Obituary of Arthur A. LeGasse

Arthur Alfred LeGasse, 91, of Whitehall, died on May 1, 2015. He was born January 23, 1924 in Old Town, Maine and was a son of the late Louis and Lillian (LaForge) LeGasse. Beloved husband of the late Muriel (Colerich) LeGasse; loving father of Suzanne (Charles) Boyer of South Fayette Twp.; cherished grandfather of Anna Boyer of Austin, Texas, and brother-in-law of Charles Colerich, of Oakland, California. He was the brother of Evangeline (Arthur) Bond, Robert (Donna) LeGasse, and the late Phillip LeGasse. Arthur joined the Navy during WWII and was quickly transferred to Pittsburgh as a recruiter due to his excellent typing and administrative skills. Following the war he attended the University of Pittsburgh and became a professor of biostatistics in the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), with a career spanning more than 3 decades. In the late 1950s he established and supervised the first centralized departmental computational resources for GSPH and he guided GSPH through numerous major advancements in computers and computer software. He developed and taught the first core courses for GSPH in data collection, computer data management and quality control, and statistical programs for data analysis. Art was an important research collaborator with Dr. Carol Redmond, Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of Biostatistics at Pitt, including the studies that identified a lung cancer risk among coke oven workers in the steel industry and provided the basis for the development of one of the first standards enacted by the newly created Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In addition to his professional career, he was also an avid reader and had a passion for music, especially jazz and classical. With his wife, they were very active for many years in photography clubs in Pittsburgh. Family and friends will be received on Thursday from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at the Warchol Funeral Home Inc., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville (412-221-3333). Interment with military honors will follow on Friday at 11AM at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. Family and friends will be received on Thursday from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at the Warchol Funeral Home Inc., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville (412-221-3333). Interment with military honors will follow on Friday at 11AM at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.