J. Scott Armstrong

J. SCOTT ARMSTRONG passed away at 86 on September 28, 2023. He was an author, forecasting and marketing expert, and since 1969, a Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research and writing highlighted using simple evidence-based methods to maximize accuracy.

Scott wrote several books including Long-Range Forecasting and was the editor and co-author of Principles of Forecasting: A Handbook for Researchers and Practitioners. He was a founder and editor of the Journal of Forecasting, the International Journal of Forecasting, the International Symposium on Forecasting, and Pollyvote.com.

Scott received his B.A. in Applied Science and B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University, his M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie-Mellon University, and his Ph.D. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of William Armstrong and Helen Lloyd. Other family members included two brothers, Warren and Lloyd, and his sister Bonnie. Scott met his future wife, Kay Anderson, while working as an Industrial Engineer at Eastman Kodak in Rochester. Scott is survived by his wife Kay, daughters Kathy and Jennifer, their spouses Chris Gillis and Greg Jackson, and grandchildren Peter, Astrid, and Sophie.

Together with family and friends, Scott’s life included special dinner parties, theatre, film festivals, and trips near and far. Sabbaticals provided opportunities for extensive stays in Sweden, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

Since childhood, Scott ran almost daily often carrying note paper in case he thought of a good idea. In 2007, he won the 70 and older Philadelphia Broad Street Run.

Scott was an instigator and a provocateur, yet he balanced a personal sense of self-reliance, a positive outlook on life, and a healthy dose of silliness. His life example reminds us that no one goes through life without being shaped by the presence of our loved ones. Scott's health declined during the last years of his life due to vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm, in Scott’s memory.

Memorial Service: Sunday, October 29, 2023, at 2:00 pm, at Logan-Videon Funeral Home, 2001 Sproul Road, Broomall, PA 19008.