Introduction

The story of Tom Lauth is the tale of a traveler. He overcame distance, between people, between theory and practice, and between problems and solutions. He visited 19 countries, globalized an academic field, and introduced evidence-based practices to the workings of a state budget office. He realized the creation of a field and a school.

More importantly, he once hitchhiked 200 miles in a blizzard to visit his sweetheart, and drove across two states to attend the funeral of a new colleague’s mother.

Thomas P. Lauth, Dean Emeritus of the School of Public and International Affairs and Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia, died May 13, 2023, after 85 years of a life lived, by all accounts, fully, kindly, and well. Those closest to him, asked to reflect on his legacy, returned again and again to his innate goodness.

“Tom Lauth was an extraordinary administrator, a beloved professor and a dear friend,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “He had a profound impact on the University of Georgia, and his wise counsel and support will be missed by all who had the privilege to know him.”

1938-1956

Lauth was born on April 27, 1938 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a land of coal mines and steel mills, the only child of Thomas and Mary Lauth. His parents, stalwart Catholics, had strong blue-collar roots and work ethic. His grandfather worked in a steel mill, and his father, who left high school for work, eventually opened Lauth Hardware Store.

“His dad never met a stranger,” said Jean McGregor Lauth (Jeannie), his wife of 60 years; the pair met as children and lived within walking distance. “He told Tom: ‘You are as good as anybody, but you’re not better than anybody, so be sure to treat everyone well, no matter who they are.’ We were the beneficiary of the people that really had the difficult time. We always appreciated it.”

Pittsburgh’s industrial nature attracted immigrants from across Europe: first Germans, then Irish, Italians, and Eastern Europeans. Tom attended Catholic school with an ethnically diverse set of families, developing a nature of acceptance and generosity.

Lauth graduated valedictorian of Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School in 1956, and set out for Notre Dame. Jeannie studied at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, 200 miles south in Terre Haute, Indiana. On breaks, he would hitchhike the full distance to see her, come rain, or, more often, snow. On one trip, in a full-on blizzard, a bus driver took pity and invited Lauth and two friends aboard.

“The bus driver came along and said, ‘get in here,’” recounted Jeannie. “They said, ‘well, we don’t have any money.’ He wouldn’t let them sit in the seats, because they weren’t paying, so they had to sit in the front. He probably saved them all from frostbite.”

1957-1981

At Notre Dame, Tom realized a deep interest in public service. In 1960, his BA in hand, he moved on to Syracuse University, where he pursued his PhD from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He and Jeannie married on June 23, 1962 (an item that lived forever near the top of his curriculum vitae). The young family settled in Syracuse, New York, and their sons Thomas and Robert were born, one year apart.

The Maxwell School, the home of the oldest public administration graduate degree in the United States, is consistently top-ranked for a reason. Lauth’s time at Syracuse overlapped with that of other top public affairs scholars, including the late Walter Broadnax of Clark Atlanta University, Michael Crow of Arizona State, and Lauth’s colleague at UGA, Laurence O’Toole. Many Maxwell graduates went on to shape public affairs as an international discipline.

In 1964, when Tom signed onto a multi-city education study funded by the Carnegie Corporation, the family moved to Atlanta for two years, beginning a love affair with the state of Georgia that would last his entire life.

“We lived in Decatur, in a tiny house,” Jeannie shared. “Our third son (John) was born there. People in Atlanta were so welcoming to us that we decided if we ever had the opportunity, we’d come back.”

Back in New York, the family settled in Long Island, where David was born. Tom taught at Hofstra University, eventually serving as assistant dean. In 1975, the Lauths returned to Georgia, settling in Stone Mountain, after Tom accepted an appointment at Georgia State University. He published his first piece, “Zero-Base Budgeting in Georgia State Government: Myth and Reality” in Public Administration Review, to wide acclaim, and earned his PhD from Syracuse in 1976. In 1981, he began his long and storied career at the University of Georgia.

