It is with great sadness that the IGF Secretariat heard about the passing of Marilyn Cade. She was a staunch supporter and advocate of the IGF and Internet governance in general. Her energy, enthusiasm and dedication, in particular to the meaningful inclusion of communities from developing countries resulted in dozens of countries establishing their National, Regional and Youth initiatives (NRIs). Marilyn was also instrumental in organizing the business constituency and also the technical community in and for the IGF. She also contributed to the formation of IGFSA and capacity building in general. Her passion, drive and energy will be sorely missed but forever remembered.
We invite members of the community to submit a few words of remembrance on this page through the form below.
We will also be hosting a session in her memory during IGF 2020, on 6 November, at 21:00 UTC. Please use the details below to join the session.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://intgovforum.zoom.us/j/97776011794
Meeting ID: 977 7601 1794
Find your local number: https://intgovforum.zoom.us/u/agrNITZUc
Like the entire community, the IGF Support Association (IGFSA) is deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Marilyn Cade. She was a tireless champion and promoter of the IGF, the NRIs and the multistakeholder model and therefore also of IGFSA. Quite naturally, she was elected member of the Executive Committee at the IGFSA inaugural meeting in Istanbul on 2014 and throughout her tenure she maintained her dedication and continued to recruit new members and garner support for the Association. Her strong commitment to the NRIs translated into the trust and high esteem she was held in by the NRI network. On behalf of the IGFSA Executive Committee and all IGFSA members I convey our condolences to her family. We all valued her friendship, her energy and enthusiasm. Marilyn will be sorely missed.
Years ago Marilyn made sure my attending, an ICANN BC meeting in Marina del Rey, was informative and comfortable. She constantly answered my questions and was the ultimate professional that anyone would strive to be. To me, Marilyn was the face of the BC.
Dear All,
such sad news about Marilyn. She was a great mentor, the IGF & MAG Ambassador, and a fiend. Especially now, we will miss her greatly. May her soul rest in peace. Rest In Peace, Marilyn!
Krzysztof Szubert
Chairman of the Committee IGF2021 POLAND
Although I only briefly met her a couple of times, I was very impressed by her enthusiasm in trying to develop and spread the spirit of the Internet all over the world. It is very sad that she left us so early but the direction that she initiated will never change but will develop further.
Although the world is getting more unstable and the Internet is spreading not only good things but also bad things, we should put our best effort to manage it and ride it so that she will not need to worry what will happen after her departure.
Yoshi
Marilyn, we can’t believe that now you are not with us physically but always be in our hearts and memories, everyone will miss your presence during IGF and ICANN.
Becoz you were Marilyn and no one can replace you and your efforts for Multi Stake Holder Group.
On behalf of Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) My sincere condolences to the entire family and friends.
Rajesh Chharia
President
Marilyn will always remain in our hearts . For me I met Marilyn through ICANN in about a decade ago and she has been a good guide and supporter of various IGF initiatives. She will be greatly missed her mentorship and overall commitment to the IGF processes will never go unnoticed. May the good lord guide her soul to rest in perfect peace. My last suggest in her memory if we can get a Marilyn Cade IGF Award that will be great.
We will forever miss you, Marilyn.
You have been a great support for newcomers whether within ICANN or in the IGF community and everyone who had the opportunity to meet with you will remember your sense of humor and dedication to work. Thanks for everything you have done, you have left a great legacy!
Whenever you took the floor, it was with these words that you would start your remarks: “My name is Marilyn Cade”. I will miss you, dear friend!
Arsene Tungali, IGF MAG Member and former ICANN’s GNSO Council member.
Marilyn brought such a great energy and passion to her work around the IGF, and brought out the same in others. The richness of discussions at IGF meetings – globally and nationally – is a great testament to her work. Thank you, Marilyn
Marylin has been an integral part of the IG conversation since the very beginning of the discussions. If we are today where we are is also because of her, her personality and her strong viewpoints.
We were not always on the same wavelength about what to do next and where to go, but for sure we were equally committed to the process and to the importance to have communication lines open beyond the different interests and positions.
For instance the creation of the NRI concept and its implementation owes a lot to her and we have to be all grateful to her for this. NRI is one of the way to the future ofthe whole IG process, if not the most promising and important.
