Comment #1 Author: Austin Tate
(a.tate@ed.ac.uk) on 05 June 2005 20:00 GMT+1 00:45 NST
We
are
all
shocked
and
saddened
at
this
news.
Rob
was
always
so
engaged
with
everyone
he
met
in
the
business,
academic,
and
corporate
communities
he
played
such
an
active
part
in.
This
included
the
mountaineering
community
of
course
and
a
challenge
he
began
over
25
years
ago
to
climb
the
highest
peak
on
each
continent.
His
colleagues
at
the
University
of
Edinburgh
were
assisting
Rob
by
running
his
expedition
web
site
and
blog.
We
were
also
receiving
regular
progress
reports
from
base
camp
to
provide
structured
reporting
against
the
plans
which
Rob
gave
us
about
his
intended
progress
and
milestone
achievements
during
the
climb.
People
across
the
world
have
been
watching
these,
and,
even
on
the
day
of
this
sad
news,
people
were
checking
in
as
we
were
all
so
keen
to
see
Rob
succeed.
This
is
very
upsetting.
Rob
was
doing
something
he
loved.
He
will
be
missed
by
the
international
community
which
he
played
so
vital
a
part
of.
Our
thoughts
are
with
his
family
and
all
the
other
friends
who,
along
with
ourselves,
have
been
so
much
enriched
by
knowing
Rob.
Comment #2 Author: Kevin Burgum
(burgs44@hotmail.com) on 05 June 2005 20:54 GMT+1 01:39 NST
I'm
so
very
sorry
to
hear
the
tragic
news
about
Robert's
death.
Comment #3 Author: Alan Wilks
(agwilks@aol.com) on 05 June 2005 22:02 GMT+1 02:47 NST
May
your
soul
rest
in
peace
and
may
we
all
remember
a
life
of
extraordinary
achievement.
Comment #4 Author: Thomas Besore
(thomas@besore.com) on 06 June 2005 03:07 GMT+1 07:52 NST
From
an
armchair
traveler
in
the
USA,
may
God
bless
you
and
your
family
and
the
many
lives
you
touched
in
your
explorations.
Your
adventures
reached
so
many
around
the
globe,
....so
many
who
never
knew
you,
but
lived
their
own
adventures
through
your
account.
May
your
final
journey
be
one
of
peace
and
rest
in
Gods
love.
And
to
those
who
follow,
let
not
another
day
pass
without
pursuit
of
a
dream.
Let
celebration
of
those
accomplishments
and
inspiration
of
your
own
lives
take
precedence
over
grief.
Sorry
to
hear
the
tragic
news
-
Rob
was
a
real
gentleman
and
will
be
a
great
loss.
Comment #6 Author: Ian Smith
(Ian.Smith@epfl.ch) on 06 June 2005 11:22 GMT+1 16:07 NST
Rob,
you
had
the
best
mix
between
theory,
practice,
sport
and
the
rest
of
life.
You
have
been
an
inspiration
to
so
many
people
and
I
have
admired
you
for
years.
May
you
rest
in
peace.
Comment #7 Author: Ramon Lopez de Mantaras
(mantaras@iiia.csic.es) on 06 June 2005 11:50 GMT+1 16:35 NST
Rob
was
one
of
the
nicest
persons
I
ever
met.
I
had
the
peasure
to
closely
work
with
him
specially
in
organizing
ECAI'04.
My
thoughts
are
now
with
his
family
and
the
other
friends.
We
will
miss
him!
Comment #8 Author: Marc Eisenstadt
(m.eisenstadt@open.ac.uk) on 06 June 2005 12:21 GMT+1 17:06 NST
What
a
terrible
loss
-
we
were
following
Rob
with
great
interest
during
this
climb
for
many
reasons,
and
were
stunned
to
hear
of
his
tragic
death.
He
was
a
leading
thinker
and
do-er,
and
a
great
guy
too
-
our
hearts
go
out
to
all
his
family
and
friends.
Comment #9 Author: Janet Thomas
(jnt@aber.ac.uk) on 06 June 2005 12:43 GMT+1 17:28 NST
I
am
completely
stunned
at
this
news
-
Rob
was
a
great
guy
-
one
of
the
nicest
I
ever
met,
and
an
inspiration.
I
will
miss
him,
as
will
anyone
who
knew
him.
My
thoughts
are
with
his
family
at
this
awful
time
-
may
you
gain
some
comfort
from
those
of
us
who
want
you
to
know
how
great
we
thought
he
was.
Comment #10 Author: Royal Society of Edinburgh
(sbrown@royalsoced.org.uk) on 06 June 2005 12:58 GMT+1 17:43 NST
Rob
Milne
was
highly
distinguished
in
his
field
and
was
elected
a
Fellow
of
The
Royal
Society
of
Edinburgh
(RSE)
in
2003.
Before
setting
off
on
his
Everest
expedition,
Rob
invited
the
Society's
Fellowship
to
propose
research
work
he
could
undertake
while
acclimatising
at
Base
Camp
and
agreed
enthusiastically
to
the
studies
he
was
asked
to
perform
-
detailed
in
this
Blog.
Just
before
his
departure,
Rob
accepted
our
invitation
to
be
a
Mentor
to
Enterprise
Fellows,
a
role
in
which
he
would
doubtless
have
offered
much
wisdom
and
encouragement,
imparted
with
great
warmth
and
humanity.
Rob
will
be
much
missed.
Our
thoughts
are
with
his
wife,
family,
friends
and
colleagues.
Comment #11 Author: Rick Magaldi
(rickmagaldi@hotmail.com) on 06 June 2005 13:37 GMT+1 18:22 NST
I
was
stunned
to
hear
of
Rob's
death.
He
became
a
good
friend
over
the
20
years
of
our
aquaintance,
and
we
shared
a
lot
of
enjoyable
times,
travelling
to
distant
places,
talking
about
our
various
experiences
and
dreams.
Rob
always
had
a
magical
touch
with
others,
always
able
to
inspire
enthusiasm,
loyalty
and
affection.
He
will
be
sadly
missed
by
us
all.
My
condolences
to
Rob's
family,
friends
and
colleagues.
Comment #12 Author: Tony Cohn
(a.g.cohn@leeds.ac.uk) on 06 June 2005 13:50 GMT+1 18:35 NST
I
have
known
and
interacted
with
Rob
in
a
variety
of
settings
over
the
last
20
years
including
most
recently
in
his
role
as
Local
Arrangements
Chair
for
IJCAI-05,
which
he
undertook
with
the
same
enthusiasm,
professionalism
and
collegiality
as
with
everything
else.
It
has
been
a
joy
to
know
him
and
he
will
be
sorely
missed.
My
thoughts
are
with
his
family.
Comment #13 Author: Craig Colclough
(craigcolclough@seznam.cz) on 06 June 2005 14:08 GMT+1 18:53 NST
I
was
extremely
saddened
to
hear
of
the
death
of
Rob
and
I
hope
that
his
family
can
take
some
small
comfort
from
the
knowledge
that
his
death
will
help
in
the
research
into
mountain
safety.
Rest
in
peace,
Rob.
The
mountain
winds
are
with
you.
Comment #14 Author: Stefania Tentoni
(stefania@imati.cnr.it) on 06 June 2005 14:05 GMT+1 18:50 NST
I
am
really
shocked
at
hearing
about
Rob's
so
tragic
death.
That
surely
is
a
great
loss
for
the
scientific
community
he
was
part
of.
My
thoughts
and
sincere
sorrow
are
with
his
family
and
close
friends.
This
is
very
sad
news.
It
is
tragic
for
Rob's
family
to
lose
him
from
so
far
away.
It
is
good
that
he
had
the
chance
to
experience
as
much
as
he
did
in
his
life,
and
to
touch
the
lives
of
so
many
people
(and
tigers).
We
will
all
miss
him.
Comment #16 Author: Dick Milne
(santa.milne@att.net) on 06 June 2005 15:07 GMT+1 19:52 NST
As
parents
of
Rob
Milne
we
appreciate
all
the
many
comments
you
all
are
expressing,
we
were
very
proud
of
what
he
was
able
to
do
in
his
short
48
years.
We
did
not
know
as
much
about
his
work,
as
we
should,
but
please
know
your
many
kind
thoughts
help
us
also.
We
know
Val,
Alex
and
Rosemary
will
have
had
a
great
loss
as
have
we,
and
your
support
of
his
efforts
help
a
great
deal.
God
bless
you
all,
and
love
from
his
parents
and
Sisters,
Diana,Donna
and
Brother-in-law
Jim,
to
his
many
friends
we
never
met.
Thank
you
for
being
a
part
of
his
life.
Comment #17 Author: Julia Blackwell
(julia@statslab.cam.ac.uk) on 06 June 2005 15:33 GMT+1 20:18 NST
I
had
been
following
Rob
expedition
with
great
interest
and
was
very
shocked
to
read
of
his
untimely
death
in
the
paper
this
morning,
My
thoughts
are
with
his
family.
Rob
was
a
great
man
who
lived
his
life
to
the
full.
I
had
the
pleasure
of
working
with
him
for
3
years
in
the
early
1990s
and
I
will
always
remember
him
as
someone
who
was
at
once
both
a
team
member
and
a
leader.
