[AISWorld] Sad news about a dear colleague and friend

[Skip Benamati]

Dear AIS community,



It is with a deep sense of loss that we share news of the passing away of
Dr. Albert L. Lederer on October 4, 2020. He passed away without pain or
suffering at his home in Lexington (Kentucky) with his wife, Ann, by his
side.



Al was a luminary in the field with important contributions to information
systems planning, IT alignment and strategy, technology acceptance,
electronic commerce, and project management, among others. His research
methodologies included surveys, structured interviews, group techniques,
and case studies. Several publications identified him as being among the
most published and cited IS scholars in the world. He received his PhD in
Industrial and Systems and MS in Computer and Information Sciences, both
from Ohio State University, and BA in Psychology from the University of
Cincinnati. During his career, he taught at Ohio State University, the
University of Pittsburgh, Oakland University, and the University of
Kentucky. Before becoming a professor in 1983, he spent over ten years in
industry in the MIS field. He consulted and worked full-time developing
systems, and managing others who did so for numerous firms including Abbott
Labs, Rockwell International, Procter and Gamble, Dresser Industries, O.M.
Scott, Bank One, BancOhio, and others.



As Al’s former students and protégés we remember him as a kind, thoughtful,
and humorous teacher with high standards who carefully guided us in
reading, writing, and reviewing academic manuscripts. While Al challenged
us to a higher level of academic performance, he became a friend to all of
his students. He kept us connected and remained a friend and mentor for
life. This made him special to all of us. From Al, we learned to find
stories that live in the data we collect. His research collaborations with
his students were structured as apprenticeships where we observed and
watched him review, reflect, critique, and refine our work in person. We
learned by watching him conduct research. This hands-on approach to
learning was invaluable. Observing how he built a cogent and interesting
narrative around the research findings that seemed dry and disjointed when
seen through the eyes of the first year PhD students, we learned the
importance of using an apprenticeship type approach while mentoring our own
students. We all hope that his legacy will endure through us and our
students, and continue to shape the information systems discipline, as we
do our best to represent what he taught us well.



Sincerely,

Al Lederer’s students, friends, and colleagues