Robert Côté, former professor of statistics at Université Laval, passed away on November 26, 2023, after a short illness. Born in Matane, Quebec, on February 19, 1938, he had studied mathematics at Université Laval before completing a PhD in statistics in 1971 at North Carolina State University, Rayleigh, under the supervision of R. J. Hader. His thesis concerned a minimum bias approximation of a general regression model; see, e.g., Côté et al. (1973, JASA).

Robert then joined the ranks of the Department of Mathematics at Université Laval, where teaching loads were high, and statistics was in its infancy. With a few colleagues, he designed the first French-language statistics honours program in Canada. This highly innovative program, which was launched in 1980, fuelled the growth of the statistics group and led to the creation of the Statistical Consulting Service, which remains very active to this day.

Robert was the first statistics program director (1980–1982) and held the position again in 1985–1986 and 1996–1997. From 1986 to 1991, he was also chair of his department, which was home to 37 professors. He was diplomatic and collegial when the actuaries within the department chose to found their own school. An MSc program in statistics was also established during his term, leading to renewed growth.

At Laval, Robert developed several courses and supervised a few MSc students. Furthermore, he contributed to research in psychiatric genetics as a long-term collaborator of Dr. Michel Maziade; see, e.g., Maziade et al. (1990, Amer. J. Psych.). He retired at the age of 65 and, after the tragic death of their only son in 2002, he and his wife moved to the greater Montréal area to enjoy the company of their daughter and her two children. He was predeceased by his wife in 2020.

A respected and valued colleague, Robert was empathetic, competent, and devoted. He was an enthusiastic advocate for statistics and did everything in his power to promote his younger colleagues. He will be sorely missed.

By Christian Genest, McGill University