Obituary
Journal of the Operational Research Society (2004) 55, 1123–1129. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jors.2601825
Obituary: C West Churchman, 1913–2004
W Ulrich1
1University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
Correspondence: W Ulrich, Sichelweg 41, CH-3098 Schliern, Switzerland. E-mail: wulrich@gmx.ch
Abstract
C(harles) West Churchman, the grand old man of the 'systems approach', has passed away. Born on 29 August 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was 90 years of age. After a rich and significant life of scholarship, he died on 21 March 2004 in Bolinas, California. A former student and collaborator of Professor Churchman offers this commemorative essay. The paper offers a short biography of CW Churchman; an introduction to some central themes of his thinking; and some reflections on what remains of his work and how we might carry it forward today.
Keywords:
CW churchman—obituary, CW churchman—biography, management science, operations research, systems approach, history of OR, philosophy of OR
