Tribute Wall
In Memory of
Anthony (Tony) Carson Lea
1947 - 2022
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Katie Tingley lit a candle
Monday, December 5, 2022
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My sincere condolences to Tony's family, friends and colleagues. He touched so many people during his life. I was fortunately to have met him through the SORA seminar series where he spoke to the analytics community on several occasions. Through that relationship, he supported and guided me as well. Always generous, kind and with a ready smile or laugh, he will be sorely missed by so many. He was, in short, a truly remarkable person.
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Daniel A Griffith lit a candle
Sunday, December 4, 2022
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Upon returning to Dallas after the memorial services, I want to share some of my memories of Tony:
I knew Tony for 2/3rds of his life; we last visited with him in early March, 2020, just as the pandemic began
As anyone knows from his annual Christmas letters, Tony never wasted words: if you could express a thought with two words, Tony could do it with ten, and sometimes even add more for good measure, every one of them appropriately expanding details; he is the only scholar I personally know who produced a 2-volume doctoral dissertation
We were: classmates, coworkers, hotel roommates, car/airplane companions, dining and theater comrades, reciprocal consultants, collaborators, professional colleagues, social friends, and competitors for daily least amount of sleep and most pages written; he was like an older brother to me
We co-edited/authored 3 publications
Because of our complementary academic expertises, and our synergistic compatibility with them, in the mid-1980s Tony nearly convinced me to leave academia and join him in the private sector
Story #1: Tony knew how to find thrifty breakfasts; one time in NYC, he herded several of us to a diner where we stood in parallel lines behind counter stools for a $1US (1970s) fast slide-in-and-sit-to-eat meal
Story #2: in the mid-1970s, Tony invited and drove us to his family’s Ontario cottage; our pre-school son became very ill; without a fuss, Tony left there early to directly drive us to Toronto’s Sick Children’s Hospital, where Darren was diagnosed with a strain of meningitis, and then placed into intensive care isolation for two weeks
Story #3: a group pf graduate students drove to Chicago to attend the 1974 regional science meetings; during our entry into that city from I-90, Tony displayed his sophomoric/boyish humor and wit by cleverly claiming building numbers were Brian Berry’s social area analysis factor scores
Story #4: we just finished co-convening an academic conference in Italy; as we drove back to Milan, we stopped at a beach to consider going swimming; Tony and I were so engrossed in scholarly discussion that, to Diane’s amazement, we did not notice an Italian woman strip naked on the beach in front of us to change into her swimming suit
Story #5: Tony and Barb took time out of their busy schedules to travel from Toronto to Syracuse to attend our 25th wedding anniversary celebration
Story #6: in 2014, Tony hosted a colleague of mine and me at Environics Analytics to present a colloquium; in 2017, Tony was a contributor to our US National Science Foundation proposal
Tony will live on in many forms and memories, and his legacy will not be forgotten; I will miss him greatly, Dan Griffith
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Allen Scott posted a condolence
Friday, December 2, 2022
I am deeply saddened to learn of Tony’s death. I was his graduate advisor at the University of Toronto in the 1970s, and we became very close friends, a friendship that also included Tony’s wife Barbara and my wife Nga. We spent many weekends together at their cottage near Magnetawan in northern Ontario where we engaged (along with the dog) in the kinds of outdoor pursuits that Tony so clearly excelled in. I remember in particular the extraordinary sense of humor that both Tony and Barbara shared and the endless laughter that we enjoyed. As a master’s and subsequently a doctoral student, Tony became deeply fascinated by location theory, and, above all, by “location-allocation theory” in which he became something of a world expert. His research was intensive and meticulous, to the point that he would sometimes get lost in pursuing some minor issue until he had fully exhausted all of its analytical possibilities. I always knew he would be a great success, whether in academia or in business, given his intelligence, curiosity, determination and unfailing good humor. We stayed in touch after my move to California in 1980, but alas gradually lost contact in more recent years. He remains very much in my mind, and I will always treasure his memory. Allen Scott.
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Leann Chadbourn donated to Hope Grows Haiti
Friday, December 2, 2022
In memory of Anthony, your friends of Property want you to know we are thinking about you and your family during this time of sorrow. Our heartfelt condolences to you all.
Praying you will feel Gods loving arms surrounding you today and the days to come.