1981-2001

Lauth joined the UGA Department of Political Science, teaching courses on state and local government and public budgeting and finance. He began publishing on these topics in high-impact journals, while distinguishing himself as a teacher, mentor, and all-around bastion of decency.

“Perhaps because of his blue-collar roots, Tom instinctively treated everyone he met with respect and dignity,” said John Maltese, now associate dean of SPIA. “He genuinely cared about people. That came across in his interactions with students, faculty, and staff. He got to know all of us as individuals, and we became part of his extended family.”

Lauth’s family didn’t stop there. Determined to identify applications of his research that would benefit the public, he forged connections with the heads of state agencies, creating a pipeline between theory and practice that benefited his research, his students, and the state of Georgia.

Professor Katherine Willoughby (UGA) met Lauth in 1984, when she joined the PhD program in public administration.

“He was just such a masterful teacher,” said Willoughby. “He always pushed us to be the best we could be, but in a quiet way. He never seemed to be worried or upset about anything, he was never pushy, and you never left his office feeling uneasy.”

Lauth mentored her, eventually chairing her dissertation committee. When she pitched her dissertation topic, the decision-making orientation of local government budget analysts, he invited her to think a bit bigger. He wrote to 10 state government budget officers in support of Willoughby’s study, securing her access, and supported her throughout the process. Her work won the NASPAA Dissertation Award in 1991.

“He had an extensive network and a direct line for providing feedback, analysis, and recommendations to state officials on running government,” she recalled. “His generosity and trust told me a lot and made me feel that much closer to him at that time.”

Many of those interviewed credited Lauth’s connections and recommendations for Georgia’s longtime financial security.

“Georgia’s AAA credit rating is one indication of a state well run and in relatively good fiscal health,” said Willoughby. “That has been a constant since Thomas began working in Georgia in the 1970s.”

“Georgia’s reputation for wise budgetary stewardship is attributable to Dean Lauth,” said Matthew Auer, current dean of the School of Public and International Affairs. “Tom taught countless students who became practicing state and local budget and finance experts in Georgia and beyond. Alumni and non-alumni alike sought his counsel on specific matters of revenue management – from the local to the federal level. Tom advised the Georgia legislature, too, on appropriations.”

These scholarly accomplishments won Lauth the rank of full professor in 1987, and he accepted the role of department head in 1988. As an administrator, he valued the camaraderie and comfort of the faculty under his guidance as much as their research productivity and teaching evaluations. When 28-year-old John Maltese arrived, Tom informed him of a pressing committee assignment.

“Having been told that junior faculty would be shielded from committee roles, I was a little surprised,” said Maltese. “But I said, ‘Of course. What’s the committee?’”

“‘The Libation Committee,’ he said. ‘It meets every Friday after work.’” Lauth’s happy hours convened junior and senior faculty; he came each week, but arrived late.

“At first, I thought it was because he had work to finish up,” said Maltese. “Eventually I realized that he wanted to give us space to unwind and gripe about things we might not want to say in front of the department head.”

“When he did arrive, you knew that this was a man who listened and cared—and who was fun to be with. Those happy hours quickly became the highlight of my week.”

“Tom dressed formally,” Maltese continued. “It was rare to see him without a coat and tie. But he wasn’t distant. No matter the occasion, he preferred to wear a blue shirt in honor of his working-class blue-collar roots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.”

This humility appeared in every part in his life. He drove a 23-year-old sedan long into his tenure as dean.

“I think I forced him to get a new car,” said Jeannie. “I remember a faculty member came up to him [when he was appointed dean] and said, ‘I guess you will get a new car now.’ And Tom said, ‘Why?’”

Back home, the Lauths fell in love with international travel, initially as part of Jeannie’s career with American Express, in the wholesale travel division.

“After that, we traveled with Tom because he got involved in a lot of international professional organizations,” said Jeannie. “Not including Canada, we have taken 53 international trips. We loved it.”