I
am
shocked
and
saddened
at
his
untimely
death.
Comment #19 Author: Ben Kuipers
(kuipers@cs.utexas.edu) on 06 June 2005 15:39 GMT+1 20:24 NST
I
am
shocked
and
saddened
by
the
news
of
Rob's
death.
My
thoughts
and
prayers
go
out
to
his
family
and
loved
ones
at
this
difficult
time.
I
have
known
Rob
for
20
years
or
so,
through
the
qualitative
reasoning
research
community
that
he
was
such
an
important
part
of.
He
was
a
shining
light
in
that
community.
Of
course,
he
was
very
smart
and
had
great
ideas,
but
he
also
had
the
vision,
the
optimism,
and
the
determination
to
put
theoretical
ideas
into
useful
practice.
His
enterprises
were
not
only
contributions
in
their
own
right,
they
were
also
an
inspiration
to
others
to
do
likewise.
He
was
a
cheerful,
delightful
person,
full
of
stories.
I
remember
eating
and
drinking
with
him
at
various
conferences,
but
mostly
talking
and
laughing
together.
There's
a
lot
we
don't
know
about
how
Rob's
spirit
lives
on:
whether
it
is
in
our
memories
and
the
way
he
has
influenced
us,
or
in
some
more
tangible
and
individual
way.
But
it
does
live
on.
I
treasure
our
time
together.
Comment #20 Author: Care for the Wild
(info@careforthewild.com) on 06 June 2005 16:33 GMT+1 21:18 NST
All
at
Care
for
the
Wild
International
(CFTWI)
would
like
to
pass
on
our
condolences
to
Rob's
family
and
friends.
As
part
of
the
challenge
of
climbing
Everest,
Rob
was
raising
funds
to
support
CFTWI's
work
with
tigers.
We
were
all
impressed
that
even
though
taking
on
a
challenge
such
as
Everest
he
had
taken
time
to
consider
another
interest
of
his
and
do
a
little
bit
of
good
to
help
protect
these
animals
in
the
wild.
For
that
we
are
grateful
and
appreciative
of
his
support.
Comment #21 Author: Linda
(Lampron@alum.mit.edu) on 06 June 2005 16:44 GMT+1 21:29 NST
I
have
been
numb
with
shock
to
read
this
news
about
Rob.
Rob
always
spoke
so
proudly
of
his
children
and
parents,family.
His
children
meant
more
to
Rob
than
all
of
his
achievements
combined.
I
am
glad
both
his
children
were
able
to
share
with
Rob
in
his
successes
in
climbing
several
of
the
other
highest
peaks.
Rob
shared
so
much
of
the
joy
and
love
in
his
life
and
used
gentle
humor
to
lift
bad
situations.
I
have
no
words
to
express
my
sadness
and
how
much
I
will
miss
him.
There
is
a
void
that
is
left
in
the
world
by
his
sudden,too
soon
passing.
Comment #22 Author: David W. Aha
(david.aha@nrl.navy.mil) on 06 June 2005 17:09 GMT+1 21:54 NST
This
is
stunning;
Rob
was
a
great
AI
visionary,
contributor,
and
practitioner
whose
inspiration,
expertise,
and
good
humour
touched
many.
Like
so
many
others,
I
will
dearly
miss
him
and
was
looking
forward
to
seeing
him
again
in
Edinburgh
this
summer,
in
part
to
thank
him
for
his
tremendous
dedication
to
our
field.
My
heart
goes
out
to
his
family
and
friends
at
this
difficult
time.
We
grieve
with
you
for
this
wonderful
man.
My
thoughts
go
out
to
Rob's
family.
Rob
had
a
fantastic
capability
for
innovative
thinking
and
worked
hard
to
apply
artificial
intelligence
techniques
in
new
areas.
I
much
appreciated
his
willingness
to
push
the
limits
of
the
technology
and
enjoyed
listening
to
him
humorously
recall
the
many
pitfalls
he
encountered
along
the
way.
The
AI
community
will
miss
this
gentle
explorer.
Comment #24 Author: Philip Powell
(philip@blencathra.org.uk) on 06 June 2005 19:17 GMT+1 00:02 NST
I
only
knew
Rob
through
usenet
and
email
but
his
wise
words
will
be
missed.
My
condolences
to
his
family
and
friends
Comment #25 Author: Barry Smyth
(barry.smyth@ucd.ie) on 06 June 2005 19:39 GMT+1 00:24 NST
This
is
such
tragic
and
terribly
sad
news.
Rob
made
a
lasting
impact
on
so
many
of
us,
it's
so
difficult
to
come
to
terms
with
this
terrible
loss.
I
first
met
Rob
many
years
ago
when
I
was
a
young
grad
student
and
he
remained
a
great
mentor
and
friend
to
me
since.
Indeed
my
own
students
have
come
to
know
Rob
well
and
respect
his
advice
and
support.
We
will
all
miss
him
terribly.
The
thoughts
and
prayers
of
the
staff
and
students
in
the
Department
of
Computer
Science
at
University
College
Dublin
are
with
Rob
and
his
family
at
this
time.
With
sincere
sympathy,
Barry
Smyth
University
College
Dublin
My
thoughts
also
go
out
to
Robs
family
in
Scotland
and
the
States.
Rob
was
a
real
gentleman
and
I
will
miss
our
chats
at
the
SMC
dinners.
Rob
was
also
a
great
friend
of
Brian
Sprunt
with
whom
he
climbed
the
Eiger
North
face.
Its
hard
to
believe
they
are
both
now
gone.
Rob
will
be
greatly
missed
and
the
mountains
a
sadder
place.
Away
ye
grey
landscapes,
ye
garden
of
roses,
in
you
let
the
minions
of
luxury
roam,
and
restore
me
the
rock
where
the
snowflake
reposes,
if
still
they
are
sacred
to
freedom
and
love.
Brave
Caledonia,
dear
are
thy
mountains,
round
your
white
summits,
though
elements
war,
though
cataracts
foamstead,
of
smooth
flowing
fountains,
I
sigh
for
the
valleys
of
Dark
Lochnagar
Beannachd
leibh,
Curly.
Comment #27 Author: Fran
on 06 June 2005 20:10 GMT+1 00:55 NST
I
'knew'
Rob
through
uk.rec.walking
but
never
had
the
chance
to
meet
him.
My
sincere
condolences
to
his
family.
Comment #28 Author: Polly Purvis, ScotlandIS
on 06 June 2005 20:44 GMT+1 01:29 NST
To
many
people
Rob
Milne
was
an
expert
as
well
as
a
friend.
An
international
expert
in
software
who
bridged
the
divide
between
academia
and
the
commercial
software
community
with
his
continued
involvement
in
new
research;
an
expert
fixer
in
his
software
business,
closing
the
deals,
finding
ways
through
the
tough
times;
and
in
the
mountaineering
world,
a
seasoned
mountaineer,
ice
climber
and
author.
An
accomplished
speaker,
a
champion
for
Scotland
and
Scottish
software,
a
member
of
the
British
Computer
Society,
Chair
of
the
European
Co-ordinating
Committee
for
Artificial
Intelligence,
director
of
the
Scottish
Software
Federation,
judge
of
the
Young
Software
Engineer
awards,
Fellow
of
the
Royal
Society
of
Edinburgh,
Honorary
Doctor
of
Robert
Gordon
University,
author
of
Scottish
mountaineering
books
-
Rob
the
expert
got
about.
Whilst
Rob
had
other
interests,
mountaineering
recharged
his
batteries
-
many
a
weekend
was
spent
bagging
another
Munro
or
capturing
another
Corbett
and
those
who
worked
with
him
were
used
to
his
regular
expeditions
to
all
points
of
the
globe
where
he
would
carefully
combine
a
conference
on
the
finer
points
of
artificial
intelligence
with
a
couple
of
days
on
the
beach
to
top
up
his
tan
and
a
stiff
climb
up
some
daunting
peak.
Twice
he
climbed
Kilimanjaro
;
last
year
it
was
Mount
Vinson
in
Antarctica.
This
year
he
set
off
in
April
to
climb
the
final
peak
in
that
special
group
of
highest
peaks
on
each
continent.
We
all
expected
him
to
come
back
with
more
stories
and
fabulous
pictures;
no-one
imagined
he
wouldn't.
Back
in
Scotland
we
had
been
tracking
his
progress
on
the
web.
Whiling
away
time
at
base
camp
whilst
the
climbing
team
acclimatised
themselves
for
Everest,
Rob
sent
back
his
chatty
reports
for
the
blog.
Over
the
last
few
days
we
waited
as
the
team
prepared
for
the
for
the
final
part
of
the
climb.
Tragically
those
high
starlit
ice
fields
on
the
summit
of
Everest
will
now
be
Rob's
last
resting
place;
perhaps
fitting
for
a
guy
from
'wild
Montana'
who
had
always
found
challenge
and
respite
in
the
world's
high
places.
The
thoughts
of
many
in
Scotland's
software
comunity
go
to
his
wife
and
children
here
in
Scotland,
and
to
his
parents
and
family
in
the
States.
I
hope
that
by
knowing
how
much
he
was
valued
by
very
many
people
here
in
Scotland's
software
comunity
and
around
the
world
it
will
help
to
lessen
their
loss,
and
comfort
them
in
facing
the
future.
