(...and he has been most handy with PhDs too! Photo by Bennett Alexander)My long-time friend and one of my academic role models, Dewald Roode passed away this morning at 07:00. In tribute to him I copy an email I sent to him after his second radiation treatment last year, as well as his reply. Goodbye Dewald. You will be sorely missed. And, as you know, the table you fixed during one mentoring session is still holding up well. 29 Jul 2008Beste DewaldDie blomme is 'n plesier. Jou epos het my egter voorgespring, want ekwou eintlik al gister of eergister vir jou 'n epos gestuur het.Ek probeer altyd wanneer jy hier is 'n tydjie kry dat ons gesels - endie twee brekvisse wat ons wel gehad het, was vir my persoonlik baiegoed om te h^e en ek waardeer dit.Desnieteenstaande was dit vir my interessant dat ons by albei brekvisseso duidelik RONDOM die sentrale issue gekuier het, en dit is dat jy baiesiek is, en dat jy desnieteenstaande nog steeds afkom om met diestudente te werk. Dit verstaan ek nogal. My eie pa het die Vrydag voorsy dood op 73 nog 'n groot konsultasie in sy hospitaalbed gehad, omdathy nie sy laaste klient wou teleurstel nie.(Ok, dis sekerlik meerkompleks as dit). Ek was daar om hom by te staan, en ons het almalgeweet een van die redes daarvoor, was dat ek die opvolgwerk sou moesdoen wat op die konsultasie volg.Nietemin, dit is nie werklik ter sake waaroor ons op die brekvissepraat of nie praat nie. Wat wel ter sake is, is dat ek een of ander tydvir jou moet vertel hoe baie ek jou insette in my lewe waardeer - oor 'ntydperk wat nou al deur jare strek.Jy weet dit nie, maar ons kontak is voorafgegaan deur Barry Vorster watmy laat weet het dat "Oom Dewald" een van die skerpste, en meeshumanistiese mense op die kampus is.. ensovoorts. Eintlik kan ek nie sypresiese woorde onthou nie, maar die positiewe vibe wat hy daargestelhet, was blywend.Toe was ons werklike ontmoeting toe jy en Roelf van den Heever mytoegelaat het as 'n "adjunct-member" van die toe-nog-informele "Skoolvir IT. Die res onthou jy so goed soos ek.Ek sal nooit vergeet hoe ons afgekom het op die feit dat ons dieselfdevoel oor die slottoneel van Amadeus waar Salieri homself verkodig as"The king of mediocrity"Dan was daar die hele pret met die stigting van die Skool vir IT en dielaunch van die M.IT, en die werk wat ons saam gedoen het met dienavorsingsmetodologiekursus in die MIT.Ek het destyds jou artikel oorgesit in HTML en dit op die MIT websitegesit byhttp://hagar.up.ac.za/catts/mit/research/research.htmlDit bly nou nog 'n toonaangewende vertrekpunt in wanneer ek virstudente 'n oorsig gee oor waar om te begin met hulle navorsing. Hoe omte verseker dat hul navorsing "grammatikaal" sin maak.Maar, die belangrikste vir my, is nie jou akademiese en kultureleskerpheid nie - die belangrikste is jou humanity - die feit dat jy soduidelik raaksien wat mense nodig het, en dat jy die vermoe"e het omhulle daarheen te lei - hetsy as departementshoof, skoolvoorsitter,studieleier, mentor of vriend.Ek ding gedurig aan jou, en wens jou baie sterkte toe in hierdie swaartyd.Dit is 'n voorreg om 'n deel van jou netwerk te mag wees!GroeteJohannesAnd his always-upbeat reply:Beste JohannesEk sukkel al lank aan hierdie boodskap. Jy het sulke wonderlike mooi dingeoor my gesê waarop ek geen antwoord het nie - net baie dankie. Ek waardeerdit geweldig. Dit bly tog maar die rede waarom 'n akademikus 'n akademikusis en bly: daardie enkele momente, wat jy op 'n hand of twee kan aftel,wanneer jy in die oë van 'n student sien dat jy êrens in sy of haar binnesteiets aangeraak het. Seker, hoop 'n mens, is daar baie ander waar ditongesiens verbygegaan het, en dit gee verdere vertroosting vir 'n "lewe vanopoffering". Maar die momente waar dit sigbaar is, het so 'n impak dat ditopmaak vir baie dinge. Wat jy nou oor my te gesê gehad het, tel onderdaardie momente, en ek sê