Obituary notice: Alfred Locker

Obituary notice: Alfred Locker

Obituary notice: Alfred Locker

Alfred Locker died in Vienna on 12 February, aged 82. He was a student of von Bertalanffy and succeeded him as professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Technology, Vienna. For half a century he was a prominent contributor to the intellectual and professional systems and cybernetics community in several countries. Recently he was engrossed in an attempt to develop a “Trans-classical Systems Theory”, described as breaching the ostensible gap between science, philosophy and revelation.

His lasting contribution to Cybernetics and General Systems will be honoured through a Memorial Lecture in this year's Conference of the IIAS (International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics), in the afternoon of 4 August in Baden-Baden. There will be a Special Symposium in Memoriam Alfred Locker on “Thoughts on Trans-Classical Systems Theory (Potential and Possibilities)”. The inauguration of an annual award will also be announced, designed to promote the continuation of genuine creative advances in the field of Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics. Details can be found on the IIAS web site: www.iias.edu. An address by Locker on “The Present Status of General System Theory, 25 Years after Ludwig von Bertalanffy's Decease: A Critical Overview”, as well as a picture showing him toasting his guests on the occasion of his 80th birthday, can be found on www. systemsresearch.cz/bert2.pdf