We
will
miss
him.
Comment #29 Author: lynn bonallo
(lynnbonallo@hotmail.com) on 06 June 2005 00:07 GMT+1 04:52 NST
so
shocked
and
deeply
saddened
by
the
tragic
news,
Rob
was
so
full
of
life
and
energetic
it
is
hard
to
believe
he
is
gone.
My
prayers
and
thoughts
are
with
you
Val,
Alex
and
Rosemary.
Comment #30 Author: lilly evans
(lilly.evans@gmail.com) on 07 June 2005 03:20 GMT+1 08:05 NST
I
have
met
Rob
when
he
first
came
to
UK
when
we
were
both
young
reserachers
in
AI.
It
was
a
real
pleasure
to
renew
the
contact
a
couple
of
years
ago.
I
will
always
remember
his
wonderful
laugh
and
great
ability
to
connect
with
people.
In
the
It
community
populated
by
lots
of
introverts,
he
really
stood
out!
My
thoughth
and
prayers
go
to
Rob's
family,
first
and
foremost.
My
you
all
have
a
long
life
and
keep
his
shining
example
alive.
Comment #31 Author: Rick Meinig
(meinig@adelphia.net) on 07 June 2005 04:22 GMT+1 09:07 NST
This
is
my
second
attempt
to
post
to
Rob's
BLOG
after
receiving
the
shocking
news
of
Rob's
sudden
death....I'm
not
surprised
that
it
would
take
me
at
least
two
attempts
to
catch
up
with
Rob!!
He
always
had
a
knack
for
making
complex
tasks
somewhat
effortless...I
met
Rob
in
the
summer
of
1975
when
I
called
him
based
upon
a
rush
letter
from
Rob's
MIT
fraternity....He
eagerly
suggested
a
trip
to
Denver
and
nearby
Long's
Peak
before
school
began....I
became
acqainted
with
a
cyclone
of
energy
and
enthusiasm
in
a
frenzied
weekend
of
driving,
hiking,
climbing,
hiking,
and
again
driving....It
was
a
pattern
that
we
repeated
numerous
times
while
we
were
both
MIT
undergrads...I
think
Rob
raised
the
standard
not
only
for
his
fellow
climbers
(while
either
climbing
with
Rob
or
trying
to
rival
him
independently!!),
but
for
humanity
as
well...Rob's
passion
for
the
mountains
was
perhaps
second
only
to
his
passion
for
being
humaine...He
was
a
renaissance
man
in
its
truest
meaning...While
we
remained
in
contact
for
these
some
25+
years
via
the
yearly
Christmas
letter
and
more
recently
email,
we
always
planned
for
that
future
meeting
in
Colorado....Rob
will
be
missed
by
many,
but
he
leaves
loads
of
good
memories,
a
great
example
of
the
human
potential
and
I
certain
a
wonderful
family...My
heartfelt
thoughts
to
his
immediate
loved
ones...
RickMeinig
CO
Springs,
MIT
'79
Comment #32 Author: Elisabetta Nones
(elisabetta.nones@unitn.it) on 07 June 2005 07:28 GMT+1 12:13 NST
I
have
known
Rob
since
I
became
part
of
the
IJCAI-05’s
organizing
team.
In
the
short
time
of
our
friendship
I
was
able
to
appreciate
his
enthusiasm,
his
liveliness
and
good
heart.
When
I
called
him
the
day
before
his
departure
to
say
good-bye,
he
was
extremely
excited
and
his
enthusiasm
assured
me
that
he
would
come
back
with
lots
of
stories
to
tell
us
in
Edinburgh
at
the
Conference.
As
all
of
his
friends,
I
will
miss
him.
My
warmest
thoughts
go
to
his
family
for
the
tragic
loss
of
their
dear
husband,
father,
son
and
brother.
With
sincere
sympathy,
Elisabetta
Comment #33 Author: Derek Bridge
(d.bridge@cs.ucc.ie) on 07 June 2005 08:26 GMT+1 13:11 NST
I
extend
deepest
sympathies
to
Rob's
family
on
behalf
of
the
Irish
Artificial
Intelligence
community.
Rob
was
a
friend
of
Irish
AI,
supporting
us
while
he
was
Chairman
of
ECCAI
and
we
were
a
fledgling
organisation.
Many
of
our
members
will
also
have
benefited
individually
from
Rob's
good
sense
and
great
companionship.
AI
events
will
be
much
the
poorer
without
Rob's
good
humour.
Our
thoughts
are
with
his
family
and
friends.
Derek
Bridge
Chair,
Artificial
Intelligence
Association
of
Ireland
I
was
shocked
and
deeply
saddened
to
learn
of
Rob's
passing
away.
My
thoughts
are
with
Rob's
family
at
this
dark
time.
I
have
known
Rob
for
a
good
number
of
years
and
worked
closely
with
him
and
his
team
at
IA.
His
natural
intelligence
and
sense
of
humour
will
be
greately
missed.
Bob
Bannatyne
-
Wood
Group
heavy
Industrial
Turbines.
Rob
was
an
inspiration
and
will
be
sadly
missed.
He
was
also
a
genuinely
interesting,
kind
and
intelligent
person.
He
leaves
a
very
big
space
in
the
world.
My
thoughts
are
with
his
family.
Comment #37 Author: Agnar Aamodt
(agnar.aamodt@idi.ntnu.no) on 07 June 2005 10:15 GMT+1 15:00 NST
What
sad
and
painful
news.
A
dear
friend,
an
inspiring
colleague,
and
a
very
fine
human
being
is
suddenly
gone.
Memories
of
the
many
meetings
and
interesting
discussions
over
the
years
keep
popping
up.
From
our
first
talks
in
the
UK
in
the
late
80s,
through
his
visits
to
Norway
in
the
mid
90s,
and
up
to
our
last
meeting
in
Brussels
at
the
end
of
March
this
year,
just
a
couple
of
days
before
he
left
for
his
very
last
expedition.
It
was
always
a
true
pleasure
to
meet
with
Rob,
whether
the
topic
was
recent
developments
in
model-based
and
case-based
reasoning,
or
animal
life
on
the
African
savannah.
His
vision
and
creative
ideas,
coupled
with
a
detailed
insight
into
matters
that
interested
him,
always
made
you
take
something
home
from
talking
to
him.
That
Rob
is
not
around
anymore
is
very
hard
to
grasp.
My
deepest
condolences
to
his
family.
May
it
be
of
some
comfort
that
the
good
memories
of
him
will
continue
to
live
among
all
his
friends
and
colleagues.
Comment #38 Author: Daniele Theseider Dupré
(dtd@mfn.unipmn.it) on 07 June 2005 10:26 GMT+1 15:11 NST
I
admired
him
for
his
successful
application
of
the
techniques
from
our
field
of
research,
and
for
the
way
he
was
able
to
mix
such
a
professional
success
with
other
good
things
in
life,
such
as
sport
and
human
relationships.
Comment #39 Author: Lorraine McGinty
(lorraine.mcginty@ucd.ie) on 07 June 2005 13:32 GMT+1 18:17 NST
I
am
extremely
sad
to
hear
of
Rob's
tragic
death.
Rob
was
a
wonderful
guy
who
embrassed
life
to
the
full.
I
regard
myself
as
very
fortunate
to
have
known
him
both
professionally
and
as
a
friend.
In
the
past
year,
in
particular,
he
has
visited
Ireland
on
a
number
of
occasions
and
generously
volunteered
his
time
and
professional
expertise.
I,
amongst
many
others,
enjoyed
Rob's
company
on
his
recent
Dublin
visits
--
some
of
the
fond
memories
I
will
carry
with
me
include,
having
drinks
in
the
Stag's
Head,
and
the
interesting
stories
he
would
energetically
tell
over
group
dinners,
usually
after
a
hard
day
of
research
discussion.
Last
September
Rob
accepted
an
invitation
to
speak
at
our
national
Irish
AI
conference
[AICS
2004].
He
gave
a
great
talk,
and
spent
a
great
deal
of
time
chatting
with
the
student
attendees
(and
even
brought
some
of
them
hiking,
for
fun,
on
one
of
the
days
he
spent
in
County
Mayo!).
There
is
no
doubt
about
it
--
Rob
has
touched
lives,
and
will
be
fondly
remembered
by
many.
My
thoughts
and
prayers
will
be
with
his
wife,
children,
parents,
relatives
and
friends.
RIP
Comment #40 Author: Zeddy AL-Refai
(zedalrefai@yahoo.com) on 07 June 2005 14:05 GMT+1 18:50 NST
I'm
truley
saddened
by
Rob's
passing.
We
have
summited
mt.
Vinson
2004
together
,
we
have
shared
a
tent,he
was
very
strong
climber
and
told
me
so
many
thrilling
stories
about
all
the
adventures
in
the
alps.
we
spoke
time
to
time
,he
alway
kept
me
posted.very
proud
father
&
husband
i'm
sure,
because
of
the
way
he
spoke
about
his
kids
and
thier
climbing
.I
too
lost
a
good
fiend.my
deepest
sympathy.
