it became part of my life. So I will shed a few tears, imaginary tears." Death Winsemius died of pneumonia in the Netherlands on 4 December 1996. In a letter of condolences to his family, Lee Kuan Yew wrote: "It was Singapore's good fortune that he [Winsemius] took a deep and personal interest in Singapore's development. Singapore and I personally are indebted to him for the time, energy and development he gave to Singapore. I am proud to have known him and to have been his friend." When asked about his life as an economist, Winsemius once said, "There is quite a lot of satisfaction, perhaps not like that of, say, an architect who can look at something and say, 'I made it'. But there is that satisfaction in knowing that you have contributed to the well being of people you don't know..." Family Winsemius married Aly Schreiber. They had a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. Winsemius' son, Pieter Winsemius, served as Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment in the Dutch government from 1982 to 1986. Awards In 1997, Nanyang Technological University established the Albert Winsemius Professorship as a lasting tribute to Winsemius for his significant contributions to Singapore's economic development. For his contributions to Singapore's economic development, Winsemius was conferred several honours. In 1967, Yusof Ishak, the first President of Singapore, awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1970, he was conferred an honorary degree by the National University of Singapore. In 1976, he received the National Trades Union Congress' May Day Gold Medal of Honour. There is a lane in Clementi named after him. See also Economy of Singapore References External links Fact Sheet on the Albert Winsemius Professorship 1910 births 1996 deaths 20th-century Dutch economists People from Leeuwarden Economic history of Singapore Erasmus University Rotterdam alumni