Assistant Professor, PhD in Systematic philosophy,
College of International Management ISM Slovakia in Prešov,
Duchnovičovo námestie Sq.3951/1,
Prešov 080 01, Slovak Republic
IVAN PLANDER (1928 – 2019) PASSED AWAY
On 26. September 2019 a little ago 04 00 pm passed away the most important contemporary Slovak informatics academician Ivan Plander. He was 91 years old.
Ivan Plander was born on 17th September 1928 in Poriadie, near the city of Myjava. He grew up in the small city of Slovenská Ľupča. He studied at the reformed grammar school in Kremnica. Later he studied at the Technical School of Engineering in Banská Bystrica. He also joined the Slovak National Uprising. He graduated in 1947.
After graduation, he joined the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Slovak University of Technology. He was a student of important personalities: Vladimír Hajko, Štefan Schwarz, Jur Hronec, Ľudovít Kneppo, Dionýz Ilkovič. He also worked on the legendary Youth Track. In 1952 he defended his degree as an engineer. His wife became biologist Eva Gálisová, DrSc.
His first job was to work at the Department of Mechanical Mechanics and his alma mater. In 1953 he began studying CSc. at the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He built the Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (1956), from which was established the Institute of Technical Cybernetics (1966). In 1956 he designed a high-gain unidirectional amplifier. In 1958 he built the first Slovak computer, the „Analog Computer of SAS“. Gradually, he built the entire computer centre of the SAS and constructed other computers, including the first Slovak digital computer. He also arranged for the import of top-of-the-line computers from other countries from the German Democratic Republic and Denmark. He basically built the basics of cybernetics and informatics research in Slovakia. He can rightly be considered the father of Slovak cybernetics and computer science.
Projects of academician Plander have been transformed into reality. On the basis of his designs, environmentally harmless computer factories were built in the Orava region. This act boosted Orava very from economical point of view. In 1967, as Ing. PhD. habilitated to associate professor. His habilitation thesis was entitled Solution of Partial Differential Equations by Methods of Analog and Hybrid Computing. After completing basic computer development research, Plander began working on applied research. He achieved significant success with output in the design of 3rd generation computers. These were able to solve many demanding tasks.
After the occupation of Czechoslovakia r. 1968, although Plander was removed from managerial positions, he retained his responsibilities and responsibility. The reason was his support policy of Alexander Dubček. In the worse working conditions, Jozef Lenárt, who was a personal friend of Ivan Plander, appeared as a pragmatic and sensible politician. This one tried to meet the needs. These were difficult tasks, the failure of which was at risk of imprisonment. Plander encountered number of problems. It was fortunate that the Slovak Academy of Science had acceptable environment (except for some wrong opponents from the normalization political ranks). A great success was the design of the Universal Control Computer System RPP-16. For this great success, Ivan Plander received an important state award – the state award of Klement Gottwald. They will always be a shame for some political functionaries in science (Uličný, Rabenseifer, Januš) for trying to put obstacles on Ivan Plander. Luckily, in addition to the support of the above-mentioned First Communist Party of Slovakia Secretary Jozef Lenárt, he was supported by many important scientists such as Oldřich Benda and Ladislav Gvozdjak. Thus in 1978 Ivan Plander again became director of the Institute of Technical Cybernetics. Significant ideological allies were also found in the USSR – academicians B. N. Naumov and A. A. Dorodnicyn.
Academic very successful Plander worked in this way until 1989. Unfortunately, incorrectly thinking professionally oriented members of the Slovak Academy of Science chairman Ivan Plander was dismissed as director. Ladislav Macho, chairman of the Academy of Science, did not agree with the move. The reason for the appeal was a professionally incompetent review at the institute (also a prime minister academician Milan Čič protest against them). The second reason was his good relationship with Jozef Lenart. Both reasons were, of course, completely irrelevant. Unfortunately, the bad management of the then Slovak Academy of Science was liquidated by the Institute of Technical Cybernetics. This was divided into three institutes, but two of them failed due to poor management.
In 1982 Ivan Plander founded the Computing and Informatics magazine (current contents database). He has lectured at large number of scientific conferences in many countries of the world. He has published several hundred important scientific articles. Ivan Plander has been following the development of 5th generation computers in Japan since its inception. He used to go there for study stays and conferences. The unfortunate managerial developments at the Institute of Technical Cybernetics of the Slovak Academy of Science caused that the team Plander worked with had shrunk from 520 people to 2.5 people. From 1992 to 1997 academician Plander worked on simulating systems described by partial differential equations on analog and hybrid computers. He continues to work in number of different commissions, editing and reviewing in many scientific journals, and performing at numerous scientific conferences.
After 44 years in the Slovak Academy of Science, academic Plander leaves to build the University of Trenčín, where he actively cooperates with prominent experts Anton Blažej, Julius Alexy etc. He has been working part-time at the Slovak Academy of Science for 3 years. Later he started working at the European Polytechnic Institute Kunovice in Czech Republic. He became the first rector of the University in Trenčín. The flagship of the University became the Faculty of Mechatronics. Unfortunately, unfortunate managerial steps led to the abolition of the faculty after years. The situation has evolved into such clear-cut circumstances that academic Plander taught without financial reward, gratis. Finally, within the University, he only works as a researcher in the field of optical switches, and until his death he uses his office of rector emeritus. He was the guarantor of the study program in the European Polytechnic Institute Kunovice until his death. Since 2012 he has been working at the Computer Centre of the Slovak Academy of Science until his death.
Academician Ivan Plander has done an admirable scientific work in his life. He was a member of the Slovak Academy of Science, Czechoslovak Academy of Science, Academy of Science of the USSR, New York Academy of Science. He was a university professor, DrSc. Dr. h. c.
An unusually vital academic Plander passed away in the age of 91 years old. He left in the middle of creative work, in full intellectual power. One of the most important scientists of Slovakia in the 20th and 21st century left us. Its importance can be compared to the great Slovak scientists, such as Aurel Stodola.
Honour his memory!