Dr. Roger Tomlinson (Photo: Tomlinson Associates.)
It is with great sadness that I relay the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Roger Tomlinson, on February 9, 2014, at the age of 80.
Roger was above all else a geographer and was always proud to say that. He loved GIS, the field that he invented, and was so pleased to come to Esri and help us in thinking through difficult problems. He had a passion for staying current with the most recent technologies and always had insights that none of the rest of us had. He also loved attending the annual Esri User Conference and the opportunity to both see and acknowledge the great work of GIS professionals from around the world. He always said that giving out the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Awards was his favorite day of the year.
Roger both created and dignified our field with his strong yet graceful spirit and insight. He invariably knew what was important. His vision of first thinking about and then designing and building practical systems that created meaningful information products will be part of his legacy.
With his passing, a beautiful and bright light has gone out in the world. Nevertheless, I know that his spirit and passion will live on in all of us.
He was my friend. I will miss him greatly. And his spirit will be missed by all of us.
Jack Dangermond is President of Esri, and is recognized as one of the most influential people in the field of geographic information system (GIS) technology.
Jack, along with his wife Laura, founded Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) in 1969 with a vision that geographic analysis and computer mapping could help us design a better future. That vision has continued to guide Esri in creating cutting-edge GIS and Geodesign technologies used in every industry to help our users be successful and to make a difference worldwide.
A graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Jack also has received 14 honorary degrees for his contributions to the fields of geography, environmental science, planning, and GIS. Jack remains closely connected to projects, clients, and the company vision, and is personally committed to promoting GIS methods to improve environmental stewardship and sustainability for communities across the world.
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