Rebuilder of Colossus, Tony Sale, dies

I was only there a few months ago, and he was giving tours of the Colossus (and he looked great - would never have known he was 80). This is such a shame.

Re: Rebuilder of Colossus, Tony Sale, dies

#6

Post by culturestate » Tue, Aug 30, 2011, 4:38 PM UTC

Shame. The story of Bletchley Park is what got me interested in computers as a kid, and I followed both the preservation efforts and the rebuilding of Colossus closely. I wish I had made it there before now so I could've had a chance to speak to him.

Re: Rebuilder of Colossus, Tony Sale, dies

#7

Post by sasvari » Tue, Aug 30, 2011, 5:43 PM UTC

  [..] Instead of going to university [..]
  He rose to become principal scientific
  officer of the intelligence agency [..]

quite a career it is.

Re: Rebuilder of Colossus, Tony Sale, dies

#8

Post by michh » Tue, Aug 30, 2011, 6:19 PM UTC

rwmj wrote: post #5

I was only there a few months ago, and he was giving tours of the Colossus (and he looked great - would never have known he was 80). This is such a shame.

A couple of weeks ago for me. from what I understood the museum is struggling very much financially. Such a shame....

Perhaps a couple of wealthy hackers reading this can donate in his memory? It's a legacy worth preserving.

Re: Rebuilder of Colossus, Tony Sale, dies

#9

Post by neilm » Tue, Aug 30, 2011, 6:41 PM UTC

I spoke to him only a few weeks ago. An amazing individual, unassuming and would chat with everyone. It's very sad to hear the bad news.

Re: Rebuilder of Colossus, Tony Sale, dies

#10

Post by gamble » Tue, Aug 30, 2011, 8:18 PM UTC

michh wrote: post #8

rwmj wrote: post #5

I was only there a few months ago, and he was giving tours of the Colossus (and he looked great - would never have known he was 80). This is such a shame.

A couple of weeks ago for me. from what I understood the museum is struggling very much financially. Such a shame.... Perhaps a couple of wealthy hackers reading this can donate in his memory? It's a legacy worth preserving.

I think they're doing a bit better these days. They were able to get some lottery money to renovate the mansion, and Google has made a few prominent donations this year.

The main problem is that the site is so large and most of the buildings are just cheap, unmaintained concrete shells that weren't intended to outlast the war. They might have been better off demolishing some of the less important buildings so that they could focus on the remaining structures of historical significance.