Our Family Tree

"The death in his sleep of Samuel Stanley Wilks at his Princeton home on March 7, 1964, ended a life of dedicated service to statistics, education, and the nation. Apparently in the best of health, his sudden death at the age of 57 shocked and saddened the entire statistical community. Those who knew him best recognized that his single-minded purpose was to improve the world, through his own efforts, through his training of young men, through the dissemination and application of the mathematical sciences, and through accepting, in good humor, and enjoying.¶ "Wilks, son of Chance C. and Bertha May Gammon Wilks, was raised with his younger brothers, Syrrel and William, on a 250-acre farm, small by Lone Star standards near Little Elm, Texas. . . “Sam” always spoke glowingly of Texas, of his family ties there, and, too, he took every opportunity to revisit his home state.¶ "As an undergraduate, Wilks studied industrial arts at North Texas State Teachers College in Denton, Texas, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1926. . . While teaching mathematics and manual arts in secondary school in Austin, Texas, he studied mathematics at the University of Texas, where he received his master’s degree in 1928. . . ¶ "Upon receiving his doctorate in 1931, he was awarded a National Research Council Fellowship in mathematics at Columbia University. . . He and Gena Orr of Denton, Texas, were married in 1931. The following year he was appointed an NRC International Research Fellow, and he worked both at the University of London and at Cambridge University. While in London, Stanley Neal Wilks, their only child, was born . . . ¶ "Upon completion of his two fellowship years, Wilks was called to the Department of Mathematics of Princeton University. . .¶ "For over thirty years, Wilks worked with the College Entrance Examination Board and with the Educational Testing Service (formed in 1948), advising on research design and analysis, on College Board score scaling and equating, on the development of mathematical tests at several educational levels, and on studies of mathematical education. . . ¶ "In 1950-51 he again did research at Cambridge University, this time on a Fulbright Research Appointment. In the spring of 1956, under the auspices of the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, he visited universities and other research centers in India, Japan, and Australia. In 1963-64 he spent part of his time on tour as a Visiting Lecturer in Statistics for the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. . . ¶ ". . .During World War II, S. S. Wilks was a member of the Applied Mathematics Panel of the National Defense Research Committee (OSRD). His help was constantly sought by Army and Navy officers, and by other scientists working on weapon design and use for the military services. Wilks directed the Statistical Research Group of Princeton University which solved problems for both the Army Air Force and the Navy. In 1947, he was awarded the President’s Certificate of Merit for his war-time contributions toward antisubmarine warfare and the solution of convoy problems. ¶ "Wilks was a “charter member” in 1951 of the American Statistical Association’s Advisory Committee on Statistical Policy to the Office of Statistical Standards of the Bureau of the Budget. . . He was for a long time a trusted consultant and advisor to the National Security Agency. He served the National Science Foundation from 1951 through 1955 as a member of the Mathematical, Physical Sciences, and Engineering Division, and from 1957 through 1962 as a member of the Division Committee of the Social Science Division. From 1948 through 1963, he served on the Selective Service Scientific Advisory Committee, which developed the present deferment system for college students. . . ¶ ". . .The funeral service for Samuel S. Wilks was held at Denton, Texas, March 11 [1964]. He was buried at Little Elm Cemetery near Little Elm, Texas."

died at home unexpectedly in his sleep

tombstone inscription: Samuel S. Wilks; Statistician; June 17,; 1906; Mar. 7,; 1964; Princeton 1933-1964.

U.S. Army Wilks Award - The Army Wilks Award is given periodically at this conference to a deserving individual who has made a substantial contribution to statistical methodology and application impacting the practice of statistics in the Army through personal research in statistics or application of statistics in the solution of Army problems. The award was established to commemorate the career of Prof. Samuel S. Wilks and especially his service to the Army