A health planner meets C. West Churchman

From 1966 to 1984, the author was professor of health planning at the School of Public Health of the University of California at Berkeley. During those years, he became a close colleague and friend of C. West Churchman, whose thinking on systems design became a source of inspiration to him for rethinking many conventional patterns of thought in the field of health planning. In this paper the author draws a fine portrait of C. West Churchman, describing him as many of us who had the privilege of working with him-be it as colleagues or students-know him. (Editor)