R.I.P. Marylin
Giacomo
You will be greatly missed Marilyn.
I will always remember you as a great supporter for developing nations, always welcoming and mentoring the newcomers. Your passion, commitment and energy to the things you were involved in such as IGF processes, Internet governance issues, etc. is unmatchable.
May you rest in peace! However the world will miss you!
Dear Marilyn, it was nice knowing you. Rest in peace and God bless you!
I can no longer recall when I first met Marilyn. But I think it is somewhere around PrepCom for WSIS. So she was there when IGF was born. You know, the people with whom we shaped so many things in IGF. I recall a conversation on the need to have a national IGF in the US. I also found the original email from her about beginning NRIs.
I also recall waking up in the early hours to take the first bus so we could help out in “Orientation sessions” for new colleagues venturing into the IGF world.
I will keep one line of hers “I have volunteered”
She lived well. She did well.
I worked with her in Washington, DC for over 20 years promoting the IT industry and the Internet, nationally and globally.
To her credit, she was a strong and constant advocate for Internet, The IGF, and ICANN.
With her passionate views and vision, she wanted to include people from around the world to support and be involved in matters pertaining to the global Internet.
May she Rest In Peace, knowing that many more people will continue her work to maintain an open and global Internet.
Dear all,
Marilyn cade was indeed a leader who made ICANN and IGF an easy and welcoming event especially for new commers. She was a tough cookie and a strong voice. You may have a disagreement but she always melted you with that magical smile and I have had many disagreement but she always motivated me in ways where I will always remember her.
She really established the real meaning of outreach and enagegment in the IG world. A leader and a true visionary,
IGF and ICANN won’t be like previous….
You are a Legacy and hope the network and connection that she established will work under her vision.
???
When it came to the IGF, the MAG meetings and meetings at the ITU, no one could work the room quite like Marilyn. It was something to witness and sometimes be a part of. How many of us have been on the receiving end of the old Marilyn arm tug where she would literally drag you across the room to meet someone new? She knew that personal relationships mattered.
She also knew the history of all things ICANN and IGF and was part of most of it. We’ve lost a true believer in and practitioner of the Multistakeholder Model
RIP
“My Name is” Marilyn Cade
We in the Internet community have lost yet another fighter, Marilyn Cade. I can not remember when we met the first time, but I think it was about 25 or 30 years ago. She was then employed by “a big telco”, I was at a “challenger”. We both tried to get our respective organizations “to do the right thing”. During the years we have been fighting in ICANN, IGF, ITU and many more. What meeting have I been to where Marilyn have not been? She was a mentor, a fighter, lots of energy, but also with attitude. Lined up at every microphone making her statements. And they where many. No, we did not agree with each other every time, but we did share the view of an open Internet, about the requirement to respect the human rights. The need for a rule based world system. Unfortunately, the last time we met you had a cold. We could not talk. And then corona that have locked us up in our respective countries.
I am sure you continue to fight for the ability for humans to express their views. And I am sure that if there are microphone lines where you are, you will be there!
Marilyn has always been such an energetic and dedicated member of the Internet Governance community and a strong advocate of NRIs. It is difficult to imagine an IGF meeting without her presence. She will be dearly missed. May her soul rest in peace.
You will be dearly missed Marilyn. It was a privilege to work directly with you back in 2015. I’ve really learned a lot from you.
Thank you for everything you’ve done and everything you’ve shared generously with all of us.
The world needs more strong women like you.
Marilyn will be greatly missed. Some wise men once said , you don’t know what you have until you have lost it. We have lost a great champion for the Internet Governance movement globally. When i think of Marilyn , i think of her indefatigable character in articulating the issues she felt were important for the Internets development globally, whether from a Social or economic standpoint. On a brighter note, Marilyn mentored and raise many champions around the world. Her passion and commitment will continuously be felt through her many mentees. My sincere condolences to her family and the global multistakeholder Internet Community
Barrack Otieno
Trustee http://www.kictanet.or.ke and Chair Kenya IGF MAG 2020
Such sad news to wake up to. We’ll never again hear “My Name is Marilyn Cade” in a meeting, whether at ICANN or IGF or other Internet Governance meetings. Marilyn was a key person in the creation of ICANN as well as so many initiatives at IGF, including the building of the National & Regional IGFs.
