ASA Connect

Last night the statistics community lost a great statistician, collaborator, mentor, and friend. I first met Ingram at the 2013 JSM in Montreal when he showed up at our invited panel session on leadership and women in statistics. He and his old friend Dan Solomon, both strong advocates for women in statistics, sat in one of the front rows of the huge conference room. Ingram had such a wonderful 'look' to him: I knew immediately who he was. Afterwards, we shook hands and spoke. This wasn't just a meeting - it was a connection. Ingram told me he could talk to me for hours about women in statistics; I said that we would, and we did. Together, and including Yulia Gel, we worked closely to develop an edited book on leadership and women in statistics that contained insightful chapters by many statistics leaders. Ingram was proud of the book and hoped it would be influential - he would want me to tell you about it. Not too long after John Kimmel at Chapman and Hall issued the book contract to us, Ingram was diagnosed with cancer. But cancer wasn't going to stop Ingram. Shortly after his surgery, he invited me to his home to work and managed to drive me to lunch at the Stanford Faculty Club even as he held my arm to steady himself as he walked from the car to the club. I became accustomed to dialoging with Ingram on e-mail just about every day. I enjoyed spending the days with him and Nancy Flournoy in Dubrovnik, Croatia at the 2014 International Scientific Symposium on Biometrics, and especially watching him dance at the gala dinner at age 90! In academe, complements can be hard to come by, but not from Ingram: He may be the only person who has ever said to me, "Amanda, you're a genius!" Ingram was always a source of ideas, but he was just as happy to proceed with the ideas of others, which is to say that he was easy to work with. He touched the lives of so many statisticians. He cared about the women statisticians that he mentored at his NSF-funded Stanford summer mentoring program and fondly told stories to me about their successes. He measured up to the COPSS Scott award in every way and was an advocate for women in statistics to the very end. He was a kind person. He was a force.

Like many of you, I will miss him so much. - Amanda Golbeck

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Amanda Golbeck
Professor of Biostatistics
University of Montana
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Thank you Amanda for that tribute to Dr. Olkin.  I was also saddened to read about his death.  I met Dr. Olkin many years ago when he visited my former employer,  Eli Lilly, to consult and to give a one day short course on meta-analysis.  My colleague, Brenda Crowe, had set up the meta-analysis short course and she told me that she had invited both both statisticians and clinicians.  I remember thinking,  "what in the world would clinicians find interesting about the statistics of meta-analysis?'  I could not have been more wrong!  Dr. Olkin had so much energy and experience working with clinicians and communicated so well that the clinical researchers were participating and enjoying the class as much as the statisticians.  I still remember at one point,  Dr. Olkin mentioned how he liked the arc sin transformed scale and a woman asked,  "but what does that mean?"  Dr. Olkin responded,  "what does a size 8 dress mean?"   And then,  he and the women in the class had an interesting and lively discussion about dress sizes and how they were changing over time!    We as statisticians were fortunate to have Dr. Olkin as one of our leaders and he will be missed.  

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Roy Tamura
Associate Professor
University of South Florida

Original Message:
Sent: 04-29-2016 16:46
From: Amanda Golbeck
Subject: Remembering Ingram Olkin

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Amanda Golbeck
Professor of Biostatistics
University of Montana
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Original Message------

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Amanda Golbeck
Professor of Biostatistics
University of Montana
------------------------------

Dear Amanda and All,

This was indeed the saddest news that Professor Ingram Olkin passed away last week.

Professor Olkin was always supportive of many of us, the ASA, and our activities. His meta-analysis workshops with Chris were very popular. He was an invited speaker in a JSM session, sponsored by the ASA HPSS section. During the most recent planning for the ICHPS, an ASA conference, he even suggested that he would be happy to serve as a reviewer. Below is a fond memory of him, which is both endearing and inspiring:

• http://arxiv.org/pdf/0802.0557.pdf

The last time he spoke with me was during the JSM entertainment when The Imposteriors performed. The last time another prominent statistician would like to buy a copy of the leadership book, published by Chapman & Hall/CRC Press was just two days ago.

• Leadership and Women in Statistics

The ASA HPSS community will certainly miss the familiar sight of him during the upcoming JSM conference and his  support for many of us, particularly those young statisticians and women statisticians! He was indeed the mentor for many of us!

• Ingram Olkin: Mentor to Many

Rest in peace, dear Professor Olkin!

------------------------------
Kelly H. Zou, PhD, PStat, ASA Fellow
Chair, ASA SPAIG Committee
Chair, COPSS Awards Committee

Original Message:
Sent: 04-29-2016 16:46
From: Amanda Golbeck
Subject: Remembering Ingram Olkin

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Amanda Golbeck
Professor of Biostatistics
University of Montana
------------------------------

I enjoyed Amanda's thoughtful tribute to Ingram..  It was a pleasure to work with Ingram as on of the editors of Leadership and Women in Statistics. He made very useful comments on my initial draft, and when I received the proofs, he was very pragmatic in queuing me in on what changes the publisher would accept.  He was always supportive of me, although I never worked closely with him on other activities.  I knew him personally through interactions at professional meetings. He will be missed by all but especially by the women he mentored.

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Cynthia Clark
Administrator of USDA-NASS (retired)

Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2016 09:57
From: Kelly Zou
Subject: Remembering Ingram Olkin

Dear Amanda and All,

This was indeed the saddest news that Professor Ingram Olkin passed away last week.

