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What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

  • 1.  What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-07-2015 18:12

    Gene Woolsey, the provocative, irrepressible, bad boy of operations research, INFORMS, ORSA, Interfaces, and the Colorado School of Mines passed away on March 16, according to news that hasjust reached INFORMS. Here is a snapshot of his career https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/History-and-Traditions/Miser-Harris-Presidential-Portrait-Gallery/R.-E.-D.-Woolsey.

     What are your memories of Gene? Share them here. You'll read more in the next issue of ORMS Today.

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    Barry List
    A. Director, Communications
    INFORMS
    Catonsville MD
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  • 2.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-08-2015 06:58
    Barry, the link to the obit is broken.

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    Joseph Discenza
    President & CEO
    Smart Crane LLC
    Poquoson VA
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  • 3.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-08-2015 10:01
    https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/History-and-Traditions/Miser-Harris-Presidential-Portrait-Gallery/R.-E.-D.-Woolsey or go to https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/History-and-Traditions/Miser-Harris-Presidential-Portrait-Gallery and search for Gene's name.

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    Barry List
    A. Director, Communications
    INFORMS
    Catonsville MD
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  • 4.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-08-2015 11:54
    "provocative, irrepressible, bad boy of operations research"   yes - he was a role model for me as a young Air Force officer eager to APPLY my OR degree. When i found my niche in CPMS , and bought myself his book of real life OR applications, I continue to look up to him as a leader in our field - practical and examplary consultant.  Although I never met him in person I hold him in high respect and am grateful to his participation in our professional society.  I knew he was  active in both the academic arena AND the practicioner community -- and am eager to read more about him in the upcoming magazine.

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    Mary Grace Crissey
    Research Analyst
    Analytic Focus ,LLC
    san antonio TX
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  • 5.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-08-2015 12:35

     "Successful, witty, pompous ass. He is short, fat, bald, and looks like the second vice president of a Midwest Kiwanis Club that sings in a barber shop quartet"   so says his bio on our speakers page.   He left texas before I got here - but I do claim kindred spirit and look forward to meeting him in future destination/time.

    Does anyone have a transcript or recall hearing his talk entitled "How to Peddle Geometric Programming to the World for Fun and Profit" ?  I'd sure enjoy your recollections on that one. 

    Speakers page bio says he has graduated at leaast 247 students -- many while at the Colorado school of mines - who have gone on to save his or her company or agency over $820 million from their implemetations of OR projects!  wow   

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    Mary Grace Crissey
    Research Analyst
    Analytic Focus ,LLC
    san antonio TX
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  • 6.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-08-2015 15:07
    I'm very sorry to hear that Dr. Woolsey has passed. My favorite Woolsey memory is this. He was my master's advisor, and one day in the Spring of 1990 we were discussing my master's thesis. I don't remember what the point of contention was, but he firmly stated "Mader, that is BULLSH*T!" He suddenly yanked off his glasses, grabbed a blue marker and wrote "BULL" on the inside of one lens and "SH*T" on the inside of the other. He then put his glasses on, and we finished our discussion with him looking through his "BULLSH*T" lenses. The funny part was that as when I got up to leave, he grabbed his handkerchief to clean off his classes and remarked "Oh SH*T, permanent ink." ;-) I will miss the good doc. ------------------------------ Douglas Mader SigmaPro Incorporated Fort Collins CO ------------------------------
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  • 7.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-09-2015 13:11
    Just posted on the disORiented blog: Remembering Gene Woolsey


  • 8.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-10-2015 06:33

    It was my privilege to introduce Gene to the British OR community.  I had been attending INFORMS' meetings (ORSA/TIMS meetings as they were then) for a few years, when I was asked to Chair the OR Society conference in 1984, which was to be held in my own university, Lancaster.  I had listened to several presentations by Gene, and fully supported his message that OR was an applied subject, and that its application required practitioners to get fully involved in the problem they were investigating.  I was also aware that some (many?) senior members of ORSA and TIMS did not appreciate his bombastic style.  Whether they appreciated the message or not wasn't entirely clear, but they certainly did not appreciate the medium.

