In Remembrance is an occasional column featuring short obituaries of CAS members who have recently passed away. These obituaries and sometimes longer versions are posted on the CAS website.
The Professorial Actuary
Nassar Hadidi (FCAS 2001)
1942-2020
Nasser Hadidi died unexpectedly on August 16, 2020 in Colfax, Wisconsin.
Born one of five brothers in Shiraz, Iran, he earned a BS in statistics from the American University of Beirut and a Ph.D. in statistics from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, followed by post-doctoral research at Norway’s University of Oslo. There he met his wife, Grazyna, a Polish chemistry student. The couple spent their honeymoon driving from Oslo to Shiraz. He taught statistics at Iran’s Pahlavi University and eventually became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was a founding member of the Iranian Academy of Science and was deeply committed to modernizing the Iranian education system. He and his family left Iran in 1978 because of the Iranian Revolution and moved to the U.S., where he became a statistics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, a post he held for over 30 years. Actuary was his second career and he proudly served on the CAS Examination Committee.
Deeply grateful to be in the U.S., Hadidi saw the country as a beacon of hope and opportunity, and he was optimistic about its future. He is survived by his wife; children Larissa (Brian) Scott and Cyrus (Michelle) Hadidi; brothers Rassule and Mansour; and seven grandchildren. His parents and two of his brothers preceded him in death.
L’Attuario
Anthony “Tony” Iafrate (FCAS 1995)
1960-2020
Anthony “Tony” Iafrate, loving husband of Vicki (Riggle) Iafrate, died surrounded by his family after an acute brief illness.
Born in Jamaica, New York, to Arcangelo and Rosina Iafrate, Iafrate earned B.S. and master’s degrees in economics from Hofstra University in Uniondale, New York, and Stony Brook University, respectively. He enjoyed motorcycle riding, gardening and watching soccer, especially his favorite team, Roma of the Serie A in the Italian League. A proud Italian American, he loved making Italian dishes for family and friends. He and his wife liked traveling, especially to Italy where he could speak Italian.
He worked as an actuary for Gen Re Insurance in Stamford, Connecticut, for 27 years. His last post was with The Hartford Insurance Group as the chief product officer for middle and large commercial. Iafrate was a long-time mentor and guest speaker for Columbia University’s Actuarial Science Program, which has set up a memorial fund for him.
Iafrate is survived by his wife; children, Autumn, Daniel, Mathew, Michael and Skyler; stepdaughters Jessica (Brandon) Primm and Emily Steele; a grandson, Mason Primm; a sister, Diane Iafrate; mother-in-law, Marge Riggle; and many other relatives, co-workers and dear friends.
