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Irwin Guttman, chair of the former Department of Statistics and an internationally recognized leader in the field, passed away peacefully on Feb. 26 at the age of 95. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, scholar and musician, Guttman lived a life defined by intellectual rigor, moral conviction and deep love for his family.

Guttman grew up in Montreal, where he developed both his formidable intellect and his enduring sense of social responsibility. He completed his PhD at the University of Toronto and went on to pursue postdoctoral studies at Princeton.

Guttman was a professor at the University of Toronto for more than 20 years before moving to Buffalo to become Chair of the Department of Statistics at UB. His research focused on statistical inference, design problems, variable selection problems and Bayesian diagnostics.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Guttman published more than 120 academic papers and five textbooks, contributing significantly to the advancement of Bayesian statistics.

His work influenced generations of scholars and practitioners around the world. In recognition of his profound impact on the discipline, he was awarded the Gold Medal by the Statistical Society of Canada in 1995, one of the field's highest honors.

Colleagues and students remember him not only for his unwavering commitment to academic excellence, but also also for his kindness, clarity of thought and integrity.

Guttman's life outside work was governed by the guiding principles of fairness and justice. In the 1960s, while working as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was deeply engaged in social justice issues and was particularly active in the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War era.

When he moved back to Canada in 1971, he actively supported a number of social justice organizations. In the 2010s, he initiated and supported a pro-bono challenge to ex-pat voting laws, culminating in a victory in the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of Frank v. Canada.

Beyond academia and activism, Guttman found joy in music. He was an amateur flute player and devoted lover of classical music.

Guttman's legacy lives on in his family, in the many students he mentored, and in the enduring contributions he made to his field. He will be remembered for his sharp intellect, sense of humor, endless positivity, and the quiet dignity with which he lived his life.