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Xuejin Ruan lit a candle
Thursday, December 1, 2022
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When my husband accepted a job offer from University of Toronto about 10 years ago, his PhD advisor, professor Eric Sheppard, forwarded my resume to Tony. Jan and Tony interviewed me over the phone and offered me the position. I first met Tony in person on Sept. 5, 2013. Tony sent an email the day before my first visit to EA with some informal meeting agenda. His last sentence in the email gave me a good laugh - "Donna reminded me that you had voluntarily sent a picture so we know you are not frightening."
Even I didn't get the opportunity to work with Tony a lot, he would drop by my desk sometimes and recommended some articles he thought worth sharing. We would chat a bit now and then when we ran into each other in the hallway. His warm smile and his sense of humor always made people feel like a spring breeze (如沐春风 in Chinese). The combination of being a wise man and a naughty kid made him very popular among the young colleagues in the office. Tony a great mentor, a wonderful coworker, and a good friend to many people around him. We definitely lost an industry giant! He will be deeply missed by all of us!
Xuejin Ruan
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Emma Warrillow posted a condolence
Thursday, December 1, 2022
I was so sorry to read of Tony’s passing. Tony was the first person I met in the industry upon graduating and he offered me my first job. His impact in Canada - and globally - cannot he understated. He challenged us all to be better and shared his wisdom generously. I had not seen him for many years but will always remember his smile. My condolences to his family and friends. RIP Tony
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Mary K Hopkins lit a candle
Thursday, December 1, 2022
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Both Ed Davey and myself were saddened to hear of Tony's passing. Though our paths hadn't crossed for at least 20 years he is remembered fondly. He was always a joy to be around and he had a way of putting people at their ease. Our best to John and his extended family .
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Steph Strilec lit a candle
Thursday, December 1, 2022
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I will always remember Uncle Tony for his sense of humour, and will always cherish the memories I have of him in Thornhill and Magnetawan.
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John Miron posted a condolence
Thursday, December 1, 2022
John Miron, University of Toronto
Tony and I were in the class of PhD students who entered the University of Toronto in Autumn 1972: a class that included Eric Sheppard, Dan Griffith, and Claude Marchand. This was quite the group of analytical human geographers: every one of us eager and excited to be there. Of that group, Tony was by far the most enthusiastic. Nervous and excited, humble, incisive, relentless, with a perhaps sophomoric sense of humour, Tony was also outstandingly collegial, personable, authentic, modest, and empathetic, and an engaging raconteur.
Tony loved intellectual puzzles. His great strength was his determination to see these puzzles solved or to find out why that was not possible. His epic PhD dissertation—as I remember it, about 1,000 pages long and almost a decade in writing—was a definitive work on local public economy. Over his career, Tony had two research interests: one in political economy and the other in quantitative methodology. He made important contributions in both areas. These areas pulled on him; the former towards academics and the latter towards business and consulting. Since completing his PhD in 1981, Tony has held various appointments at the University of Toronto and at Toronto Metropolitan University. He has also held senior appointments in consultancy at Compusearch Market and Social Research Ltd, Humana Advanced Surgical Institutes, and Environics Analytics.
Over his illustrious career, Tony wrote extensively. In addition to numerous research reports and reviews, he co-edited a book and wrote 10 book chapters, an encyclopedia entry, and 10 refereed journal articles. His impact has been substantial and widespread. His work has been cited by others writing in a stunning array of academic journals: e.g., American Cartographer, Annals of Operations Research, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Annals of Regional Science, Applied Geography, Canadian Geographer, Computers and Operations Research, Economic Geography, Environment and Planning (A and B), European Journal of Operational Research, Geoforum, Geografiska Annaler B, Geographical Analysis, Interfaces, International Journal of Geographical Information Systems, Journal of Mathematical Psychology, Journal of Multi-criteria Decision Analysis, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Journal of Regional Science, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Journal of Retailing, Journal of the American Planning Association, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Management Science A, Mathematical Programming, Mathematical Social Sciences, Naval Research Logistics, Omega International Journal of Management Science, Operational Research Quarterly, Political Geography Quarterly, Progress in Human Geography, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Regional Studies, Social Science and Medicine, Social Science Quarterly, Socio-economic Planning Sciences, and Transportation.
Well done, Tony! You brought grace, charm, humanity, humour and wit, and an intellectual elegance into our everyday world and distinction to the University of Toronto. You selflessly, patiently, and sagely mentored and counselled countless others. We, and the discipline of Geography, are the better for having known you and having learned from you.
