Dr. Richard M. Alston, Professor Emeritus. began teaching at Weber State University in January, 1969. He retired in January, 2007 after 37 years. He served for six years as Department Chair in Economics (1990-1996).  Dr. Alston was a Visiting Professor at Michigan State University (1977-1978), where he taught principles of economics to classes ranging in size from 437 to 740 students. While at Michigan State he also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in resource economics. He was a visiting professor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado during five summer sessions, 2004 - 2008. Soon after retiring he served as a visiting professor at Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China (March-April, 2007).

He was the consulting and coordinating editor for Economics, 2^nd edition, 2000 (Worth Publishers), written by Tregarthen and Rittenberg. Together with Dr. Wan Fu Chi, another professor of economics at WSU, he was the co-author of computerized tutorial software for principles and intermediate economics courses that were used during the late 1980s and 1990s at colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Dr. Alston won many teaching awards over the years including Professor of the Year (1974), Presidential Distinguished Professor (1981-82), and Crystal Crest Master Teacher (1988 and again in 1998).

In addition, Dr. Alston was awarded the Weber State Faculty Award for Scholarship in 1990 and the John S. Hinckley Award for exemplary teaching, outstanding scholarship, and extraordinary service (1992). At the time of his retirement, he was in his fifth 3-year team as the Willard L. Eccles Environmental Policy Research Fellow. In addition to many articles in professional journals, Dr. Alston published 2 books and 4 research monographs focused on the history and evolution of the policies that guided the U.S. Forest Service in the management of public lands.

Dr. Alston's wife, Bette, graduated from WSU with a degree in Bus. Admin. In 2000, she retired from Hill Air Force Base after 15 years as a contract administrator/negotiator. They have six children/step children, 11 grandchildren, and, as of 2009, 1 great grandchild. In the early 1960s Alston was a ski instructor for the University of Utah and he was a certified professional ski instructor (PSIA) at Snow Basin during the 1970s and 1980s. His avocation now, however, is golf, where his handicap (ranging from 14-22) is his swing. The Alston's reside in Palm Springs, CA.

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