[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H11334-H11336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   W. EDWARDS DEMING FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for the immediate 
consideration of the bill (H.R. 3535) to redesignate a Federal building 
in Suitland, MD, as the ``W. Edwards Deming Federal Building.''
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maryland?
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I will not 
object, and I would ask the gentleman from Maryland for an explanation 
of the bill.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. TRAFICANT. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3535, a bill 
designating the Federal building in Suitland, MD, as the W. Edwards 
Deming Federal Building.
  Dr. William Edwards Deming was a renowned expert on business 
management. He began his public service career with the Department of 
Agriculture as a physicist, in 1927. He then moved to the Bureau of 
Census to become the mathematical advisor to the chief of the 
population division, where he developed and designed statistical 
sampling techniques for use in the national census. His interest in 
quality and management led him to introduce sampling as a quality 
measurement technique for punch card verification and other processing 
in the 1940 census.
  It is a fitting tribute to name this Census Bureau facility in his 
honor.
  This bill has bipartisan support and I would like to thank my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their assistance in bringing 
this measure forward.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, under my reservation of objection, I 
yield to the ranking member of our committee, the gentleman from 
Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar].
  (Mr. OBERSTAR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 3535, a bill to designate 
the Federal building in the Suitland Federal Center, 4700 Silver Hill 
Rd., Suitland, MD as the W. Edwards Deming Federal Building.
  Mr. Deming, who died in 1993, was honored throughout the world as the 
quality management guru. Dr. Deming began his career as a

[[Page H11335]]

physics teacher at the University of Colorado, and from 1928 to 1939 
held a Federal position as a mathematical physicist at the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture. He also presented special lectures on 
mathematics and statistics at the Graduate School of the National 
Bureau of Standards.
  In 1931 Dr. Deming was inspired by the book ``Economic Control of 
Quality of Manufactured Products'' and he subsequently undertook the 
task of improving quality in manufacturing. His work in this area, as 
we are aware, strongly contributed to the economic renaissance of 
Japan.
  Dr. Deming was a prolific writer, teacher, and lecturer. He has 
received numerous awards, honorary doctorates, and honors including the 
Second Order Medal of the Sacred Treasure, awarded by the Emperor of 
Japan.
  It is fitting and proper to honor the distinguished career of this 
truly outstanding American by designating the Federal building in 
Suitland, MD as the W. Edwards Deming Federal Building. I thank Mr. 
Wynn of Maryland for introducing H.R. 3535 and urge support for its 
passage.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, this designation would honor the 
contributions and career of an outstanding American. It is fitting and 
proper to designate the Census Bureau facility in Suitland in Dr. 
Deming's honor. I want to commend the gentleman from Maryland, 
Congressman Wynn, for his work on this bill and urge support of this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I offer my statement in its entirety for the Record:
  Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object. However, I will not 
object and yield to the gentleman for an explanation of the bill.
  Thank you, Mr. Gilchrest. H.R. 3535 is a bill to designate the 
Federal building at the Suitland Federal Center, Suitland, MD, as the 
W. Edwards Deming Federal Building. This designation would honor the 
contributions and career of an outstanding American.
  Dr. Deming's career included work at the Department of Agriculture, 
and the Bureau of Census, as well as statistical consulting work for 
many foreign countries such as Austria, France, India, and most notably 
Japan, where he is often cited as a leader in the Japanese renaissance. 
Dr. Deming's work supported the thesis that most product defects were 
the result of poor management practices not careless workers. He argued 
that motivated workers working with proper tools produced quality 
products.
  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 
3535, legislation to redesignate Federal office building No. 3, located 
in Suitland Federal Center, 4700 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD as the 
William Edwards Deming Federal Building.
  By way of background, Dr. Deming received his B.S. degree from the 
University of Wyoming, his M.S. degree from the University of Colorado 
and his Ph.D. from Yale University. In 1927, he became a faithful civil 
servant joining the Department of Agriculture as a physicist and then 
moved on to the Bureau of the Census to become the mathematical adviser 
to the chief of the population division. In that position he developed 
and designed statistical sampling techniques for use in the census. His 
interest in quality management led him to introduce sampling as a 
quality measurement technique for punch card verification and other 
processing activities in the 1940 census.
  After leaving the Census Bureau in 1945 he began a second 
distinguished career as a consultant on statistics and management to 
several foreign governments, including those of Austria, France, 
Germany, India, Turkey, and most famously Japan.
  Dr. Deming's theories were based on the premise that most product 
defects resulted from management shortcomings rather than careless 
workers, and that inspection after the fact was inferior to designing 
processes that would produce better quality. He argued that enlisting 
the efforts of willing workers to do things properly the first time and 
giving them the right tools were the real secrets of improving 
quality--not teams of inspectors.
  His successes with industrial leaders in Japan, with Ford Motor Co. 
and Xerox Corp. are unmatched. As a civil servant he dedicated his life 
to designing innovative methods of statistical gathering.
  I urge the Members of the House to support this legislation to rename 
the Federal office building in Suitland, MD after this renowned expert 
on business management, Dr. W. Edwards Deming.
  I would also like to ask unanimous consent to include in the Record 
additional material detailing the life of Dr. Deming.

