Dear colleagues,
It is with great sadness and sorrow that we must bid farewell to Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gaul, who had an outstanding influence on our society for many years. As a long-standing member of the Executive Board as well as the Advisory Board, he played a key role in shaping the development of GfKl. In addition, he hosted our international annual conferences on several occasions and led or supported the respective program committees with great commitment as a member.
Together with Hans-Hermann Bock, Wolfgang Gaul had a decisive influence on the scientific and academic orientation of GfKl. Particularly noteworthy is his work as managing editor in the founding of the renowned English-language book series “Studies in Classification, Data Analysis, and Knowledge Organization” published by Springer-Verlag, in which all GfKl proceedings have been published since 1990.
Beyond the GfKl, Wolfgang Gaul was also active for many years in other scientific societies such as the International Federation of Classification Societies (IFCS) and the German Society for Operations Research (DGOR) as well as their predecessor organizations – whether as a board member, organizer, or chair of program committees for important annual conferences.
By establishing a foundation, he and his wife made a significant contribution to society, including the promotion of young scientists with the Helga and Wolfgang Gaul Stiftung Award for outstanding achievements in the field of classification, clustering, and related areas.
With Wolfgang Gaul’s passing, we have lost not only an outstanding scientist and committed innovator, but also a valued colleague and friend. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife Helga and all those who were close to him. We remember him with deep respect and gratitude.
Adalbert Wilhelm
President Gesellschaft für Klassifikation e.V. – Data Science Society