nederig (regtig!) baie dankie daarvoor.Die tydjie van rus wat ek vir myself ingeruim het, is besig om dividende afte werp. Ek voel elke dag bietjie beter, en is seker dat ek binnekort weervolstoom sal kan werk. Nou vat ek dit maar rustig en doen soveel ek kan op'n dag - nie alles wat MOET gedoen word nie. Dis nogal 'n aanpassing, na 'nlewe van totale miskenning van tydgrense en tydlimiete - daar is altyd nogtyd!Retha sê my dat dit hierdie week Quality Review tyd is. Ek kan glo dat ditvir almal 'n stresvolle affêre moet wees, en baie sterkte daarmee.Beste wense, ek hoop ons kan binnekort weer 'n brekfissie inruim. Hierdiekeer behoort jy darem nie te verdwaal nie!GroetnisDewald
When I first met Dewald in Kuopio in 2004, he made me immediadly great impression. He must have been the wisest and nicest professor I have ever met. I am thankful I got to work with this exceptional person.
Another tribute. This one I received via email from Mikko KorpelaIt is with deep sorrow that I have to inform that Prof Dewald Roode, our senior advisor to the Informatics Development for Health in Africa network INDEHELA, passed away in Cape Town on Sunday, 27th September at 7 am after fighting back a severe disease for several years. He was hospitalized on Wednesday.Last year Dewald was awarded the highest recognition of the AIS, the LEO Award for Exceptional Lifetime Achievement in Information Systems. The award announcement summarizes his exceptional professional life:http://home.aisnet.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=685 For us in the INDEHELA network, Dewald was always a supportive personal friend and the great-grandfather of all the INDEHELA babies. It was only on Wednesday morning when he wrote about an INDEHELA abstract that was approved to the JAIS Special Issue: "I would love to be involved and your suggestion about what I could do makes a lot of sense. Retha and I discussed this some time ago and I will pick it up where we left off, and will try my best to make a useful contribution."It is now our duty to pick it up from where Dewald took us. In Information Systems in Africa we are all orphans now.Mikko
I first met Dewald in 1993 at a conference here in Perth, Australia. He was so friendly and easy to talk to and you really felt that you had found a friend for life on the first meeting. We met many times after that at conferences around the world and he always had an encouraging word to say. He acted as a referee for me in job applications and any requests were never any trouble for him.I remember the good times, for example at ECIS in 1998 at Aix en Provence we had spent a day after the conference sight seeing and then in the evening a group of us ate at a restaurant outside - eating, drinking, chatting and as always with Dewald laughing and having fun.Before I knew he was ill, I had asked him to write a section for a book I was working on for PhD students and he came up with a marvellous piece. He apologised for taking a few days extra because of his illness. I know he liked to watch rugby and South Africa in particular and he told me that whenever he watched them play on TV he would wear his scarf and his hat. I was so sad to read of his passing. Craig StandingJoondalupWestern australia
Prof Dewald was my study leader during my MCom in Information Sciences 1994. He was amazing at guiding the process to include the aspects of research that I am truly passionate about.These where the things that where no really appreciated by all thinkers in information sciences at the time including human behaviour, motivation to change, behavioural assement tools and creativity.He tought me alot about life. Helped me to recover when i made big mistakes in public forums etc.In short he believed in me. What an awsome man. You made a lasting impression and difference.Otto PretoriusPrinciple Thought LeaderQBit Group