Dr. Peter Noerr, MuseGlobal‘s founder, Chief Scientist and Chief Technology Officer, died of cancer on Friday, March 15, 2013.
He remained “Peter” to the end, full of ideas, inventions and improvements — as those who know him will be so familiar with.
His technology legacy will be carried on by his dedicated, expert designers and programmers, with whom he has worked for over 20 years, led by Drd. Mihai Popa, CEO EduLib S.R.L.
He will be greatly missed by all.
For anyone who wishes to honor his memory, Peter had requested that a donation be made to the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation http://www.sffcpf.org/wp/. If anyone wishes to contact Kate Noerr, she can be reached by email at katenoerr1@gmail.com or by postal mail at:
MuseGlobal, Inc.
One Embarcadero Center
Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94111 U.S.A.
Sincerely,
The MuseGlobal and EduLib Team
About Dr. Peter Noerr
Peter Noerr was born in Leicester, England and raised mostly in Johannesburg, South Africa, where his family moved in 1951. He earned a degree in physics from The University of Witswatersrand in South Africa, and a PhD in Information Science from the City University of London.
Peter was widely seen as a pioneer and decades-long leader in the field of information retrieval and software development. He and his wife, Kathleen T. Noerr, co-founded two successful companies — IME Ltd. and MuseGlobal Inc. Each company marketed software systems that Peter designed.
Peter’s friends and colleagues have shared tributes to him in emails to his family and in posts to social media sites.
Marjorie Hlava of Access Innovations said “Peter Noerr died last night. It is hard to believe that towering intellect is gone. He was CTO of MuseGlobal, TinLib, IME and had wide impact on the information profession. He even automated the hoists at the South African mine where the cullinan diamond was found.”
From Karen Abramson of Wolters Kluwer: “Peter had one of those brilliant minds that will leave a hole in the world.”
Sue Feldman of Synthexis writes: “[Peter] has always been my idea of what an elegant technologist should be: knowledgeable, funny, practical and visionary. No arrogance or brashness. I shall miss him greatly . . .”
Marshall Breeding of Library Technology Guides shared this: “So sorry to hear that Peter Neorr has died. He was one of the greatest technical minds in the library and information technology industry. It was an honor to have known him, most recently on the Open Discovery Initiative.”
Jed Gilmore of MuseGlobal writes: “Peter often took time to talk things though with me in the office. He valued how argument works to explore and appreciate ideas. His approach showed that even disagreement in honest conversation need not be negative but can lead to understanding and progress. I admired his rigor and courage and will sorely miss talking with Peter.”
David Worlock of Outsell shared this: “. . . I was very saddened to hear your news, and to think of the loss to all of us by virtue of having such a deeply innovative member of society taken away so prematurely. I have always found your stories of the way in which MuseGlobal developed very inspiring, and I know that it was Peter’s genius which lay at the root of all of that.”
Karen Anspach of Anspach Consulting wrote this: “[Peter] was a very special person – one of the nicest and most honest people I have ever met, and certainly the most brilliant. It was always sheer pleasure listening to him explain his ideas and plans, and an honor to have had the chance to work with him.”
Gabriele Lunati of Ifnet wrote this tribute: “The Ifnet staff and myself heard the sad and shocking news that our beloved Peter is dead. This is a great loss to all of us.
He’s always been so active and proponent in the professional debate that we already feel this tremendous absence. Together, we shared success and many pleasant moments; We’re so grateful to Peter for all that he did for us and for Italian librarians.”
Jenny Walker of the Open Discovery Initiative writes: “It is with great sadness that I learned — on our NISO ODI call yesterday — of Peter’s untimely death. Peter will be much missed as a passionate and intelligent contributor to ODI and within the community as a whole. I am pleased to have known him and am very proud of my fellow South African.”
Marc White writes: “I am grateful for having crossed paths with such a brilliant mind and good natured soul as he.”
Liang Su of Claridy Solutions shared this: “We have learned with deep regret of the death of Dr. Peter Noerr. Dr. Noerr had a great intellect, and he was the leader in creating and implementing search technology in the library domain in Great China, where Muse has a large market share. We have really appreciated what he brings to all the customers. All of us who ever worked with Dr. Norr would like you to know that you have our sincere sympathy in your bereavement.”
Dolph Chaney writes: “I have thought frequently about Peter over the past few weeks, and obviously Peter”s brilliance and good humor made him a pivotal figure in my career and life.”
Geoff Payne of RMG Consulting shared this: “[Peter] was the consummate iconoclast, always ready with better ways of approaching life’s challenges, and all of us who had the pleasure of his friendship and professional inspiration will miss him.”
Tony Saadat of Soutron Global writes: “We will always remember his smiles, sense of humor, intelligence and cherish the memory.”
John Blossom of Shore Communications shared this: “[Peter] was a very good man, energetic, insightful, kind and always thinking about the next thing. That’s quite a legacy . . .”
Carl Grant wrote: “Such a loss. Our world is a much smaller place today.”
Mihai Popa of MuseGlobal S.A. writes: “I lost a friend, I lost my mentor. I will miss you so much Peter and will be eternally grateful for what you’ve done for me and our team. Working together for 20 years we created and delivered great software, but only now, without your mind and your lead, carrying on your technology legacy will prove what you have trained.”
You are invited to share your own tributes and memories by email to lani@museglobal.com.
