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It
is with great sadness that we share the news of the sudden death
of our friend, and colleague, Dr. Yahiko Kambayashi. Yahiko passed
away on February 6, 2004.
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Yahiko
was Professor and Dean in the Graduate School of Informatics at
Kyoto University. As a computer scientist and engineer he had studied
and followed our research for many years.
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We
first met Yahiko in the Spring of 2002 when he invited Alan to participate
in a number of activities in Japan, including the IPA Grants Program
(a national government-sponsored grants initiative) a collaboration
with Kyoto University, and what was then the beginning of the "Kyoto
Schools" or as Yahiko named it, the "ALAN-K Project"
(Advanced Learning and Networking in Kyoto Project). Since that
time we had numerous wonderful interactions and meetings with Yahiko,
including two international "C5" Conferences; the second
of which concluded only days before he passed away.
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Alan
and Yahiko also co-taught the "TIDE" (Transpacific Interactive
Distance Education) course between UCLA and Kyoto University in
the Spring 2003 and were due to teach this course again this Spring.
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During
this collaboration and time together we came to know what an extraordinary
man Yahiko was. He was involved in an amazing number of projects
and had ties around the world. He had a marvelous sense of humor
and treated his graduate students with the same honor, respect,
and joy as his most esteemed University and political colleagues.
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Taking
Alan's words from a telegram he sent to Yahiko's wife --
"Yahiko
Kambayashi was one of the most special people I've ever met. He
was a happy and constant force for civilization. One can only
adequately thank and remember a person like this by trying to
act more like him and to carry forth his best efforts to make
the world better."
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All
we can do is heed Alan's words and be grateful we were able to know
Yahiko and be influenced by his knowledge and manner. Although our
time with him was short, it was so intense and meaningful that his
"touch" will be with those of us he inteacted with throughout
each of our lives. |
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You'll
live on through us, Kambayashi-sensei. Thank you for your humanity. |
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