Regula Herzog, a U-M psychology professor and researcher who was awarded the U-M Distinguished Research Scientist Award this year, died in her sleep July 28. She was 61.
She was a senior research scientist at the Institute for Gerontology and the Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research. She also was an adjunct professor of psychology.
A native of Zurich, Herzog graduated from the Swiss Technical University in Zurich and, in 1976, received a Ph.D. degree in social psychology from U-M.
Herzog’s colleagues say her research will have a lasting impact, including her work on the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), one of the nation’s largest social science projects.
“She was a wonderful colleague in every way and was especially open to working with colleagues in economics, demography, medicine and epidemiology in designing and implementing the HRS,” says Robert J. Willis, director of the HRS, which Herzog helped to found. “Her ideas and vision embodied in the HRS form a lasting scientific legacy that will bear fruit far into the future.”
Herzog is survived by Michael Sivak, her husband of 27 years; David and Andrea Sivak, her children; Nora Herzog, her mother; Eva Wagner, her sister; and Hans Peter Herzog, her brother.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to the Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research.
—Submitted by the Institute for Social Research
Phillip S. Jones, a professor emeritus of mathematics who was a leader in mathematics education, died June 27 in Ann Arbor. He was 90.
Jones earned bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from U-M. He taught math at the high school and college levels.
After joining the U-M faculty as an instructor in 1947, he was named professor in 1958. He retired from the faculty in 1982.
Throughout his career, Jones worked closely with the U-M School of Education to further the cause of mathematics education. He was known internationally as an authority on the history of mathematics and math education.
“Phil was a member of our department at a time when we prided ourselves on abstract research. He excelled in an area that really didn’t fit into that mold,” said George E. Hay, professor emeritus of mathematics. “He loved to travel the country and speak to educators about mathematics and teaching.”
Beginning in 1951, Jones organized an annual Mathematics Education Conference held at U-M. Mathematics teachers and school administrators from across the state and country attended the conference, and it developed into the largest and most influential conference on mathematics education in the state. The conference was held annually in conjunction with the School of Education for almost 50 years.
Jones served as president and vice president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and was a founder of the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics. He was a member of the board of governors of the Mathematical Association of America and a member of the U.S. Commission on Mathematics Instruction appointed by the National Academy of Science.
He also was a speaker at the International Congress of Mathematics Education in 1972, and a presenter at the 1975 International Congress of Mathematical Sciences in Pakistan. He received an honorary doctorate from Northern Michigan University in 1972.
One of Jones’ major publications was the 1959 NCTM Yearbook, “The Growth of Mathematical Ideas, K-12.” His view of curriculum expressed in the book has been accepted broadly in elementary and middle schools and has influenced secondary school curricula.
“Phil Jones was willing to tackle new initiatives aimed at improving mathematics education. He was respected and admired by his contemporaries and he leaves a legacy of colleagues and students who carry on his passion for teaching,” said James M. Rubillo, executive director of NCTM.
Jones is survived by his children, Anne, Phillip Jr., Kristin and Roger; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to the Jones-Payne-Coxford Award Fund, U-M School of Education, 610 East University, Room 1111C, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48109-1259. The award is given annually to a graduate student in mathematics education.
—Submitted by the Department of Mathematics.
Edward Stasheff, a U-M professor emeritus known to students as Prof, died Aug. 3 at a hospice in Ann Arbor. He was 93.
Stasheff taught courses in radio, television and education from 1952 to 1977. He once had a television studio in the Frieze Building and a Department of Communication Studies lecture named after him.
After retiring in 1977, he taught part-time at U-M and in the Middle East until 1983.
Hazen Schumacher, a former U-M director of broadcasting and colleague of Stasheff, said his friend was incredibly energetic, incredibly funny and sharp.
He always used puns with his students, Schumacher said. For example, he said, Radio is an archaic medium, but we can’t have our archaic and eat it too.’
Before coming to Ann Arbor, Stasheff worked in educational and commercial television for the CBS and ABC networks in New York City. He ended his commercial career in 1952 by directing the ABC series, I Cover Times Square.
During leaves from U-M, Stasheff served as a program associate for National Educational Television and later traveled to Israel to help the nation establish a television service.
Stasheff, born in New York City in 1909, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia University. In 1968, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Eastern Michigan University. He wrote or co-authored five books and more than 50 articles.
He is survived by his four children, James D. Stasheff, Lansdale, Pa; Sonia Sunny Sutch, Jackson, Mich.; Sheridan Sherry Warden, Ann Arbor; and Christopher B. Stasheff, Champaign, Ill. Thirteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren also survive him. Memorial contributions may be made to Arbor Hospice, 2366 Oak Valley Dr., Ann Arbor, Mich., 48103, or to St. Mary’s Student Parish, 331 Thompson, Ann Arbor, 48104.
Submitted by Jared Wadley, News and Information Services