    Accordingly I invited Gene to be a plenary speaker at the OR Society conference.  We got very good value for money.  In addition to his plenary talk "How to take over your corporation for fun and profit in your spare time" the abstract of which stated "The method requires no computer, but a considerable sense of humour and a totally amoral approach to success", he was scheduled to give two other talks.  These were on "The guild system of management education" and "Developing appropriate technology in OR for the Third World".  We even got a fourth talk out of him when someone let us know they wouldn't be able to deliver their paper.  He created quite a stir, and not only amongst the conference attendees.  When he was trying out the main auditorium before his plenary lecture, his loud imitation of Adolf Hitler brought porters hurrying anxiously to the back of the room!

    Three years later, the ORS/TIMS meeting was held in Denver, and I was lucky enough to be among the selected few invited to a party at Gene's home in Golden.  It was Halloween, and I spent one of the most unusual evenings of my life at the party.  Gene did not suffer fools gladly, but I'm pleased that he made at least one exception to that rule.

    Gene will be greatly missed by all those who share his view about OR.  His message is important and needs to be constantly emphasised.  But no-one will be able to do that quite like Gene.



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    Graham Rand
    Senior Lecturer
    Lancaster University
    Lancaster
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  • 9.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-11-2015 07:18

    I remember Gene describing his criterion for a suitable academic location as being the most reactionary institution that he could find! He emphasised the importance of implementable results from his students' projects for real businesses.

     I also recall his describing a balance between publication and reward for projects; silence being golden.

     He was a great speaker and company.  

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    Ian Mitchell
    OR Manager - Principal Analyst
    BIS-Department for Business Innovation and Skills
    Salisbury Wiltshire
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  • 10.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-11-2015 06:50
    I first met Gene many years ago when we were both giving invited lectures at the Australian Society for Operations Research (ASOR). I greatly enjoyed the ingenious way he used a simple artefact he had constructed to demonstrate a problem's solution, which made the underlying mathematics irrelevant to the client.  Genius, I thought, but too bad about the pompous, arrogant manner of his delivery. Later, at the entertainment arranged by ASOR, I found myself next to him as we were moving through the transparent tunnel under an aquarium, surrounded on all sides by sea creatures, and I asked him why he acted so pompously. I don't remember his reply, but I vividly recall his quiet, warm demeanour, so very different from that of the lecturer. We had a lovely conversation, and I left feeling that the 'pompous ass' was an act, not the real Gene.

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    Lawrence Phillips
    Emeritus Professor of Decision Sciences
    London School of Economics & Political Science
    London UK
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  • 11.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-13-2015 01:56
    I interacted with Gene woolsey at a seminar/talk he gave while I was doing my MS in UT Austin.  I believe he was then working at Colorado school of mines.  Yes, he was very assertive and it was a delight to interact with him.  He was an inspiration to anybody who planned on being OR practitioners.  When asked on tips to convince a client, he gave a simple yet brilliant answer.  Ask the client to give you 20% of the savings and that you will do it for free.  Even today, when I look at a problem and am about to apply my mind on it, I ask myself, is 20% of the savings worth my time.  If the answer is yes, only then I go ahead with it.  I am very sorry to hear that he passed away.  I am sure he influenced a lot of people positively and thats where he/his legacy lives on.  My deepest condolences to his family.

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    Koti Ravi Kiran Chalasani
    Consultant
    Self Employed
    Vijayawada AP
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  • 12.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-12-2015 11:28

    I interacted with Gene on several occasions because of our shared interest in Geometric Programming (GP).  The very first time I presented at ORSA as a fresh assistant professor in the mid/late 80's (it might have been Miami...), Gene was in the audience and I was terrified because I'd been warned about him.  Luckily, he was quite nice to me - although he did tear apart another of the speakers in my session, a then fairly well-known guy from Syracuse!

