Sumitra Shah's last note, and several others in the thread, really go  
to the issue of the role of the History of Economics Society in these  
matters. I'd like to take a bit of bandwidth to suggest that some  
concerns about the Distinguished Fellow award are possibly misplaced.  
 
First, though, a disclaimer. I chaired the DF committee this year per  
HES constitution, and voted as a member of the Executive Committee of  
HES on who should receive the 2003 and 2004 DF awards. I write this  
then as interested, but not as presenting any HES official position.  
I think this point is an important one. 
 
If you look at the members of the current Executive Committee (see  
the HES website), you will see that Mat Forstater's concerns about  
the particularity of my own views of "serious" or "good" HE  
scholarship can hardly be determining in any committee vote. And a  
majority vote in that group is required for the award to be given. In  
recent years I am aware that the DF committee's recommendations to  
the Executive Committee have been variously noisily rejected,  
complexly modified, and once even accepted with no dissent at all.  
Recent awardees are a diverse group with respect to any particular  
criterion, as Bruce Caldwell rightly noted earlier in this thread.  
Nominees who are not given the DF award are routinely re-listed to  
the DF committee the next year, and their nominators are asked if  
they wish to renew their nomination. 
 
On giving honors, the society gives two named prizes, and both of  
those prizes, the Dorfman prize for the best dissertation and the  
Spengler prize for the best book, are funded by the HES endowment or  
with continuous gifts to the society.  Although the Executive  
Committee explored naming the best article prize, currently paid for  
out of general HES funds, for a specific individual, the committee  
decided not to do so since that prize would provide an endowed naming  
opportunity (as university development officers say) to sustain the  
future financial health of the HES. 
 
With annual HES dues only $30, which includes subscription to JHET  
and a reduced price registration at the annual HES meeting, I would  
urge those might wish to honor Bob Heilbroner with a prize given by  
HES to join together to create an endowment fund to support an  
appropriate annual award.  I'm sure the Executive Committee, and the  
HES Treasurer Neil Niman, would be delighted to see this happen. I  
know that I would vote to approve this award were it to come before  
the Executive Committee for a vote.  
  
E. Roy Weintraub