Adventurer, Humorist, Wanderer, International Agricultural Economist

On December 19, 2022 Carlos “Tony” Arnade, 69, passed away peacefully at his home in Oakton, Virginia with his family.

Tony had an outstanding career with the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) over 38 years as a research economist and an economic modeler.  His creative approach and out-of-the-box thinking were recognized by his peers, who forged collaborations with him and sought his advice on research projects.    He conducted mission-relevant, and timely, policy research on a wide array of topics, including production economics, international trade, demand analysis, market structure, and food safety.  His innovative research was published in leading academic journals as well as in USDA research reports.

Born in Sucre, Bolivia on 25 June 1953 where his father was doing doctoral research, Tony grew up in San Antonio, Florida, a small, rural town thirty miles north of Tampa nestled amongst the lakes, groves, cattle ranches, and hills of central Florida.  His father was a professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa, and his mother was both a homemaker and later an academic librarian.

The second oldest of seven children, Tony in his younger years exceled at high school track, various part-time jobs including picking oranges, and was a world traveler with much youthful daring.  During his senior year in high school, he won conference titles in the mile and two mile, and was awarded the “blood, sweat, and tears” athlete of the year. Off the track, he was just as fast at picking oranges, a hard, dirty, manual labor job in the citrus groves. He was known for his warmth, humor, and ebullient personality.

While growing up, his family travelled extensively overseas. By the time he was nineteen, he had lived in Bolivia, Spain, Nigeria, hitchhiked throughout Scotland when facing a delay in the fabled overland route, famous in its day, from western Europe to India and then Nepal via bus, where he trekked nearly to the base camp of Mt. Everest. When living in Spain, he accompanied his older brother to a Beatles concert in Madrid. Carrying on the tradition, he and his brother later attended the Buena Vista Social Club concert in Singapore.

Tony obtained an undergraduate degree in Anthropology in 1975 from the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville where he first started his budding satirist writing in a column for the student newspaper.  While at UF, he won a bet that he could hitchhike across the county in three days or less. This feat took him three hours to catch his first ride and then only for a short leg; his second ride was a navy sailor required to be in Long Beach within 48 hours who needed another driver.

After graduating from college and working part-time as a substitute teacher, Tony joined the Peace Corps and served in the Philippines in a rural credit program. He learned the local dialect Kapampangan, and received training at the famous International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Philippines.

After his successful Peace Corps service, Tony obtained a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Florida where he met his future wife Dr. Elaine Grigsby, also an agricultural economist, from King George County, VA.  They moved to the Washington DC metro area and were married in 1983.  Tony began a PhD program at the University of Maryland before being hired by the USDA Economic Research Service in 1984 where he worked for close to 40 years.

With his wife joining the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1987, Tony and Elaine began over a 30 year career of overseas and Washington DC postings.  Their assignments included living in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Russia, and Azerbaijan. He was a fluent Russian speaker and also spoke Spanish and French.  While Elaine was carrying out her USAID work, Tony was either seconded to an international agricultural agency, or worked remotely for ERS.

Tony very much marched to the beat of his own drum. He loved playing guitar and learned to play banjo.  He moonlighted as a standup comedian and authored his own satirist news site (http://bananaws.com/) among other ventures. Wherever he was, Tony immersed himself in the local culture and loved to exchange stories with others of all stripes and backgrounds, befitting his anthropology background.  He was a competitive table tennis player for decades and made numerous connections wherever he went through his ping pong diplomacy.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years Elaine Grigsby, their son Julius, and his siblings and their families: Tim Arnade of Arlington, VA; Jeanette Pollock of Wilmington, NC; Peter Arnade of Honolulu, HI; Chris Arnade of New Paltz, NY; Stephen Arnade’s wife Amuy of Palm Bay, FL; Frank Arnade’s wife Elvie of Walnut, CA; and Aida Schipani of Hialeah, FL.

Tony was pre-deceased by his parents Charles and Marjorie Arnade, and his siblings Stephen and Frank Arnade

A service will be held Thursday, December 29, 2022 at 1:00 pm at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 1608 Russell Road, Alexandria VA, 22301  On Friday, December 30, the family will receive friends from 11:00 – 1:00 pm at the King George chapel of Storke Funeral Home, 11089 James Madison Pkwy, King George, VA, 22485.  A service will be held at 1pm, then a procession will lead everyone to the cemetery for the graveside service and burial.

Any flowers should be sent to the Storke Funeral home referenced above for the graveside service.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Rector’s Fund, Emmanuel Episcopal Church referenced above,  or a charity of your choice.

A celebration of life will be scheduled in 2023.