Bellevue, Washington - Michael Don Ward, 72, passed away peacefully and gracefully on Friday, July 9th after a hard-fought battle with prostate cancer, with his loving wife of nearly 45 years, Sandra, by his side.

Mike was born on a U.S. Army base in Fukuoka, Japan to Jess and Neva Ward, spending his childhood in Colorado Springs, Detroit, and Indianapolis. He attended Indiana University for his undergraduate degree, served in the 287th Military Police in the Berlin Brigade, and then received his PhD from Northwestern University, where he met his future wife, Sandra.

Mike was a renowned political scientist who leaves behind an enormous legacy. After a postdoctorate with Harold Guetzkow, he had a research appointment at Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin. On return to the States, Mike added teaching to his active research agenda, engaging students at the University of Colorado, the University of Washington, Pierre Mendès-France University, and finally Duke University. He published 12 books and more than 100 academic articles on an enormous range of topics, including international conflict, trade, and political geography. He was at the forefront of a statistical revolution in political science, where he made a number of seminal contributions, including a better understanding of dependencies in data. He was a leading proponent of forecasting in the social sciences, and in 2018 he received the Career Achievement Award from the Society for Political Methodology.

Yet Mike's most important academic legacy is the huge range of collaborators, students, and mentees that he leaves behind. Among them, Mike will be remembered for his broad and trouble-making intellect, his sharp wit, and his boundless generosity.

Mike is survived by his wife, Sandra, his son Chris (Christina), and brother Dennis (Cheryl). His generosity, humor, wisdom, spirit, and presence will be lovingly remembered by those he touched.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mike's memory to further his oncologist's research into prostate cancer. More details can be found at: https://online.gifts.washington.edu/peer2peer/Campaign/michael-ward