On 1 December 2015, our beloved and esteemed colleague Rob Blokzijl, first chairman of RIPE, passed away.
As one of the founders of RIPE in 1989 and the Chair of the RIPE community for 25 years since then, Rob Blokzijl personified all the attributes that have seen the community grow into such a positive force for bringing together those who care about the development of the Internet.
To many of us in the RIPE community and beyond, Rob was a mentor, a friend, a trusted confidante and always the voice of reason. His legacy stretches from the physical networks the Internet is made of to the community he built and the wisdom he injected into that community’s make-up from the very beginning. His legacy will continue to be felt as the community continues to grow and its participants often ask themselves, “What would Rob do?”
To continue Rob’s legacy, we have created the Rob Blokzijl Foundation.
For a more comprehensive tribute to Rob see this RIPE Labs Contribution.
The objective of the foundation is to recognise and reward individuals who:
- Made substantial and sustained technical and operational contributions to the development of the Internet in the RIPE NCC service region, or
- Supported or enabled others with the development of the Internet in the RIPE NCC service region.
The foundation strives to make an award every two years.
The RIPE NCC has donated a total of 50kEUR to bootstrap this effort. We intend for the foundation become self-sustaining. We hope to receive many donations from community members to support this good cause and to keep the memory of Rob Blokzijl alive. If you would like to contribute, please contact us.
The foundation is governed by the Foundation Board under the Articles of Association. Legal and contact information can be found here.