I can remember the very first time I had a chat with her. She really looked out to help newcomers. She stopped me, as I walked down the stairs of the ICANN conference venue, the Hilton in Sydney (June 2009). She said something like “Excuse me, I have noticed you are new here and I wonder if you know who I am?” I responded that I had seen her introduce herself at the Public Forum using her trademarked introduction. She responded, “that’s right, I don’t think you know who I am, we need to talk”, as she asked me if I had time to sit with her for a coffee. In 30 minutes we found out we had fought on opposite sides of the battle lines in the past and then exchanged views on all matters of Internet Governance and she became a regular “Olivier, we need to talk” at every ICANN meeting. I feel grateful for her support for so many of the things in ICANN that benefited end users and that needed a little nudge to take place at critical moments. Over the years, she became a friend. Her real name was “M”. 🙂
Sincere condolences to her family,
Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond
I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear of Marilyn Cade’s passing. There are few people who have had more of an impact on my life than Marilyn Cade. She was a friend and a mentor and we shared so many nice memories together. She was an inspiration to all that believed in the multistakeholder model for Internet governance and particularly in holding the powerful to account for their actions. She was tireless and persuasive. She was funny. And she truly brought people together. If there was ever a new face in a room, Marilyn – and only Marilyn – would rush over to greet them. She believed deeply in kindness and inclusion. Rest in peace, Marilyn. I miss you. And I will never forget everything that you did for me. Thank you.
Although she was a veteran, Marilyn was everyone’s friend and willing mentor. All of us, whether novices in Internet Governance or experienced practitioners, will greatly miss her.
This is really sad ! Condolences from Mauritius IGF.
Marilyn an epitome of Strong Woman and wisdom. You will always be remembered as the energetic, fearless, supportive and nice lady who is always ready and eager to welcome the newcomers especially from the Developing Countries. You have made commendable impacts on the NRI Network in making sure it stays alive, relevant and very much inclusive.
I remember first meeting you in Geneva 2018 at the WSIS Forum and IGF MAG meeting and Open consultation as a newbie. You have been very supportive encouraging as a young lady and the first MAG Member from the Gambia. I can vividly remember having very resourceful conversations on how to take ownership of our CcTLDs between you, our then and now Former Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure, Wisdom Odonkor and Omar Ansaari ( jokingly calling ourselves Friends of Marilyn- my condolences brothers). I remember you gifting me a beautiful card holder as a souvenir to remember and consolidate the friendship hahaha.
In short, thank you for your warmth, wisdom, contribution and support to the IGF Community. You will sorely be missed but always remembered .
Rest in Peace
A mentor, a friend, a caring, generous, venerable IG sage whose loss is and would be felt throughout our community. Condolences from the Caribbean Telecommunications Union to her family and to our grieving community. May she rest in God’s care.
Marilyn Cade was a lady in impeccable business attire with an unmistakable business demeanour, so well known in the IGF and at ICANN meetings, in a role that was seen aligned with business corporations, but I always suspected that there was a lot more to Marilyn Cade than her business suit. She was a good person constructing institutions, causing good to happen in this world, always watchful of what was happening on a macro level, what needed to be done, and she knew how. A person with a heart that she was very careful to conceal. A soul with such merits that would have had a chariot waiting at her last moment to get past the gates to a higher realm. May her soul rest in peace, in peace that she lived well and served a purpose in this world.
I would like to add my name to the tributes to Marilyn. In addition to his persistence, resilience and integrity, she paved the way for others. Marilyn was a gentle person. I enjoyed her presence at ICANN meetings, her presence online dealing with ICANN business, and in our occasional email chats about gardening.
Marilyn, gone but not forgotten.
Condolences to her family
Sam L.
Dearest Marilyn, it is with a heavy heart that I write these words – but with a smile remembering you and knowing your influence is unforgettable in many ways. Personally, you were my mentor and taught me how to express my opinions no matter the audience, how to be confident while remaining respectful, and transmitted your passion and fierceness to me. Working for you was a pleasure and an honor; your support will never be forgotten. Thank you for believing in me and taking the time to mentor me.
