I would like to offer my most heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Dr Zinsmeister

As then young trainee starting in my 20s I had the great honor of receiving his advice, mentorship and collaboration

It was a quarter century ago. I had the strike of luck of being accepted to work under a once-in-a-lifetime dream team of research giants in the field of Gastroenterology. 

While Dr Z. was the indisputable, world famous statistical guru of the team, I remember being struck since our first encounter from his down to earth attitude, his humble  to the most complex problems, his personal touch.

With his role, his title and his fame he could have well treated us, the research fellows who came from far away and spoke weird, acted strange,  dressed funny and certainly had odd ideas, with some deference, if not contempt at times. Instead, we always could count on him as an ally,  a much needed voice of advice and often of reality check.

He was a father figure bringing to our meetings those hundreds of dot matrix sheets, full of results to interpret, which -hard to believe today- would be a treat for us to tackle. ‘We can do it (even if we’re busy)’ was the most typical answer when challenged with a new project. Lessons I should try everyday not to forget. 

Sit tibi terra levis, Dr Z!.

Dear Zinsmeister family,

I was deeply saddened to hear of Alan’s passing.

I had the privilege of working with Alan during my three years at the Mayo Clinic under Dr. Camilleri’s leadership, and he was one of the people who left the strongest impression on me. He was not only a remarkable statistician, but also a generous teacher and a deeply humane colleague. No matter how busy he was, he was always available to discuss analyses, to think through a problem together, and to help others grow. His intellectual rigor was matched by his openness and kindness.

I learned an enormous amount from Alan, not only about mathematics and statistics, but also about how to collaborate with respect, curiosity, and patience. Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my career. He remains one of my most meaningful and fond memories from my time at Mayo.

Please accept my heartfelt condolences. I hope you can take some comfort in knowing how widely he was admired and how deeply he influenced so many of us who had the good fortune to work with him.

With sympathy and gratitude,

Sílvia