I guess there must be a few econometricians who were "leap year babies" - that is, born on 29 February. I'm not one of them, but a former co-author of mine was. This is the first February 29th since he passed away, and it's a good day to remember how much fun we had working together.
Peter Hampton was my very first co-author (in 1976), and we published seven paper together. Peter's primary interests were in trade, regional economics, and urban economics. He loved working with data, and our joint work covered some diverse topics (as is illustrated by the references below).
Peter had a wicked sense of humour and could always be relied upon for an endless supply of good jokes. His sense of humour was matched only by his absolute modesty, and his care for his students.
Not only was Peter a leap year baby, but he was a twin. I never met his mother, but I like to think that it was from her that he inherited his sense of fun. After all, she had the wit to name her twins Peter and Wendy, knowing that they would "never grow old".
References
Giles, D.E.A. and P. Hampton, 1981. Interval Estimation in the Calibration of Certain Trip Distribution Models. Transportation Research, B, 15, 203-219.
Giles, D.E.A. and P. Hampton, 1984. Regional Production Relationships During the Industrialization of New Zealand, 1935-1948. Journal of Regional Science, 24, 519-533.
Giles, D.E.A. and P. Hampton, 1985. An Engel Curve Analysis of Household Expenditure in New Zealand”. Economic Record, 61, 450-462.
Hampton, P. and D.E.A. Giles, 1976. Growth Centres, City Size and Urban Migration in New Zealand. Annals of Regional Science, 10, 41-44.
© 2012, David E. Giles
:)
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