John Burgoyne died on 22 April after a short illness.
I had the great good fortune to have John Burgoyne as one of my two PhD supervisors (the other being Mike Pedler) so it is with considerable sadness that I learned of his passing. John was an inspirational figure in the field of management learning and the author of numerous books and journal articles. John's interest in action learning is strongly represented in his many publications with articles on action learning practices (such as virtual action learning) sitting alongside his more philosophical and methodological interests (such as the pragmatist roots of action learning and critical realist interpretations of the approach).
I first worked with John and Mike as a research assistant at the University of Salford back in 2002 and was able to witness at first-hand John's ability to draw upon his considerable reserves of knowledge in developing a line of argument or proposing some new theoretical model. It was daunting but also exhilarating to hear John in full flow in discussions peppered with casual references to such luminaries as Lyotard, Rorty and Foucault. I was fortunate enough to have a modest role in the production of a research paper (in a project led by John and Mike) which has gone on to become something of a classic in the world of action learning. Indeed, its title – ‘What has action learning learned to become?’ – was one suggested by John himself. It was published in this journal in 2005 and is still widely referenced. John was a patient and supportive PhD supervisor offering much-needed calm reassurance. I offer my condolences to Trudi and John's family and friends. He will be greatly missed.