    My best memory of Gene was the 25th anniversary symposium on GP that he hosted in Golden, CO in 1992.  It was easily the best meeting I have ever attended - there were only about 20-25 of us and we all kind of knew each other. Gene and his wife hosted an amazing dinner at his home for all of us.

    He was one of the most colorful people I have met, was extremely well-read, and had very strong views, especially on political and economic issues.  But despite the bombast and the opinionated persona (and a penchant for incredibly foul language), he was a warm guy underneath.

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    Jayant Rajgopal
    University of Pittsburgh
    Pittsburgh PA
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  • 13.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-14-2015 10:20
    Gene was my dissertation adviser. All of these poetic descriptions ring true to his nature and amazing contributions to this field so I will add something very different. Gene attended my graduation party after I completed my PhD. He spent his time with my then 2 yo daughter. Just playing. Like a gentle grandfather. We will miss him deeply. ------------------------------ Carol Carlson, PhD PE Director Gates Corporation Englewood CO ------------------------------
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  • 14.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-14-2015 12:52

    Was a member of a class at the University Of New Mexico a great many years ago, taught by F. Parker Fowler  (see: Gene's recollection http://www.orms-today.org/orms-10-02/frhistorysb3.html).  Assignment was to present to the class an example of a system.  Gene described a system of sounds and remarked that silence was in the set of sounds as the null set is a subset of every set.  Wondered what kind of mind went in that direction.  Was clearly revealed over Gene's long and successful career, especially as he badgered the profession to give greater voice to the applications side of OR.
    As a side note "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel came out about the same time as Gene's proclamation, surely independent events.

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    James Morris
    Professor of Business
    University of Wisconsin-Madison
    Madison WI
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  • 15.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-15-2015 08:26
    Dr. Woolsey was by far the best professor I have ever had. He shaped the direction of my professional career and was a true inspiration to me. He brought OR to life with his lectures and stories (as well as the characters he played in them). He always had time for his students and supported us in any way that he could. He was a great man and will be deeply missed. ------------------------------ Chad Canfield Principal Accenture Wellington CO ------------------------------
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  • 16.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-15-2015 14:21

    In spite of his famous hard nosed attitude, Gene took a real interest in people.  I first met Gene at the Canadian OR Society (CORS) conference held in Waterloo in 1975.  I was a young guy and had not yet done any graduate work in OR. Gene attended a talk I gave on an LP model for planning woodlands operations done for a local company in Nova Scotia. Later, during his conference talk,  he was kind enough to say some encouraging things about this talk, noting, as usual for him, that the work had been used and able to identify some real savings for the company.  

    For quite a few years, Gene showed up regularly at CORS and had quite a strong influence in motivating CORS towards real practice. I saw him occasionally in those years and he remembered the early talk.  The last time I spent any amount of time with him was at the Birthday Conference held in Banff to celebrate Ed Silver's 60th birthday.  Gene appreciated Ed's development of useful heuristic approaches to inventory and was happy to show up to honour Ed on that occasion.

    Gene's constant dedication to useful OR has served to inspire many of us over the years.  He will be missed.

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    Eldon Gunn
    Professor, Industrial Engineering
    Dalhousie University
    Halifax NS
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  • 17.  RE: What are your memories of Gene Woolsey

    Posted 04-27-2015 17:13
    I met Gene in 1968 at SMU, my first position after grad school.  Ron Gue introduced us thinking there would be sparks, as we both had a reputation of strong opinions.  That did not happen.  Instead, we became friends and had many interesting interactions over the decades.  A little known fact that Gene did not advertise is that he published a paper on Galois fields.  I think OR was better with Gene in it, giving us Fifth Column advice.  I thought of him as the Don Rickles of OR.

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    Harvey Greenberg
    Professor Emeritus
    Denver CO
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