Recollections from ISO's first fifty years

Recollections from ISO's first fifty years

ISO CENTRAL SECRETARIAT 1. rue de Va rembe

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ISO Online hup://iso.ch/

ISBN 92-67-10260-5 Q ISO !997

FRIENDSHIP AMONG EQUALS

Recollections from !SO's first fifty years

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Thi s book is structured Clround the recol lections of seven people who have worked for ISO over the last 50 yectrs. As a way of commemorating the history of an organization. t his approach has both attractive fea tures and limi tations.

One of ns cmractive feat ures is that it captures something of the experience of being involved with ISO. As Lar ry 0_ Eicher. the Secretary -General of ISO. writes in his Foreword .. The essence of ISO's history. ..could not be expressed in cold facts and numbers...it is made up of the visi ons. aspirations. doubts. successes and failures of the people who. over the past fifty years. have created this rather remarkable organization... Consequently. there is no decade-by-decade summary of com mittees. resolutions and numbers of products in this book. However. the introductions to each of the seven .. interviews .. give background historical in form ation about the topics covered.

The recollections in this book are edited extracts from imerviews that lasted about four hours. Though the cont ributors have approved the fin al text, and several have \-Vritten their own material inro th e text. inevitably much of what th ey have done and witnessed has been left our. This is one limi tation of the book. If you knovv ISO well. you will find another limi tation - many themes. episodes and individuals fro m the organization's 50-year history are m issing.

However. this book is not the end of ISO's attempt to draw together the strands of irs 50-year history We are setting up a .. history page .. on !SO's lmerner sire. where we hope ro gather and publish furth er personal recollections and information fo r the archives. If you enjoy what you read in this book. or disagree with it. if the material sparks off your ovm memories. or makes you vvant to pay tribute ro a particular individual. please contact us. The addl'ess is given below.

In a book that is based on personal testimony. I will say a few words. I have spent only a few monrhs with ISO I have liked the people I have met. I value my laboriously acquii'ed knowledge of the organization. and I hope to learn more. May ISO enjoy its celebration s in September 1997 .

The ilddress b http :1/wwwiso ch/fifry

j ach Latimer

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Lawrence D. Eicher

5

THE FOUNDING OF ISO

'"Things are going the right way!"

Willy Kuen

13

THE EARLY YEARS .. We had some good times"

Roger Marechal

23

SETTING STANDARDS "A phenomenal success story"

Vince Grey

33

STANDARDS-RELATED ACTIVITIES "The global view"

Raymond Frontard

43

THE EXPANSION OF ISO " Decade by decade"

Olle Sturen

57

KEEPING UP STANDARDS " Pretty darn quick??

Anders Thor

69

THE WORK OF THE CENTRAL SECRETARIAT

"I've got the virus??

Roseline Barchieno

81

PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF ISO

90

ISO MEMBERSHIP

92

NUMBER OF ISO STANDARDS

93

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK

94

4

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