Obituary: Yuri Rubinsky (1952-1996)

From: Posted by murray@sq.com (Murray Maloney) to CTS
Subject: Obituary: Yuri Rubinsky (1952-1996)
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 22:52:21 GMT


                         YURI RUBINSKY
_______________________________________________________


Canada lost a true Renaissance Man, on Sunday, January 21st.
Yuri Rubinsky, born in Tripoli, Lebanon on August 2, 1952, died suddenly.

He graduated as an Architect from the University of Toronto in 1979, but
his accomplishments centered in three main areas: software, publishing and
writing.

Yuri was a founder and President of SoftQuad International, and developed
software for the Internet such as HoTMetaL, MetalWorks and Author/Editor.
He was also Chairman, SGML Open Consortium and influential member of many
Internet and World Wide Web Standards and Technical organizations.
He was also known around the world for his dedication and innovation in
developing software for the visually impaired.

Yuri was  was Founding Co-Director of the Banff Publishing Workshop and
actively promoted the cause of publishers and writers in Canada. He also
founded, created and edited both Yorker Magazine, (1985-86) and Not The
Globe and Mail (1984) and founded Invisible Books in 1979.

His greatest achievements were as a writer: co-author of Christopher
Columbus Answers All Charges, 1993;   The Wankers' Guide to Canada, 1986;
A History of The End of The World, 1982.  Editor of The SGML Primer, 1991
and The SGML Handbook, 1990.  Yuri was also co-author and producer of SGML:
The Movie, 1990, and Invisible Cities, the play, in 1981. Recently Yuri was
finishing two books on SGML and the Internet, as well as an historical
comedy on
Vergil, Mesmer and Neil Armstrong.

Yuri leaves his greatest admirer and supporter, Holley, his wife, a poet and
editor; her daughter, Robin;  his parents, Andre and Anna, a loving sister
Katherine, her husband John, and Jamie and Christopher, their children.

He was a man who knew what it meant to be first, and always strove to be
first in everything he did.

Memorial Service at Deer Park United Church, Saturday,  January 27th, 2 pm.
Donations In Memoriam to The War Amps of Canada.