IN MEMORIAM

Elwood S. Buffa
Professor of Management, Emeritus
UC Los Angeles
1923—2005

 

The University of California lost one of its most admired faculty members on July 19, 2005 with the passing of Professor Elwood Spencer Buffa. Elwood died at his home in Dana Point due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.

 

El Buffa was one of the founding fathers of the field of production and operations management. His very first book, Modern Production Management published in 1961, redefined the field. Its key contribution was to integrate ideas from industrial engineering and the then rather young discipline of operations research to suggest ways to improve efficiency in both the manufacturing and service sectors. The book became an instant success and was adopted as a basic text for introductory courses in production management throughout the country and around the world. The book has been translated into half a dozen languages and went through eight editions through 1987. Thousands of academics and practitioners learned about the field from this classic text and its distinguished 1963 sequel, Operations Management (whose exquisitely descriptive title was taken up quickly by business schools and remains ubiquitous unto the present day). El wrote 9 major texts and a total of 26 distinct editions, and is widely considered to be his field’s most influential textbook writer during the 1960s and 1970s.

 

El was born on April 12, 1923 to an Italian father and an English mother in Beloit, Wisconsin. He was a child of the Depression Era and worked hard to contribute to family earnings while also doing very well in school. He supported himself through engineering school at the University of Wisconsin by working as a sorority houseboy and waiter. The job was good not only for his wallet and stomach (plenty of food), but also for his heart. He found his soul mate Betty at that sorority, who won him with her personality, character, and keen intelligence. They married in February, 1945 just prior to being sent to Hawaii by the U.S. Navy, and remained happily wed until his death.

 

El finished his MBA in 1948 after completing his military service, after which the Eastman Kodak Company offered him a job in their Industrial Engineering Department. This was El’s first challenge to improve the cost, quality and efficiency of manufacturing operations. He found that he especially enjoyed training people in new ways to improve productivity.

 

El’s fondness of teaching led him in 1951 to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign as an assistant professor of industrial engineering, where he soon discovered that he needed a PhD to make a career in academia. So, with the strong support of Professor Ralph Barnes, then one of the most influential industrial engineers in the country, El enrolled in UCLA’s PhD program at the College of Engineering, and taught as a lecturer at the business school to support his family. He settled in Pacific Palisades where he raised his children, Carl, Jerry, and Linda.

 

In 1957, El received his PhD and was appointed as an associate professor at UCLA’s School of Business Administration. He was promoted to the rank of professor in 1961. He was a visiting professor at Harvard Business School from 1963 to 1964, but UCLA lured him back where he remained until retirement. El contributed to UCLA in many ways. His contributions as an educator and scholar are well recognized in the field, and he was known throughout the UCLA community for his distinguished service to the University. He was chairman of the Budget Committee, which reviewed all promotions and appointments for the entire campus. He was elected chairman of the UCLA Academic Senate from 1975 to 1976. He served as associate dean (1970-1974) of the Graduate School of Management and was the founding director of the Executive MBA Program (1981-1984), which went on to become a highly successful program at the UCLA Anderson School. El was a role model to his colleagues, and his generosity towards junior faculty members cannot be matched. He is admired for his noble human values of kindness and gentleness towards all.

 

El felt very fortunate to have lived such a wonderful life. He treasured the loving relationship with his lifelong partner, Betty, and his children and their families. He enjoyed music throughout his life; El and Betty were faithful supporters of the Los Angeles Music Center Opera Company, attended all of their productions, and often traveled to the world’s finest opera houses for performances. His Japanese garden and atrium have been a source of enjoyment for all the visitors to the home that the two of them literally built together in large part. His hospitality, reassuring smile, and sound advice will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

 

Arthur Geoffrion
Rakesh Sarin