Professor Charles Horngren
Appreciation
Professor Charles Horngren passed away in 2011, having taught at the GSB for forty years. To use the rhetorical expression “he wrote the book” would lose its rhetoric, because he did write the book. Professor Horngren basically invented accounting as we know it today. But more importantly, he made accounting fascinating. He made the numbers dance on the page, and we loved every minute of it. It was an honor to learn from him.
I asked a few of our classmates to present their thoughts about Professor Horngren:
“I had not studied in America before the GSB. In fact, I had only visited the U.S. once for two weeks and was worried that I would not be able to keep up with smart Americans at Stanford. Professor Horngren’s class gave me confidence. I could follow his clear explanations and using his book learn the concepts of accounting. He was a straight-talking American like I had seen in movies: very competent yet modest. Doing well in his class made me believe that I could compete in America. I am grateful for his teaching that I have applied reading thousands of annual reports over the years.”
Marko Dimitrijevic, MBA ’85
“I remember well an early session of Chuck Horngren’s class. He was the author of my undergraduate accounting textbook, and a bit older, so I expected him to be “resting on his laurels,” so to speak. Instead, I was so impressed with his energy and enthusiasm. I remember one class where, earlier in the day, he’d visited McDonald’s to gather insights for that day’s subject matter. He was excited about his class and subject matter — still an inspiration to me.”
Thor Iverson, MBA ‘85