Valerie Preston, York University
I remember Tony as one of the U of T geography group with whom McMaster geography shared seminars. To this day, I can hear Tony asking questions and making comments that helped me understand the presentations and reassured me that graduate students could have a voice. I came to appreciate his contributions even more after I returned to Canada in 1988. Tony's work in retail geography and with Compusearch and Environics were key to convincing many skeptical parents that there was value in a geography degree. Canadian geography will miss him a great deal.
Richard DiFrancesco, University of Toronto
Dr. Anthony (Tony) Lee will always have a place in my heart as an unabashed quantitative scientist who had little patience for the softer side of our discipline. I remember one time I invited Tony to give a talk to my first year MScPl students in the core planning methods course. Tony ended up telling them that he did not like to hire UofT planners because they were not quantitative enough (talk about having a guest speaker blow up in your face!). Tony’s introduction to my planning students notwithstanding, I always found Tony to be a very pleasant and funny person. It was a pleasure to interact with him. In the end, he did hire some of our students. Professional Geography has lost an icon. Rest in Peace, Tony and thank you for everything.
Ken Jones, Toronto Metropolitan University
Tony was one of those rare individuals who was comfortable in both the academic and business worlds. As an academic he was always willing to share his ideas and support and challenge both his colleagues and students. By his own admission, he had a perverse sense of humour. As colleagues in the geography department at Ryerson University, we once contemplated preparing an examination with questions that no one had ever answered correctly. It didn’t happen of course but it was fun fantasizing about it.
Eric Sheppard, University of California Los Angeles
I came to know Tony as graduate students; we worked on similar issues with the same faculty, and finished our PhDs in the same year. I did not know him that well then; he was married and did not hang out so much with the other students (dominated by a masculinist group of single men). But we found ourselves on the job market together and became closer. This culminated in him being offered a position at Simon Fraser—where I wanted to go, and myself being offered one at Queens—which he wanted. We compromised by both accepting two-year appointments at the University of Minnesota. He and Barb generously accommodated me in their home for the first year, cementing a deep and lifelong friendship. They were consummate hosts, helping me get my feet on the ground in a country that felt so different from Canada. We were hired as the young quants in a largely cultural-historical department, teaching overlapping quant methods and economic geography classes. We shared syllabi, with him gaining the reputation as a setting really tough exams that he graded relatively generously whereas I was seen as a tougher grader of easier questions. But what I remember most was how much fun we had in and outside the department. Much younger than the other faculty, we broke the ice between faculty and grad students. Tony would chase me around the department firing rubber bands, which certainly changed the atmosphere. I remember him as a meticulous researcher who loved tackling wickedly complex problems, and who was never fully happy in the academy: he had an interest in applied research and possibly entering the private sector. Tony and Barb left after two years to return to Ontario, leaving to me the one permanent position in the department—cementing my academic path. In Toronto he made good on this career path, surviving Barb’s untimely death to become one of Canada’s most influential applied geographers. We kept in touch: Visiting in Toronto and at the family cabin, where we reconstructed those fun times. It seems that the business took its toll on him over the years—he would have characteristically been hands-on with everything detail from research to the budget; the first there and last to leave. He remained a true friend, also at a distance, who I miss greatly.
Antonio Paez, McMaster University
I met Tony shortly after I moved to Canada in 2002 to start a position as assistant professor at McMaster University. Tony was in the Advisory Board of the GIS diploma/certificate program that Pavlos Kanaroglou had just launched. From the first moment, I was impressed with Tony's humour, intelligence, and energy. To this date, I recall how sharp his interventions were at the meetings of the advisory board: what is now sophisticated knowledge was, in the early days of GIS, low level technical work. I further had the opportunity to interact with Tony when he was at Ryerson and leading a project with Maurice Yeates that involved spatial modelling. That was only the first of many more occasions where I enjoyed Tony's wit and insight. Over time, I came to regard Tony as a friend and mentor. He was invariably fun to talk with; because of our very different pedigrees, I always enjoyed his anecdotes of mutual friends and acquaintances in the world of academic geography. To me, it was like living vicariously in a time and place I did not get to know personally. As a professional geographer, Tony will be remembered for having contributed to the vision that geography could be informative, interesting, and above all impactful. Tony was an important influence in my life; I am sure that his life influenced many more. We are all the poorer with his passing, but richer for having had the privilege of knowing him.
