Journal of the Southwest

Professor Helen Ingram's international standing of distinction has been recognized in many ways. There are dozens of publications in internationally recognized journals summarizing her research. She has made presentations and contributions to innumerable international conferences and symposia—both here in the United States and abroad. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors recognizing her rare scholarly distinction in political science. In addition, she has been a superb instructor and peerless mentor of both undergraduate and graduate students. Helen has literally stood above all with her achievements in mentoring dozens of women and not a few men through PhD programs and into faculty positions. In this respect she is a true heroine.

Testaments to all of this abound in this volume and elsewhere. I have been asked to discuss Helen's international activities. Rather than discuss what is already published and known, impressive as it is, I wish to focus on some of her less well-known international activities that, in the long run, may have made or will yet make highly significant contributions throughout the world to public policy making in general and water policy making specifically. Following some personal history and a brief valedictory I summarize and interpret some of her contributions through international channels that have not always been well publicized.

Helen Ingram and I have been associated either directly or indirectly throughout our entire professional careers. We were both employed by the National Water Commission and made contributions to their final report (U.S. National Water Commission, 1973) at the outset of our careers. Following that early service both of us took on academic positions and remained in academe for the rest of our professional lives. I was at the University of California at Riverside from 1970 to 1991. For most of that time Helen was at the University of Arizona. During that period we did not see each other frequently but our periodic contacts were [End Page 25] intense. We had several memorable exchanges about the pros and cons of water markets and some of the nuances of groundwater management. Following that initial period Helen moved to the University of California at Irvine while I took on an administrative position in the Office of the University President. As colleagues at the University of California our contacts were more frequent and also extremely rewarding. Thus, for example, together with other university colleagues we participated in a three-day retreat with members of the California legislature focused on water policy. In the late 1990s I was asked to provide leadership for an international forum on water policy endowed, in part, by the Bank of America in honor of Richard Rosenberg, retiring chairman of the bank.

The Rosenberg Forum, as it is now known, meets every two years in different venues around the world. Participation is restricted to no more than 50 water scholars and senior water managers. Participants in a typical forum will come from between 25 and 30 countries. Papers are prepared ahead of time and sent to participants. Authors will then summarize the papers at the forum allowing ample time for roundtable discussions, the core of the forum. To date, nine forums have been held: (1) San Francisco, United States, 1997; (2) Barcelona, Spain, 1999; (3) Canberra, Australia, 2002; (4) Ankara, Turkey, 2004; (5) Banff, Canada, 2006; (6) Zaragoza, Spain, 2008; (7) Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2010; (8) Aqaba, Jordan, 2013; and (9) Panama City, Panama, 2016. In addition, there have been several regional forums and workshops which addressed specific problems of water management and planning in various locales. A sample of these are discussed in the remainder of this paper.

Following the early forums I became alarmed at the absence of women participants and authors. This was partially attributable to the fact that the Forum Advisory Committee was entirely male. The remedy was simple and effective: Put Helen Ingram on the Advisory Board, where she has now served for over 10 years and continues to serve. During her period of service we have been blessed with a very diverse group of participants and authors. The Advisory Board is responsible for...