In conjunction with its 50th Anniversary Celebration, The Department of Statistics presented its inaugural Alumni Award at the Golden Anniversary Banquet on October 6, 2024. The recipients were Dr. Tommy Wright and Dr. Gary Koch, both of whom have led impressive careers in statistical research.
Dr. Tommy Wright, who also delivered the banquet's keynote lecture, expressed his gratitude for his time at The Ohio State University, reminiscing particularly on the influential interactions he had with professors Ransom Whitney and Jagdish Rustagi. Graduating with a PhD in Statistics in 1977, Dr. Wright became a research staff member at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Mathematical Sciences Section, where he collaborated on a number of energy-related studies. He then joined the Census Bureau in 1996 as a research mathematical statistician and the director of the Center for Statistical Research and Methodology. With over 35 years of experience teaching statistics and mathematics, Dr. Wright continues to teach graduate students at Georgetown University.
Dr. Gary Koch received a BS in Mathematics (1962) and a MS in Industrial Engineering (1963) from The Ohio State University. After receiving his PhD in Statistics from UNC Chapel Hill in 1968, he began a notable career in research and education. In 1976, Dr. Koch joined as faculty the Department of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where has also served as director of the Biometric Consulting Laboratory since 1987. Dr. Koch received this award virtually, during which he delivered the following remarks:
"I very much appreciate being one of the recipients of the inaugural alumni awards, as part of The Ohio State University Department of Statistics 50th Anniversary Celebration. My academic exposure to statistics began at The Ohio State University with an undergraduate set of courses taught by Professor Ransom Whitney. During the first of these courses in fall of 1961, he identified opportunities for part-time hourly activities with the Statistics Laboratory, and I enthusiastically proceeded with them accordingly. At that time, the Statistics Laboratory was located on the 3rd floor of University Hall prior to its renovation, and my activities there included manual calculations, key punching data cards, and card sorting on a temperamental device that was located on the 4th floor (which had been identified as a no-access zone). The compensation was $1.00 per hour for 10-15 hours per week, although tuition per quarter at that time was $100.00 and very good meals could be obtained at cafeterias for $0.75. My enriching experiences with the Statistics Laboratory identified statistics as the discipline for my PhD graduate school program with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and subsequently my professional activities there for statistical teaching, practice, and research. Since my graduation from The Ohio State University, the Department of Statistics has had 50 years of outstanding growth and leadership, and I expect these trends to continue for the foreseeable future."