Zeddy
AL-Refai
(
1st
ARAB(kuwait)on
the
Everest)
www.foreverest.com
Comment #41 Author: Ruth Aylett
(ruth@macs.hw.ac.uk) on 07 June 2005 14:13 GMT+1 18:58 NST
A
man
of
terrific
energy
and
accomplishment
-
a
rare
example
of
someone
who
succeeded
in
business
without
ever
losing
touch
with
the
research
community.
A
man
who
loved
ideas
but
also
climbed
mountains,
who
put
up
no
walls
between
thinking
and
doing.
He
leaves
a
big
gap
-
most
of
all
for
his
family,
but
also
to
so
many
others:
he
gave
so
much
of
himself
to
so
many.
Successful
People
Are
Enthusiastic.
They're
excited
by
what
they're
doing,
and
that
excitement
is
contagious.
They
draw
people
to
them
because
these
people
want
to
work
with
them,
do
business
with
them,
and
be
with
them.
Rob
achieved
many
successes
-
and
always
with
enthusiasm.
Brightest
Blessings
Rob.
Comment #43 Author: Toby Walsh
(tw@cse.unsw.edu.au) on 07 June 2005 23:52 GMT+1 04:37 NST
I
was
very
saddened
to
hear
the
news.
I
had
been
looking
forwards
greatly
to
seeing
Rob
in
Edinburgh
this
August
and
to
celebrate
with
him
two
of
his
dreams
coming
true:
climbing
the
Big
7
and
IJCAI
coming
to
Scotland.
He
brought
energy,
laughter
and
enthusiasm
to
everything
that
he
did.
Comment #44 Author: Peter Struss
(struss@in.tum.de) on 07 June 2005 00:24 GMT+1 05:09 NST
Yes,
it
is
sad.
It
is
sad
for
us.
He
certainly
was
too
young
to
die.
But
I
must
say,
for
me,
this
all
makes
sense.
It
may
sound
strange,
but
I
think
if
he
could
have
determined
how
he
would
like
to
die,
it
would
be
like
this
-
in
a
challenge
with
nature,
in
living
to
the
extreme,
in
enjoying
our
natural
world.
The
main
reason
why
I
liked
Rob
and
why
we
were
close,
was
because
of
this.
Despite
all
his
work,
he
was
searching
for
this
experience
of
nature,
the
challenges;
he
was
curious.
He
LIVED,
besides
working
hard.
I
feel
very
related
to
this
attitude.
And
I
think,
if
he
could
talk
to
us,
he
would
say:
OK.
I
knew
there
was
a
risk.
But
I
decided
to
try.
I
enjoyed
the
challenge,
I
was
close
to
the
summit,
and
I
failed.
That's
OK.
Don't
be
sad.
If
you
don't
try
to
explore
the
world,
its
beauty,
and
its
challenges,
you
will
have
missed
something
very
important.
If
you
tried,
you
will
have
received
a
lot.
If
you
fail
at
some
point,
you
still
have
gained
the
most
important,
you
have
lived.
You
also
lose
something.
But
that's
OK.
That's
OK.
Rob
used
these
words
so
often.
Even
if
it
is
hard
for
us
to
accept.
Let's
say
That's
OK.
Let's
learn
from
Rob's
life,
not
from
his
death.
Peter
Comment #45 Author: Jim Damrau
(jdamrau@myawai.com) on 08 June 2005 03:55 GMT+1 08:40 NST
I
was
very
lucky
to
be
part
of
Rob's
life
being
married
into
the
family.
I
was
always
amazed
how
successful
he
was
in
life.
A
lot
it
had
to
do
with
his
determination.
His
statement
to
me
one
day
was
As
long
as
you
put
your
mind
and
heart
to
it
anything
could
be
accomplished.
Rob
was
not
only
successful
in
business
life
but
was
also
a
loving
husband
and
father.We
will
all
miss
him.
I
remember
talking
to
him
in
the
year
2000
about
his
life
long
dream
to
climb
the
top
7
mountains
in
the
world.
At
that
time
he
promised
that
he
would
accomplish
this
goal.
In
my
mind
he
did
just
that.
He
left
us
completing
this
dream.
As
I
look
at
the
mountain
ranges
to
the
west
I'll
always
remember
the
great
times
we
had
over
the
past
13
years,
God
bless
and
may
you
rest
in
peace.
Comment #46 Author: Joerg Neidig
(neidig@atp.rub.de) on 08 June 2005 07:53 GMT+1 12:38 NST
I
had
the
chance
to
meet
Rob
at
DX'04
and
I
was
instantly
fascinated
by
his
energy
and
his
enthusiasm.
He
was
one
of
those
persons
which
try
to
do
everything
110%.
He
definitely
left
a
lasting
impression.
He
will
be
missed.
Comment #47 Author: Alan Bundy
(A.Bundy@ed.ac.uk) on 08 June 2005 09:55 GMT+1 14:40 NST
I
have
known
Rob
since
1978,
when
he
came
to
Edinburgh
to
study
for
a
PhD
with
me.
I
have
been
shocked
to
learn
of
his
death
and
send
my
heartfelt
condolences
to
Val,
Alex
and
Rosemary.
Rob
was
a
great
champion
of
AI
and
of
bridging
the
academic
and
industrial
research
worlds.
He
always
set
himself
ambitious
goals
and
by
sustained
and
determined
action
succeeded
in
achieving
them.
He
packed
98
years
of
living
into
his
49
years
of
life.
From
all
at
INCA
Holdings
Ltd,
espcially
Frank,
Kevin
and
myself
we
send
our
heartfelt
condolances
to
Rob's
family.
Although
we
only
knew
Rob
through
our
business
association
with
the
TIGER
software,
he
was
such
an
easy
person
to
get
on
with
and
ready
to
share
his
personal
experiences
of
his
expiditions
during
our
meetings,
that
we
consider
Rob
as
much
a
friend
as
a
business
associate.
He
will
be
sadly
missed
by
us
all.
Comment #49 Author: Fernando Pereira
(pereira@cis.upenn.edu) on 08 June 2005 17:15 GMT+1 22:00 NST
I
was
one
of
Rob's
fellow
PhD
students
at
the
Hope
Park
Square
branch
of
the
AI
Department.
We
both
worked
on
natural-language
processing
in
Prolog.
My
strongest
memories
of
Rob
are
his
clarity
of
direction,
his
ability
to
set
and
reach
goals,
and
his
amazing
energy.
While
the
rest
of
us
slept
late
on
weekends,
he
was
out
there
climbing
everything
worth
climbing
in
the
Highlands,
while
still
finishing
his
thesis
faster
than
anyone
else.
I
remember
too
his
account
of
climbing
Denali,
going
light
and
fast.
It
was
my
loss
that
I
saw
Rob
just
a
few
times
since
leaving
Edinburgh,
none
recently.
His
great
professional
success
is
out
there
to
be
seen
by
all
of
us
in
AI,
but
I
did
not
realize
until
the
shocking
moment
late
Sunday
night
when
I
read
the
awful
news
on
CNN.com,
that
Rob
had
also
a
parallel
career
as
an
outstanding
mountaineer.
As
an
European
who
moved
to
America,
speaking
of
an
American
who
built
family,
home,
and
business
in
Europe,
I
feel
that
Rob
demonstrated
the
best
of
the
spirit
of
the
American
West:
daring,
self-
reliant,
goal-directed,
open
to
ideas
and
people,
making
every
minute
count.
Rob
taught
me
first
about
these
American
values
that
are
often
missed
in
the
noise
of
media
and
politics.
Rob's
legacy
lives
with
all
of
us,
in
bringing
AI
to
the
real
world,
in
the
love
of
mountains,
and,
not
the
least,
in
exemplifying
the
best
traits
and
impulses
that
tie
Scotland
and
America.
Comment #50 Author: Bonnie Webber
(bonnie@inf.ed.ac.uk) on 08 June 2005 18:59 GMT+1 23:44 NST
I
always
respected
and
admired
Rob,
and
remember
him
being
so
happy
when
the
book
he
co-editted
on
hill
walking
the
Corbetts
was
finally
complete.
He
said
he
had
walked
and
checked
every
route.
Rob
will
be
sorely
missed.
What
a
shock
to
hear
of
Rob's
death!
I
knew
him
from
early
80's,
when
he
and
Steve
Cross
were
professors
at
Air
Force
Institute
of
Technology
in
nearby
Dayton.
He
and
Steve
went
to
the
Pentagon
and
made
waves
with
AI
applications,
and
Rob
and
I
got
together
several
times
after
he
moved
to
Edinburgh.
As
people
have
remarked,
he
really
was
a
nice
human
being,
technically
accomplished,
energetic,
inspirational.
What
a
loss
to
his
friends,
family
and
the
AI
community!
Chandra
we
were
stunned
to
hear
from
Valerie
the
tragic
news
instead
of
the
achievement
we
had
all
been
watching
for.Office,friends
&
family
had
all
been
following
his
progress
&
willing
him
on
to
the
final
summit
of
the
7.Rob
had
such
a
range
of
activity
&
success
in
so
many
diverse
fields,lots
of
them
relatively
unknown
or
remote
so
far
as
us
derbyshire
types
are
concerned
but
we
could
not
have
been
more
proud
of
him.That
is
reinforced
by
all
these
comments
which
will
inspire
Valerie,Alex
&
Rosemary
I
am
sure
&
comfort
his
family
in
USA,our
love
to
them
all
JIM
&
WIGGY
I
am
so
sad
and
sorry
to
hear
the
tragic
news
about
Rob's
death.
