Jane F. Gentleman

Wendy and David Gentleman

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Jane F. Gentleman following a lengthy battle with cancer. She was an inspiring role model who will be lovingly remembered and missed by her two children, eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, in-laws, extended family members, dear friends, and respected colleagues.

Jane Gentleman

Jane grew up in the Washington, DC, area, the only child of the civil liberties and Constitutional lawyer Joseph Forer and the public-school teacher, viola player, and volunteer English instructor Florence Forer. She felt a strong desire for siblings and adopted her two cousins as her “brothers.” Jane loved life and was passionate about math, music, and—most of all—her family. She was incredibly organized, fiercely independent, keenly adventurous, and bluntly honest. She could be both wildly silly and intensely serious.

Because she loved both math and English, Jane was torn about which to major in at university but, in the end, figured it was easier to do English as a hobby. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics (1962) and, while a working single mother, her master’s in statistics (1965), both from The University of Chicago.

She met her second husband, Morven Gentleman, in 1965 while working at Bell Labs in New Jersey. They spent a year in England, and then moved to Canada to work at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, and have a second child. They enjoyed an active social life and much travel abroad. She earned her PhD from the University of Waterloo (1973) and went on to become an assistant then associate professor in the department of statistics at Waterloo.

Jane moved to Ottawa, Ontario, in 1982 to work at Statistics Canada, first as a senior research statistician, then as chief of the Health Status and Vital Statistics Section, and finally as assistant director of analytic methods. She was also editor-in-chief of their journal, Health Reports.

Jane became a Canadian citizen and was proud to be a dual citizen of her two beloved home countries. She had many friends and volunteered for her local political party, community association, newspaper, high school, and the Canadian Amateur Musicians, Musiciens Amateurs du Canada.

In 1999, Jane moved back to the DC area to take a job as director of the Division of Health Interview Statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics. Her proudest accomplishments included interchanges between Statistics Canada and the National Center for Health Statistics; commemoration of the National Health Interview Survey’s 50th anniversary; and what she called her “legacy,” a poster showing a young girl analyzing data and saying, “I want to be a statistician just like my mom.”

Jane had a long and distinguished career, producing more than 180 publications, co-authoring a book on data analysis, delivering more than 180 invited talks, and engaging in all kinds of professional service. She was the winner of the Janet L. Norwood Award for outstanding achievement by a woman in the statistical sciences and the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics Alumni Achievement Medal in recognition of “her outstanding leadership and distinguished and wide-ranging research contributions in the statistical sciences, and for her advocacy for the status of women and health issues.”

Jane met the man she considered her third husband, Dick Shrager, through her involvement with the Washington Recorder Society. They spent 15 happy years together making music, going to concerts and the theater, eating sushi, and giggling over Dick and Jane references. They often vacationed with family. She missed Dick terribly after he passed away and continued to have conversations with him. She was a fighter who self-diagnosed her cancer and survived major surgery and chemotherapy. When it was clear treatment wasn’t working, she got herself into a clinical trial and navigated a complicated medical system. Because she was immuno-compromised, she self-isolated during COVID, maintaining her connections by going online for family calls, book clubs, recorder playing, French group meetings, and meetings with her “lady statisticians.”

We plan to hold a musical memorial in the spring. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her honor to Planned Parenthood.

Donald Guthrie

Donald Guthrie, 89, passed away peacefully on November 18, 2022, with family by his side.

Donald Guthrie

He was born to Donald and Clair Guthrie in Eureka, California, on July 8, 1933. Don graduated high school at 16 and soon thereafter graduated from Stanford University. He went on to complete an MA in mathematical statistics from Columbia University and returned to Stanford to earn his PhD in statistics. Over the many decades of his career, Don taught and researched at several institutions, most notably Oregon State University and the University of California at Los Angeles.

Throughout his career, Don was an innovator in the use of modern computing in statistics. His research and publications primarily examined child psychiatry and statistical computing. His love of baseball crept into his work, as well, including the editing of a special section related to statistics in sports in the Journal of the American Statistical Association. While research was important, his energy centered on mentorship. At OSU, he served as the major adviser for six of the first eight PhD students to graduate from the department.

In addition to a passion for baseball, Don became an avid runner, participating in numerous marathons—some more than once—including Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Avenue of the Giants.

