Glen Morris Southward

Glen Morris Southward changed his permanent address to heaven on February 9, 2017, after a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer's. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, cousin, brother-in-law, and friend. Morris was born to G.P. and Emma Southward in Boise, Idaho, on October 8, 1927. His childhood was full shared experiences with his parents: fishing, hunting, camping. He attended high school and junior college in Boise before moving to Seattle, Washington, to pursue higher degrees. All during his education process, he worked full-time and raised a daughter and son who gave him great pride. With the requisite degrees in hand he began a career as a college professor and statistical consultant. His work took him to Pullman, Washington, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and, after a return to serving as a biometrician with the International Pacific Halibut Commission in Seattle, he moved to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. As a consulting statistician in the Department of Experimental Statistics (College of Agriculture and Home Economics), he taught upper-level and graduate courses and collaborated on papers dealing with subjects as diverse as education, psychology, animal and range sciences, forestry, and fisheries and wildlife sciences. He completed three terms on the graduate council and annually served on as many as 25 graduate committees. Among students, he was known for breathing life and levity into statistics classes. He spent a sabbatical at the University of Edinburgh's Department of Statistics during 1981-82. In 1990, he consulted in New Dehli, India, for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. During his 18-year tenure, he received awards such as the Donald C. Roush Award for Teaching Excellence, but his most cherished was being designated Honorary New Mexico Rancher which included an acre of New Mexico sunlight. After retirement in 1993, he taught a statistics course at an experimental research station near Valencia, Spain. He was a member of the International Biometric Society, the American Statistical Society, and the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists. Morris had no hobbies because he treated every extra-curricular activity as a vocation. He was a weaver, a potter, a cook, and all his life he studied and loved photography. He skied like a teenager and loved to play golf. His children, Judith Ann and Richard Todd, gave him great pleasure and pride. His grandchildren, Zachary and Megan, were subjects of adoration. His daughter-in-law, Brenda, ranked among his favorite and beloved people. He was grateful to his first wife, Betty Jo, for the children they had together. He married Lorraine Kissack in 1974 and they spent amazing years together, traveling to Scotland, England, Ireland, the Isle of Man, India, France, Spain, and to Lorraine's hometown in Vancouver, B.C. Their relationship was a partnership founded in mutual admiration and unbounded love. Morris loved St. James' Episcopal Church and worked diligently in its service as junior warden. Services will be held at St. James' on February 24 at 1 p.m. No flowers, please. Donations to the Alzheimer's Association or the charity of choice. Arrangements by Getz Funeral Home, Inc. PDF Printable Version