For nearly five decades, UNC Charlotte professor John Connaughton was the go-to voice for business leaders looking for clear economic insights in North Carolina and the region.
The popular economist died Wednesday, June 24, according to his obituary. He was 78. UNC Charlotte and its Belk College of Business are now mourning the passing of Connaughton, who was the university’s longest-serving faculty member as of May. He taught more than 6,000 students across 278 courses.
Connaughton possessed a rare talent for making dense economic matters accessible and easy for the public and reporters to understand, Richard Buttimer, dean of the Belk College of Business, told The Charlotte Observer Tuesday…