Heroes & Martyrs of Quality and Safety

WASTE NOT William Edwards Deming, the first child of William Albert Deming and Pluma Irene Edwards, was born on 14 October 1900 in Sioux City, Iowa. His father worked mainly in freelance legal work and his mother gave music lessons on their grand Kimball piano. As a child, Deming grew up in meagre conditions. He and his family lived for years in a tarpaper shack. As a boy he worked at a hotel for $1.25 per week and he lit the town’s five gasoline street lamps every evening for $10.00 per month. These early years probably influenced formation of his frugal behavior, his attitude toward productivity and quality improvement, and his campaign against waste and processes that do not add value.