I recall my “interview” as you liked to call it: ICANN41 in San Francisco – who else, other than you, would fly a complete stranger across the world to interview them directly on the job? What an adventure! That was the first time I heard you say “My name is Marilyn Cade” at the microphone of the ICANN public forum.
It goes beyond saying that your knowledge and passion for ICANN and Internet Governance is unmeasurable and that you have shared your expertise and touched people across the globe.
The last time I spoke in person with Marilyn at the North American School of Internet Governance that was before her health problem at the IGF Berlin. I remember reading her emails when she had to stay in the hospital during the IGF.
Marilyn demonstrated the true leadership in her loving and approachable smile. Despite of her vast experience and senior experience she always gave importance to whoever she spoked with.
Rest In Peace Marilyn, you will always be remembered.
There are a number of “fathers” of the Internet. Marilyn was certainly a “mother” of the Internet community.
She was always engaged and at the edge of developments, trying to build bridges, especially in places where this seemed utterly difficult 🙂
Your charisma and strong personality will be sorely missed
Jorge
I was first introduced to Marilyn (by Anriette Esterhuysen) – at the end of the Tunis session of WSIS, back in 2005 – as a key businessperson for the study I was writing then of stakeholder engagement at the Summit. We’ve been friendly colleagues (and sometimes friendly sparring partners) since.
She was always passionate, determined, committed, entertaining; and sometimes she was very, very funny. We shared a determination that internet governance should be inclusive and extensive: for the many not the few. We could agree or disagree with camaraderie. And as someone has already said, she could really work a room.
Last week Marilyn asked if I would speak to a group of IGF participants that she and colleagues had brought together, and I’m very glad that I said yes. That session was two days ago. She should have been in the room but didn’t make it and I was sad this morning when we found out why. I’ll miss her, and for many, many people there’ll be someone missing when we meet again at next year’s IGF.
I first met Marilyn at an ITU SG3 meeting on IXPs, I forget when exactly, probably 2006. Shortly after, she was the only face I recognised when I first showed up as a fairly clueless newcomer to ICANN, bewildered by the acronym blizzard and the range of possible meetings to attend, and without the benefit of colleagues or a previous organisational history of attendance to guide me.
Like so many before me and in the many years since, Marilyn took me under her wing. She was a one-woman orientation programme: she showed me where I needed to be and made many introductions to help me get started – not just the first meeting I attended, but successively, until I found my own feet. And always, ever after, a warm greeting and someone new who I really should meet.
We may have our debates in this community, but Marilyn made sure so very many new arrivals first experienced a warm welcome. I will miss her greatly.
A helping hand, a source of positive energy, a dear colleague and associate. “My name is Marilyn Cade” will keep resonating around We will miss you.
I have written several times today since reading this really tragic news, that “…this is truly the end of an era… She will be sorely missed…” But as we draw the vale over what I have to describe as “one hell of a Women Worth Knowing” I do want to add my voice to the honours to her life and influence she had in our arena. So since we crossed paths in the late 90’s… While we variably agreed, disagreed and agreed to disagree on many occasions I hold you in deep respect for all you consistently and passionately offered so influentially to our work and those who joined over the years to work along… I look back fondly on all our time together including down time, and as you now Rest In well deserved Peace, I trust that peace is built on the knowledge that you truly made a difference… And that your influence and effect will live on… Until we meet again ‘sister’… My deepest condolences and sympathy to your family and many friends….
I met Marilyn at my first ICANN meeting & at my first IGF over 10 years ago. Then and until her untimely passing, my personal experience was that Marilyn was one of the most helpful, supportive, knowledgeable and passionate Internet Governance/Policy individuals in the space. She was ESPECIALLY sensitive to and supportive of increased involvement of developing/emerging economies in the community, and for me, she was particularly supportive of the involvement of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). One of the most enduring memories I have of Marilyn was her whipping out, on demand or as an introduction to a conversation, her “one pager schedule”, that she developed herself, on global IG & ICT policy events. I have snapped many a photo of that one pager. She was a true friend of the IGF & the NRI Community and huge motivator to me, as one of the organizers of the Trinidad and Tobago IGF. I will miss her smile, her passion, and her many words of support, motivation & wisdom at our many meetings both F2F & virtually. Sleep in Peace, Marilyn. I will miss you. ??
