-----Original Message----- From: owner-ifip_ga@ifip.or.at [mailto:owner-ifip_ga@ifip.or.at]On Behalf Of Klaus Brunnstein Sent: quinta-feira, 15 de Maio de 2003 16:31 To: IFIP GA Cc: Klaus Brunnstein Subject: [IFIP GA] FYI: Past president Prof. Ambros Speiser passed away

Dear members of the IFIP community,

it is with deep regret that I have to inform you that

Prof. Ambros P. Speiser Past IFIP President (1965-1968)

passed away on Saturday May 10, 2003 at age of 81.

Following an information from Prof. Zehnder (ETH Zurich) which Past President Prof. Bobillier forwarded to me, here are few details of Prof. Speiser´s professional carreer:

Prof. Speiser was one of the founders of Informatics in Switzerland where he lead, in 1954-1957, the development of the ETH research computer ERMETH (which was in operation until 1963). He was the founding director of the IBM Research Laboratory in Zurich-Oerlikon (from 1956-1966), and he was thereafter founding director of the BBC/ABB research laboratory in Baden-Dattwil, from 1966 until 1987 when he retired. During his industrial career as one on Switzerland´s most important engineers, he supported ETH Zurich and esp. influenced the education of engineers specialising in Informatics profoundly. The then newly established faculty for Informatics at ETH Zurich honored him with their first honorary doctor degree.

Moreover, please read the appraisal of Prof. Speiser which was published in the "Day of President" series of IFIP secretariat (see appendix).

We will keep Past President Ambros Speiser well in our memories. Klaus Brunnstein (May 15, 2003)

============= Excerpt from "Day of President Speiser" =================== Re. Project "The Day of the President"

Swiss exports? Medicine, technology, watches, chocolate... How about Presidents!

Prof. Ambros Speiser was the first of the magnificent Swiss trio to lead IFIP. Ambros was the second IFIP President, from 1965 to 1968. Before that he was appointed by the first IFIP Council meeting in 1960 as IFIP Secretary-Treasurer. What is Speiser's story to us?

Click here >>> http://www.ifip.or.at/secretariat/presidentday.htm and then follow the link to our interview to find out how IFIP made bureaucrats in the Soviet Union and in IBM-France more considerate. Follow the story to learn how Germany was united (and then separated) in IFIP 3 decades before the Berlin wall collapsed.