The evening I arrived in Pamplona, Marta and her husband, Isidro, joined me for a dinner at an excellent Pamplona restaurant where they introduced me to some local dishes. The next day, and the day following, Marta was kind enough to show me around Pamplona and the countryside. We talked from morning to twilight in a variety of locations (including her car) on a variety of subjects. I found Marta to be very broadly informed and interested in many things.

Marta is not the only SPSS expert I interviewed who is shy and not given to boasting or self promotion. Her excellent English skills made my job easier, but she surprised me with the intensity and openness with which she approached the interview—holding nothing back and sharing more than I expected her to. As with every interview in this project, I was humbled by the trust and sincerity that was extended to me.

The formal interview began in the morning over coffee and croissants at a restaurant in Pamplona’s old town. The restaurant wasn’t yet open, but the gracious owner allowed us to have a seat and served us. To my relief, Marta was able to focus her attention on my questions over the clatter of make-ready work in the kitchen and the raucous noise of beer barrels being rolled across the floor.

King Douglas: Describe and explain your interest, ability and skill in SPSS.

Marta García Granero: I have been a statistics teacher since 1989. I realized that students spent more time working in a statistical problem computing numbers, squaring them, summing, dividing...than thinking about why and when a certain statistical method should be used. I began using statistical packages like StatView, DataDesk or Sigma Stat or writing my own programs in Basic and Pascal, until I started using SPSS. I fell in love with the program. It was flexible and easy to use.

King Douglas: How did you learn SPSS?

Marta García Granero: I learned SPSS all alone, because I was among the first at the University to begin using it. I found it relatively easy to learn. Perhaps the fact that I used to program my own statistical routines in BASIC and Pascal in an old Z80 processor based computer helped me.

I went to a bookstore and found a book in Spanish that explained basic statistics with SPSS. Another friend of mine, who studied at Valencia University where they used SPSS for Mac, found in a second hand book shop the manuals written by Marija Norussis (the old ones, better than manuals provided with the new versions of the program). As she didn't want to sell them to me, I photocopied them.

I did every exercise in the book, read thoroughly Marija's manuals, then I started with the examples and exercises I found in other books, until I was pretty at ease with the program syntax. I analyzed my Ph.D. data with it—I must have been the first at the University to do so. I found it really good.