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Deaths C. West Churchman, Wharton Dr. (Charles) West Churchman, former chair of philosophy, and former adjunct professor who was instrumental in the field of management, died on March 21 at the age of 90. During a career spanning six decades, he investigated a vast range of topics including accounting, research and development management, city planning, education, mental health, space exploration, education, and peace and conflict studies, and was widely regarded as a founding father of management science. He also made numerous contributions in the area of operations research. Dr. Churchman received three degrees from Penn, his B.A, in philosophy in 1935, his master's in philosophy in 1936, and his Ph.D. in symbolic logic in 1938 and joined Penn's philosophy department shortly thereafter, serving as assistant professor of philosophy from 1939-1948. From 1945-1978, he served as chairman of the philosophy department. He subsequently taught at Wayne (State) University in Detroit, Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, and the University of California, Berkeley. In 1953, while at the Case Institute, Dr. Churchman founded the first graduate M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Operations Research. He then served as an adjunct to the Operations Research and Social Systems Sciences Programs in Wharton, 1973-1986. He was the principal philosopher behind the systems movement and wrote several of the most important books on the subject, including The Systems Approach and its Enemies (1979). In 1962, Dr. Churchman was the president of the Institute of Management Science, and served as editor in chief of both Philosophy of Science and Management Science publications. He also founded Management Science while editor in chief of Philosophy of Science. Dr. Churchman gave consultation to numerous organizations, including NASA, the Office of Education, NIH, U.S. Wildlife Services, and several corporations. He served on the Texas Energy Council, the Educational Testing Service Research Committee, and USAID, an organization targeting world malnutrition. Dr. Churchman is survived by his wife, Gloria; son, Josh Wharton Churchman; and two grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m., in Room F85, Jon M. Huntsman Hall. The University community is invited to a memorial service for Dr. William Davenport, professor emeritus of anthropology, who died on March 12, at the age of 82 (Almanac April 6, 2004). The memorial service will be held on Monday, May 24, at 2 p.m. at the Penn Museum.
Almanac, Vol. 50, No. 32, May 4, 2004 |
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