Dr. Denning's leadership in official
capacities is far too long to itemize here. His many years of distinguished
service to the ACM include two years as President (1980-82) and seven years as
Editor-in-Chief of the Communications of ACM (1982- ). His work on the
Computer Science Board and with Snowbird `80 resulted in the report "A
Discipline in Crisis", which had such an influence on the field in the
early 1980s.
Through his pen, in over 25 articles over the
past five years, he has done much to make the accomplishments of computer
science understandable and accessible to researchers in other disciplines,
leading ot a better acceptance of computer science in the community. At the
same time, his efforts over the years to define an intellectual core of
computing have led to a better understanding from within and have produced a
curriculum designed around basic principles and domains of competence in the
core.
Throughout his career, Dr. Denning has
exemplified the kind of service that has helped computing research grow to a
health maturity.