June 1999 Miser Adds to Morse Tradition Hugh Miser, an OR pioneer in his own right, received the Philip McCord Morse Lectureship Award that is named in honor of one of the founding fathers of OR. In accepting the award at the INFORMS meeting in Cincinnati, Miser said he was particularly moved because this year marks the 50th anniversary of the famed OR group Morse established on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff following the end of World War II. Morse invited Miser to join the group, but Miser accepted another offer instead. "Phil and I had many associations," Miser said, "not the least of which was the time he was chairman of my advisory committee while I was at MIT. I can't say I knew him well, but I knew his literature well. It wasn't extensive, but in that small body of work you will find all the basic ideas that you really need to have as a foundation for your activities in operations research." As the Morse honoree, Miser will serve a two-year term during which time he will receive a travel stipend to speak on behalf of the profession. He will also deliver the Morse Lectureship at the INFORMS meeting in Salt Lake City next spring. Miser said that illuminating Morse's ideas will serve as the basis of his lecture. Award chairman Ralph Keeney said that Miser perfectly reflects the spirit of Morse as someone who has made significant contributions to solving real problems by sound theory, practical application and clear communication, and as someone who has contributed to the profession and its members. Keeney recalled that Miser was a founding member of ORSA in 1952, and served terms as secretary, vice president and president of the society. Miser also served as editor of the flagship journal, Operations Research, and received the Kimball Medal from ORSA in 1975 in recognition of his service to the society. Keeney noted that Miser continues to be an "active, thought-provoking" member of INFORMS and is "leading us forward and guiding us today." Table of Contents OR/MS Today Home Page OR/MS Today copyright © 1999 by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. All rights reserved. Lionheart Publishing, Inc. 2555 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 299, Atlanta, GA 30339 USA Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com URL: http://www.lionhrtpub.com Web Site © Copyright 1999 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.