It is with much sadness that the International Council on Archives (ICA) passes on the news that Hugo Stibbe died in Ottawa, Canada, on 24th June, 2003.

Hugo Stibbe was elected honorary member of ICA by the 14th General Assembly, in Seville in September 2000, in recognition of his great contribution to the development of international standards for the description of archives.

ICA is grateful to Louis Cardinal for preparing the following words:

Archives around the world and the International Council on Archives felt the need for international standardized and automated descriptions since the middle of the 1980s. In 1988 the National Archives of Canada hosted an international meeting on this subject. It concluded that there was a need for international archival descriptive standards and the establishment of a working group on description. Hugo was one of the participants. In 1990 he was asked to develop a statement of principles upon which the standards were to be based. The same year the ICA established the Ad Hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards, and later, in 1996, the Committee on Descriptive Standards, and Hugo was appointed its Secretary and Project Director. He held the position from 1990 to 2000.

Hugo's energy and expertise contributed decidedly to the Committee's different projects: the development and publication of the first edition of ISAD(G), the General International Standard Archival Description (1994), and the second, 1999, edition; ISAAR(CPF), the International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families (1996); the development of guidelines for the translation of the two standards in languages other than English; the compilation of a bibliography of the two standards and of citation of articles which mention the standards; co-operation with IFLA for the design and eventual implementation of an international standard archival authority code similar to the ISBN and ISSN numbers; the planning with the Society of American Archivists regarding the development of an EAD (Encoded Archival Description) for contextual information associated with archival creators and the revision of EAD to conform with ISAD(G); and finally the development of guidelines for an archival finding aid typology and for standardization of finding aids. Hugo was directly involved in the development of the two standards. Last April, Christine Nougaret, a former colleague of Hugo's on the Committee, wrote how significant his contribution had been: 'Hugo was one of the linchpins in the development of the ISAD(G) and ISAAR(CPF) standards, his experience with archives and library descriptive standards enabled him to focus discussions toward one goal, i.e., the timely production of good international standards acceptable to all archival traditions ...this success is due, in large part, to Hugo's rigour and determination and his ability at leading his flock without ever going off course, all this with humour, finesse and kindness.'

His former colleagues were deeply distressed last Autumn at the news that he was suffering from an illness which would only leave him some months to live. Those who visited him in the last weeks were welcomed with the same kindness and serenity he had always demonstrated in the past. Earlier in June Gerald Stone said 'Above and beyond his specific accomplishments, Hugo is a wonderful colleague and friend, of deep personal integrity, committment, and sincerity, and whose warmth, inclusiveness, and good humour served as an excellent role model and mentor.' On learning of his illness the International Council on Archives expressed terrible sadness at the situation.

Hugo's passing is a great loss, a moment of sorrow which makes us realize even more the value of the man gone.

Louis Cardinal
Ottawa, Canada