A former ISU professor known for his leadership and pioneering research in the field of statistics died recently.

Oscar Kempthorne, distinguished professor emeritus of statistics and liberal arts and sciences, died peacefully in Annapolis, Md. on Nov. 15 of natural causes. He was laid to rest Nov. 20 at the ISU Cemetery.

Kempthorne, 81, is survived by his three children, two brothers, one sister and seven grandchildren.

Kempthorne was born in Cornwall, England in 1919. Friend and colleague H. A. David said he spent his days working on the family farm and studying.

“He had to teach himself a great deal of statistical math in order to compete with well-trained students elsewhere,” said David, distinguished professor of statistics. “He had to win several scholarships to attend Cambridge University in order to achieve what he was setting out to achieve.”

Kempthorne joined the faculty of Iowa State College in January 1947. He remained an active member of the department of statistics until his retirement in 1989.

David said Kempthorne was “extremely highly regarded” within the department.

“He was a man of great depth,” David said. “[He was] hard-working, [had] high ability, a questioning mind and great loyalty to the department of statistics at Iowa State and a love for the discipline of statistics.”

David also said Kempthorne “made his name early” in the world of statistics in 1952. At the age of 38, Kempthorne published his first book, “The Design and Analysis of Statistics.”

David said “[the book] immediately established Kempthorne as a major figure in the field of statistics” and was a “courageous move” for Kempthorne because the book covered serious minority issues, including the misuse of statistical analysis in making racial arguments.

Kempthorne wrote one more book, “An Introduction to Genetic Statistics,” which was published in 1957. He also wrote more than 140 papers and edited or co-edited four works alone or with colleagues.

The best thing about Kempthorne was not his accomplishments, David said, but his willingness to expand his knowledge of things beyond statistics.

David Hinz, professor emeritus of statistics, said Kempthorne’s versatility was one of his best qualities.

“One thing I appreciate most [about Kempthorne] is, although he was a very good theoretical person, he was also very good at the application of his work in the real world,” he said.

David also said Kempthorne was “always a valuable source of support” for his students and colleagues.

“He was a fighter,” he added. “He would present his views forcefully, challenge people, and above all, work very hard to understand. He was a very interesting colleague.”