Emeritus Professor William J. Studden: 1935-2013

04-11-2013

Emeritus Professor William J. Studden passed away suddenly on March 19, 2013. He was 77. Bill was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on September 30, 1935. Professor Studden received his B.S. from McMaster University (1958) and his Ph.D. from Stanford University under the direction of Samuel Karlin (1962). Bill joined Purdue University in 1964, and was one of the original members of the Department of Statistics. He was internationally renowned for his work on optimal designs, moment problems, splines, inequalities, and Tchebycheff systems. His co-authored book with Samuel Karlin on Tchebycheff's systems with applications in analysis and statistics continues influence the work of generations of statisticians and mathematicians. Professor Studden advised sixteen Ph.D. students, and was a member of Sigma Xi, a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and an elected member of the International Statistics Institute. Although Bill retired in 2005 as a faculty member in Statistics he remained active in research, was an avid reader, enjoyed exploring genealogy, and had a lifelong interest in antiques. Bill is survived by his wife, Myrna M. Harrison Studden.

Donations in honor of Professor Studden may be made to the William J. Studden Publication Award. The William J. Studden Publication Award was established in 2005 and recognizes a Ph.D. student enrolled in the Department of Statistics at Purdue University for an outstanding publication in mathematical statistics.