In Memoriam

Dr. J. Anthony Bristow

The iarigai mourns the loss of Dr. J. Anthony Bristow.

Anthony Bristow passed away on 7 June 2025. He was a highly committed supporter of iarigai for many years and was technical secretary and editor of five conference reports until 2000. He was elected an honorary member in 2005.
A very good summary of his achievements can be found in the Special Edition ‘Memories of Honorary Members’ starting on page 8.

The following obituary was written by former secretary general Mladen Lovreček:

Honorary member and former Technical Editor of IARIGAI, Dr J Anthony Bristow, has passed away at the age of 93. He will be remembered as a unique and inevitable personality in the history of the Association.

Born and raised in England, he soon after WW2 moved to Sweden, making it thus his new home for the rest of life. Gradually he established himself as a prominent researcher and scientist in the field of paper science. At STFI – the Swedish Pulp and Paper Research Institute – he headed the Department of Printing Paper Division. In this capacity he published numerous papers, co-authored and edited several books and developed new research methods.

His involvement with IARIGAI began in mid-seventies. Although at first without a formal position in the hierarchy, Tony soon became instrumental in reshaping IARIGAI from an exclusive debating club with a restricted membership into a more open association, as well as the conferences from a week-long social gatherings to respectable scientific events. He advocated scrutiny in accepting contributions for the conferences, which did not pass smoothly and without resistance. Also, his contribution was essential in formulating the new Articles of Association.

Assuming the position of the Technical Editor (later Technical Secretary) in 1995, Anthony Bristow has set even higher standards for incoming contributions and their subsequent publishing in the Advances in Printing Science and Technology. Each paper had to undergo a meticulous analysis and review, thus requiring endless exchange of correspondence with authors – all that at the time when there was no e-mail and facsimile machines only emerged. As a native English speaker, he paid special attention to – at least – correct English of papers, which was not always the case. Anyway, the ultimate judgement was exclusively on him but strictly based on arguments and his scientific competence. At that time, Dr Bristow penned the Guidelines for Authors – a clear, comprehensive and instructive manual for preparing the manuscripts. This small masterpiece is still in circulation nowadays, with only minor technical modifications.

Working with Tony – as he was known among friends – was not always easy; however, it was certainly an irrefutable experience and an immense pleasure. As a night owl, he was always available for late-night discussions or exchange of messages, not strictly limited to technical or scientific questions, but covering a wide range of themes, from everyday life, childhood memories to philosophical issues. Even after withdrawing from his position in 2003, Tony was always there for advice or new ideas, sometimes critical, but always supportive.

Following his formal retirement from IARIGAI, Tony has remained active and maintained close ties with the Association and many of its members, attending most of the conferences. He never lost his scientific curiosity and deep interest in technological advancements.

IARIGAI community will remember Dr J Anthony Bristow with fond memory as one of the pillars of the Association as it is nowadays.

Mladen Lovreček

June 2025