Emanuel Parzen, a Texas A&M University retiree, died Saturday in Boca Raton, Florida at the age of 86, according to an A&M news release.
Parzen came to Texas A&M in 1978 as a distinguished professor. He retired in 2009 as a distinguished professor emeritus of statistics, and went on to continue his research until his retirement. Parzen earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Harvard University in 1949, and received his master’s degree in 1951 and a Ph.D. in mathematics and statistics in 1953 from the University of California, Berkeley.
Parzen authored six books, including “Modern Probability Theory and Its Applications,” and in 1994 the university established the Emanuel Parzen Prize Lecture Series in the Department of Statistics in his honor. It is presented to North American statisticians in recognition of their careers in statistics.
In 1994, Parzen was awarded the American Statistical Association’s Samuel S. Wilks Memorial Medal for his research in time series analysis among other achievements. He was an elected fellow of the ASA, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2005, Parzen received the Gottfried E. Noether Award for his contributions to the nonparametric statistics field.
Funeral services for Parzen were held Monday at Beth David Memorial Gardens in Hollywood, Florida. Memorial contributions may be made to the Boca Raton Synagogue, 7900 Montoya Circle, Boca Raton, FL, 33433. In addition, cards, letters and other written forms of condolence may be addressed to the “Parzen family” in care of the Department of Statistics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
