Bernard (“Bernie”) M. Bass
of Binghamton
Bernard M. Bass, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the School of Management at
Binghamton University (SUNY), passed away at age 82 at his vacation home in
Binghamton, N.Y., on Thursday, October 11, 2007. Since beginning his career in 1946,
Bernie published over 400 journal articles and technical reports, 21 books and edited 10,
concentrating on leadership and organizational behavior. Before his passing, Bernie
completed the authoritative resource book in leadership the 4th Edition of the Bass
Handbook of Leadership for Free Press (Simon & Shuster) scheduled to be published in
August of 2008.
I began my relationship with Bernie Bass in 1981 after joining the faculty at SUNYBinghamton in New York. Bernie was just beginning his work on transformational leadership following his review of Jim Burns’ book, entitled, “Leadership”. I recall Bernie being very energized by a gentleman he met on a trip to South Africa, who told Bernie that he had worked for a leader that had motivated him to ‘perform beyond expectations’. This gentleman’s comment became the focal point of Bernie’s groundbreaking book on transformational and transactional leadership entitled, “Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations”.
From my first day of working with Bernie till his last, he always treated me as a
colleague. Bernie was not a ‘status person’. Countless students over more then a 25 year
time span would remark to me, that when they met Bernie he seemed so ‘regular’, not at
all caught up in his well deserved reputation as a world class scholar. Indeed, I think what
Bernie enjoyed most, was sitting down with a new researcher and listening to their ideas,
while offering countless ideas of his own. I recall in one instance, a young student
coming up to Bernie at a conference and saying, “You’re alive I thought you were a
book!” Bernie chuckled and then engaged the student in a lengthy conversation about her
research interests.
During one of my first visits to Bernie’s office in Binghamton, we were discussing the trials and tribulations of publishing in our field, and he said to look behind him at the bottom shelf. On the shelf were 20 plus volumes filled with ‘working’ papers. He remarked that those papers were the ones that had not been published! Subsequent to that meeting, whenever I thought I had some bright idea, Bernie would reach behind him, pull out perhaps his 1958 volume, and there was the idea in black and white. I have thought since Bernie’s passing, that someone should just publish those volumes as it will save us all a lot of time and energy in generating new research ideas.
Because of our joint work on transformational leadership over two decades, Bernie and I
spent many days traveling together around the globe. I can’t imagine traveling with a
more considerate colleague and one more knowledgeable. I have never been to a place
with Bernie where he didn’t know a considerable amount of the history about the place.
Countless times, I would read a sign at some historic site, and Bernie would add some
historical note or thesis! He was remarkable in his storehouse of historical knowledge,
and I believe if he were to come back in another life it would certainly be as an historian.
In terms of traveling, Bernie did have one rather strange habit. 75% of the time after checking into a hotel, I would go up to my room to get ready to go out, and would come down to Bernie’s room only to find that he had moved. The first 10 times I thought…coincidence. One day I was talking to his lovely wife Ruth, and she indicated that they rarely if ever went to a hotel where the first room was the one they actually stayed in for the duration of their trip. Bernie had two strict requirements for staying in a hotel room: 1. No street noise! 2. A temperature gauge that was accurate and could bring his room to 50 F with the windows wide open! Eventually, Bernie found the quietest and the coldest room to sleep in, and met many a hotel engineer along the way. This little routine made Bernie, well, Bernie.
As I look at the field of organizational behavior, leadership and human resource management, there is hardly a niche that Bernie did not have an impact on with his scholarly work. Over his 50 plus year career, Bernie mentored so many people who have and will continue to carry on his good work.
When I talked to Bernie’s wife Ruth on the day of his passing, I knew that I now had an extra responsibility for all of the time, care and support Bernie put into working with me. I must say, that it has been difficult for me to stop and realize that such a vibrant intellectual force has left this earth. Yet I do know there will be a young scholar some day opening one of his many articles or books and he or she like legions before will have been positively impacted by Bernie. What they won’t have that I had was the opportunity to spend time traveling the world with one of the best scholars in history. I wish you the very best travels Bernie and the ideal hotel room.