We, Fred’s Viennese colleagues mark his passing with deep respect and gratitude. We have not only lost a central figure in geometric morphometrics but a friend, a teacher, a mentor, and a very demanding, inspiring collaborator. Beyond his extraordinary breadth in statistics, biometrics, and philosophy, Fred always surprised us and sharpened our thinking with his unorthodox, creative, yet rigorous solutions.
>From 1998 until the onset of COVID-19, we worked side by side with him during his regular stays in Vienna—his beloved chosen second home. The many endeavors we shared, the spirited debates we valued, and his inexhaustible energy and stream of ideas remain integral to our work. We will miss his presence and partnership dearly, and we are grateful for the many years we had together. Katrin and Philipp for all Viennese colleagues and friends Joe Felsenstein schrieb am Sonntag, 21. Juni 2026 um 05:38:45 UTC+2: > Morphmet Folks -- > > I am sad to report the death of my good friend and > colleague Fred Bookstein. He died this morning > at a hospital in Seattle after a struggle of almost > two years with cancer. > > Fred was born on 27 July 1947, so he was 78 > years old. He is survived by his wife of over > 50 years, Ede, and two daughters, one who lives > in London and one in Oakland, and through whom > they had four grandchildren. > > I am sure that people here will have many thoughts > about his contributions to morphometrics. > > Joe > -- > Joe Felsenstein [email protected], [email protected] > Department of Genome Sciences and Department of Biology, > University of Washington, Box 355065, Seattle, WA 98195-5065 USA > ----- > PS: please do not use [email protected], which is an alias > that some mail systems now mistake as indicating spam. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Morphmet" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/morphmet2/510c6bd5-da07-40b3-9f3a-12d071ea8a8bn%40googlegroups.com.
