Special double issue – memoriam: Professor John Rose

Citation

Rudall, B.H. (2009), "Special double issue – memoriam: Professor John Rose", Kybernetes, Vol. 38 No. 1/2. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2009.06738aaa.001

Special double issue – memoriam: Professor John Rose

Article Type: Preface From: Kybernetes, Volume 38, Issue 1/2

Leading the way: tributes, to John Rose (1917-2007)

We publish this special double issue to honour the memory of Professor John (Jack) Rose and to mark his enormous contribution to our endeavours in cybernetics, systems and other fields in which he had been so active (Figure 1).

It is not an obituary but a tribute to his life and a celebration of his achievements as a warm human being, a family man and an academic who showed such foresight at a time when research and developments in so many areas were not adequately communicated worldwide.

Figure 1 Photograph of Professor Rose

He was a scientist: of many interests although in this compilation we shall concentrate on tributes and contributions written in his memory which display his dedication to systems and cybernetics he was also closely involved with numerous other fields. Amongst these were robotics and automation, where he held one of the first professorships in the field in the UK and initiated the publication of Robotica (CUP). Dr Rose had a great interest in the environment and pioneered a society to advance the field. In his journal Environmental Management and Health, which was subsequently published by MCB University Press (now Emerald Group Publishing) he is remembered today as its Founder Editor and “The Professor John Rose Award” is given annually. His work and fascination with biomedical applications enabled him, with the help of others, to edit the successful publication Bio-medical Computing (Elsevier Scientific Publishers).

This highlighted his interests in computing and as the Principal of the Blackburn College of Technology, UK; he embarked on a programme to integrate computing into the infrastructure of this thriving educational institution. He founded the Institute of Computer Science (ICSc) with the help of Professors George and Pask of the Brunel University, UK. To ensure all these fields were widely publicised and discussed, he edited jointly the ICSc journal. He also published extensively worldwide.

It was the founding of what was initially called the World Organisation of General Systems, which later was renamed the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC), which will be of much interest to the readers of this journal. It would be appropriate to celebrate here his founding of this organisation and his unstinted enthusiasm for it throughout his life. Kybernetes was subsequently selected as the official journal of WOSC.

At the time of the journal’s 20th Anniversary of its foundation, the following tribute was published in Vol. 20 No. 6, 1991 (p. 6):

Kybernetes – the International Journal of Systems and Cybernetics is 20 years old this year and this Special Issue has been compiled to honour the event. The journal was established in 1971 by Professor J. Rose, who is now the Founding Editor: He was one of the enlightened scientists who realised that cybernetics and systems lacked a forum for the exchange of knowledge and information and set about forming a world organisation (WOSC), arranging congresses, and publishing books and journals. We all owe him a great deal and our birthday celebrations would not be complete without a tribute to his foresight and our thanks for his untiring labours in the cause of advancing systems and cybernetics.

For two decades Kybernetes has contributed to the research and development which has transformed cybernetics and systems and raised its status and acceptability in the scientific community at large, First published as a quarterly, it now features six issues a year; together with special issues that explore selected topics in the field. Over the years it has published important contributions by some of the world’s most distinguished scientists, as well as encouraging all who are involved in systems and cybernetics to communicate their ideas through its pages.. The young scientist, in particular, often with little chance of achieving publication, has received willing help and guidance from the editors and the editorial advisory board.

To mark the 30th Anniversary a further tribute was made (Kybernetes, Vol. 30 Nos 9/10, 2001, pp. 1055-8):

This Special Issue has been compiled to mark 30 years of the publication of Kybernetes. The International Journal of Systems & Cybernetics.

The Journal not only is a major contributor’ to the literature but also has during this period been chosen as the official publication, of the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC), which is a federation of national associations and institutions devoted to systems and cybernetics.

The founding editor professor J. Rose (UK), decided that cybernetics and systems lacked a- forum for-the exchange of knowledge and information. With great foresight he set about forming a world organisation (now called WOSC), arranging congresses, seminars and meetings and publishing books that were relevant to these fields. From these activities the need for a journal that allowed both readers and contributors to communicate research, development and ideas, naturally arose. Kybernetes was founded and immediately became the only world-class publication in systems and cybernetics currently available.

We are, of course, deeply indebted to Dr Rose and we have reminded ourselves on each of our anniversaries of our good fortune in having had such an untiring enthusiast who was prepared to devote so much time to the advancement of systems and cybernetics.

Dr Rose was awarded the Norbert Wiener Memorial Gold Medal at the WOSC Congress held at Imperial College London UK in 1987, in recognition of his scholarship and contributions to these world organisation.

To illustrate these endeavours, we have reprinted two of the papers he published at this time. The first was his article “Cybernetics, technological barriers and education”, first published in 1969. Above all else, it illustrates the powerful unifying concept of cybernetics and its place in the movement of change advocated in the 1960s.

The issues commemorating the centenary of the birth of Norbert Wiener included an article by Professor Rose that reviewed the early years and the origins of cybernetics. Dr Rose saw Wiener as a “towering figure among intellectual giants and thinkers of original concepts”. The paper “The early years: some comments on the origins and concepts of Cybernetics” reviewed far-reaching and revolutionary contributions made to twentieth century science and technology by the father of cybernetics, Norbert Wiener. We also include the paper that gained Dr Rose a prestigious award from the British Association for the Advancement: of Science. The papers were selected to provide but a brief insight into the strong convictions he held about cybernetics and what it could achieve in an environment that accepted both interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches.

We have also re-published a tribute from Kybernetes, Vol. 27 No. 1, 2008 (p. 6) in which much of Dr Rose’s early life is featured, together with some details of his career and academic distinctions. As is our usual practice, we have also included our regular journal sections. An extended account of the 14th Congress of WOSC has been included. Professor Rose planned and organised WOSC congresses and other conferences and was fondly remembered at this event by the present organisation’s directorate as well as the congress hosts and delegates.

Brian H. RudallEditor-in-Chief