We
are
supposed
to
meet
in
Malaysia
(Kuala
Lumpur)
in
June
or
July
2005
when
he
completed
his
mission
in
Everest.
We
met
in
Antarctic
and
become
good
friend.
He
is
such
a
wonderful
and
sincere
friend
to
me.
He
wanted
so
much
to
help
me
to
climb
everest
by
giving
me
reports
and
photos
when
he
come
back
and
wanted
so
much
to
know
more
about
my
recent
antarctic
expedition
especially
my
book
Into
the
ice.
Rob
will
always
remain
in
my
mind
and
may
his
soul
rest
in
peace.
To
all
his
family
members
,i
wish
you
good
health
and
May
God
bless
you
all
always.
Take
care.
I
feel
empty.
Some
people
you
meet
who
are
larger
than
life
and
whom
you
hit
it
off
with
have
a
special
place
in
your
mind/thoughts
and
Rob
was
one
such
person.
I
really
did
not
see
Rob
that
often
but
for
some
reason
always
felt
close.
Going
to
Michaelson
Square
will
never
be
quite
the
same.
Comment #55 Author: Charles Freeman
(cfreeman@alum.mit.edu) on 09 June 2005 17:39 GMT+1 22:24 NST
Rob
was
already
a
living
legend
at
19
when
I
met
him
-
his
picture
on
the
cover
of
Appalachia
magazine
twice
in
a
row
for
his
first
winter
end-to-end
of
the
Long
Trail
and
new
winter
first
ascent
routes
on
Mt.
Katahdin,
Maine.
He
taught
the
Rock
Climbing
class
at
MIT,
a
subject
which
I
thought
I
had
no
interest
in
(too
crazy!)
but
I
had
to
take,
well,
because
Rob
was
such
a
legend!
He
taught
me
much
more
than
climbing,
he
taught
me
to
see
beyond
myself
and
learn
to
find
(and
go
beyond)
my
personal
limits.
He
also
taught
me
humor
in
the
face
of
adversity.
I
can
remember
struggling
up
a
difficult
move
(for
me)
following
his
rope,
only
to
find
a
spare
finger
stuck
in
a
crack
just
at
the
crux
move.
As
I
oomphed
up
to
his
belay
ledge,
he
grinned
and
said
thought
you
might
need
an
extra.
Another
time
we
got
rained
off
a
cliff
in
West
Virginia,
and
he
came
rapelling
past
with
a
shoulder
mounted
umbrella.
Only
Rob!
He
left
us
far
too
early,
but
I'm
sure
it
was
the
way
he
would
have
wanted
to
go
-
with
his
boots
on.
God
bless
him,
a
brother
in
the
bond.
Charlie
Freeman
MIT
'80
Comment #56 Author: Junior & Elaine Billstone
(juniorb@zianet.com) on 09 June 2005 00:41 GMT+1 05:26 NST
Having
known
Dr
Milne
and
being
very
good
friends
with
his
Father
and
Mother
in
Denver
Colorado,
we
can
only
say,
what
a
tragic
loss
at
such
an
early
age.
May
the
Good
Lord
watch
over
the
family
who
are
left.
At
least
his
passing
came
at
a
time
when
he
was
doing
something
that
meant
so
much
to
him.
We
will
remember
him.
Junior
and
Elaine,
Las
Cruces
New
Mexico
USA
Comment #57 Author: Richard Benjamins
(rbenjamins@isoco.com) on 10 June 2005 13:41 GMT+1 18:26 NST
I
just
heard
the
news
about
Robert's
deadth.
I
worked
in
the
same
area
as
him
(model-based
reasoning)
a
long
time
ago
when
I
was
at
the
Univ
of
Amsterdam.
Though
I
haven't
seen
him
in
more
than
12
years,
his
loss
affects
me.
My
warmest
regards
to
his
family
and
friends.
--
Richard
Benjamins,
iSOCO,
Spain
What
a
shock.
I
was
consulting
the
blog
from
time
to
time,
I
just
discover
these
very
sad
news.
I
have
known
Rob
for
15+
years,
will
remember
him
as
a
great
chap
and
an
excellent
AI
researcher.
Please,
Rob's
family
and
friends,
accept
all
my
sympathy.
Bertrand
Braunschweig,
Paris,
France.
Comment #59 Author: Arshad Ali Khan
(arshad.khan@attssa.com) on 11 June 2005 08:26 GMT+1 13:11 NST
In
the
Power
Plants
of
Saudi
Arabia,
Rob
is
known
as
the
Tiger
Man
-
for
the
Tiger
software
he
had
developed.
I
met
him
in
early
2002
-
later
on,
we
were
to
make
many
trips
to
different
power
plants
promoting
Tiger.
What
started
off
as
a
business
relationship,
soon
turned
into
friendship,
and
respect
for
the
man.
It
was
only
when
I
got
to
know
Rob
better
that
I
realized
he
was
a
much
accomplished
person.
His
modesty
and
friendly
nature
helped
people
around
him
relax,
but
his
professionalism,
patience,
and
attitude
generated
much
respect.
He
was
always
willing
to
look
at
the
brighter
side
of
all
challenges
-
still
persevering
where
others
lost
stamina,
and
always
adding
a
little
humour
to
the
most
irritable
situation.
We
had
planned
to
do
some
relaxed
snorkeling
in
the
Red
Sea
some
time
in
the
future
-
to
check
out
the
Jeddah
coral
reef.
It
is
a
great
shock
to
hear
that
Rob
is
no
more.
He
was
one
of
the
few
genuine
human
beings
I
knew.
My
condolences
to
his
family.
Does
give
me
a
good
feeling
though
to
know
his
final
resting
place
is
high
up
in
the
mountains
-
where
he
always
wanted
to
be.
-
Arshad,
Jeddah
-
KSA.
Comment #60 Author: Linda
on 12 June 2005 15:56 GMT+1 20:41 NST
Rob
said
one
can
live
as
an
example
or
as
a
warning.
I
think
Rob
would
have
liked
to
have
people
remind
themselves
to
share
what
they
love
with
their
loved
ones
as
an
example.
I
believe
Rob
would
also
like
his
friends
and
loved
ones
to
get
medical
checkups
as
the
warning
from
this.
The
human
heart
is
the
original
EverReady
Bunny-
and
that
other
one-
takes
a
licking
and
keeps
on
ticking.
Altitude
had
virtually
nothing
to
do
with
Rob's
death
other
than
he
could
not
receive
medical
care
there
nor
be
rescued.
It
is
a
tribute
to
Rob's
fitness
that
he
had
got
as
far
as
he
did.
Rob
died
from
a
massive
heart
attack,
better
understood
as
Sudden
Cardiac
Arrest
due
to
atherosclerosis
in
two
major
arteries
caused
by
diet,
etc.
Rob
would
have
had
no
symptoms.
This
narrowing
of
the
vessels
combined
with
the
adrenalin
from
the
exertion
of
climbing
that
exceedingly
steep
slope
led
his
heart
to
stop.
Had
Rob
been
at
a
lower
elevation
when
this
occurred
he
likely
would
have
received
adequate
medical
care.
Had
Rob
got
a
physical
exam
and
asked
for
an
ECHOcardiogram
this
would
have
been
seen
and
fixed.
A
stethoscope
won’t
hear
this
and
an
EKG
wont
see
it
unless
he
had
already
had
a
silent
heart
attack
that
he
ignored.
The
problem
with
a
silent
heart
attack
is
it
only
gives
one
sharp
pain
that
can
seem
like
indigestion
or
muscle
strain
and
goes
away
shortly,
pain
Rob
would
have
ignored
and
mentioned
to
no
one,
not
knowing
any
different
since
as
we
all
know
he
seemed
so
fit
and
healthy.
Rob
would
love
for
people's
lives
to
be
better
by
learning.
Comment #61 Author: Ailsa McRitchie
(ailsa_mac@hotmail.com) on 13 June 2005 06:53 GMT+1 11:38 NST
I
would
like
to
start
by
offering
my
love
and
thoughts
to
Val,
Alex
and
Rosemary
at
this
most
upsetting
time.
I
knew
Rob
through
his
2
children
as
he
helped
out
at
Pony
Club
events
and
came
along
to
nights
out
with
us.
He
was
such
a
nice
person,
a
friendly
man,
a
caring
man,
a
funny
man
and
a
very
interesting
man.
He
had
many
stories
to
tell
and
had
many
people
glad
to
listen
to
him.
I
am
at
a
loss
as
to
what
to
say
as
simple
words
are
not
enough
at
this
time.
All
I
can
say
is
that
Rob
Milne
will
be
missed.
Comment #62 Author: John Speakman
(nhi158@abdn.ac.uk) on 13 June 2005 12:22 GMT+1 17:07 NST
I
never
actually
met
Rob,
but
in
the
short
time
we
communicated
I
was
struck
by
his
great
enthusiasm
and
eagerness
to
do
and
try
new
things.
