The used to say that distance educators never die, they just fade away, but alas, that is not true.
Ingeborg, who was Director of the Norwegian Distance Education Association, a trustee of the International Council for Distance Education, and President of EDEN (the European Distance Education Network) never faded away. Despite battling ALS in her later years, she was active in distance education until almost the end.
She was a pioneer of distance education, working with NKI, the Norwegian correspondence school (as it then was) back in the 1970s, which was when I first met her. She was a lovely woman, gentle but firm, who was an excellent chairwoman and negotiator. She always worked to find consensus without losing sight of the clear goals she had for furthering and promoting distance education.
I will miss her dearly. Tusen takk for alt, Ingeborg.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
