Rolf Nordhagen (1928 – 2013) is one of 24 Internet pioneers that recently were inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.
Rolf Nordhagen had leading roles in the forming years of the Norwegian academic network UNINETT, and the Nordic university network NORDUnet. He is regarded as one of the founding parents of networking in these regions.
Celebrates innovators
The Internet Hall of Fame was established in 2012 by the Internet Society, and aims to celebrate Internet leaders and innovators from around the world who believe in the design and potential of an open Internet and, through their work, have helped change the way we live and work today. Rolf Nordhagen was inducted into the Pioneers Circle – recognizing individuals who were instrumental in the early design and development of the Internet.
A visionary leader
Nordhagen was a visionary and outspoken leader in a rapidly expanding field. He recognized the possibilities in computer networking at an early stage, and forced issues that were controversial in their time. His vision was that computers were for everyone, and he was an advocate for the development of computer services and networks on campus as well as globally.
After a period as head of the computer department at the University of Oslo, Nordhagen became professor of Informatics and began leading projects for supporting networking in East European countries, primarily in the Baltics. As a member of the NATO Advisory Panel on Computer Networking he was also engaged in Internet support to universities in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
With his death in 2013, at the age of 85, the Nordic countries lost one of their Internet and networking pioneers.
More about the induction: http://internethalloffame.org/inductees/rolf-nordhagen
