Arthur Stanley Goldberger

Madison - Arthur Stanley Goldberger died on Friday, December 11, 2009 at Select Specialty Hospital in Madison, WI just after his 79^th birthday. Art was a preeminent economist who taught at the University of Wisconsin from 1960-1999. His academic prominence was primarily in the technical field of econometrics, and his research often used advanced statistical methods, but he was widely noted and praised for his clarity of writing and for his pedagogic skills. He won numerous teaching awards. A leading journal in econometrics referred to his graduate-level text book, Econometric Theory, as a ""landmark that set a new standard of rigor in econometrics."" His research often dealt with controversial public issues such as the measurement of race and sex discrimination in labor markets, the heritability of intelligence, and the comparative effectiveness of public and private schooling at primary and secondary levels. His research in statistical methods and in the analysis of public policies were influential across the social sciences-economics, sociology, psychology, and the overlap between statistics and genetics.

 

The breadth of his achievements was recognized in his many and diverse professional honors. He was a Fellow of the Econometric Society, the American Statistical Association, the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and twice was a Guggenheim Fellow. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1985, he gave the Woytinsky Lecture at the University of Michigan.

 

The citation of all of Art's achievements cannot however begin to express the extent of the admiration and affection for him by his students and colleagues, across many departments. Throughout his career he expressed a generosity, a commitment to integrity, and informality in the service of his family, friends, community, and profession.

 

As for his personal life, Art was born on November 20, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York to David and Martha Goldberger. He loved to play tennis and volleyball, enjoyed gardening, crossword puzzles - specifically the cryptic puzzles, reading, listening to music, his friendships, daily trips to the coffee shop, and his cat, Plum. His quick wit, good nature, warmth, thoughtful, and easy-going personality created many life-long friends.

 

Art was most proud of his family. He was married to Iefke Engelsman Goldberger for almost 50 years. Iefke died in May, 2007. Their admiration, love, and respect for each other remained constant throughout their lives. Art is survived by his daughter Nina, his son Nick, their respective spouses Jeff and Carol, and Nina's son, Jake.

 

Throughout his long illness his strength and determination never weakened. In the end, he died the way he lived, surrounded by his family and friends.

 

We would like to say a very special thank you to all the staff at Select Specialty Hospital for taking such good care of our father and treating him with the utmost respect and thoughtfulness until the very end.

 

A Celebration of Art's life will be held at Blackhawk Country Club, 3606 Blackhawk Drive, Madison, WI 53705 in Madison on Saturday, January 23, 2010. Friends may gather with the family at 2:00 p.m. to reminisce and toast Art's life. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity or activist organization of one's choice.