Charles Philip 'Charlie' Gratto (1934-2006)
GRATTO, HARVEY, THAL, COURTEAU, VON SHELIHA, MESSER, CHARLEBOIS, LIEBLER
Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 12/17/2006 at 11:43:48
THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Saturday, December 16, 2006.
Charles Philip "Charlie" Gratto, 72, died peacefully at home Friday, Dec. 8, after a prolonged illness. A memorial celebration was at the Unitarian Fellowship on Monday, Dec. 11.
Charles Gratto was born Sept. 19, 1934, in Plattsburgh, N.Y., to Anne (Harvey) and Clarence P. Gratto. He grew up in Canton, N.Y. where he attended parochial and public schools.
He married Alice Thal in 1956, with whom he had four children. He married Joanna Courteau, a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Iowa State University, in Chicago, Ill., June 29, 1977.
He attended Cornell University, where he received a bachelor's degree in general agriculture in 1957 and a master's degree in agricultural economics in 1958. In 1964, he received a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the Pennsylvania State University.
He served as an assistant and associate professor in the department of food and resource economics at the University of Rhode Island, from 1963 to 1969.In 1969, he joined Iowa State University as associate professor in the Department of Economics and was promoted to professor in 1975. As an extension economist in public affairs, he organized education programs for agricultural leaders, community leaders, and public policy education stakeholders in Iowa, nationally, and internationally until he retired on June 30, 1997.
His areas of research interest included land-use planning, governmental finance, principles for solving community problems, environmental quality and waste disposal, food and farm policy, industrial organization of agriculture, energy and water policy, global food system development, use of microcomputers, national fiscal and monetary policy, international trade policy and exchange rates.
In the mid-1980s, he led a team of colleagues in the development of one of the first educational programs on the retention and expansion of local businesses as an effective local economic development strategy for community leaders.
During and after the farm finance crisis of the 1980s, he was instrumental in working with colleagues to adapt strategic planning processes for assessing community development priorities. In one 1988 example, he conducted several strategic planning meetings for leaders in Ottumwa, as they worked through differing opinions to prioritize strategies for revitalizing the community. More than 200 local citizens and leaders were involved in a process that narrowed more than 150 ideas to 10 communitywide priorities.
His work in public policy education methods was nationally known. He first articulated the cycle of public policy issues and the multiple stages that occur during the cycle along with the best practices for each stage of the cycle. This work remains widely used by many public policy education professionals today.
He was a member of Alpha Zeta national honor society for scholars in agriculture and Phi Beta Delta, an honor society for international scholars. In 1989, he received a certificate of achievement in recognition of 20 years of service for his work in Extension.
He was a founding member of the Polish Culture Club of Ames and was active in campus activities related to internationalization of academic programs during the economic transformation of Eastern Europe and former Soviet states. He was a member of the American Agricultural Economics Association, International Community Development Society, European Community Studies Association and IPSA Research Committee on European Unification.
He enjoyed chess, reading, gardening, computers and international cooking, and cherished many good times with his colleagues, family and friends. His intellect and the aroma of his pipe will rest in the minds of those who knew him. His wit and ability to enjoy the moment will be missed by all.
He is survived by his wife, Joanna Courteau, four grown children: Charles, of Los Angeles; Mary Von Sheliha (Kent), of Seattle, Wash.; Carol Gratto Messer (James) in 1963, of Ocean Springs, Miss.; and Tracy Charlebois (Richard) in 1969, of China Village, Maine; two grown step children, seven grandchildren, and five step grandchildren; four brothers: Joseph (Barbara) of Keyser, W.Va.; Thomas "Pete" (Sharon) of Gettysburg, Pa.; Clancy (Colleen Livingstone) of Morristown, N.Y.; Fr. Stephen Gratto of Port Leyden, N.Y.; one sister, Joan Gratto Liebler of Danville, Pa.; three nephews and three nieces.
Memorials may be sent to Heifer International, Beyond Welfare of Ames, and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames.
The family would like to thank friends, colleagues and the community for your support, kindness and generosity. The many gifts, flowers, cards, calls, visits, delicious food brought to the house and to the memorial luncheon and your presence at the celebration of Charlie's life were of great comfort to us. If you have a memory of Charlie you would like to share, please send to the family at 1120 Garfield Ave, Ames, IA, 50014.
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