Professor Tadeusz Przybysz died on 21 November 2007. He was a full professor, the holder of a postdoctoral degree and a renowned specialist in the theory of experiment and biometry. Moreover, he was one of the founders of Polish Biometric Society, a member of its research council and a member of the editorial committee of Colloquium Biometricum magazine where he reviewed plenty of scientific research.

He was born on 24 December 1929 in Mircze near Hrubieszów to a farmer’s family. He graduated from mathematical studies at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin then received his MSc degree at Warsaw University in 1954. He was also a graduate of agricultural studies at The Higher School of Agriculture in Lublin in 1962. In 1954 he took up a post at the Department of Mathematical Statistics at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, which was offered to him by Prof. W. Oktaba. He continued his work, even after moving the department to the just created Agricultural University, till his retirement in 2000. He was continuously cooperating with the department until his death.

The professor’s scientific achievements included issues of experimental systems on split-block design units and their implementation for multiple assay and long-term experiments with perennial plants. The cooperation with agricultural specialists inspired professor Przybysz to involve in statistic analysis of crop rotation experiments. These issues dominated his further scientific research. In the 1950s and 60s of the previous century few scientists dealt with them. There were: F. Yates, H.D. Patterson, T.P. Abraham, K.N. Arawal oraz G.E. Battes, W.A. Fuller and W.D. Shrader. Professor Przybysz was among the few Polish scientists who were doing research on crop rotation experiments and he presented a lot of scientific results in their statistic analysis. Further details on Professor’s scientific achievements can be found in an article Problems of crop rotation experiments in researches of professor Tadeusz Przybysz placed in 38th volume of Colloquium Biometricum.

Not only did the professor do scientific research, but he also dealt with organization activities for our university, educating young science staff and the didactic process. He was a vice-president of Agricultural Academy in Lublin (1975-1981), deputy dean of Agricultural Faculty (1968-1970), deputy dean and dean of Agricultural Technology Faculty (1970-1975). He took part in the work of Senate Budget Committee and numerous division committees. For many years he supervised the division of Theory of Experiment and Biometry (1970-2000) in the Department of Applied Mathematics (1990-2000). He was an active member of Polish Biometric Society and of other scientific societies both Polish and international ones such as: Polish Mathematical Society and Lublin Science Society, International Biometric Society and Bernoulli Society for Mathematical Statistics and Probability.

He was a member of the Editorial Board of Acta Agrophysica magazine (2003-2007) and the editor of the mathematical statistics and experimentation column and a lot of entries in a six-language Agro-bio-technological dictionary. He was a highly valued reviewer of doctoral dissertations, post doctoral programs and grants. As the author of many applications for a professor’s post and many scientific publications he supervised six PhDs.

Prof. Przybysz was an excellent teacher and populariser of biometrics, a kind-hearted and very modest man, who could guide his colleagues not only in the problems of science and academic profession, but, thanks to his gentlemanly demeanour, had a rare talent for toning down disputes and creating a warm and friendly atmosphere in the university community.

He will remain in the memory of his coworkers and students dealing with biometry, who awarded him with a title of homo didacticus.

prof. dr hab. Mirosława Wesołowska-Janczarek
Colloquium Biometricum 38 (2008), 7–8