Sebastien Breau, McGill University
I had the pleasure of meeting Tony only once, back in 2016, while he was attending an event at McGill celebrating the return of the Census in 2016. In my 10 minute conversation with him, I do remember his intense passion for spatial analytics and regional science more broadly. With his passing, the Canadian regional science community has lost a great champion!
Dan Griffith, University of Texas at Dallas
Tony and I met when we simultaneously entered our U. of Toronto doctoral programs of study, and were colleagues and friends for 50+ years, with Jean Paelinck coincidentally sponsoring each of us as Erasmus U., Rotterdam, visiting scholars, albeit 15 years apart. During that half-century, Tony and I co-convened an international conference, co-edited a 1983 book, and co-authored two papers, a 2001 GeoWorld article, and a 2005 encyclopedia entry. Throughout our careers, Tony regularly consulted me about spatial statistical problems, and I regularly consulted him about spatial optimization problems; in the late 1980s, this synergism motived him to nearly convinced me to move from academia to private industry to work with him. We roomed together while attending many conferences and professional meetings over the years, with Tony hosting a 2014 presentation by me to Environics Analytics. I will miss Tony; he was like a brother to me. Geography will miss Tony; his quantitative spatial analysis mastery has bolstered its reputation. His employer will miss Tony; especially his grading of staff reports submitted to him.
Steve Farber, University of Toronto
I worked for Tony for about 3 years, first as an RA at TMU, and then as a Research Analyst at Environics Analytics. In that time we developed a strong, 20-year friendship based on our shared excitement for spatial analytics, data, and dare I say, a shared sense of humour that bordered on a bit of boyish immaturity. Our conversations always generated new ideas, and we were guaranteed to share lots of laughs along the way. Over the years, Tony demonstrated to the world how spatial analytics could be used to solve hundreds of real-world problems, and he shared his practical approaches to working with incomplete, but the best data available, with a slew of students, employees, and clients. To this day I still use his description of "getting the smell" of a neighbourhood, by using percentages rather than counts, when teaching students how to examine neighbourhood compositions vary over space.
Mark Rosenberg, Queen’s University
I first met Tony as a second-year undergraduate at the University of Toronto. In those days, the geography graduate student TAs were relegated to the basement of Sidney Smith Hall where Tony, Eric Sheppard, and Dan Griffith held court. They were the "go to guys" for any help you needed with statistics. Of all of them, I am sure that Tony was the one who during the remainder of my undergraduate time at the University of Toronto was the one I continually pestered with the various problems I encountered. Tony and I stayed in touch as our careers evolved. To this day, I am uncertain how many undergraduates from those years owe Tony an enormous debt of gratitude for his help. I am also uncertain how much geographers in Canada owe Tony for his unswerving support of geography because of his decision to pursue a career in the private sector. Those of us who knew Tony well will miss his passion for geography, but all geographers in Canada should also mourn his loss.
Peter Miron, Environics Analytics
It was my pleasure to first meet Tony in November 2005. For more than a decade and a half we worked together trying to make the world understandable. Together, we built demographic, econometric and spatial models to simplify reality. Tony brought passion and energy to this. There was always “another article to read” about a new modelling concept he had read about… printed and paper clipped together with 18 numbered pages of handwritten notes on the back of failed previous printing attempts. He was always quick to offer little pearls of wisdom such as “you can produce small area estimates or estimates that are consistent over time, but not both”. Of course, each pearl of wisdom was followed by an explanatory metaphor completely unrelated (and unrelatable) to the problem at hand.
Tony was always somewhat conflicted about being a professional researcher. He took every opportunity he could to lecture (internally and externally) and always got excited when talking about the next paper he was going to present at the next conference. He shared this energy widely, in the past half decade focusing his efforts on developing geodemographic skills in universities and colleges across Canada. He did this with a smile… despite knowing that he would be the recipient of a couple hundred signed student data and software licensing forms. He was a mentor, both formally and informally, to hundreds of applied and academic researchers across North America.
