Member Spotlight
Jean Dickinson Gibbons
only female student, but there weren’t many of us.
My career in academia lasted 35 years at three
universities, and I was always the only female in the
department. Starting in the 1970s, we had a few
female graduate students; over the years, the num-
ber grew dramatically and I enjoyed the opportu-
nity to serve as both a role model and mentor for
many young ladies. I authored a chapter on statis-
tics for the book aptly titled Nontraditional Careers
for Women, edited by Sarah Splaver and published
by Julian Messner in 1973.
I was always very active in the ASA and am a
life member. I was extremely proud to be elected
a Fellow in 1972 at age 34. I was the chair of the
Committee on Women in Statistics from 1972–
1974, and we put together the Roster of Women
in Statistics, published by the ASA in 1974. I will
never forget the tough grilling I received from the
male members of the ASA Board of Directors when
I presented the request from COWIS to publish a
roster. I served four terms on the boardt— he first as
representative at large from 1972–1974—and was
program chair for the 1976 JSM in Boston, among
Jean Dickinson Gibbons with her husband, John s. Fielden
many other ASA activities.
I was fortunate to receive scholarships that
completely paid for my graduate education and
A
s an elderly female statistician, I was pleased
am currently funding sev-
that Sally Morton requested some gender
eral students. My husband,
data analysis of the ASA Fellows. Specifically,
John S. Fielden, and I have
I learned that 31% of current ASA members are
made provisions in our wills to
female and, in 2005, 26.8% of ASA Fellow awards
endow scholarships for PhD
null
several of the faculty
went to females. As the saying goes, “You’ve come a
students in statistics through
and I went to lunch at
long way, baby,” just in my lifetime. A male col-
the ASA and Virginia Tech. I
the Faculty Club and
league once told me I was at least 10 years ahead of
retired as chair of the applied
my time, and that really is close to the truth.
statistics program and Russell
were told females were
I earned my BA and MA in mathematics from
Professor at the University of
Duke University in 1958 and 1959. I did not much
not allowed.
Alabama in 1995 and live in
enjoy higher math because I could not see its appli-
Ft. Pierce, Florida, with my
null
cations. As an undergraduate, I took a course in
husband and dog, Judgie. I am currently preparing
business statistics, but had no other exposure. Then
the 5th edition of my book with Subha Chakaborti,
in 1959, I was fortunate to receive an NSF [National
Nonparametric Statistical Inference.
Science Foundation] grant to attend the Southern
Three anecdotes will be of interest to females
Regional Education Board Summer Session in
today. When I was searching for an academic posi-
Statistics at North Carolina State University; this
tion in the Philadelphia area in 1963, I wrote to the
began my lifetime love affair with statistics, my
chair of the Statistics Department at the Wharton
vocation and my avocation. I went on to earn a
School of the University of Pennsylvania. Even
PhD from Virginia Tech in 1962. I was never the
though I received no answer to my request for an
16 AmstAt News NOVEMBER 2009
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