Department News

Theodore W. Anderson 1918‒2016

We regret to announce today the loss of our esteemed colleague, Ted Anderson, emeritus professor of Statistics and of Economics. Ted was taken to Stanford Hospital last Wednesday after suffering heart issues; he passed away early Saturday morning, September 17th.

Ted has been a towering intellectual figure in our department for close to 50 years, attending faculty meetings and coming to seminars regularly each week until just this summer. Amazingly, he submitted his last technical paper less than a month ago. His wide-ranging contributions to statistics and econometrics have had an enormous influence on the field and have demonstrated lasting value. His textbook, An Introduction to Multivariate Statistical Analysis, first appeared in 1958 and educated a generation of theorists and applied statisticians. Rapidly assuming the status of a classic with its extraordinary impact, this volume helped to define the field of multivariate analysis.

 
Beyond his monumental accomplishments, Ted is also remembered as a tall, handsome man coming to Sequoia Hall in a big blue convertible Cadillac. Intellectual power came with style, and both will be sorely missed.
 
On October 3rd, the Department of Economics posted their tribute to Ted.