Obituaries for January 2010

Ian Pablo Dusenberry

Ian Pablo Dusenberry, a member of the American Statistical Association since 2003, died from a pulmonary embolism on November 14, 2009.

Dusenberry began his undergraduate studies at Franklin and Marshall College before transferring to The George Washington University, where he earned a BS in statistics. While at GW, he interned for three summers at the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He was employed as a mathematical statistician at the Bureau of Economic Analysis and pursuing a graduate degree in statistics. His goal was to work with the application of statistical concepts and computational methodologies in biomedical research.

Dusenberry is survived by his younger brother, Alexander Dusenberry; mother, Martha Dusenberry Pohl; stepfather, Mark R. Pohl; father, John Dusenberry; and stepmother, Cheryl A. London.

Jacqueline Kennedy

Jacqueline Kennedy, a longtime member of the ASA, passed away November 8, 2009, at the age of 60.
Kennedy worked as a clinical statistician in the pharmaceutical industry for 25 years—first for Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, then for Wyeth (now Pfizer). She was instrumental in the development of several drugs in the inflammatory disease therapeutic area and retired as an associate director. Earlier in her career, she testified before a congressional committee on the hazards of hair dye and its potential risks on the health of hair stylists.

Kennedy spent many years in service to the statistics profession. The American Society for Quality recognized her dedicated service with an award for excellence for her work at the annual Deming conferences. She was an active member of the American Statistical Association, the American Public Health Association, and the Society for Clinical Trials, serving as a moderator or presenter at many of the meeting sessions.

Kennedy attended Prairie View A&M University in Texas on full scholarship, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in chemistry. At Prairie View, she was a charter member of the Eta Beta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, an organization with which she was actively involved for the rest of her life. She earned her Master of Science degree in biostatistics at Georgetown University. There, she was inducted into Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honor society, and received a National Science Foundation fellowship to study at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Kennedy was a wonderful family member to her brothers and sisters and a role model to their children, making every holiday with them “a teaching moment.” After Hurricane Katrina, she tackled the challenging job of working to rebuild her parents’ home in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Her generosity did not end with her family. Kennedy gave joyfully and endlessly to many causes, but particularly to education. A great mentor and supporter of youth, she encouraged young people to study hard, do well in school, and look beyond the present to reach their dreams. She was proud of her continuing service to the education and scholarship committees of the organizations she belonged to, especially Delta Sigma Theta, which made her a Golden Life Member.

Kennedy is survived by her father, Ernest Kennedy, and six siblings and their families: Feltus Kennedy (Alice) of New Orleans, Louisiana; Joe Nathan Kennedy (Dorethea) of Bluffton, South Carolina; Marilyn Kennedy Streeter of Gaithersburg, Maryland; Caroline Kennedy Piggott (Carl) of Fulton, Maryland; Sylvia Ernestine Morrison (Robert) of Silver Spring, Maryland; and Jocelyn Kennedy Stephenson (Brian) of Columbia, Maryland. She is also survived by a host of aunts, an uncle, nieces, nephews, godchildren, cousins, and many dear friends and colleagues.

Donations in Kennedy’s name may be made to the Jacqueline Kennedy Mathematics and Science Endowed Scholarship, Office of Development, Prairie View A&M University, P.O. Box 519, MS 1200, Prairie View, TX 77446, Attn: Nelson Bowman.