Remembering Merv

One of the greatest generations of pollsters, starting shortly after World War II when he was only 26 years old, Mervin Field has passed away at 94 years old. He was one of a handful of returning veterans who began state polls in Iowa, Texas, Minnesota, Colorado, and in California (first called the California Poll).

Mervin Field and Floyd Ciruli,
2010 PAPOR conference

Merv Field last participated at the Pacific Chapter of the American Association of Research in 2010 on a panel on the 2010 election in California and Nevada. He was a young 89 and described the mostly de minimis impact in California of the 2010 Republican wave that swept the country. We talked afterward, and he truly loved his profession and the ebb and flow of California politics.

The Field Poll, run by his longtime colleague Mark DiCamillo, is still the state’s most respected and reliable election poll followed by the entire political establishment and all the media. Merv took the profession seriously and made a lifelong contribution. Thank you.

See:
PAPOR Trail Newsletter, Spring issue, May 2011
Mervin Field obituary