He
rapidly
took
on
board
the
idea
of
measuring
his
own,
and
the
metabolism
of
other
climbers,
on
the
expedition.
The
news
of
his
death
came
as
a
great
shock.
I
would
like
to
offer
my
sincere
condolances
to
his
wife
and
children.
Comment #63 Author: Janet Findlay
(janet.findlay) on 13 June 2005 16:20 GMT+1 21:05 NST
Rob
seems
to
have
been
many
things
to
many
people.
To
me
he
was
the
guy
in
the
photo
on
our
server
with
a
warning
not
to
let
him
near
it,
the
guy
with
the
huge
mug
of
tea
warndering
round
the
office,
he
was
also
the
guy
I
traded
insults
with
but
knew
I
could
ask
for
help
a
few
minutes
later
confident
it
would
be
given.
Rob
was
a
great
support
to
all
at
ScotlandIS
and
he
will
be
sorely
missed.
Sincere
sympathy
to
his
family
here
and
in
the
USA.
Deeply
shocked
by
the
news
of
Rob's
passing.
Scotlands
mountains
have
lost
a
true
friend.
Comment #65 Author: Mike Forsyth
(mike@calligrafix.com) on 14 June 2005 16:43 GMT+1 21:28 NST
I
met
Rob
several
times
over
the
past
twenty
years.
He
was
a
credit
to
the
Scottish
software
community
and
a
man
that
commanded
respect
in
his
academic
and
business
spheres.
Scotland
was
lucky
that
he
chose
to
settle
here.
His
trip
up
everest
was
an
inspiration
to
us
all
and
it
is
so
crushing
to
have
it
finish
on
such
a
sad
note
-
it
would
be
good
if
the
product
and
research
garnered
lives
on.
My
thoughts
go
out
to
his
family
at
this
tragic
event
We
never
knew
Rob
had
done
so
much
!
That
he
had
lived
life
to
the
full
and
achieved
so
much.
He
was
such
a
modest
man.
Rob
was
our
Pony
Club
Games
Team
'Equipment
Man'.
He
found
ways
to
do
things
efficienty
and
quietly,
making
the
changes
without
fuss
but
with
humour.
All
with
the
aim
to
improve
the
performance
of
the
teams.
We
won't
forget
his
commentry/narration
(Along
with
his
friend
and
long
suffering
Pony
Club
Dad
and
walking
companion
Bill
Taylor)
while
filming
Pony
Club
Events...precious
times
for
us
all,
riders,
ponies,
and
parents
!
We
had
great
fun
watching
the
films
and
listening
to
their
comments
at
the
after
cometition
Pizza
parties.
We'll
miss
you
Rob
but
will
carry
great
memories
of
you
with
us
for
the
rest
of
our
lives.
Your
life
is
an
inspiration
to
us
all.
Val,
Alex
and
Rosemary,
we
send
heart
felt
thoughts
and
support.
Sandra
&
Peter
McRitchie
xox
Comment #67 Author: Graeme W. Smith
(graeme@oxysys.com) on 14 June 2005 19:42 GMT+1 00:27 NST
I
was
shocked
to
read
of
Rob's
death
at
such
a
young
age.
I
first
met
Rob
when
I
was
working
for
Logica's
AI
R&D
group
in
Cambridge,
England.
He
was
full
of
energy
and
a
pleasure
to
be
around.
I
lost
touch
when
I
moved
to
the
US
but
tried
to
keep
track
of
IA
Ltd.
My
thoughts
are
with
his
family
at
this
difficult
time.
Comment #68 Author: Steve Kennedy
(nancyk@madasafish.com) on 14 June 2005 21:03 GMT+1 01:48 NST
A
nicer
guy
you
couldn't
hope
to
meet.
Why
is
it
that
those
who
inspire
others
are
so
often
taken
from
us?
Always
keen
to
know
what
you've
been
up
to
on
the
hill
and
never
shouting
from
the
rooftops
about
his
own
fantastic
achievements.
As
they
say,
better
to
live
one
day
as
a
tiger
than............
Will
miss
that
smile
and
boundless
enthusiasm.
Steve
K
Having
been
in
Rob's
company
on
the
recent
Easter
Meet
of
the
Scottish
Mountaineering
Club
at
the
Dundonnell
Hotel
in
Wester
Ross,
it
was
clear
that
he
enjoyed
the
company
of
all
sorts,
including
the
eccentric
and
curmudgeonly
members
of
that
august
body.
(They're
not
all
like
that,
only
most
of
them)
Although
clearly
not
a
Scottish
native,
he
had
become
a
stalwart
of
the
SMC
and
his
company
on
these
meets
was
sought
out.
Had
he
not
been
so
suddenly
taken
from
us,
he
might
well
have
evolved
into
an
eccentric
old
member
himself
-
a
very
high
accolade.
We
all
owe
him
a
debt
for
the
amount
of
energy
he
put
into
club
work
but
most
of
all
we'll
miss
his
enthusiasm
and
energy
for
life
in
general
and
climbing
in
particular.
I
still
find
it
so
hard
to
believe
he
won't
be
around
to
tell
us,
in
his
very
characteristic
manner,
about
his
exploits
for
the
autumn
lecture
series.
We
will
miss
him
greatly.
Comment #70 Author: charles everett
(cdeverett@aol.com) on 14 June 2005 21:48 GMT+1 02:33 NST
to
all
Rob's
relatives
and
friends
I'd
just
klike
to
expess
my
extreme
shock
and
sadness
at
learning
the
news
through
the
rhb
egroup
of
his
death
on
everest.
I
hadn't
spoken
to
him
for
a
couple
of
years
since
lending
him
my
maps
of
Australias
highest
peaks
for
his
visit
about
six
weeks
after
I'd
just
climbed
them
in
'03.
I
suppose
one
has
to
try
and
take
a
smidgen
of
solace
in
that
he
died
doing
something
he
was
passionate
about
but
it's
such
a
sad
shock.
Condolences
to
all
those
left
behind
who
knew
him
well.
Chales
Everett
(York)
Comment #71 Author: Hans-Jürgen Bürckert
(hjb@dfki.de) on 15 June 2005 09:47 GMT+1 14:32 NST
On
behalf
of
the
AI
Department
of
German
Informatics
society
GI/KI
and
the
German
AI
community
I
am
going
to
express
our
deep
sadness
and
shock
about
Rob
Milne's
sudden
death.
One
of
the
great
AI
experts
and
early
AI
pioneers
has
gone.
The
AI
community
has
lost
a
good
friend.
Our
thoughts
are
with
his
family.
Hans-Juergen
Buerckert,
Chair
of
AI
Department
of
German
Informatics
society
Comment #72 Author: Steve Pardoe
(info@pardoe.net) on 15 June 2005 12:38 GMT+1 17:23 NST
I
was
very
sorry
when
I
chanced
on
the
sad
news
on
the
BBC
website
last
Sunday
evening,
5.
June.
I
never
met
Rob,
but
we
had
exchanged
messages
on
Usenet
and
by
e-mail,
and
he
came
across
as
a
very
friendly
and
sympathetic
individual.
He
was
kind
enough
to
offer
some
specific
advice
to
our
son,
who
was
climbing
Kilimanjaro.
For
someone
whom
I
barely
knew,
his
untimely
death
continues
to
upset
me
much
more
than
I
might
have
expected.
I'd
like
to
offer
my
sincere
sympathy
to
his
family,
and
all
who
were
fortunate
to
know
Rob
better
than
I
did.
There
was
clearly
something
very
special
about
him.
More
narrowly,
uk.rec.climbing
has
lost
a
star.
Some
of
Rob's
previous
Trip
Reports
had
already
been
archived
to
http://www.pardoe.net/climbing/urctrrobm.htm
-
if
anyone
can
point
to
more,
I'll
be
glad
to
add
them.
Steve
Pardoe,
Cheshire,
UK
Comment #73 Author: Jonathan Harris
(jonathan@ycf.co.uk) on 15 June 2005 15:03 GMT+1 19:48 NST
Rob
gave
a
wonderful
talk
at
our
conference
a
couple
of
years
ago
(Young
Company
Finance).
The
theme
of
the
conference
was
Doing
business
in
the
USA,
and
Rob
was
the
representative
of
the
other
side
of
the
coin
-
Americans
doing
business
in
Scotland.
As
on
every
occasion
I
heard
him,
Rob
not
only
gave
a
very
informative
talk,
full
of
ideas
helpful
to
those
Scots
looking
to
do
business
in
the
USA,
but
also
added
his
own
special
brand
of
humour.
He
must
have
helped
dozens
of
young
companies
over
the
years,
with
advice,
information,
encouragement,
and
most
of
all
inspiration.
He
was
one
of
the
best.
Comment #74 Author: Susan Craw
(S.Craw@comp.rgu.ac.uk) on 15 June 2005 17:55 GMT+1 22:40 NST
Rob's
energy
and
enthusiasm
were
unbounded.
He
inspired
all
he
met,
and
many
value
greatly
the
encouragement
and
advice
that
Rob
gave
so
generously.
RGU
is
very
proud
to
have
someone
like
Rob
as
an
honorary
graduate.
We
have
lost
a
good
friend
and
a
valued
colleague,
and
hope
that
our
thoughts
at
this
time
give
Valerie
and
his
family
some
comfort
now
and
in
the
future.
