An Accidental Statistician: The Life and Memories of George E. P. Box

Chapter Twenty One

Memories

Here are a few excerpts from letters given to me on my 65th birthday in 1984:

I fondly remember, among others, these “labors of love” over the past years: Proofreading BH², helping Ron Snee with your “Practice and Theory” videotapes, and helping Bill Hunter, Bovas Abraham and Kevin Little with putting together this volume of letters. I wish you the best of health and everything else for the next 2⁶ years!

Steve Bailey

P.S. Here's one more “Factional fact”: How many persons attended the “Wisconsin dinner” at the ASA Meetings in Philadelphia last month? Why, exactly 64 (or 2⁶ ), of course!

You stimulated us to learn within the classroom, but like all master teachers, you also provoked us to spend much more time outside of lectures probing and arguing with each other and exploring this unfamiliar territory that held such a special fascination for each of us. From you we learned the importance of regarding published material with polite (and sometimes impolite) skepticism and the reality of the continuing iteration between conjecture and evidence. For those of us who would continue to be involved in research, this was an essential lesson. You also served as an incomparable role model for those of us who would become statistical consultants. The “real world” problems you assigned us, your joint discussion with us concerning these problems, and your restrained but incisive criticisms of our proposed solutions have had a lasting influence. Finally, for those ...