survived by his wife and fellow TCU professor, Cathy Block; his children, Michelle Goldsmith and Randy and Caroline Block; his grandchildren, Paige and Reid Goldsmith and Maggie and William Block; his sister and brother-in-law, Rosalyn and Maury Wolfson; and his sister-in-law and mother-in-law Wanda and Jo Ann Zinke.
TCU will hold an open memorial service in his honor on Saturday, July 31, at 8:30 a.m. at the Neely School.