Scrapbook after scrapbook recounts their adventures across Europe and Asia. In one photo, on one of eight trips to South Korea, Tom shakes the hand of a colleague at Konkuk University.

Jeannie smiled fondly. “The way [his associate] is looking at him, and Tom is looking back, it is as though he is the only person in the room,” she said. “He had that talent. He could speak to you and make you feel his interest in you and your story, whether you were instrumental to him or not.”

Some travel covered fewer miles, but had a greater impact. “As a very junior assistant professor, my mother died,” recalled Maltese. “To my great surprise, Tom showed up at her funeral in Alabama, quietly slipping into the back of the church. It was a three-hour drive each way for him, but that’s just what he did—quietly, genuinely, and without ostentation.”

In 1993, with all four sons having graduated from college and starting careers, the family moved to Athens, purchasing a peaceful home in the Five Points neighborhood. Lauth took particular pleasure in serving as an instructor for the UGA study abroad program in Verona, Italy, which he did from 1998-2001. In 1998, he received the Aaron B. Wildavsky Award for lifetime scholarly achievement from the Association of Budgeting and Financial Management.

As department head, Lauth played a heavy role in the creation of the UGA School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). In 2001, as the culmination of years of planning, the UGA Department of Political Science, formerly in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was reorganized as one of three departments in a new school of public affairs.

Lauth immediately added departments of international affairs and public administration and policy and set about adding faculty to shore up any weak spots in expertise.

“Tom served in a professional and fair manner to all,” shared Geneva Foster, who worked as a student advisor and program coordinator. “He supported our personal needs as well, whether it was work, family, or a medical situation.” Pam Smith, the administrative assistant who worked beside him for 25 years, remembers kindness, brilliance, and dedication.

“He cared about his students, staff, and colleagues,” she recalled. “He and Mrs. Lauth invited us to their home and treated us like family . . . I have so many cherished memories of my time working with him.”

“He appreciated the work we did, supported us as much as possible, treated us like equals, and encouraged us to perform our jobs to the best of our abilities,” said Nancy Thompson, another long-time administrator. “He allowed us to grow, both in our individual areas of expertise and the number of staff members . . . These factors, along with Dean Lauth’s personality and leadership style, led to his success in the retention of the staff.”

“He had a marvelous way of leading that was not off-putting to anybody,” said Willoughby. “Even if differences of opinion arose, he never turned anybody against him. He was able to go into a room, read it carefully, and use it to the advantage of our school, our department, and our programs.”

2002-2013

With the foundational elements in place, Lauth set about raising the profile of the newborn School. He helped design new programming, such as the SPIA at Oxford program, to attract students, and worked with faculty to expand course and degree offerings. Under his leadership, SPIA ascended quickly to a top-ranked school, with a reputation for excellence, world-renowned faculty, two research centers, multiple study abroad programs, and highly successful students and alumni. Its public affairs graduate program continues to rank in the top ten in the nation.

“Tom put his values and leadership approach at the center of his efforts,” said SPIA Professor Emeritus Laurence O’Toole. “Faculty have no shortage of differing views, but his decisions were invariably respected. Everyone knew that Tom’s perspective was grounded in academic integrity and intellectual substance. As the School grew and matured, he insisted that SPIA stay true to this anchoring premise, and it has paid off — note the school’s strong national and international reputation.”

Meanwhile, his research and service continued. In 2000, he was named a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow, and elected president of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. His wide network delivered an active pipeline of international students looking to study under him.

He directed 32 dissertations and served on many more, mentoring generations of impactful academics and practitioners all over the world.

“What distinguished Dean Lauth was his out-of-the-world generosity to his students and mentees,” said Elaine Yi Lu, a 2006 PhD graduate who is now full professor at the City University of New York. “His insights and encouragement over the decades have positively shaped my career and life. More importantly, he inspired people to be a positive force in others’ lives, just like he was to me and many other students.”

