IEEE Region 8 mourns the death of past Director Dr Sven-Olof Ohrvik. Dr Öhrvik, who was Professor Emeritus at Lund University, died at age 85 on April 15, 2014. With his quiet, unassuming manner, he led our Region from 1989 to 1990, at a time when the Iron Curtain was opened and the Cold War had come to an end. His leadership ensured that members from the former Eastern Bloc countries could obtain better service from IEEE with the development.of new Sections. He was the first regional officer to visit some of these Sections, such as Belarus, which was very much appreciated by the members. During his term as Director the Moscow Section (which is today the Russia Section) was formed. In 1990 due to his initiative the IEEE Board of Directors held its first meeting outside of North America in Brussels, Belgium. In the same year he organized the first IEEE Region 8 Meeting outside of Region 8, providing an opportunity for Section Chairs and volunteer delegates to attend the IEEE Section Congress in Toronto, Canada.
Before Sven-Olof Öhrvik was appointed as the professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Department of Applied Electronics at Lund University he had an outstanding career as a Development Manager at Ericson Radio Systems in Kista, Sweden. He is regarded as one of the foremost pioneers and visionaries in mobile communication. In the 1980s he presented a paper in which he predicted an unbelievable reduction in the size of the mobile phone. His solid theoretical and practical knowledge was invaluable to him as an engineering educator and academic leader.
Dr Öhrvik started his career as an IEEE volunteer in 1983 when he was elected Chair of the IEEE Sweden Section. He held this office for four years until 1987, and in1985/6 he also was Chair of the joint VT/COM/IT Chapter. In 1988 he was elected as IEEE Region 8 Director for the term 1989 to 1990, and continued to serve as a volunteer on several IEEE committees and boards.
We mourn the loss of Sven-Olof, and share the grief of his wife Lotte and his daughters. He will be sadly missed.
Kurt R. Richter
1991-1992 IEEE Director Region 8
Charles W Turner
1993-1994 IEEE Director Region 8