Eulogy: Dedication to Andrew (Drew) Sanderford (7 October 1982–31 August 2023)
| Date | 08 August 2024 |
| Pages | 323-324 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPIF-07-2024-231 |
| Published date | 08 August 2024 |
| Author | Elaine Worzala |
Eulogy: Dedication to Andrew
(Drew) Sanderford (7 October
1982–31 August 2023)
Drew Sanderford was an inspiration to so many in the real estate community, as he was not
afraid to bring his unique set of skills to the table and teach us all new things. I watched him
join a research team of economists and finance specialists, and he was often the one asking the
bigger, and in many cases harder, questions. Always trying to ascertain the implications of
the findings, the public policy impacts and how the findings could be used to create a better
built environment for all to enjoy. So many of our elegant models these days assume things
away to make it easier to use the data, run the model and produce statistically significant
findings. I know I am a bit of a cynic here, but I feel like researchers today are often doing the
research not to move the field forward but to place their work in a “good”journal so they can
keep their jobs and be promoted. Drew was the kind of researcher that would ask the bigger
questions. He would go the extra mile to bring in a new and messy dataset and/or a different
modeling tool or technique that might explain the markets and/or the findings better. He was
a multi-disciplined, multi-faceted individual. Some might classify him as a Renaissance
person.
He was also a caring and incredibly warm person with a strong sense of humor that could
brighten your day. He seemed to have a unique radar when he walked into a room, actively
looking for someone who could use some attention or maybe feeling ill at ease since they were
new to the organization. He would bring them into the discussion, finding ways for them to
contribute and be part of the conversation. When he talked to you, he focused on you, and you
knew he was listening. He was intent on trying to help you with whatever problems you were
facing on a given day. It did not have to be all business; in fact, he seemed equally interested in
your personal life as your professional research. Rarely turning the spotlight on himself, he
made you feel like you were contributing to the conversation and that you were one of the
smartest in the room. I never had the pleasure of being in his classroom, but I am sure he was
an excellent teacher as well. When we lost Drew so unexpectedly early last year, we not only
lost a leading light in real estate education and research, but we also lost a friend, mentor,
engaging colleague and mentee. It is hard for me to write that word, mentee. As he is the first
mentee that I have lost in my career, the adjustment has been more difficult than I ever
imagined it could be. I have lost numerous mentors, including Jim Graaskamp, Bill Kinnard
and Marc Louargand, among others, whom I have written about in this journal. But to lose a
mentee who was entering the prime of his academic career has been a real shock to my
system.
It’s not supposed to happen in this order. He is supposed to mourn his elders, like me
(although I don’t want to admit I am an elder!). I am now getting a better sense of how
devastating it is to lose a child. Drew was not my actual student, but I met him as a student
through the doctoral programs sponsored by the Real Estate Research Institute (RERI) and
the American Real Estate Society (ARES). I had taken him under my wing at both of the
conferences that year, and I was proudly introducing him to these two organizations. I met
him at the RERI in May, and I chose him as my mentee for the following ARES meetings
because I found him so interesting and engaging and loved his unique background as a
planner. I have enjoyed watching Drew as he grew in confidence from being a doctoral
Journal of
Property
Investment &
Finance
323
Journal of Property Investment &
Finance
Vol. 42 No. 4, 2024
pp. 323-324
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1463-578X
DOI 10.1108/JPIF-07-2024-231
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