As Tom’s career grew, so did his family. At the time of his death the couple had nine grandchildren (Bailey, Molly, Olivia, Emily, Jackson, Sydney, Sophia, Kira, and Maria), and the Lauths spent a week each summer with family on Hilton Head Island.

In March 2003, the SPIA at Oxford program represented a new opportunity for Tom to close distances. He and Jeannie would catch a Thursday evening flight to cross the ocean and host receptions for the participating Oxford dons.

“I cooked for Tom and Jeannie one evening at my flat,” Maltese, the coordinator, recalled. “I was still an associate professor and Tom was dean, but afterwards Tom insisted on washing the dishes. It was a small gesture, but it stuck with me.”

In January 2007, Lauth and SPIA hosted the Carter Conference, on the 30th anniversary of President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration. The goal of the conference was to examine the Carter presidency for insights that could be used by contemporary policymakers facing similar issues. The widely-celebrated event convened Carter himself, several members of his administration, including Walter Mondale, and a collection of scholars and students.

Though his administrative duties kept him plenty busy, Dean Lauth did not neglect his research or teaching during this period. SPIA political science PhD candidate and senior fiscal analyst at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Danny Kanso remembered encountering him in his freshman year.

“I was very fortunate to enroll in his Government Budgeting and Finance course, which happened to be the last course he taught before he retired and my first upper-level political science class at UGA,” Kanso shared. “That experience and Dean Lauth’s advice to me as a freshman—to enroll in Dr. Bullock’s Southern Politics Class and to study abroad through the UGA at Oxford program—fundamentally shaped my experience during my time as an undergraduate at Georgia and set the course for my career.”

2014-2023

Though Lauth retired in 2013, he remained active in teaching, mentoring, and publishing, and continued to represent SPIA around the world. In 2015, he was finally able to accept a teaching role in the SPIA at Oxford program. He and Jeannie lived in a two-bedroom Oxford flat, and used the small space to entertain two students at a time, all they could fit at their modest table.

“He absolutely loved working with those kids,” said Jeannie. “We had a great experience, the idea of homemaking in this very different foreign place. We would walk and shop for groceries every day.”

“He took a genuine interest in each Oxford student,” recalled Maltese. “He held regular reunions with them at his house in Athens, and helped them win important scholarships and secure entrance to post-graduate programs in law and other fields.”

The Lauths’ time in the United Kingdom also expanded Tom’s interest in comparative healthcare systems. When Jeannie broke her knee in 2015, the quality of the UK National Health Service, and the value, surprised them both. The next year, Tom taught a course comparing the British healthcare system with that of the U.S.

In January 2020, he earned the University of Georgia’s President’s Medal, which recognizes former UGA employees who continue to support the school’s students, research, and programs. Part of the nomination for this prestigious award was Lauth’s ongoing commitment to former students, the affairs of SPIA, and the Athens community. As part of the Athens-Clarke County Citizens Advisory Committee, he reviewed the city’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax 2020 projects, walking each day for a month in the Five Points neighborhood with his sandwich board sign. Further, the Thomas P. and M. Jean Lauth Graduate Fellowship Fund continues to provide support to recruit and retain top quality graduate students.

A devout Catholic, Lauth kept a list of people for whom he prayed in his later years, and included them in the grace he said before meals. “I was always sticking the dinner back in the microwave because it took so long to do all the prayers,” Jeannie said.

When the pandemic hit, Lauth saw an opportunity to complete his own capstone project: a compilation of his life’s research dedicated to the state of Georgia. Over his career, he advised Georgia governors from Lester Maddox to Nathan Deal, and made recommendations that influenced budgetary decisions for each administration.

“I joked that that book saved my marriage,” said Jeannie. “He hung out on the dining room table for five hours a day for two years. It was fun for both of us: he and I would edit together. We had a lot of the same English teachers when we were in elementary school, so we both loved English grammar. I’m so glad he finished before he got sick. He would have been so frustrated.”

Public Budgeting in Georgia: Institutions, Process, Politics and Policy, edited by Yilin Hou of Syracuse University, was published by Springer in September of 2021.

