In memoriam Professor Jacob “John” Rose
Dr Rose was the founding Editor of Kybernetes – The International Journal of Cybernetics, Systems and Management Sciences, which is now in its 37th volume. He also founded the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics which selected Kybernetes as its official publication.
A special double-issue of this journal is being planned to honour his memory and to celebrate his life.
Tributes from his colleagues and friends and those who were also inspired by his contribution to cybernetics and systems worldwide, are to be included. Professor Rose's son, Dr Paul Rose, has kindly allowed us to include the following sections of the obituary published immediately after the funeral:
Dr John Rose, known as Jack, was the last of his generation. Other members of his family in Poland were killed in the Holocaust. His only surviving close relative, older brother Dr Isaac Rosenbaum, spent World War II in Paris as a doctor for the French underground. Dr Rose served in the Royal West Kent Regiment of the British Army in Italy before beginning his career in education.His beloved wife, Fay, and brother Isaac, predeceased him. He is survived by two sons and a daughter, all with families, including eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.Dr Rose was President of the Blackburn College of Technology, founder and editor of seven international journals including Kybernetesand Robotica, and author or editor of more than 50 books on chemistry,cybernetics, automation, biomedical computing, environmental issues and medical biotechnology. He was honoured by the Queen for his services to education.After retirement Dr Rose was active as a consultant to industry. He was research director of Dainichi-Sykes Ltd that supplied the first generation of robots to Jaguar Cars UK, and was appointed Research Professor of Robotics at the University of Salford and the University of Central Lancashire. It was in his 89th year that he relinquished editorship of the journal Robotica. He was also the founding Director-General of the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics, which has been recognised by UNESCO.
The publishers of Kybernetes, Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, the Editor-in-Chief, the Editorial Advisory Board and the editorial team offer their condolences to Professor Rose's family, and to his friends and colleagues worldwide, who have suffered this sad loss.