In Marilyn’s honor and as part of her legacy, we all should commit to continue working for the benefit of our communities regarding the good, open, ethical and productive use of Internet. Rest in Peace, dear Marilyn.
Dear Marilyn, thank you for all your support, energy and warmth you provided naturally. You will be surely missed!
Thank you Marilyn Cade for strengthening my resolve for a free and open internet.
One of, perhaps the most relevant conversations I’ve had at an ICANN meeting was with you in Barcelona. I know that without your clear vision, and strength of purpose, we would not be where we are today. You were awesome! My condolences to your family.
Marilyn has been a fixture in the ICANN community since it’s inception. She has made major contributions
and has been a mentor to many.
She has always been a major advocate as well as role model for women’s participation in our community.
I have known her for almost 25 years and although sometimes we were in opposite sides of
issues, I found her to be very professional and always ready to hear the other side’s position in any
issue .
I won’t even try to list her many accomplishments (I will leave that to someone more eloquent than I)
Ken Stubbs
It was never an ICANN meeting until I had caught up with Marilyn.
Not only could I get the inside “skinny” in a straight, forthright manner, but her probing questions, at the very least, made me feel that my input was being considered.
Her advice was normally spot on and invaluable.
I’ve lost a confidant, a sounding board, a teacher, a friend.
Catch you at the bar in the great beyond.
Marylin was so lovely! I remember when I met her at my very first IGF and she gave me and my fellow youth at IGF girls incredible advice. “Always sit at the front, speak and don’t be photographed with alcohol”
She was happy to become our me tor no questions asked. She will be remembered fondly. A truly remarkable lady.
If Vint Cerf was the father of the Internet, Marilyn Cade was its mother. An amazing woman who quite literally gave her all to the cause. Many praised and many pushed back against her, but if not for Marilyn Cade, ICANN, the IGF and many other Internet organizations large and small would not be what they are today. A sad day for all of us this day, but Marilyn Cade lives on in each of us who had the blessing of knowing her. ?
Rest In Peace Marilyn and my Condolences to her family,
To the godmother: Thank you for being an inspiration.
I am grateful for the opportunity to meet her in person at the hospital in Germany. Even there she shared Nuggets with me!
Visiting Marilyn Cade in a hospital during the IGF in Berlin, November 2019
Ms. Cade: Is that Lily? You have beautiful eyes. Sit by me, I am not infectious
It’s November 2020 during the Virtual IGF and when Wisdom Donkor called this morning to say “IGF Godmother is gone” I literally froze.
Her legacy lives on. May she Rest In Peace.
From Rural Development Special Interest Group (RISIG) we pay our heartfelt condolences.
ICANN meetings will be diminished without her presence.
“Speaking in a personal capacity” is a phrase that I will smile in remembrance of Marilyn when hearing for the span of my remaining days.
I had the privilege of getting to know Marilyn across a span of two decades. She was remarkably unstoppable and determined as an advocate for respectful integrity, but never forgot that there were people on the opposite position from hers.
I recall her dancing with Vint Cerf in Luxembourg at an ICANN meeting, the only two people on the floor at the gala dinner.
I remember her tireless efforts to always be a mentor and advocate for newcomers.
Her ability to hear and respect the position or perspective of an alternative view diametrically opposed to hers and listen to minority views was inspiring.
I had the privilege of exchanging kind words and my respect for her in person in Montreal, the last face to face ICANN, which was the last time I saw her in person, so I am grateful for that small blessing.
She will be missed by so many.
I first spent time with Marlyn via a phone conversation in 2012 during which she gave me a ‘brief’ overview of the work of the Business Constituency prior to my attending my first ICANN meeting. 90 minutes later I had writers cramp from scribbling notes, but she had laid out the mission and priorities in meticulous detail. She was generous with her time then, and throughout the following years when she took special interest in my association’s business and was always ready to provide guidance – and to introduce me to everybody she felt I should get to know.
While I didn’t know Marilyn as well as many, she was a friend, and a tireless in her commitment to her friends and colleagues. I will miss her greatly.
Unlike some, I distinctly remember when I first met Marilyn. It was at an ICANN meeting in LA in 2000. Her first words to me, with a small sweater tug, were “Do you know who I am?”. I quickly found out and never forgot!
