Gary was one of the first official members of the HCI4D advisory board, and generously offered his sage advice and encouragement as Matt and I tried to figure out what we wanted out of a SIGCHI community. But even before that, and even before the beginnings of ICTD and HCI4D communities, Gary (along with Edwin, Susan and others) were pioneers in advocating better understanding of what HCI means for the developing world. He's been a part of all of our HCI4D workshops in all of their various names, and he's been a key part of our growing community, culminating with his leadership in Interact2013 and ICTD2013. He joked that we made him feel old - a new generation of students trying to make a career out of HCI4D research and practice. His goals went beyond research - he's worked to build up HCI and Computer Science education in Africa, and has mentored countless African scholars, and helped me to organize the HCI Educator's dinner at Interact2013.
I've wanted to teach in Africa for a long time - and once I met Gary, I knew that I wanted to be at University of Cape Town. Not only is UCT a great university in its own rights, but the opportunity to work with Gary, and to be a part of a growing ICT4D Centre was a dream to me. And now - I'm not sure what God has in store for me, but I do know that I want to honor Gary's memory and his students by doing the best that I can.
Please do welcome Gil Marsden, Gary's wife, to CHI this year, and thank her for all the ways she has contributed to Gary's role in our community, including years of leaving the kids behind to attend CHI and other conferences. We've really appreciated all of our own interactions with Gary, and they never would have been possible without her.
Posthumous congrats to Gary for acceptance into the CHI Academy!
Melissa
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