Obituary of Robert Wakely Kennard

Dr. Robert Wakely Kennard passed away on September 15, 2011 with his family by his side. Bob was born January 27, 1923 in Newark, Delaware. He was the son of Charles Emory Kennard and Hazel Strickland Kennedy Kennard. Bob graduated from Newark High School in 1940. He played clarinet in the band and was the class President and Valedictorian. Bob eloped with Betty (Helen Elizabeth Staats). They were married in Elkton, Maryland on August 22, 1941. He worked for the Diamond State Telephone Company and attended the University of Delaware until he was inducted into the Army. During World War II, Bob served in the United States Army. He sustained a back injury in training and had the first successful disc surgery that was performed at the Walter Reed Army Hospital. Because of his intellect and mathematical skills, Bob was promoted to Technical Sergeant and placed in the 2nd Signal Service Battalion of the Signal Corps. Bob was assigned to the Vint Hill intercept station in Warrenton, Virginia. There he identified and intercepted enemy military and diplomatic radio signals transmitted at high speed Morse Code. His unit broke the Japanese Purple Code and intercepted the Imperial Command's message to their staff that they were going to surrender to the United States. After Bob was discharged from the Army in 1946, he resumed his studies at the University of Delaware. Bob graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a distinction in Physics and honors in course. He worked for the RCA Company in Marion Indiana for a year but returned to the University of Delaware where he earned his Master of Science Degree in Statistics in 1952. Bob's Master's Thesis was entitled, "The Statistical Analysis of a Medical Experiment." He was also appointed to the University of Delaware Faculty. Bob and Betty moved to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania so that he could attend Carnegie Technological University (now Carnegie Melon). He earned his Doctorate in Mathematical Statistics in 1955, after writing a doctoral dissertation entitled, "The Determination of Significance Levels of Control Charts for Continuous Variants." During his time in the universities, Bob was a member of and honored by the following societies: Pi Mu Epsilon for Honors in Mathematics, Sigma XI for Scientific Achievement, Sigma Pi Sigma for Honors in Physics, and Phi Kappa Phi for Academic Honors. In 1955, Bob began his career with E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company in Wilmington, Delaware. He started as a Services Engineer in the Engineering Services Division. He moved through various supervisory positions in E.S.D. until 1961 when he left Du Pont for a one-year teaching assignment at the University of Delaware. Bob returned to Du Pont where he worked from 1962 until 1982 as the manager for the Systems Engineering Division. The Systems Engineering Division acted as the consultants for mathematics and statistics within the company. This Division was also in the forefront of computer use by large business. During this same time, Bob was on the faculty of the University of Delaware. He was an adjunct professor of statistics and probability. In 1972, the American Statistical Association elected Bob as a Fellow for his contribution to the profession, especially in the use of statistics in industry and in the areas of the physical and engineering sciences. The ASA presented Bob with the Fellowship at the annual meeting in Montreal, Canada. Bob served on the ASA Board of Governors Physical and Engineering Science Section. Bob and fellow Professor Arthur Hoerl investigated and wrote the Ridge Regression Theory. In 1982 Bob was awarded for "Seminal and Lasting Contributions to the Theory and Methodology of Regression Analysis" by the ASA. Bob was also an associate editor for American Statistical Association's Technometrics Journal. He published articles in the fields of data analysis and experimental design. In 1982, Bob retired from Du Pont and moved to Groveland, Florida. He and Betty had bought the family citrus groves there in 1968. He worked at the grove until it froze out in 1983. He then planted thousands of pine trees to develop a forest. He loved the grove and said this was his most loved home. Bob began teaching at the Lake Sumter Community College in January 1983. He worked in the Learning Opportunity Center as a part-time tutor helping struggling students learn mathematics. In 1984, LSCC convinced him to teach intermediate mathematics and statistics full time at the college. He did this for ten more years. In 1996, Bob and Betty moved to Cocoa, Florida to be near their son and his family. He followed them again to Satellite Beach in 2002 where he resided until his demise. Bob was a true genius in his time. He continued researching and studying right up until his demise. He was always learning more about physics, astronomy, and medicine. He maintained a large library and continued to receive the New York Times and scientific journals that he read daily. He was a very private man. Bob truly loved his wife and family. He enjoyed spending many hours with them. He worked with most of the family when they learned algebra and calculus in school. Bob was always ready with witticisms. His conversations were always short and to the point. His wisdom and foresight were unequaled. To quote one article written honoring him, "How prescient he was in so few words." Bob and Betty had just celebrated their seventieth wedding anniversary on August 22, 2011. Betty survives him. His son Eric Staats Kennard; his devoted daughter-in-law Cynthia Pellegrino Kennard; his grand daughter, Andrea Marion Kennard; and his grandson, Ian Harrison Kennard, and his brother Raymond S. Kennard also survive him. His father and mother and his brother Roger Kennard predeceased him in death. A Celebration of Bob's life will be held October 15, 2011 at 10 AM at the Satellite Beach United Methodist Church. For more information contact the Beach Funeral Home 321-777-4640.