Chris was like an antique philosopher disguised as a monk-saint with a mission to create a new faith or science, called “economics of innovation”. I had met him for the first time in 1966 November in Lancaster House, then housing the new-born SPRU. Geoff Oldham, Charles Cooper, Roy McLeod, Jackie Fuller the first and last assistant to him, and a small group of researchers occupied limited rooms in the first floor. Jackie, graciously had found a precious room for me i.e., as the first (OECD) research fellow of the SPRU. Chris advised me to read Schumpeter and some other OECD literature.

Chris, then living with Peggotty in Kingston Village near the University, used to commute by foot, even in the rainy days, wearing rubber boots, a precaution against deep mud. As the tank commander and Marshal Montgomery’s driver in the WW2 (once he told me) Chris rejected to own even a cheap automobile, a bourgeois habit. When we visited in 1970 (with Nuşin, my wife and son) the Freemans (and C. Cooper) they were living in Kingston, there were huge geese taller than my son Emre, swarming the garden, he said, “these are my guardians and lawn mowers”.

It was a great honour for me to be participating in an UNCTAD project and paper on the “transfer of technology” (1967) my name appearing with Chris Freeman and Geoff Oldham. On account of my great contribution (!) to this paper, Chris sent me to Paris to participate in an OECD Pilot Team Project’s evaluation conference with my wife, as members of the Turkish team. In fact, he was highly interested in development of poor countries through implementation of S&T plans and policies.

My fellowship came to an end in 1967 and I had to return to my job in TÜBİTAK, but all the time missed the SPRU and friends in Sussex. Next time, I returned to the SPRU to prepare my PhD thesis in 1970, to the Mantell Building. This time Chris had a room but was not the director. The SPRU had a world-wide reputation for being the hub of science&technology and innovation policies research, and education. In March 1971, a military Coup that occurred in Turkey (a well established Turkish tradition!) prevented my further stay in Sussex, since my passport was not extended. As a suspicious person like me, Chris arranged for me a paying project and a Home Office work permission, even proposed me to consider political asylum in the UK. It was a difficult decision to make and I finally returned home like a good citizen.

After this I visited UK and Sussex several times. In one of those visits I spent a very enjoyable afternoon with Chris in his house in Lewes. We dined together, talked very much on politics and women. He was recently divorced from Maggie, but they were going to remain good friends.

Last time I saw him, together with Jackie it was in November 2003. I had come to present him the Turkish translation of his famous book Economics of Industrial Innovation (with Luc Soete, 1997). He had written a special introduction for the Turkish edition. My translation of the book into Turkish had been published by TÜBİTAK in 2003 as Yenilik İktisadı which sold quite a few copies; a small record for a scientific book in this country.

We met in Lewes Station and strolled around by Jackie’s car, (he had difficulty walking with his crutches, which he had to depend on then) lunched in a Sussex Down’s Pub, then visited old friends Dr. Oldham and Brenda in their country house. It was an unforgettable day in our life for my wife and me. Unfortunately, I will not be able to present my new book in Turkish, “Science, Technology and Politics, 2009” which was a kind of homage to my mentor, and scientific father, Prof. Chris Freeman. His death is an irreplaceable loss for the science policy community of the World.

I will always remain his loyal pupil…
2010-08-23
Ergun Türkcan, Professor of Economics (Ret.), Ankara University

PS. It is a pity that I will not be able to attend his funeral.

I just wanted to put down a few words about Chris. He was a great man, and this is why: he always made me feel he was really interested in me, but not because he wanted anything out of it, just because he was. I could see he was interested in lots of other people and things, too – this is not entirely egocentric. So apart from being funny, kind and wise, he was the only man who ever read my PhD who didn’t have to because he was an examiner – and he wrote me a smart letter full of interesting thoughts about it – I’ll never forget that.

David Kessler

He is a great man and teacher. Somrone I never forget. My greatest respect!