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My Professor ~ Dr. Alonjo Clifford Cohen, Jr


by Dr. Dusit "Dusty" Charern

“Motive: Dr. Cohen was my professor from 1974 to 1978. After my graduation, I have had my loyalty to him. He was kind, smart, peaceful, giving, and being all American type person. He came from an electrical engineer degree. His major professor, Dr. Cecil C. Craig was from the University of Michigan. Dr. Cohen was a well known in mathematical statistics. I had learned high standard statistical theories from him. He was a professor of statistics at the University of Georgia for 31 years, retiring as a Professor Emeritus. He was a member of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, Mathematical Association of America, International Statistical Institute, and Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi and other honorary organizations. He served as a consultant to NASA in the Apollo program. He was a U.S. Army veteran, retiring as colonel in the Army Reserves.”


In 1974, I was in his mathematical statistics class at the University of Georgia. He became my professor since then. He has been the kind and nicest man I ever met in my life. He gave me his autobiography, “The Life and Times of A. Clifford Cohen, Jr.” in 1994. He wrote a note, “To Dusit, One of my favorite former students and an esteemed friend. A. Clifford Cohen, Jr. 8/30/94.” His note concluded my loyalty to him as a world class professor with his kind heart and a down to earth professor.


Dr. Cohen was born in Hansboro, Mississippi on September 4, 1911. During his freshman year of high school he became interested in learning to play clarinet. His experience in the band later enabled him to become a member of Auburn Band during his undergraduate college days. He told me that he was in the band and he graduated with his electrical engineering degree from Auburn University in 1932. By that time, its name was “Alabama Polytechnic”. He told me that only 750 engineering students and total of 1800 students enrolled at Auburn. The first two years at Auburn, he attended Army Reserve Officer Training (ROTC) program. There were two branches to choose from, the Engineers and the Field Artillery. He chose the Engineers. He told me that he spent ROTC Summer Camp at Fort Benning, Georgia learning various military skills in his junior year.


He told me that his first job was as an engineer working for Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh. He married with Dorothy (Mrs. Cohen) on June 16, 1934. Their marriage was 66 years until year 2000. They had a happy marriage. Mrs. Cohen life was longer than Dr. Cohen. She passed in 2006.


Dr. Cohen finished his high school from Brookhaven, in Mississippi in 1928, B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1932 and M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1933 from Auburn University, M.A. in Mathematics in 1940 and Ph.D. in Mathematics (Statistics) in 1941 from University of Michigan.


During World War II, he was assigned to be Chief of Quality Control in August 1941 at Pica Tinny Arsenal, Dover, New Jersey. On June 6, 1944, the “D-Day” invasion of Europe, he was assigned at the Pentagon. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in late 1944. From 1945 to 1947 he was assigned overseas in Europe. After almost six years of WWII duty, he was once free to resume his academic career. In 1947, he became a professor at the University of Georgia in Athens. The Korean War erupted in June 1950; he was assigned to Japan and Korea. In 1951, he returned to the University of Georgia. In the Vietnam era, he continued participation in the Army Reserve and was promoted to Colonel on June 20, 1960.


From July 1, 1969 until July 1, 1970, he was appointed as Acting Department Head. By the end of 1970, his list of publications contained 42 titles.


In 1974, I was his student. He was the best professor in Statistical Theories. He had eighteen M.S. thesis supervised, and twelve Ph.D. dissertations supervised. He had seventy three publications and three books. Publications have appeared in Journal of American Statistical Association, Annals of Mathematical Statistics, Annals of Statistical Mathematics, Biometric, Industrial Quality Control, Journal of Quality Technology, and Communications in Statistics, American Journal of Mathematical and Management Sciences and in Techno metrics.


My life had been with Dr. Cohen from 1974 to 2000 was excellent. He was my major professor for four full years with his kindness, love, care, peace, happiness and success. After my graduation in 1978, I always sent to him a birthday cake every year. When I am close to the University of Georgia, I would call him to stop by with a birthday cake. I found out a reason why he and Mrs. Cohen married forever. One day I called him in 1986 and wanted to see him. He told me to wait, let me ask Mrs. Cohen. I was joking at him that you were 75 years old and still asked Mrs. Cohen? That was why Mrs. Cohen was the boss. And Dr. Cohen had never been in trouble. He was politically smart.


In twenty six years, we have built a “student-professor” strong bond. I was with for his 86th birthday. He was very happy. I took him to lunch in 1997 in Columbus, Georgia with our Quality Research employees. We had more than twenty people. I drove from Huntsville, Alabama to say happy birthday to him, had our lunch and drove back in one day. I drove more than twelve hours. Our employees knew about my loyalty to him. One night in 2000, I dreamed of him twice in one hour, I knew that his spirit came to see me. I prayed and told him that I have loved him eternally. Our spirits are together forever. He died on April 17, 2000. Dr. Cohen was the best, the smartest, and the kindest professor in my life. I am proud to be his student forever.


In 1974, the Department of statistics had many famous professors: Dr. A.C. Cohen was the best professor in Statistical theories; Dr. Rolf Bargmann was the best professor in Multivariate Linear Statistical Analysis and computing techniques, Professor Kermit Hutcheson was Graduate Student advisor, Professor Carl Kossack was the head department. They worked as a cohesive team.


Dr. Rolf Bargmann was teaching a half of Ph.D. classes. He devoted all his life time for the Department of Statistics. I saw him spending 12 hours a day for his students. His classes and tests were very challenging to all students. I studied very hard for his tests. It took all three hours for every test he gave, and I had a weak A. Most Chinese students finished in two hours and had perfect scores or A+. I admired them for years.


The last year, I found out about Chinese students had Dr. Bargmann’s tests for more than ten years. They had all calculations done even before they took the test. They knew answers before. For me I had to crank my calculators for three full hours. Because Dr. Bargmann was too busy, he always picked his old questions for his new tests. I was proud that I did not have old questions in advance.


When I was a graduate assistance, I was using a wise technique to give all students the same questions, but each student has different data. I generated data from random number generators. Each student had to calculate by themselves to the end. Then I had related solutions to each student. We can check results from computer pages to all students. If Dr. Bargmann used my new approach, Chinese students had to calculate by themselves. They had to crank their calculators and finished it in three hours too. I hope new professors would use my approach to save their grading time and made all students had to calculate using their own brain step by step.


Dr. Cohen and Dr. Bargmann had been closed friends. One day I finished my doctoral dissertation. My English was still very poor. Dr. Cohen spent his time rewritten my dissertation with his own English style. When Dr. Bargmann reviewed my dissertation, he wrote down, “need improvement in English”. Dr. Bargmann did not know that was Dr. Cohen’s English. It was Dr. Bragmann’s perception for my poor English. I understood and corrected the best I could. Dr. Bargmann was a world class professor.


A few weeks ago, Dr. Bragmann came to my dream. He came to my dream many times after he passed away. He was my favorite professor in Linear Statistical models. He was the best of the best. All my professor spirits have been with me. They have been around me forever.


“Positive thinking: Our lives went very fast. What ever Dr. Cohen had learned in his life had been thousand times more than mine. This was the same as Dr. Bargmann’s achievements. Both Dr. Cohen and Dr. Bargmann were five stars. They complemented to each other in terms of statistical theories and statistical multivariate analysis. I have been proud to be their student. I love both from my heart and my loyalty forever.”