kniga 7 - Probability and Statistics 1 - Sheynin, Oscar

Uspekhi Matematich. Nauk, vol. 10, No. 1 (63), pp. 79 – 88Romanovsky, the eminent mathematician of our country, Deputy of the Supreme Soviet ofthe Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, Stalin Prize winner, Ordinary Member of the UzbekAcademy of Sciences, Professor at the Lenin Sredneaziatsky {Central Asian} StateUniversity {SAGU}, passed away on October 6, 1954.He was born on Dec. 5, 1879, in Almaty and received his secondary education at theTashkent non-classical school {Realschule} graduating in 1900. In 1906 he graduated fromPetersburg University and was left there to prepare himself for professorship. After passinghis Master examinations in 1908, Romanovsky returned to Tashkent and became teacher ofmathematics and physics at the non-classical school. From 1911 to 1917 he was reader{Docent} and then Professor at Warsaw University. In 1912, after he defended hisdissertation On partial differential equations, the degree of Master of Mathematics wasconferred upon him. In 1916 Romanovsky completed his doctor’s thesis but its defence underwar conditions proved impossible. The degree of Doctor of Physical and MathematicalSciences was conferred upon him in 1935 without his presenting a dissertation.From the day that the SAGU was founded and until he died, Romanovsky never broke offhis connections with it remaining Professor of the physical and mathematical faculty. For 34years he presided over the chairs of general mathematics and of theory of probability andmathematical statistics; for a number of years he was also Dean of his faculty.Romanovsky was Ordinary Member of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences from the momentof its establishment in 1943, member of its presidium and chairman of the branch of physicaland mathematical sciences. His teaching activities at SAGU left a considerable mark. Owingto the lack of qualified instructors in the field of mathematics, he had to read quite diversemathematical courses, especially during the initial period of the University’s existence.Romanovsky managed this duty with a great success presenting his courses on a highscientific level.Romanovsky undoubtedly deserves great praise for organizing and developing the highermathematical education in the Central Asiatic republics {of the Soviet Union} and especiallyin Uzbekistan. He performed a considerable and noble work of training and coachingscientific personnel from among the people of local nationalities.Modernity of the substance of the courses read; aspiration for coordinating the studiedproblems with the current scientific and practical needs of our socialist state, and, finally, theability to expound intelligibly involved theoretical problems, – these were the main featuresof V.I. as a teacher. Add to all this his simplicity of manner and his love for students, and youwill understand that he could not have failed to attract attention to himself and to his subject.Indeed, more than sixty of his former students are now working in academic institutions andresearch establishments of our country.Romanovsky always combined teaching activities with research, considerable both in scaleand importance. He published more than 160 writings on various fields of mathematics withtheir overwhelming majority belonging to the theory of probability and mathematicalstatistics. He busied himself with other branches of mathematics, mostly with differential andintegral equations and some problems in algebra and number theory, either in the first periodof his scientific work (contributions on the first two topics) or in connection with studyingsome issues from probability theory and mathematical statistics.The totality of Romanovsky’s publications in probability and statistics (embracing almostall sections of mathematical statistics) unquestionably represents a considerable contributionto their development in our country. Accordingly, he became an eminent authority on thesebranches of the mathematical science not only at home, but also far beyond the boundaries ofour country.