Birnbaum memorial planned for April 6

A memorial service for Z.W. (Bill) Birnbaum will be from 4 to 6 p.m., Friday, April 6 in the Faculty Club. The professor emeritus of mathematics and statistics died in December at age 97.

A native of what was then Austria-Hungary, Birnbaum came to the U.S. during the upheaval of World War II. He joined the UW in 1939 and had a long and distinguished career that continued well beyond his retirement in 1974. Shortly after his arrival he developed one of the first comprehensive programs in mathematical statistics in the country. By 1948 he had founded the Laboratory of Statistical Research, further strengthening these programs until his retirement.

Known and honored for his research, Birnbaum made other contributions as well. In 1946 he used his legal and actuarial backgrounds to prepare the legislation that became the statutory basis for the UW’s retirement system. In 1955 he organized the referendum that resulted in the inclusion of faculty in the social security system. As a plaintiff during 1962-63 in the loyalty oath suit, he was the only witness whose testimony was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision.

Memorial gifts to the Birnbaum Fellow Fund, which supports graduate students, are welcome. Send to Don Marshall, Mathematics, Box 354350. The memorial service is open to the public.