James Yackel was known as an creative problem-solver with an unassuming style and great integrity.  He was open to ideas from all sources, and was eager to work on projects of all types from home renovations to gardening to the day-to-day running of a university.  When asked about the driving force for his life, he said it was to provide an education for those who can make use of it.  He relished identifying talented individuals and helping them achieve success.

James William Yackel, aged 88, died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on February 7, 2025. He was born on March 6, 1936 in the small town of Sanborn, Minnesota where he grew up fishing and hunting.  After graduating from Sanborn High School, he went on to earn a BS, MS, and PhD in Mathematics at the University of Minnesota, where he met his wife Erna. It was love at first sight.

After a post-doctoral fellowship at Dartmouth, he settled in West Lafayette, Indiana where he and Erna raised a family. He worked as a Professor in the Statistics Department at Purdue University, where he had a distinguished career.  He was named a fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science in 1988.  In 1987, he moved to Purdue University’s Calumet campus in Hammond, Indiana where he served as Chancellor from 1990 through 2001. He spent his retirement years in Dyer, Indiana.

James had a deep life-long religious faith. His church memberships include  St. Peter’s Lutheran church in Sanborn, Minnesota, First Baptist Church in Lafayette, Indiana, and finally Westminster Presbyterian Church in Munster, Indiana.  He served in a great number of lay roles, including as deacon at the last two churches.  His faith was quiet, yet powerful.

James Yackel is preceded in death by Erna Beth Yackel, his wife of 63 years, and survived by his brother John, his sister-in-law Clara Klatke, his children Jonathan (Lisa) Yackel, Juliet Yackel, and Carolyn Yackel (Bobby Stecher), his grandchildren Nathaniel, Sophia, Oliver, Grant, and Henry, and his step-grandchildren Trey, Charlotte, Amelia, and Riley.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Purdue Northwest James & Erna Yackel Endowed Scholarship
Purdue Northwest, Advancement Office, 2200 169th Street, Hammond, IN 46323

https://giving.purdue.edu/InMemoryofJamesandErnaYackel

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