Marilyn was formidable and always believed in the importance of ICANN and the well understood the challenges in global governance. She left a footprint and lived well.
RIP Marilyn
Beloved Marilyn,
Anyone that met you for the first time never forget the moment! It was for me a time during the WITSA World Congress / IGF2008 in Hyderabad, India and the journey since then has been remarkable to say the least.
You were a reliable friend, mentor and support throughout the evolution of the Africa ICT Alliance – AfICTA. You were a pioneering member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 1998 and the ICANN Business Constituency in 1999. You were also instrumental in the articulation of the Outcomes of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Outcomes of which the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is one. Likewise for IGF USA and the creation of the National and Regional IGFs (NRIs). Indeed, you were an original thinker on Internet Governance (IG) matters.
You were passionate in your support for the voices of business from the global South in the complex multi-stakeholder and multi-lateral ecosystem of the IG in ICANN, International Telecommunications Union (ITU), United Nations Commission on Science & Technology for Development (UN CSTD) and in many other fora.
We exchanged emails last week and I thought I’d be seeing you online this week at IGFSA AGM and at the broader Virtual IGF2020. It was therefore with sadness that I received the news of your passing. Your rich wisdom and insight would be greatly missed.
May your family and all of us you’ve imparted be comforted, and may your gentle soul rest in peace. Amen.
I will always remember Marilyn as someone who truly listened. She organised the session at the IGF where national and regional IGFs reported back. She went around asking many of us, including yours truly, for feedback on how to improve the session. She took our feedback seriously.
If you are presenting your national or regional IGF at the IGF itself, that’s the spirit of Marilyn.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Marilyn Cade, including her beloved IGF and ICANN communities. May she Rest in Power, and may she always be remembered for her vivacity, strength, generosity and warmth.
I can only echo what colleagues have said about Marilyn’s infectious energy, dedication and presence. Her vast experience could only be topped by her humility, having taken so many of us under her wing to guide and debate with with respect and always with the greater good in mind.
I trust that she has found peace, and that her legacy might live on.
You will be always missed Marilyn
May your soul rest in peace
Marilyn was one of the faces of the ICANN community impressing me from my beginning in 2007 until I met her last time in Montreal. Many memories come to mind. Her tireless engagement not only in professional discussions but also in organizational details fascinated me. And she put in a lot of personal commitment to help ensure that the social aspects of ICANN activities were not neglected.
Farewell with four kisses, my friend, as you welcomed me whenever we met.
We at AfICTA LOST A FRIEND.
It was with sadness that we received today the news of the passing of Ms Marilyn Cade. Marilyn was a reliable friend, mentor and support throughout the evolution of AfICTA. She was a pioneering member of the ICANN Business Constituency and an original thinker on Internet Governance (IG) matters. She was passionate in her support for the voices of business from the global South in the complex multi-stakeholder and multi-lateral ecosystem of the IG in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), United Nations Commission on Science & Technology for Development (UN CSTD) and in many other fora. Her rich wisdom and insight would be greatly missed. The Chair, the Board and the entire membership of AfICTA express our deepest sorrow. May her gentle soul rest in peace.
I little knew that morning that God was going to call your name.
In life I love you dearly; you were my Godmother and will continue to be my Godmother
It broke my heart to lose you too soon, you did not tell me you were going too soon.
It really broke my heart to lose you, knowing the discussions we hard recently (three days) ago. We discussed about a whole lot. Support the NRIs. You advise me on so many things including what we should be doing to get Africa connected. Marilyn, you again call me three weeks ago, telling me the community needs me and that is time for me to get a seat on IGFSA Executive Committee, we discussed and lough over it. Again, you call me three days ago to congratulate me for been elected to the IGFSA Executive Committee, we laugh again and you said, I told you, the community needs you we lough and started discussing NRIs main sessions and you wanted to moderate the session. Marilyn, the question I keep asking myself is what happened? What happened? You did not show any sign of departing so soon. You were full of energy. I can’t just find answers to that. You left just like that!!!!
Indeed, some days are filled with laughter and some days filled with tears, some days I think my heart will break that I can’t preserver, some days I turn and look for you with thoughts I did like to share, some days just can’t understand the reason you are not there. I close my eyes and I see your memories leaves on.