He and the love of his life, Janet, were married in 1954, and they traveled the world after their children were grown, returning each time with an abundance of stories. They spent countless evenings enjoying a symphony or opera performance, and as they transitioned into retirement, Don and Janet moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington, to be closer to the younger generations of their family.

Don was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife, Janet; his sister, Jean; his children, Don (Candace) and Sarah (Jon); his grandchildren, C.J. (Ryan), Donald “Jack” (Stephanie), and McCage (Jennifer); and his great-grandchildren, Corin and Rhys.

Donald E. Young

Donald E. Young passed away peacefully on December 19, 2022, at age 100. He was born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1922 and survived the Great Depression and WW2. He served in the Army during WW2 from 1942–1946. First, he served with the 368th military police escort guard, guarding German prisoners of war in a prisoner of war camp in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. In 1944, his unit retrained as medics assigned to the 191st General Hospital and set up a 1,000-bed general hospital in Paris. Donald was chief of the hospital’s postal section and, in 1945, he received a certificate of merit from the European Theater of Operations United States Army in recognition of his “conspicuously meritorious and outstanding performance of Military Duty.” He also received the Croix de guerre, a military honor of the French government.

Donald E. Young

After WW2, Donald attended Boston University School of Management, majoring in economics and statistics, and graduated magna cum laude in 1950. He worked as a statistician for the US Census Bureau for 35 years (1950–1985), starting in the industry division and later moving to the International Statistical Programs Office, where he served as statistical adviser to the Government of the Philippines from 1956–1958 and 1961–1963. Donald also served as a consultant to the governments of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Paraguay and lectured at international statistical conferences in the Peoples Republic of China.

As assistant division chief for industry surveys in the construction division, Donald received in 1970 the Department of Commerce Silver Medal for Meritorious Federal Service for “providing new economic benchmarks by successfully executing the 1967 Census of the Construction Industries.” The Department of Commerce Silver Medal is awarded for exceptional performance characterized by noteworthy or superlative contributions that have a direct and lasting impact on the Department of Commerce. In 1977, Donald received a certificate of recognition for significant contributions to the 1977 economic censuses and, in 1985, he received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for Superior Federal Service for “significant contribution to publications of the 1982 economic and agriculture censuses and to international programs.”

Donald did not speak of his numerous recognitions, but after his passing, his family discovered his awards and recognitions, including his election in 1949 to the Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society—the highest recognition a business student can receive in an undergraduate or master’s program at a school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

In the International Statistical Programs Office, Donald designed training manuals for economic statistics and led educational trips for international trainees. While leading a group of international trainees to IBM in New York, he received a telegram stating, “We have a new trainee joining your group. Her name is Carmina Fernandez; take good care of her.” He took care of her for more than 56 years as they were married in 1960.

Donald and Carmina continued to work as Census Bureau statisticians until their retirements in 1985 (Donald) and 1992 (Carmina). Donald served as special assistant to the assistant director for economic fields before retiring with 41 years of government service. More than 95 colleagues attended his retirement luncheon. Donald was a member of the American Statistical Association for 70 years and a member of the International Association of Survey Statisticians.

Donald spent quality time with his family and taught his children to live honestly and honorably. He was involved in various community and youth activities. He served as vice president of the Eleanor Roosevelt Senior High Parent Teacher Student Association and was recognized in 1980 for outstanding service to the children and youth of the community. He was a big supporter of the Prince George’s County Science Fair and served as an honorary judge. The American Legion Department of the District of Columbia presented him with a certificate for serving with “honor and distinction” as post commander for the Department of Commerce Post 45 from 1973–1974. He also served as prior post adjutant of Post 45 DC Department of Commerce of the American Legion. In addition, Donald was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Clinton Post #9376 and a member of the American Legion Clinton Post #259.

Donald celebrated his 100th birthday in May of 2022 with a drive-by parade organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Also, the Singing Capital Chorus barbershop quartet performed for him. He received a certificate of recognition from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Governor’s Citation from Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

Donald was a loving father, adoring grandfather, and loving uncle to many nephews and nieces. From 2009 until Carmina’s passing in 2016, Donald was her primary caregiver. Donald passed away on the sixth anniversary of his wife’s passing. At his funeral mass, the American Legion honored him with a Post Everlasting ceremony, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars served as pall bearers. The Maryland Honor Guard paid him tribute with military funeral honors that included Taps and the presentation of the flag. He is loved and missed by many.