                      W. Edwards Deming--1900-1993

       William Edwards Deming, who was born in Sioux City, Iowa, 
     on the 14th of October 1900, has been honored throughout the 
     world as a ``quality-management guru.'' Yet, until the end of 
     his life he insisted upon being known as a ``Consultant in 
     Statistical Studies,'' the title that appeared on his 
     letterhead. His path to the eminence that he attained as a 
     statistician was circuitous and full of serendipity.
       After Ed Deming's graduation from the University of Wyoming 
     in 1921 as an engineer, he remained there another year to 
     study mathematics. If was during that time that, as he once 
     told me, he received a letter from the Colorado School of 
     Mines informing him that he was known to be a good flute 
     player and that the professor of physics wanted to have a 
     band and therefore would like him to come to teach. He 
     accepted the invitation and, after a year, decided to get a 
     master's degree in mathematics and physics from the 
     University of Colorado. Just before he completed his degree, 
     one of his professors who had studied at Yale with Willard 
     Gibbs, a famous mathematician and physicist recommended him 
     to his alma mater. Yale subsequently offered him free tuition 
     and a job as a part-time instructor, both of which were 
     eagerly accepted.
       Upon finishing the requirements for his Ph.D. at Yale in 
     1928, Ed Deming began his career in government as a 
     mathematical physicist in the Fixed Nitrogen Research 
     Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and 
     he remained in that position until 1939. His 38 publications 
     during the period had to do principally with the physical 
     properties of matter, but there were several that reflected 
     his interest in statistical methodology. I once asked him why 
     he, a mathematical physicist, became a statistician. His 
     answer was quite involved.
       ``Courses in engineering and surveying led me to the theory 
     of errors, and in studying physics and mathematics, I learned 
     a lot of probability. Kinetic theory of gases is a theory of 
     probability. So are thermodynamics and astronomy. And so is 
     geodesy, involving measurement of the earth's surface for the 
     purpose of figuring the curvature or other characteristics of 
     the earth. It makes use of `least squares,' And I had very 
     good teachers in least squares.
       ``When people had problems with experimental data. I just 
     worked on them and found myself able to make a contribution, 
     of thought anyway. And I suppose that's the way I got eased 
     into it.''
       Analysis of results of experimental work in bacteriology 
     and chemistry gave him a chance to learn more about the 
     statistical adjustment of data. There were three papers on 
     ``The Application of Least Squares,'' published in the 
     ``Philosophical Magazine.'' In his book ``Statistical 
     Adjustment of Data,'' published in 1943, he brought together, 
     in readily usable form, the substance of these papers and of 
     the earlier literature and his own studies on the subject. 
     This text is still frequently consulted for guidance on the 
     application of the method of least squares in various 
     different situations.
       From 1930 through 1946, Ed Deming was a special lecturer on 
     mathematics and statistics in the Graduate School of the 
     National Bureau of Standards. His courses, given from 8 to 9 
     a.m. at the Bureau, later inspired many lectures and articles 
     by his students. These paved the way for the establishment in 
     1947 of the Statistical Engineering Laboratory within the 
     Bureau of Standards. During an overlapping period that 
     extended from 1933 through 1953, he was head of the 
     Department of Mathematics and Statistics of the Graduate 
     School of the USDA and made major contributions to the 
     mathematical and statistical education of a whole generation. 
     In 1936, he went to London to study the theory of statistics 
     with Ronald Fisher at University College, the University of 
     London.
       While at University College, Ed Deming met and attended 
     lectures by Jerzy Neyman, who had been Head of the Biometrics 
     Laboratory of the Necki Institute in Warsaw, Poland. Neyman 
     read, at a meeting of the Royal Statistical Society, a 
     revolutionary paper: ``On the Two Different Aspects of the 
     Representative Method: The Method of Stratified Sampling and 
     the Method of Purposive Selection.'' As a result of the 
     lectures and particularly this paper, which marked the 
     beginning of a new era in sampling, arrangements were made 
     for Neyman to visit the USDA Graduate School in 1937 and 
     lecture there.
       Ed Deming took pains to ensure that Neyman's lectures in 
     Washington were well attended by U.S. Government 
     statisticians, and he worked an entire year to produce the 
     book, Lectures and Conferences on Mathematical Statistics. 
     The lectures and the book together had a tremendous impact on 
     sampling theory.
       The staff of the Bureau of the Census was already planning 
     in the late 1930s for the 1940 Population Census. Users of 
     census data have always wanted more information than can 
     possibly be provided with a normal budget. Many of them were 
     willing to accept sample results, but some of the old timers 
     at the Bureau were opposed to the idea of sampling. 
     ``Sampling was abhorred,'' Ed Deming told me, ``because the 
     census had always been complete. It couldn't be anything 
     other than complete. But sampling was in the air.''
       The final decision rested with Secretary of Commerce Harry 
     Hopkins. After listening to the arguments pro and con, 
     Hopkins decided in favor of sampling procedure that would be 
     used in the 1940 population census. ``Well,'' Ed told me, 
     ``one day in 1939 the telephone rang, and it was Dr. Philip 
     Hauser, the Assistant Director of the Census Bureau, wanting 
     to talk with me about a job. I said `Right Away!' and joined 
     the Bureau of the Census as Head Mathematician and Advisor in 
     Sampling.''