Tony was also a storyteller. Yes, he was a gifted quantitative researcher in that he could make data generate whatever insight he had already decided it should make. But Tony loved a good story… especially when regarding a previous misadventure. Some of his favourite stories included: presenting a regression model to the executive of a large financial institution using only an acetate and stick figures (and then threatening them with interpretive dance); presenting a very romantic view of “Canada” to some of his University of Minnesota academic colleagues (“snow worm migration trails” and all); co-authoring an article quantifying the sphericity of kidney stones to estimate the degree of pain they may cause when passed; using linear programming to optimize a river’s path (despite its natural desires); and getting interrogated by the Toronto police for skulking around in the middle of the night writing down license plates from cars while building the first geodemographic segmentation for Canada. This list is far from exhaustive.
Above all else, Tony was a great friend. He was always ready to help. He was always ready to listen. He will be missed… but not soon forgotten.
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Ricardo Gomez-Insausti posted a condolence
Thursday, December 1, 2022
I was fortunate to know Tony for many years. He was a pioneer in the market research industry with deep knowledge and ethics. We lost a very nice person, a mentor, and insightful mind. My deepest condolences to Tony's family.
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Tim Sale posted a condolence
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Dear family members
I had the privilege of being Tony's Scout Master from 1960-1965. He was an outstanding young man, and quickly became engaged in scouting life, earning badges, and showing the leadership potential he so clearly demonstrated throughout his too brief life. As a Queen's Scout, he was chosen to attend the world jamboree in 1963 in Greece, which again showed his potential as a future leader. His obituary so powerfully details his successes in life, as well as his commitment to nurturing others in their work and achievements.
My condolences to his family. In the Scouting tradition, two crossed sticks on a trail show that the trail-maker has "gone home".
Tony has made many great trails for others to follow, and now has gone home.
Tim Sale,
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Nancy posted a condolence
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Tony was a joy to be around. His brilliance was captivating and his quirky sense of humour always left his audience with a smile. I am grateful to have worked in his presence for so many years.
Condolences to his family.
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Stephen Shaw posted a condolence
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
As a long time industry colleague of Tony, I can say categorically he was one of the nicest, most authentic, most approachable and certainly one of the smartest people I have ever met. He will be dearly missed.
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Michael Riley posted a condolence
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
John, I am sorry to hear about the passing of your father. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Mike Riley
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Barbara Galloway posted a condolence
Monday, November 28, 2022
Dear Joanne & family,
Thinking of you and wishing you peace and comfort in this time of sorrow.
Sincerely,
Barbara Galloway
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Sharon Brickman posted a condolence
Monday, November 28, 2022
I have many fond memories of hanging out and doing tasks with Tony at the cottage - he will be sadly missed
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Mary Jane Crawford posted a condolence
Monday, November 28, 2022
I'm very sorry John to you and your family for the loss of your father. My thoughts are with you and your family at this time.
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Paula Correia lit a candle
Monday, November 28, 2022
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My condolences John to you and your family in the passing of your father. May you and you family find light and strength in the memories you shared with him. May he rest in peace.
Paula Correia (John Lea, co-worker)
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Elliott posted a condolence
Monday, November 28, 2022
John and Family,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. May your Dad's memory be a comfort to you.
Most sincerely,
Elliott Zeitz
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Vanja posted a symbolic gesture
Monday, November 28, 2022
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My deepest condolences to Tony’s family. May he rest in eternal peace. He was a great leader and mentor and wonderful to work with. I am happy to have met him and to have learned from him.
~ Vanja Perkovic
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Rita Katz posted a condolence
Monday, November 28, 2022
Dear Joanne and family.
Our hearts goes out to you at this difficult time.
We have fond memories of spending time together at the Molly and Richard wedding. May you know no further sorrow.
Sincerely
Rita&Len Katz
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Susan Oliver posted a condolence
Monday, November 28, 2022
Tony was a treasured colleague to all. I used to watch as young staff members would come to his desk to ask for his advice on a methodological problem. He always made the time to help and to share his knowledge with the next generation of geodemographers. He was a giant in the industry. He will be greatly missed but his legacy lives on in the many people he taught and inspired with his knowledge, skill and humour. Deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
Susan Oliver
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Sally & Roger Charlesworth posted a condolence
Monday, November 28, 2022
We are extremely sorry to hear of Tony’s passing and send condolences and best wishes to the whole family! We will always remember Tony’s wonderful smile and his caring ways with many in our Family. Thank you Tony for being a very loving husband to Joanne and a great friend!!!
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Sally & Roger Charlesworth lit a candle
Monday, November 28, 2022
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The family of Anthony (Tony) Carson Lea uploaded a photo
Monday, November 28, 2022
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