Robert Aliber Obituary

Robert Zelwin Aliber

Hanover, NH - Robert Zelwin Aliber, of Evanston, Illinois and Hanover, New Hampshire, an influential international economist and longtime member of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, died June 22, 2025 at age 94 in Evanston.

Bob was born in Keene, New Hampshire on September 19, 1930, to Norman and Sophie (Becker) Aliber. He and his older brother, Sydney, grew up in Keene.

Bob excelled as a student and athlete at Keene High School (1948) and then discovered a love for economics at Williams College (1952).

Bob spent the summer of 1951 working as a smokejumper in Missoula, Montana helping to control forest fires, an experience he cherished for the rest of his life.

A Fulbright Scholarship led Bob to pursue a master's degree at St. John's College, Cambridge University, England. The draft called him back to the United States in 1954, and he met Deborah Baltzly as they sailed back to the States.

Bob and Debbie were married in Charleston, South Carolina in 1956 while Bob was in the service. Bob earned a PhD at Yale in 1962, and in 1965 Bob and Debbie settled with their three children in Hyde Park, Chicago when Bob became a professor at Chicago. Bob and Debbie left Chicago for Hanover, NH in 2003.

Bob made significant contributions to the field of international finance, publishing academic papers on such topics as exchange rates and the balance of payments, international capital flows, financial crises, and multinational corporations.

Bob loved to travel the world, appearing at conferences, alumni events, central banks, and financial institutions. His engagement with Chicago Booth continued long after his formal retirement in 2004. He spoke to alumni groups in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Brussels, Athens, as well as US cities. Bob continued researching, writing, and speaking until his death.

In 1982, Bob and Debbie bought a summer house in West Fairlee, Vermont. This home became the meeting place for the family, and Bob developed his love for mowing grass, bicycling, flying, and soaring.

Bob was an active member of the Post Mills, Vermont, aviation community, both as a private airplane owner and a member of the Post Mills Soaring Club (PMSC), in which he flew multiple gliders, in some ways reliving the excitement of his 1951 summer as a smokejumper. He befriended many other flyers, and several raised glasses in tribute to Bob recently. Words spoken about Bob included: "generous," "kind," "gentlemanly," "compassionate," "honorable," and (the group's favorite) "curious."

Bob is survived by Jennifer Aliber (Chris) of Lexington, MA; Rachel Aliber Duffy (John) of Morristown, VT; and Michael Aliber (Hiltrud) of Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He also leaves six grandchildren he shared with Debbie: Megan, Caitlin, Sophie, Schulyer, Talia, and Khanyi. Bob's first great-grandchild is due in October.

Debbie predeceased Bob in 2012. Following the loss of Debbie, Bob knew he was very fortunate to fall in love with Jackie Winter. This union led Bob to gain another family, which includes Jackie's daughters, Carolyn (Rich) and Blair (Enrique), and two more grandchildren, Pablo and Mateo.

A Memorial Service will take place on Saturday, October 4th at The Mather in Evanston, Illinois. A second Celebration of Life will be at the Hanover Inn in Hanover, New Hampshire on Sunday, November 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in memory of Bob. Contributions may be given online at https://chicagobooth.edu/aliber-scholarship or mailed to:

University of Chicago

Gift Administration

5235 S. Harper Court, 4th Floor

Chicago, IL 60615

Please note that your gift is in memory of Bob Aliber.