Birnbaum, Z. W. (Zygmund William), 1903-2000

Zygmunt William Birnbaum was born in Lwoʹw, Austria-Hungary, in 1903. After obtaining a law degree in 1925 and a Ph. D. in mathematics in 1929, both from the University of Lwoʹw, Birnbaum pursued postdoctural studies at the University of Göttingen in Germany, 1929-1931. Due to worsening economic and political conditions in Germany, Birnbaum worked in New York as a newspaper correspondent and then accepted a research assistantship in biometrics at New York University. In 1939, he joined the University of Washington Department of Mathematics, beginning a distinguished career that extended well beyond his university retirement in 1974. In Seattle, Birnbaum met and married Hilde Merzbach while both of them were involved in assisting Jewish refugees arriving from Europe. These included his cousins, Rita and Jakob Berger, but despite exhaustive efforts, he could not rescue his mother, father, and sister, who eventually perished in Auschwitz. Birnbaum did, however, bring, among others, several talented scientists to the U.S. He also corresponded with another good friend from Lwoʹw, Ala Manelska, who survived six years in a Siberian prison. Birnbaum's academic contributions included teaching and service as well as research and publishing in mathematics and statistics. Among other awards, he received the prestigious S.S. Wilks Medal of the American Statistical Association, and he fought segregation at Institute of Mathematics Statistics meetings. Birnbaum was an outdoor enthusiast in his earlier Seattle years. He died in December, 2000.

From the description of Zygmunt William Birnbaum photograph collection, circa 1930-1990 [graphic]. ca. 1930-1990. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 58969421

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