Manuel F. Ayau (1925-2010)
By Robert Higgs • Wednesday August 4, 2010 7:40 AM PDT • 12 Comments
With great sadness, I convey the news I have just received that Manuel F. Ayau died yesterday. Known to his friends as Muso, Ayau was one of the greatest persons I have had the privilege to know. I am not given to hero worship, but I do not hesitate to affirm that, to me, Muso was a hero.
Ayau was the principal founder of the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City. He was also a successful entrepreneur, an active participant in the public affairs of his country, and a dedicated champion of liberty there and throughout the wider world. The proud patriarch of a beautiful family, a warm friend to countless adherents of classical liberalism, and man of tremendous energy and striking courage, he exemplifies the realization of the finest potential that human beings can achieve.
The university he founded and led to maturity is now a beacon to those who seek knowledge and wisdom; it stands as without doubt the finest institution of higher education in Guatemala, and in many respects, it has no peer anywhere in the world. I have been honored to have played a small role in its affairs, and I am sure that it will ascend to even greater heights of accomplishment in the future, paying a fitting tribute to the man whose vision, dedication, and personal bravery brought it into being.
Muso is gone now, but his spirit will live forever in the hearts of the multitude who knew, admired, and loved him.
Tags: Austrian School of economics, Civil Society, Culture, Economics, Education, Family, Free Market, Integrity, Latin America, Liberty, Morality, Natural Law, Personal Liberty, Philosophy 
Bob:
I’m so very saddened to hear this, Muso was, indeed, a hero, and possessed such warm and generous spirit. We will miss him whole-heartedly.
Mary Theroux | Aug 4, 2010 | Reply
Thank you for kindly and warmly posting on Muso’s passing. Mary and I so very fondly knew him and Olga and their family for many years and we have lost a great and courageous champion of liberty and educational excellence. He was a phenomenal teacher, entrepreneur, civic leader and father. Manuel Ayau was truly a prince among men who has inspired countless people worldwide, including us.
Some years ago, I had the pleasure to come to Muso’s defense in the Wall Street Journal when under the Clinton Administration, the U.S. State Department launched an outrageous smear campaign against Muso and Francisco Marroquin University. Needless to say, Muso’s graciousness and peerless integrity could not be undermined by anyone, especially sleazy, partisan operatives opposed to the free market ideas that he boldly advanced for decades.
David J. Theroux | Aug 4, 2010 | Reply
I am sorry to learn of the death of this great man. You can add also to the list of his many accomplishments the fact that he was one of the founders of the Orthodox Church in Guatemala. His daughter, Ines, is the Abbess of the Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Trinity near Guatemala City.
Fr. Seraphim Bell | Aug 4, 2010 | Reply
Indeed, Muso played a major role in my life, as he was a member of the panel in 1982 that judged the essays in the Olive W. Garvey competition. He and the others graciously put my paper in first place, and I had the opportunity to meet him at the Mont Pelerin Society meeting in what was then West Berlin that year.
The experience was life-changing for me, as it put me on a track to go into economic study full-time and receive my Ph.D. I’ll always be grateful to Prof. Ayau, and I had the pleasure of seeing him many times afterward. My wife and I also adopted a little girl from Guatemala in 2000 and he always would ask about her.
This truly is a man who will be missed, and rightly so.
William Anderson | Aug 4, 2010 | Reply
Very sad, indeed. Muso accomplished much and leaves behind many friends and admirers.
Tom G. Palmer | Aug 4, 2010 | Reply
Dear Friends of Muso,
I am Muso’s grandson. Please allow me to thank you for your warm messages regarding my grandfather.
I am trying to recopilate any articles or pictures that would help me make a memorial for Muso and Olga. Seeing that most of you met Muso at some point in his life, I would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly send me any pictures or letters you may have of him that you consider would be a nice memory to have to andres.ayau@gmail.com
Thanks again for your messages.
Andres Ayau | Aug 5, 2010 | Reply
These comments about Muso are indeed accurate and precise.
Our friend and mentor has preceded us along the path that everyone will eventually take. He has earned a well-deserved rest after a long and fruitful life. We can only hope that, when our own day arrives, we may have accomplished even a tiny fraction of what he did.
F. Alfredo Rego | Aug 11, 2010 | Reply