Susan
Craw
and
Nirmalie
Wiratunga
on
behalf
of
the
staff
and
students
of
the
School
of
Computing
at
RGU,
Aberdeen.
Comment #75 Author: Peter Ross
(pross@blueyonder.co.uk) on 15 June 2005 18:16 GMT+1 23:01 NST
I
was
very
saddened
to
hear
of
Rob's
death.
Many
years
ago
I
bumped
into
him
in
the
mechanical
workshops
in
the
old
Department
of
AI
at
Edinburgh.
He
was
using
the
facilities
to
repair
his
ice-axe
which,
as
I
recall,
he
had
damaged
while
climbing
on
the
Eiger
the
week
before.
We
fell
to
talking
abbout
climbing
and
I
can
still
recall
with
great
clarity
the
passion
that
lit
up
his
face
as
he
talked
about
the
climbs
he
had
done
and
his
ambition
to
reach
the
top
of
the
highest
peak
on
each
continent.
He
was
a
great
inspiration
and
will
be
greatly
missed.
Comment #76 Author: Jean-Pierre LAURENT
(Previous ECCAI Chairman) on 15 June 2005 22:45 GMT+1 03:30 NST
To
the
family
of
Rob
and
to
the
AI
community
:
I
would
only
testify
that
(like
many
people
have)
I
have
been
very
sad
also
with
the
awful
information
about
the
terrible
news
of
Rob's
accident.
I
worked
very
often
with
him
inside
of
European
Research
programs
(evaluations,
reviewing,
etc.).
We
spent
a
lot
of
time
in
speaking
together,
especially
while
waiting
our
respective
flights
in
a
lot
of
airports,
speaking
about
European
policies
(moving
so
much...),
about
AI
applications
(because
we
were
both
concerned
by
the
urgency
of
proving
the
interest
of
concrete
applications,
more
than
by
some
theoretical
and
generally
superficial
theoretical
issues).
He
had
the
courage
to
be
an
industrial
pioneer
and
I
was
an
application-driven
university
researcher.
So
it
was
natural
that
we
strongly
met
and
exchange..
I
have
organised
IJCAI-93
in
France
(I
can
say
successfully
as
well
for
convivial
and
financial
results).
Then
Rob
has
put
to
me
a
lot
of
questions
about
how
I
had
managed
that,
because
he
wanted
to
bid
for
IJCAI
in
Scotland
in
2005.
As
I
knew
its
great
qualities
(at
all
points,
scientific,
and
financial
managing)
I
have
(confidentially)
gave
to
Rob
a
lot
of
informations
(total
confidential
budget,
(It
was
a
bit
no
legal
and
I
could
have
done
that
for
only
a
very,
very
small
number
of
persons).
I
described
to
Rob
the
ways
I
used
for
obtaining
public
and
industrial
subventions,
etc.
And
I
have
strongly
encouraged
Rob
to
bid
and
win
for
IJCAI-2005
in
Scotland.
I
was
very
glad
when
he
obtained
it.
I
remember
that
the
year
before
I
organized
IJCAI-93
in
Chambery,
it
was
absolutely
necessary
for
me
to
have
other
goals,
especially
physic
and
sporting
goals
to
drain
off
the
pressure...
(Personally
instead
of
cycling
5000kms
by
year
I
did
15000
between
February
and
July...,
despite
the
work
I
had
to
assume).
I
did
not
know
that
Rob
was
so
passionned
by
high-level
climbing
adventures
and
I
hope
that
he
did
not
project
this
year
more
than
usually
(like
I
did...).
I
have
not
this
thought
really.
I
think
he
could
deal
with
a
lot
of
challenges
together,
and
that
he
was
stronger
than
me
about
that.
Anyway,
please
pass
on
my
real
sadness
to
Rob's
family.
Also
I
am
sure
that
all
his
colleagues
of
Scotland
will
make
of
IJCAI-2005
the
ROB'S
SUCCESS.
P.S.
I
have
seen
the
last
volunteer
of
Rob
about
tigers
(and
I
am
both
astonished
and
not
surprised
that
he
could
anticipate
for
such
a
cause).
Comment #77 Author: Michael Clouser
(michael.clouser@gmail.com) on 16 June 2005 18:32 GMT+1 23:17 NST
To
Rob's
Family:
Rob
I
knew
only
a
short
time
but
he
was
very
inspirational.
He
was
warm,
friendly,
and
generally
interested
in
others
including
helping
the
students
in
our
course.
This
is
very
sad
and
I'm
sorry.
Michael
Clouser
Course
Tutor
Edinburgh-Stanford
Link
School
of
Informatics
University
of
Edinburgh
www.edinburghstanfordlink.org
See
Rob's
slides
on
our
site:
www.tech-entrepreneur.org
We
also
have
a
DVD
recording
of
Rob's
presentation
in
our
course
that
day.
He
talked
through
his
slides
and
then
facilitated
an
idea-generation
session.
Students
gave
excellent
marks
to
his
presentation
on
course
evaluations
afterwards.
Our
world
is
blessed
by
the
passing
of
such
a
wonderful,
thoughtful
soul
whose
care
was
shown
to
all,
including
a
lowly
cleaner.
Heaven,
in
turn
is
blessed
by
your
passing
on
into
the
light.
Our
condolences
to
Robs
family
and
friends,
our
thanks
for
having
known
him.
Comment #79 Author: Cynthia Lynch
(cincie@aol.com) on 17 June 2005 05:50 GMT+1 10:35 NST
The
number
of
profoundly
moved
individuals
who
have
posted
condolences
tells
all
we
need
to
know
about
Rob
Milne.
In
spite
of
his
extensive
achievements,
he
was
motivated
by
giving
of
himself.
He
contributed
significantly
to
the
spirit,
humanity
and
survival
of
all
of
us.
I
knew
Rob
as
an
undergrad
at
MIT.
No
surprise,
the
fraternity
he
chose
as
his
college
home
was
filled
with
rock
climbers,
not
social
climbers.
He
was
a
delightful
component
of
life
at
Phi
Delta
Theta.
His
fraternity
brothers,
now
spread
over
the
globe,
are
seeking
each
other
out
to
share
their
feelings
over
news
of
Rob's
passing.
In
reading
the
postings
of
Rick
Meinig
and
Charlie
Freeman,
our
voyages
with
Rob
came
fresh
to
my
mind
and
I
wish
they
were
within
range
for
something
more
than
a
virtual
hug.
I
had
not
seen
Rob
since
his
graduation
from
MIT
and
yet
the
news
of
his
passing
was
jarring.
It
is
astounding
how
many
people,
on
many
continents,
from
many
periods
in
his
life,
share
his
family’s
sorrow.
He
is
clearly
still
present,
though
physically
lost.
I
hope
his
family
finds
some
solace
in
how
inextricably
he
exists
in
our
hearts.
When
an
individual
who
gave
as
much
as
Rob
Milne
passes,
there
is
a
huge
hole
for
the
rest
of
us
to
fill.
In
Rob’s
honor,
I
will
rise
tomorrow
and
look
for
new
ways
to
have
a
positive
impact
on
the
world
around
me.
I
wish
his
family
comfort
and
peace
and
send
blessings
to
all
of
you.
Comment #80 Author: Marc AYEL
(ayel@univ-savoie.fr) on 17 June 2005 19:43 GMT+1 00:28 NST
I
appreciated
work
with
Rob
within
the
ECCAI
board.
He
was
always
friendly
and
so
fascinated
by
his
work
as
researcher.
I
am
distressed.
Comment #81 Author: Stephen Cooley
(MUST429@aol.com) on 18 June 2005 05:52 GMT+1 10:37 NST
I
have
known
Rob
since
our
teen
years.
We
were
active
in
the
Boy
Scouts
and
the
Arapahoe
Rescue
Patrol
together.
It
was
Rob
that
helped
inspire
me
to
strive
for
the
rank
of
Eagle
Scout.
It
was
Rob
that
inspired
me
to
become
involved
in
the
Rescue
Patrol.
It
was
Rob
that
taught
me
a
love
of
Climbing
and
pushing
my
physical
and
mental
limits.
In
short,
I
am
a
better
person
because
of
the
time
I
spent
with
Rob.
I
am
sure
that
is
true
for
many
of
the
young
men
and
women
that
Rob
mentored
throughout
his
life.
If
memory
serves
me
correctly,
my
last
mission
with
the
Rescue
Patrol
was
with
Rob
bringing
down
an
injured
climber
in
Deer
Creek
Canyon.
After
our
high
school
years
together,
we
took
different
paths,
and
although
we
drifted
apart,
I
too
kept
up
with
Rob
and
his
family
thru
the
annual
Christmas
letters.
Rob
and
his
entire
family
were
a
positive
influence
in
my
life.
I
have
always
admired
Rob.
He
has
been
and
will
always
be
an
example
of
hard
work,
perseverance,
and
good
natured
humor.
That
will
never
change
for
me.
His
memory
will
always
be
an
example
for
me
to
follow.
Every
time
I
read
the
words
on
the
Web
log,
it
shocks
me
all
over
again
that
he
is
gone.
