Oscar N. Serbein Jr. 1919-2006

SERBEIN, PARKER

Posted By: IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 11/6/2006 at 05:47:54

Oscar N. Serbein Jr., a specialist in risk management and insurance and emeritus professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, died Jan. 21 at age 86 at his home in Fullerton (Orange County).

During his career, Prof. Serbein was author and co-author of several books and chaired the Stanford University Committee on Faculty and Staff Affairs.

Born in Collins, Iowa, in 1919, Prof. Serbein attended the University of Iowa, where he received his bachelor's degree "with highest distinction" in 1940 and his master's degree in 1941.

He served with the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946. He rose to the rank of major, serving in the Air Weather Service.

In 1951, Prof. Serbein received his doctorate at Columbia University. That same year he became a professor of statistics at Columbia.

Two years later, in 1953, his book "Paying for Medical Care in the United States" was published.

About that time, he also married his wife Alice.

In 1959, Prof. Serbein became a professor of insurance in Stanford's Graduate School of Business. For the next three decades, he taught classes on insurance, risk management, operations, decision sciences and estate planning.

He also wrote the book "Educational Activities of Business," which was published in 1961.

In addition, he was co-author of two books. "Property and Liability Insurance," with John H. Magee, was published in 1967. The other, published in 1978 with Mark R. Greene, concerned risk management and is cited as a reference in an article on the subject in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Also, from 1966 to 1981, Prof. Serbein served as editor of a series of volumes titled "Series in Risk and Insurance."

He chaired the Stanford University Committee on Faculty and Staff Affairs from 1978 to 1981. He retired from Stanford in 1989.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Alice; his daughter Mary Parker; his son John of Redlands; and two granddaughters. His remains are scheduled for interment at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo.

San Francisco Chronicle, January 31, 2006