Good day to all of you.  Last week, Sir Andrew Crockett died after a tough battle with cancer.

I first met Sir Andrew when I started working at the Bank for International Settlements in the banking department.  Sir Andrew was the General Manager or CEO of the firm.  In the central bank world, there is a lot of formality and posturing, but what I recognized immediately is that Sir Andrew had nothing to do with that.  He treated me like a fellow friend.

In my time there, he encouraged me when I started playing golf, he invited me to play golf with Alan Greenspan, and he defended me when insecure bureaucrats wanted to put me down.  Years after leaving the BIS, he came to explain to a group of students what had gone wrong with the financial system in 2008 (https://ludwigbc.com/presentations/guest-speakers-media/).  He was a great guy to work with, a great guy to play golf with, and told some of the best jokes I’ve ever heard.

Besides my personal recollections of this great man, he did a variety of impressive things with regards to the world financial system (http://www.bis.org/about/2012adc.htm).

I will leave you with a joke he told at one meeting about a married couple that loved golf.  They are both dressed up and on their way out to dinner.  The wife says to the husband, “Honey, before we leave, I want you to know that I love you so much, that if I were ever to die, I want you to know that I would want you to remarry.”  “Well thank you honey and I love you too.  Now, let’s go, we are late.”  The wife then stops again and says “Honey, I want you to know that if I died, I would not only want you to remarry, but I would want you to share my clothes with your new wife.  That’s how much I love you.”  “Honey, that is so sweet and I love you too, but we need to get going now.”  They proceed towards the car and the wife stops the husband one more time.  “Honey, not only would I want you to remarry and share my clothes with your new wife, but you could even give her my golf clubs to use.”  The husband quickly turns and says “No, that wouldn’t work, she’s left handed.”

We will all miss you Sir Andrew and I hope you rest in peace.