Distinguished journal patrons

Citation

(2000), "Distinguished journal patrons", Kybernetes, Vol. 29 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2000.06729aab.002

Distinguished journal patrons

Distinguished journal patrons

MCB University Press the publishers of Kybernetes had great pleasure in inviting two distinguished cyberneticians and systemists to be Honorary Patrons of Kybernetes -The International Journal of Systems and Cybernetics.

Both Professor Stafford Beer (Viable, Toronto, Canada) and Professor Robert Vallée (Université Paris-Nord, France) are distinguished scientists whose standing in the cybernetics and systems community will be well know to readers of this journal. We are particularly pleased that both have accepted. They will be the first official patrons of the journal and it is fitting that we should publish this in the first issue of Volume 29 in the year 2000 with their full support and participation in our millennium endeavours. Publishing "good science" in the form of contributions from the world's best cyberneticians and systemists remains our foremost goal and we are sure that with their guidance we will reach it.

Profiles of both our patrons have appeared in this journal and it is hoped that we may be able to publish updates to these and their latest contributions to the field in our coming issues.

The special issue "Dedicated to Stafford Beer" was published in Kybernetes Volume 22 No. 6 1993, pp. l-lll. The whole issue was devoted to his enormous contribution to our fields. This included an editorial tribute; Reflections and reminiscences - a tribute to Stafford Beer by the Founder Editor of Kybernetes, Professor J. Rose; A profile and academic vita with a selected bibliography. It also contains Stafford Beer's paper: "A world in torment: a time whose idea must come", which includes a summary theory of team syntegrity and an action plan for world syntegration.

Since 1990 Professor Vallée has published ten major papers in Kybernetes and reviews of his latest books have also been included. His academic Vita appeared in Kybernetes Volume 18 No. 2, 1989, pp. 67-68. In 1990 at the 8th International Congress of Cybernetics and Systems held in New York, USA he received the world's most prestigious award for contributions to cybernetics - The Norbert Wiener Memorial Gold Medal. He had the honour of being presented with the award by Dr Margaret Wiener-Kennedy, the daughter of the President in Memoriam of the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC) (see Kybernetes, Vol. 19 No. 6, 1990, pp. 12-15 ).

It is also appropriate that the new patrons of Kybernetes are leading officials of WOSC. Professor Stafford Beer is the president and Professor Robert Vallée is the director-general of the organisation which has chosen Kybernetes to be its officially approved journal.

This was again confirmed by the WOSC directorate at the recent 11th Congress of the international organisation that was held in London (UK) in August 1999.