At the moment I am struggling to go on just wishing you were near and can’t just pick up phone and call once again. All that I can say is to wish you eternal rest. The goodness of heaven is always your portion. REST IN PEACE
This is a very sad news. This a journey we are all obliged to engage into. We will all miss her.
I remember her. It was first time I jumped into the working group discussion the designing of the road map on the digital cooperation.
Rest in peace.
She has contributed to the Internet Governance all her life. I wish there will be an award named after her, for the great achievement of women and any organisation supporting women inclusion in Internet Governance and related issue.
Her legacy shall prevail and remain.
Marilyn Cade’s legacy in the Internet communities will keep living on.
May her soul continue to rest in peace.
Adieu!
What sad news. From my first ICANN meeting in 2000 in Marina del Ray I recall Marilyn and over the years attending ICANN meetings and getting to know her more it became clear to me that Marylin Cade was indeed a legend. I don’t use such a term lightly as I genuinely believe that she is just that. In March 2011 at the San Francisco ICANN meeting and a reception she chatted to my 2 year old daughter and gave my daughter her business card. My daughter still has it! You will be missed Marilyn, may your soul rest in peace.
Marilyn will not be forgotten. She was always willing to have a chat no matter who you were or where you’re from. That was so important to many of us who were new to ICANN and hoping to figure things out. Her stories , conversation and her warm smile were always welcome. May she rest in peace. ~ Karel
Marilyn Cade was always there for the ICANN community members with a warm smile and a helping hand. She will be surely missed. May her soul rest in peace.
I just want to echo the accolades for Marilyn. I remember that she was the first woman at ICANN in San Francisco to introduce herself to me and indicate an interest in my participation. We were in line at the coffee stand and she took the initiative to welcome me. From there, I mostly just watched her and appreciated her boldness in expressing her opinions as a BC member. Marilyn did a lot of networking outside of her own constituency and that is another good example for all of us. So happy now to have had a lengthy discussion with her in Montreal. Honored to have been passed the torch on Auction Proceeds – a race she had run with great determination on behalf of CSG in the face of much opposition. Marilyn – well done! Rest in perfect peace…
With love and respect,
Anne
It is hard to imagine that Marylin is now gone. Her passion for the community, her commitment to helping people around the globe, her integrity and vigor, and sense of humor, her unforgettable smile will stay with us. And those sparks she planted in many of us will keep shining in the loving memory of one of the most beautiful personalities I have ever met in my entire life.
I hope that wherever you are now, in that Great Nowhere, you’ll be rewarded for all you have done on this miserable planet to make it a little better. May your soul rest in piece, dear friend!
My her soul Rest In Peace Madam
Very sad news , Rest in Peace my mentor in IG ecosystem (UN,ICANN,IGF,ITU ) Marilyn Cade, she will be missed and a big loss .
Marylin is a pioneer in world of the in Internet.
————————————-
Très triste nouvelle, Repose en paix mon mentor dans l’écosystème IG (ONU, ICANN, IGF, UIT) Madame Marilyn Cade, elle nous manquera à jamais et une grosse perte pour l’écosystème du Numérique.
Marylin est une pionnière dans le monde de l’internet .
#internetcommunities
#MarylinCade
My heart is heavy with the news that Marilyn Cade has passed away. She was a champion of global internet access, a mentor, and a friend. She encouraged me to run for the steering committee of the Internet Governance Support Association, she pushed me to speak in person in Paris and remotely in Kabul, and she comforted me when our dear friend Manu Bhardwaj died suddenly. I miss her already.
Marilyn was an inspiration to me and I will sincerely miss her. Immediately upon meeting me at my very first Internet Governance event, she began introducing me to anyone who could possibly help me with my research project. She opened many doors for me and inspired me to recognize and apply my talents. Her light shone brightest when she was lifting up others and she had seemingly endless energy to do so. She touched my life personally and inspired me professionally. I hope I can honor her legacy by bringing even a fraction of her enthusiasm and charisma to the Internet Governance community. If anyone needs anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I have some kind service so pay forward in Marilyn’s honor.
Thank you for all of your beautiful messages. Goodbye Marilyn.
