Herbert F. Spirer Ph.D.

1925 - 2018

Herbert F. Spirer, Ph.D.
Herbert F. Spirer, Ph.D., a resident of Stamford since 1955, passed away on October 25, 2018 in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was born in Philadelphia on October 8, 1925 to the late Irvin E. Spirer and Rose Spirer.
Dr. Spirer served in the US Navy during World War II. Afterwards, he attended Cornell University on the GI Bill, graduating with a B.A. in Engineering Physics. After working at a number of engineering firms in Stamford, he returned to school to earn his Masters and Doctorate Degrees in Operations Research from NYU. Dr. Spirer then joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut Graduate School of Business where he taught Statistics and Operations Research at the Stamford branch. He retired as a full professor and was later named Professor Emeritus.
After retiring, Dr. Spirer served as a statistical consultant on data analysis to the United Nations International Tribunal, Human Rights Watch, the Institute for the Study of Genocide and other organizations. As a chair of the American Statistical Association's Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, he led a number of international human rights campaigns. Later in life, Dr. Spirer volunteered with the Friends of Ferguson Library.
Dr. Spirer authored and co-authored a number of publications, including Misused Statistics, a widely used textbook. Elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1994, he was also inducted into the International Statistical Association in recognition of his achievements.
Dr. Spirer was an avid cyclist and an amateur photographer, who could fix anything. He loved ballroom dancing and continued to work out at the gym until age 92. Dr. Spirer was known for his sense of humor and wit, his infinite kindness and his devotion to his wife and family. He was well-loved as a neighbor, teacher, friend, father and grandfather.
He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Louise; son Jeffrey David Spirer of Lisbon, Portugal; son Daniel Rice Spirer of Cambridge, Massachusetts; daughter Ellen Spirer Socol of Yonkers, New York, along with daughters-in-law Kathleen Spirer and Tanya Spirer, son-in-law Thomas Socol and grandchildren Ryan Sullivan, Sam Spirer, Zachary Spirer and MeiLi Socol.
Donations can be made in memory of Herbert Spirer to the Spirer/Dueker Student Humanitarian Achievement Award Fund at the University of Connecticut. Please make checks payable to: The UConn Foundation, Inc. and include the following: 'Spirer/Dueker Student Humanitarian Achievement Award Fund (#30821). In memory of Herbert Spirer and mail to: UConn Foundation, 2390 Alumni Drive Unit 3206, Storrs, Connecticut 06269 or donate online: s.uconn.edu/spirer.