“He has single-handedly provided a history and analysis of budgeting and finance in the state of Georgia that has contributed to essential scholarship, but also enhanced the processes of our state for the better,” said Willoughby. “He’s built a stellar, comprehensive body of research that informs academics and practitioners alike on the fiscal flows in states and cities in the United States.”

During this period, Lauth agreed to an independent study course with Kanso, and the pair grew close, spending hours on Zoom calls discussing the course, the book, scholarship, and the state of public finance in Georgia. Lauth later helped Kanso prepare for comprehensive exams in public policy, also via weekly Zoom meetings, and served as a sounding board and source of encouragement for Kanso’s dissertation.

“In all of our experiences together, Tom was extraordinarily generous with his time and in his thoughtfulness and willingness to answer any question, engage on any subject, and offer advice and reflections from his experiences,” said Kanso. “He championed the value of engaging with political leaders and decision-makers in informing scholarship and political science research.”

“At every turn, he encouraged me to take advantage of opportunities that allowed me to develop my own qualitative research.”

Lu remembers similar generosity. In 2022, Lauth received the Excellence in Mentorship Award from the Section on Chinese Public Administration of the American Society for Public Administration, which she considers richly deserved. “Dean Lauth once said, if you feel well-treated here [at UGA], treat your students the same way,” she shared. “This is the best advice for work and life. He loved the field because he loved the people in it.”

After his family, faith, academia, and the fiscal health of the state of Georgia, Lauth’s passion was sports. In addition to UGA sports, the one-time track star loved Notre Dame football, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Atlanta Braves, and the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.

“He was absolutely a rabid fan,” said Jeannie. “His Dad was a football referee and a goal judge for the local hockey team, so as an only child, he came to know sports really well.”

The Lauths had tickets to the August Notre Dame-Navy game in Dublin, Ireland, postponed from 2020, when he passed.

Jeannie expressed gratitude at the brevity of Lauth’s illness. His health remained strong until January 2023, when a stroke affected his reading ability and caused aphasia.

“Even with that, he handled it quite well,” Jeannie shared. “He was doing speech therapy and he had sticky notes all over the house, like ‘chair’ and ‘lamp.’ But then he had a second mini-stroke the end of March, and that made him worse.”

His doctors soon discovered the culprit: a brain tumor. Though doctors planned a round of chemotherapy and radiation, Lauth declined.

“He had a really peaceful death,” said Jeannie. “He was bedridden for just two weeks.”

Conclusion

He came on foot, in the snow. He came in a 23-year-old sedan. He flew around the world, and he Zoomed. He entertained undergraduates far from home and he published research that changed the fortunes of an entire state.

Though his professional accomplishments were incredible, every witness to the life of Thomas Lauth returned to the themes of compassion and connection.

“His legacy is global,” said Willoughby. “He has people all over this world thinking about him and his method of interacting with students, researchers, collaborators, and staff.”

“Dean Lauth was an exemplar of enlightened leadership, decency, and genuine goodness,” said Auer.

“Tom Lauth and the word ‘integrity’ were synonymous,” said Maltese. “Anyone who knew Tom knew that his word was sacred. Over 35 years, I never knew Tom to renege on a promise or back away from a commitment. Anyone who knew Tom also knew that he was fair and thorough in everything he did.”

“He was a friend, a colleague, and a mentor,” said J. Edward Kellough, professor and former department head of public administration and policy. “He was always a positive influence and a force for decency and honesty throughout his career.”

“He just liked people,” Jeannie smiled. “At events, I would call myself a widow: we would get there early and be about the last to leave, but I wouldn’t see him because he would be working the crowd.”

“But he said he always knew where I was in a room. From my laugh.”

“We were married June 23rd, 1962,” said Jeannie. “He died May 13th, 2023. In all that time, many times a day, he would say, ‘I love you.’ And he had a little sticky note beside my bed that said, ‘sweet dreams.’ It still remains there.”