Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL & Washington, D.C., July 12, 2011—Thinking Outside the Boxe is sad to announce that co-founder and contributor Sebastian G. Peréy passed away unexpectedly at his home on July 8, 2011 from a heart attack. He was 59 and had been with Thinking Outside the Boxe since the company’s inception in 2003.
Robert M. Clinger III, co-founder of Thinking Outside the Boxe, issued the following statement:
I am deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague and good friend, Sebastian. He has been with Thinking Outside the Boxe every step of the way as we’ve worked to build it into a leading independent think tank, and he was instrumental in devising its principles and goals as a nonpartisan, thought provoking center for ideas that at times were controversial. His support, encouragement, and confidence were always an inspiration to work harder for the betterment of the organization and myself professionally. His insights and wisdom came in handy on so many occasions when I needed someone to bounce ideas off and strategize.
We started Thinking Outside the Boxe after a couple of our articles were widely rejected by the mainstream media outlets. I guess we were saying things that were contrary to popular opinion, even though in hindsight we were exactly right in our assessments. From our prediction of the collapse of the housing market to our Social Security Reform proposal, we always strove to take facts available to the public to make our assessments, and we did a pretty good job at it. Sebastian and I often got into heated debates about politics, but we always kept things civil. There was never anything personal about our differences of opinion, and we were big enough to agree to disagree at times. On some of the more contentious debates, we’d always think about it and come back later on and come to some sort of mutually agreeable solution. His was the voice of reason when unreasonableness was dominating.
He was a mentor and a teacher, giving me lessons in life and business along the way—all those things you don’t learn in college. He always told me what I needed to hear; he wasn’t one to tell me what he thought I wanted to hear, like so many people do. He was my biggest cheerleader. It wasn’t because he had to but because he believed in me and what I was doing with the company.
He was there when I ran for Horry County Council, and we made a good run at it and ran a good, clean campaign. But when we came up short in the votes and I was feeling down about it, he was the one who reminded me about that Teddy Roosevelt speech, The Man in the Arena, that I’m so fond of and that Nixon was fond of. I guess he probably got tired over the years of hearing me quote both of them, but if he did, he never said anything; he always just smiled when I’d start quoting them. The talk or pep rally, whatever you want to call it, did the trick and got me out of the doldrums I was in after losing the election. He told me I could hold my head high and be proud of the job we did and that I put myself out there for the public and all the criticism that sometimes comes along with that. He said I could be proud of doing better than anyone ever thought I would do in that election, particularly since I was only twenty-seven years old at the time and a newcomer to the political stage.
He was a good man who had a tremendous positive influence on so many people’s lives, including my own. I’m thankful that I had the privilege of knowing him, and I’m grateful for the wisdom he shared with me over the years. I will carry that with me through life. He will never be forgotten by anyone who has ever been involved with Thinking Outside the Boxe.
In the weeks ahead we will be exploring the establishment of a scholarship to memorialize Sebastian and his contributions to and love for the study of economics. We will certainly keep all of our friends, associates, and supporters posted as to progress in this effort.