W Edwards Deming

Advised Japan on how to rebuild its shattered industries after World War II and urged American corporations to treat their workers as associates rather than adversaries. Mr. Deming was an obscure statistician in this country in 1950 when research he had conducted during World War II came to the attention of some Japanese industrial leaders. At their request, he then gave a series of lectures in Japan on his quality-control principles, and he and his message were eagerly embraced. The Japanese, who lacked many natural resources or a colonial empire, were a receptive audience because they believed they would prosper only if they could sell products on world markets. His advice to Japan made Mr. Deming the leader of a generation of specialists on product durability and reliability who were then sought by American companies trying to catch up to Asian competitors. But his renown in the United States never matched the reputation he achieved in Japan. Mr. Deming attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie, working at odd jobs while he studied engineering. He later earned a master's degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Colorado and was awarded a doctorate in physics from Yale University in 1928. He also lectured at Columbia University's Business School and taught continuously at New York University's Stern School of Business from 1946 until the end of the spring term of 1993. Mr. Deming's first wife, Agnes, died many years ago. His second wife, Lola, died in 1986. He is survived by two daughters, Diana D. Cahill of Palos Verdes, Calif., and Linda D. Ratcliff of Potomac, Md.; five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.