A STATISTICIAN’S LIFE
Jerry L. Moreno
Degree(s)
AB in mathematics from
Lehigh University (1963)
MS in statistics from Michigan State
University (1965)

Employer
John Carroll University, Department of
Mathematics and Computer Science
(1968–2008)

Current Title
Assistant Professor Emeritus
What or who inspired you to be a statistician?
I knew from grade school that I wanted to be a
teacher, probably in mathematics I thought. No
doubt my dad, who was a professor of languages at
Washington and Jefferson College, had a consider-
able influence on my wanting to be in education
(so also did my fourth-grade teacher). The choice
of statistics as my primary area of expertise was a bit
by chance. Having graduated with an undergradu-
ate degree in mathematics, the question loomed as
to what to do next. Vietnam was a choice; graduate
school was another. So, off to Michigan State pur-
suing mathematics I went. But there was no area
of mathematics that consumed me. (I had had one
course in mathematical statistics at Lehigh, but had
no clue that one could actually make a career in sta-
tistics.) During my first quarter there, I contacted
one of my favorite professors at Lehigh for advice
on what to do. He suggested that I talk with a col-
league of his in mathematics at MSU. I did, and
he suggested that I talk with someone in the statis-
tics department (Jim Stapleton, as I recall). I did. I
switched to statistics in the second quarter and fell
in love with probability and statistics immediately.
SEPTEMbER 2009 AMSTAT NEwS 59
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