In this year, 1999, professor Dr Ilija Stojanovic reached 75 years of life and he is entering into the 50th year of his professional activity. On that occasion this special jubilee issue of the periodical Facta Universitatis is published. That is why two of his numerous pupils, collaborators, colleagues and followers are writing these lines as a sign of deep respect and gratitude, with a desire to have the opportunity to write down something more on the occasion of his 100th anniversary.
Professor Ilija Stojanovic, graduated engineer of electrical engineering, was born in 1924, in Otocac, Lika. He completed his schooling in Otocac, Gospic and Belgrade, where he graduated in l950 at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Belgrade, at the Department of Telecommunications. He got his doctorate at the same Faculty in l957; he was elected in all ranks from assistantship to full professorship.
I. Stojanovic founded the Chair of modern telecommunications which he headed in the course of l9 years and later he was the Manager of the Institute for Telecommunications, Computer Technics and Informatics. In the period from 1961 to 1963 he was the vice-dean of the Faculty, and he was elected President of the Council of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade for four mandates.
Professor Stojanovic lectured the following subjects: Fundamentals of telecommunications, Technics of links, Radio-relay links, Noises in telecommunications and The principles of modern analogue and digital telecommunications. He took a considerable part in post-graduate studies where he was for a long time the Chief of the Telecommunication course. He supervised a large number of Master and Doctorate theses.
Apart from the tuition activity at the home faculty, professor Stojanovic carried out the tuition at the Faculties of Electrical Engineering in Titograd, Novi Sad and Banja Luka.
In his capacity of the university professor I. Stojanovic created the school of modern telecommunications at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Much earlier than they have become the prevailing stands in professional public in Yugoslavia and in the world he had insisted on and realized the notions that the telecommunications were unique, that they were to be looked upon as a system not in details, that they were always modern in their time, that they were leaning, on the one hand, on a solid theoretical basis, but that on the other hand , as an exit, they must have a concrete engineering result intended primarily for the user. An excellent lecturer and pedagogue he educated generations and generations of telecommunications engineers. His book "Fundamentals of Telecommunications" had eight editions and it is still the obligatory telecommunication textbook at all universities of our present-day and our former State. The lectures of professor Stojanovic and his book have introduced all our telecommunication engineers into the telecommunication world, so nowadays it is difficult to find anybody who had not been his student.
Professor Stojanovic is the author of a large number of scientific papers, published in renown international and Yugoslav periodicals, as well as in the proceedings from international and Yugoslav scientific conferences. He had published his papers in the most eminent world journals in the U.S.A., France, England and Russia. Without the ambition to quote everything, his pioneer works and important contributions to the field of analysis and calculation of the distortions and interference, to the domain of the prediction of the levels of the fields and radio-system design in the field of compression and coding are to be emphasized. The papers by I. Stojanovic are adduced in a large number of monographs, books and papers by other authors.
Ilija Stojanovic was a leading engineer or a manager of the elaboration and realization of many tens of designs for radio-tv ,post office and telecommunications, army, government agencies, electrical industry, electronics industry, and so on. His name is linked to almost all important telecommunications objects in our country. The introduction of television and its building, radio- relay systems covering almost the entire Yugoslav territory, connections along long distance power lines, the construction of the satellite station and a series of special- purpose systems represent a domain wherein Professor Stojanovic invested many years of his life.
I. Stojanovic was for many years the counsellor of RTV Beograd, counsellor of the "M.Pupin" Institute and of the VF Factory EI at Zemun.
Professor Stojanovic's activity at the international plan in the telecommunication field is to be emphasized particularly. He has been an active participant in almost all International conferences within the framework of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the allotment of frequencies and the use of broadcast speakers since l964 till nowadays. In l984, at the conference for UKT FM broadcasting in Geneva he was elected President of the Committee which elaborated the plan of the frequency distribution for the European, Asian and African countries. In Geneva l985 he was elected President of "World Administrative Radio Conference on the Use of the Geostationary Satellite Orbit and Planning of the Space Services Using it". Also in l988 he was re-elected President of the Second final session of this conference. In l986 he was elected President of the Plenary Assembly of the CCIR (Comite Consultatif Intenrational des Radiocommunications).In l986 professor Stojanovic was elected President of the panel of experts of ITU for the reorganization of the Bureau of international registration and allotment of all frequencies. In l989 professor Stojanovic was a member of High Level Committee for reorganization of ITU and the main speaker for radio-communication.
Professor Stojanovic retired in l989.
Since May l994 till the present days Professor Ilija Stojanovic has been full-time working on the introduction of public mobile telecommunications in Serbia. As a leading expert he gave an exceptional contribution to the introduction and construction of an analogue network NMT 900 and the digital GSM network, a well as the SDH radio-relay highway and access networks for the needs of these two mobile networks.
As one of the initiators and founders of the traditional telecommunication forum, TELFOR, professor Stojanovic is the president of its Programme committee and he was presiding over it from the beginning to the present day. Hitherto six fora were held, every one of them having over l000 participants; all of them had an excellent success and a considerable influence. Professor Stojanovic is also a member of the programme committee of the International Conference TELSIKS and he was the President of the committee of TELSIKS'99 Conference.
Professor Stojanovic is a recipient of the Seventh July award for 1970.
For his merits in the work of ITU Professor Stojanovic was awarded the great ITU medal.
In l985 I. Stojanovic was elected correspondent member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
In l989 Professor Stojanovic was elected Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), The U.S.A.
I. Stojanovic is also the recipient of many other scientific and professional prizes, such as ETRAN's, Radio-Television of Serbia's award, etc.
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Having in view the hitherto opus of professor Stojanovic everybody has a difficulty to say which segment of his activity is the most valuable.
Ilija Stojanovic was exceptionally successful university professor, pedagogue, leader and supervisor to a series of younger associates, the author of eminent textbooks.
At the same time he was and still is a great designer, constructor, builder of telecommunication systems.
He has very remarkable scientific and professional results, numerous scientific papers cited by a large number of other authors.
He left a considerable number of collaborators who are endeavouring to continue his work.
It is difficult to comprehend where he found time, but professor Stojanovic's activity in the International Telecommunication Union by its volume corresponds to the entire working period of another man,the value of the results obtained being exceptional by general opinion.
Ilija Stojanovic has close and sincere friends, he is estimated and popular in his work and in society. Such a stand in his surroundings he did not reach by giving in and making sterile compromises. On the contrary, he was always ready to declare openly his opinion, to give either positive or negative estimation and to struggle very actively for his stand.
At the end, but certainly not the least important, it should be said that professor Stojanovic has in his family four telecommunication engineers, who are great experts, scientists, and university professors, too.
It is an evident fact that in the course of decades professor Stojanovic has represented a unique and eminent figure in the field of telecommunications in our regions; his activities and results in his present age are admirable. His opus is remarkable on a world scale and very appreciated.
With sincere congratulations on the occasion of the important jubilee of professor Ilija Stojanovic the signatories of the present text could only wish to him further successes in his work and life.
Beograd, September 1999.
Prof. dr Djordje Paunovic Prof. dr Bratislav Milovanovic