The
number
of
people
from
all
over
the
world
that
have
posted
in
this
forum
is
amazing,
and
yet,
having
known
Rob,
it
really
shouldn't
surprise
me.
He
was
a
man
you
couldn't
help
but
like
from
the
first
moment
you
met
him.
In
reading
the
words
of
others,
I
felt
reconnected
with
him
all
over
again.
Rob
was
larger
than
life
in
so
many
ways,
and
yet
when
you
were
with
him
one
on
one
he
was
a
real
human
being,
always
interested
in
your
life.
He
lived
life
to
the
fullest
and
went,
I
suspect,
just
the
way
he
would
have
chosen.
Val,
Alex,
and
Rosemary,
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Milne,
Diana
and
Donna,
your
loss
is
much
greater
than
ours,
but
all
of
us
that
knew
him
feel
your
loss
and
send
you
our
condolences.
Hopefully
this
and
all
the
other
postings
expressing
love
and
admiration
for
Rob
will
help
you
as
you
go
thru
this
difficult
time.
Comment #82 Author: Douglas Anderson
(danderson@optos.com) on 18 June 2005 14:57 GMT+1 19:42 NST
The
thing
about
Rob
was
he
always
smiled,
he
was
always
pleased
to
see
you,
he
was
never
in
the
dumps,
he
was
always
positive
and
full
of
ideas.
I
never
heard
him
say
a
bad
thing
about
anyone.
When
he
came
back
to
Scotland
to
marry
Val
and
start
in
business
he
asked
me
(as
a
local
person
who
had
done
some
start
ups
and
had
experience
of
raising
money
for
risky
projects)
for
some
advice
I
told
him
be
prepared
for
a
big
struggle
and
a
lot
of
rejection.
Two
weeks
latter
he
had
the
funds
to
get
going
from
the
first
venture
firm
who's
door
he
entered.
Such
was
the
strength
of
Rob's
personality
and
conspicuous
honesty.
Comment #83 Author: Rosemary Gilligan
(r.e.gilligan@herts.ac.uk) on 20 June 2005 13:11 GMT+1 17:56 NST
I
have
read
some
magnificent
tributes
to
Rob,
and
feel
very
proud
and
privileged
to
have
known
him,
There
is
little
more
that
I
can
add.
He
was
involved
in
so
many
different
communities,
but
you
never
felt
that
he
was
not
fully
committed
to
the
one
through
which
you
met
him,
every
one
saw
the
best
of
him.
I
will
miss
his
sense
of
humour
and
adventure.
Comment #84 Author: Linda
(lampron@alum.mit.edu) on 20 June 2005 16:17 GMT+1 21:02 NST
May
Rob's
soul
find
love,
peace
and
joy
at
last
and
gently
bestow
that
on
the
people
he
loved
and
whose
lives
he
touched.
Comment #85 Author: Ramasamy Uthurusamy
(samy@gm.com) on 20 June 2005 21:34 GMT+1 02:19 NST
I
am
unable
to
attend
today's
memorial
service
to
Rob,
Through
this
blog,
I
would
like
to
express
again
my
heartfelt
sympathy
and
condolences
to
Rob's
Family
and
Friends.
I
will
miss
him
a
lot.
For
the
past
few
years
I
have
had
pleasant
interactions
with
Rob
regarding
IJCAI-05
conference
and
was
looking
forward
to
our
joint
work
at
Edinburgh
at
the
end
of
July.
It
has
been
very
difficult
to
bear
the
sad
news
ever
since
I
was
informed
on
June
5.
IJCAI
organization
as
a
whole
has
been
saddened
by
this
and
is
struggling
to
cope
with
the
terrible
loss.
IJCAI
is
grateful
for
all
his
efforts
related
to
IJCAI-05.
All
the
tributes
to
Rob
are
well
deserved
and
speak
to
the
fact
that
Rob
was
a
woderful
human
being
and
we
are
all
enriched
by
our
interactions
with
Rob.
We
all
will
miss
him
very
much.
My
thoughts
are
with
Rob's
Family
and
Friends.
--
samy
Comment #86 Author: Dick Milne
(santa.milne@att.net) on 23 June 2005 03:56 GMT+1 08:41 NST
Dorothy
and
I
are
back
in
the
US,
after
a
long
day
and
one
of
the
first
things
we
wanted
to
do
was
to
thank
all
those
who
helped
plan,
speak
or
in
any
way
worked
on
the
Memorial
Service.
Everything
went
well
and
we
shall
have
many
memories
to
share
with
others.
We
appeciate
all
those
who
attended,
and
also
shared
with
us
after
the
service.We
were
proud
of
him,
and
all
your
comments
have
helped
us
know
more
about
him.
We
know
Val,
Alex
and
Rosemary
appreciate
what
you
all
did.
They
will
need
continued
support
and
help,
and
we
trust
it
shall
be
given.
Even
though
we
spoke
only
briefly
to
those
who
attended.
your
being
there
was
very
helpful
and
the
many
comments
you
have
shared
will
always
be
a
part
of
our
memory
to
this
occasion.
Thank
you
all.
Comment #87 Author: Evelyn
(ecathalin@eircom.net) on 23 June 2005 16:00 GMT+1 20:45 NST
I
was
away
when
I
heard
the
tragic
news
of
Rob's
death,
An
inspiration
to
us
all,
an
incredible
character
whom
I
wished
I
had
met.
Comment #88 Author: Pete Edwards
(pedwards@csd.abdn.ac.uk) on 27 June 2005 09:27 GMT+1 14:12 NST
I
write
this
on
behalf
of
my
colleagues
in
the
Department
of
Computing
Science
at
the
University
of
Aberdeen.
Rob
worked
with
us
in
a
number
of
capacities
over
many
years,
and
made
a
real
and
lasting
contribution
to
the
work
of
the
Department.
Through
his
enthusiastic
input
to
research
projects
and
our
industrial
liaison
committee,
Rob
energised
staff
and
students
alike.
He
will
be
greatly
missed
by
us
all.
The
following
words
were
posted
on
the
Computing@Aberdeen
home
page
immediately
after
the
sad
news
of
Rob's
loss:
In
Memoriam
Dr
Rob
Milne
(1956
-
2005)
We
are
enormously
saddened
to
hear
of
the
loss
of
Rob
Milne,
Honorary
Senior
Lecturer
in
Computing
Science,
who
died
while
climbing
Everest
on
June
5th.
Rob
was
our
close
colleague
for
many
years
through
research
collaborations;
in
addition,
he
often
provided
advice
on
industrial
liaison
and
curriculum
matters.
His
death
is
a
great
loss
to
the
international
artificial
intelligence
community.
Our
thoughts
are
with
his
family
at
this
time.
Comment #89 Author: Henri Prade
(prade@irit.fr) on 27 June 2005 12:56 GMT+1 17:41 NST
I
never
had
the
opportunity
to
work
with
Rob
Milne,
but
I
met
him
in
several
meetings
in
the
last
twenty
five
years,
and
I
was
always
deeply
impressed
by
his
dedication
for
putting
AI
in
practice
and
for
serving
the
AI
community
by
his
great
involvment
in
its
life.
I
will
keep
the
souvenir
of
an
extremely
nice
and
positive
person.
His
sudden
death
is
a
terrible
lost.
Comment #90 Author: grahame nicoll
on 28 June 2005 21:19 GMT+1 02:04 NST
I
knew
Rob
as
a
climber.
I
first
met
him
in
the
late
70's
and
shared
some
winter
climbs
with
him
in
the
80's,
joined
him
on
his
last
Munro
(the
wee
Buchaille)
and
would
sometimes
bump
into
him
at
the
climbing
wall.
More
recently
we'd
been
in
contact
through
the
SMC
Publications
Committee.
I
was
very
sorry
not
to
be
at
Rob's
memorial
service
but
he
was
in
my
thoughts
on
the
hill
that
day.
His
enthusiasm,
humour
and
warm
nature
will
be
sorely
missed.
Grahame
Nicoll,
Dunkeld
Comment #91 Author: Faye Mitchell
(frmitchell@brookes.ac.uk) on 29 June 2005 13:05 GMT+1 17:50 NST
I
first
met
Rob
when
I
had
the
honour
of
having
him
for
my
industrial
supervisor
for
my
PhD.
He
was
a
man
who
was
passionate
about
AI
and
he
had
a
way
of
making
his
passion
rub
off
on
others.
His
talent
for
marrying
research
and
academia
with
business
was
unmatched
and
he
will
be
sorely
missed.
My
thoughts
are
with
his
family
and
colleagues
at
this
time.
Faye
Mitchell,
Oxford
Brookes
University
Comment #92 Author: Dickie Armour
(rich@richardarmour.co.uk) on 07 July 2005 17:50 GMT+1 22:35 NST
I
met
Rob
once
this
Feb
at
a
ScotlandIS
meeting
in
Edinburgh
during
which
Rob
spoke
about
selling
to
an
International
market.
It
was
a
brilliant
presentation
and
his
style
and
character
were
immediately
captivating.
We
only
spoke
briefly
but
he
left
a
lasting
impression
on
me,
so
when
a
friend
and
colleague
informed
me
of
his
passing,
I
was
deeply
shocked
and
upset.
My
thoughts
go
to
his
family
and
friends
and
may
he
rest
in
peace.
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