John P. Kollinger (1949-1989), manager of the Technology Evaluation Group in the Academic Computing area of Computing and Information Services, passed away on Sunday, May 21, 1989, after an 18-month battle with cancer. John was with CIS and the University of Pittsburgh for 10 years: three years as a systems analyst with Administrative Information Systems and the past seven years as a systems analyst with Academic Computing. Prior to coming to Pitt, John, a graduate of Duquesne University, did software design work for Control Data Corporation, and Union Switch and Signal.

John's wit, spirit, and intelligence allowed him to assume a leadership position during his time at Pitt. His understanding and appreciation of the dynamics and potential of the University environment served us all well; John was the primary force behind the conceptualization and implementation of the host of academic computing support services available through the Faculty Technology Evaluation and Consulting Center and he worked constantly to provide the technological tools that would better serve faculty, staff, and students in instruction and research. His love for philosophy and his keen interest in artificial intelligence gave him the ability to view computing at the University of Pittsburgh in a broader, perhaps more sophisticated, perspective that always served as inspiration to his colleagues.

We are all fortunate to have had the opportunity to know him and to work with him; we are all saddened by his passing; we are all working to honor his spirit and to remember the curiosity and wonder that he brought to even the most mundane tasks.

(written by John Bell, 1989)