Dr. Alfred Descloux

Dr. Alfred Descloux, 89, died Sept. 7 at his home in Florida after a long illness. He was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland. He served as a lieutenant in the Swiss Army during World War II, and also spent half each year during this time enrolled at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) studying mathematics and physics. Upon completion of his Certificate in 1948, he did statistical work in Geneva for three years, and then applied for a grant to study in the U.S. He was accepted and began graduate studies for his PhD in Mathematical Statistics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 1955 he accepted a professorship in the Dept. of Mathematics at the University of Washington, Seattle. While there, in the spring of 1956, he was recruited by Bell Laboratories, the research institute of AT&T, and began work there in June 1956.

He stayed at Bell Labs until the divestiture of AT&T in 1983. He had many technical papers published, and also a book. In 1983 he began to work at Bellcore, the new telecommunications research facility, in Morristown, NJ., where he remained until his retirement in 1993, and where he was awarded the title of Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff.

From 1964 to 1997, Dr. Descloux was a U.S. representative to the International Teletraffic Congress at its tri-annual meetings. He served on the governing committee, presented several papers, and reviewed others. At his farewell meeting he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teletraffic Science.

Dr. Descloux is closely survived by his wife of 57 years, the former Joyce Ferguson, a son, Paul Descloux of Ossining, NY, a grandson, Jon-Paul Descloux of Boston, and a grand-daughter, Jacqueline Descloux.

A donation to the Prostate Cancer Foundation in memory of Dr. Alfred Descloux would be most appreciated by the family.