Professor Olkin was always supportive of many of us, the ASA, and our activities. His meta-analysis workshops with Chris were very popular. He was an invited speaker in a JSM session, sponsored by the ASA HPSS section. During the most recent planning for the ICHPS, an ASA conference, he even suggested that he would be happy to serve as a reviewer. Below is a fond memory of him, which is both endearing and inspiring:

• http://arxiv.org/pdf/0802.0557.pdf

The last time he spoke with me was during the JSM entertainment when The Imposteriors performed. The last time another prominent statistician would like to buy a copy of the leadership book, published by Chapman & Hall/CRC Press was just two days ago.

• Leadership and Women in Statistics

The ASA HPSS community will certainly miss the familiar sight of him during the upcoming JSM conference and his  support for many of us, particularly those young statisticians and women statisticians! He was indeed the mentor for many of us!

• Ingram Olkin: Mentor to Many

Rest in peace, dear Professor Olkin!

------------------------------
Kelly H. Zou, PhD, PStat, ASA Fellow
Chair, ASA SPAIG Committee
Chair, COPSS Awards Committee

Original Message------

Last night the statistics community lost a great statistician, collaborator, mentor, and friend. I first met Ingram at the 2013 JSM in Montreal when he showed up at our invited panel session on leadership and women in statistics. He and his old friend Dan Solomon, both strong advocates for women in statistics, sat in one of the front rows of the huge conference room. Ingram had such a wonderful 'look' to him: I knew immediately who he was. Afterwards, we shook hands and spoke. This wasn't just a meeting - it was a connection. Ingram told me he could talk to me for hours about women in statistics; I said that we would, and we did. Together, and including Yulia Gel, we worked closely to develop an edited book on leadership and women in statistics that contained insightful chapters by many statistics leaders. Ingram was proud of the book and hoped it would be influential - he would want me to tell you about it. Not too long after John Kimmel at Chapman and Hall issued the book contract to us, Ingram was diagnosed with cancer. But cancer wasn't going to stop Ingram. Shortly after his surgery, he invited me to his home to work and managed to drive me to lunch at the Stanford Faculty Club even as he held my arm to steady himself as he walked from the car to the club. I became accustomed to dialoging with Ingram on e-mail just about every day. I enjoyed spending the days with him and Nancy Flournoy in Dubrovnik, Croatia at the 2014 International Scientific Symposium on Biometrics, and especially watching him dance at the gala dinner at age 90! In academe, complements can be hard to come by, but not from Ingram: He may be the only person who has ever said to me, "Amanda, you're a genius!" Ingram was always a source of ideas, but he was just as happy to proceed with the ideas of others, which is to say that he was easy to work with. He touched the lives of so many statisticians. He cared about the women statisticians that he mentored at his NSF-funded Stanford summer mentoring program and fondly told stories to me about their successes. He measured up to the COPSS Scott award in every way and was an advocate for women in statistics to the very end. He was a kind person. He was a force.

Like many of you, I will miss him so much. - Amanda Golbeck

------------------------------
Amanda Golbeck
Professor of Biostatistics
University of Montana
------------------------------

Many thanks, Amanda, for sharing both the sad news and your reflections on Ingram's life and contributions. I first met him when I was a graduate student in statistics at Stanford, a very long time ago indeed. He was energetic and interesting, and always had time to encourage students. Over the years, I came to know him better as a colleague and friend. He visited Stony Brook when I was on the faculty there, and his daughter was considering graduate schools, and he was determined to make sure that women in the field (like his daughter and like me) were treated not just superficially fairly, but with full inclusion. My recollections of his commitment to women, and his kindness to students and junior colleagues, echo Amanda's. 

His enthusiasm and support have meant so much to me and to others - we will miss him  for his intellectual contributions, but especially for his enduring warmth, kindness, and generosity of spirit. 

- Laurel Beckett 

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Laurel Beckett
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Dr. Olkin was featured in two ASA Distinguished Statistician Videos in 1997. Both can be viewed from the ASA area on YouTube. The first is “The History and Development of Meta-Analysis”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUy6q0ea0GU&list=PL9G4n1wtRTDSqgiwjqYMyMQaL7aESSxUD&index=21

The second, and my favorite, is “A Conversation with Ingram Olkin” where he discusses his life and career in statistics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Z5imcTXpw&list=PL9G4n1wtRTDSqgiwjqYMyMQaL7aESSxUD&index=20

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Rick Peterson
American Statistical Association

Original Message:
Sent: 05-03-2016 11:57
From: Laurel Beckett
Subject: Warm memories of Ingram Olkin

Many thanks, Amanda, for sharing both the sad news and your reflections on Ingram's life and contributions. I first met him when I was a graduate student in statistics at Stanford, a very long time ago indeed. He was energetic and interesting, and always had time to encourage students. Over the years, I came to know him better as a colleague and friend. He visited Stony Brook when I was on the faculty there, and his daughter was considering graduate schools, and he was determined to make sure that women in the field (like his daughter and like me) were treated not just superficially fairly, but with full inclusion. My recollections of his commitment to women, and his kindness to students and junior colleagues, echo Amanda's. 

His enthusiasm and support have meant so much to me and to others - we will miss him  for his intellectual contributions, but especially for his enduring warmth, kindness, and generosity of spirit. 

- Laurel Beckett 

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Laurel Beckett
------------------------------