[[Page H11336]]

       After leaving the Census Bureau in 1946, Ed Deming began 
     his practice as a Consultant in Statistical Studies from an 
     office in the basement of his home in Washington, DC. For the 
     remainder of his life, he conducted his consulting from this 
     office, aided for many years before her death in 1986 by his 
     wife Lola, a distinguished mathematician in her own right. 
     During the final nearly four decades of his life he was 
     assisted by his extraordinary secretary, consultant and 
     confidant, Cecelia Kilian, known to hundreds of people 
     throughout the world as ``Ceil.''
  At the same time that he began his consulting practice Ed Deming 
joined the Graduate School of Business Administration at New York 
University as a full professor. Before he ``retired'' from NYU in 1975 
to become Professor Emeritus, he regularly taught two courses in survey 
sampling and one in quality control; and, moreover, he served as 
advisor to about 100 students who earned their master's and doctoral 
degrees. I asked him on one occasion if NYU didn't have some sort of 
policy concerning retirement of academic and other personnel at age 65 
or 70. His response was, ``Well, if they did have, they didn't tell me 
about it.''
  The fact is that until a few months before his death, Ed Deming 
continued to teach at NYU every Monday afternoon during the academic 
year and to direct studies of graduate students. He also taught Monday 
mornings during the last few years of his life as a ``Distinguished 
Lecturer' at Columbia University, where a Deming Center has recently 
been established.
  Ed Deming's entrance into the world of quality improvement was 
inspired by the 1931 book Economic Control on Quality of Manufactured 
Product, written by his friend and mentor Walter Shewhart, the father 
of statistical process control. In 1938, he arranged for Shewhart to 
deliver a series of four lectures entitled ``Statistical Method from 
the View point of Quality Control'' at the USDA Graduate School. These 
lecturers were published by the Graduate School in 1939 ``with the 
editorial assistance of W. Edwards Deming.''
  The crusade that Ed Deming subsequently undertook for the improvement 
of quality resulted, as we know, in the economic Renaissance of Japan 
and eventually in his own world-wide prominence as a ``prophet of 
quality'' and philosopher of management. This aspect of Ed Demings' 
life was highlighted by the media in the hundreds of commentaries upon 
his death. The present tribute to his memory therefore, has emphasized 
only what is pertinent to statisticians and was not mentioned in those 
commentaries.
  Ed Deming's extensive contributions to statistical thinking are too 
voluminous to suit the present purpose. It suffices to say, that 
throughout his life, he championed the belief that statistical theory 
shows how mathematics, judgment, and substantive knowledge work 
together to the best advantage. Thus he, himself, was a master as 
logician and architect of statistical studies. This was more than 
evident at the Deming Seminar for Statisticians held annually at NYU 
beginning in 1987.
  Ed Deming died quickly in his sleep on December 20, 1993 at is home. 
His daughters, Diana and Linda, their husbands, and Diana's five 
children, along with their own spouses and children (16 in total), were 
to assemble at his home for what they feared might be his last 
Christmas. Most of them had arrived in Washington by the time of his 
passing
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 3535

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       Federal Office Building No. 3, located in the Suitland 
     Federal Center at 4700 Silver Hill Road in Suitland, 
     Maryland, shall be redesignated and known as the ``W. Edwards 
     Deming Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``W. Edwards Deming Federal Building''.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

                          ____________________