Marilyn was an elemental force in the ICANN, IGF and policy worlds. She was an advocate who could be counted upon to speak passionately for the causes to which she was dedicated. As I read all the “Marilyn stories” in these comments, I cannot help but think that we should say these things to our friends while they are still with us. I wish I had known of her health challenges sooner and now, of course, it is too late. She will be missed but not forgotten by the communities that knew her and benefited from her dedication.
Dear Marilyn , you went into the flame of action when we were still looking and gaining for your commitment,
Rest in peace Dear Marilyn and still in mind Dear Mento..
Sincere condolences to the family.
Avis
The first ICANN meeting I attended was in Sao Paulo, Brazil in late 2006. Within my first clueless hour in the meeting hall, Marilyn had introduced herself, enlightened me, interrogated me, and provided a background briefing on domain tasting that helped me appear that I knew something about the subject when I spoke on a panel discussion later that week.
We collaborated mostly, and clashed occasionally, but remained friends through the years while I worked within the BC, later served as one of its GNSO Councilors, as labored on other projects together — and even after my BC days, when I transitioned to the RySg. Marilyn knew everyone involved with ICANN and everything going on out front and behind the scenes, and it wasn’t a complete ICANN meeting without sharing some time and conversation with her.
There was no more fearless or eloquent spokeperson for the MSM of Internet Governance, and for the belief that a free and open Internet could move the world further and higher, than Marilyn Cade. She will never be replaced and will be sorely missed, but we can honor her best by dedicating ourselves to the principles she advanced througout her years of involvement with ICANN, IGF, and other IG forums.
God rest her soul.
When I met Marilyn in early 2000, it was clear from our first meeting how passionate she was about the essence of the Internet and its role in bringing the world together. Her commitment to ICANN, internet governance, international dialogue, and the role of the private sector in those early conversations was foundational. I learned a lot from her – she was a master of Internet diplomacy before it was such a thing. Wishing Marilyn peace, and thinking of her friends and family and the broader Internet governance community on her loss.
Rest well dear Marilyn!
Forever in our hearts!
As an occasional participant in business community preparations for the Internet Governance Forum, I could reliably expect to see the name Marilyn Cade in correspondence, in particular correspondence thanking her for contributions, effort, insight, and general legwork. It became apparent quickly that the work of the IGF, WSIS, and other groups such as UN Commission on Science and Technology and Development (CSTD) – work of great importance but also necessarily of great complexity – was shared, championed, and thankfully summarized in no small part to her efforts. Thanks and godspeed.
Rest well… I remember she explained me some things related to the business participation in IG. She was very open and always helping and supporting…
Sincere condolences to the family.
I’m so sorry to hear of Marilyn’s passing. The IGF community lost an active and energetic member indeed. May she rest in peace. My sincere condolences to all her colleagues and loved ones.
It is impossible to believe that there will be no more meetings with Marilyn, no more her letters((( Every meeting and every conversation with Marilyn always opened new horizon, always helped me to see the situation from another point of view. I do not remember when we met the first time. We planned her visit to Ukraine. Now it will never come true( I need time to prepare the story about this fantastic person and charming lady in Ukrainian, but I will do it. It would be great to commemorate her role in NRIs in national language.
Marilyn will always be in my heart!
When I met Marilyn, I did not know many people in the Internet space… she pretty much immediately welcomed me to her ‘Friends of Marilyn’ circle and made sure I was introduced to everyone she could think of. She stood out by her passion for the Internet, her determination, but also her humour and positive approach to life! She was a fighter for things and people she believed in.
You will continue to live through our memory of you, dear Marilyn! Rest in peace.
There are really no words to capture Marilyn’s larger than life presence, or her passion and enthusiasm for whatever project she undertook. And, it is even more difficult to adequately recognize her contributions and the impact she had in so many arenas. She was unequaled in outreach and a master at welcoming EVERYONE. And, she never let up – not in Berlin in the hospital nor once she was back home. Only a week ago she was working to sign me up for another project close to her heart. Her presence and her contributions will be felt for a very long time to come and her smile will remain in many hearts.
Rest in peace Marilyn, and take some time for yourself.
These comments are a testimony to Marilyn’s commitment to the global Internet community, the multi-stakeholder model, and a collaborative approach to Internet governance. I met Marilyn back in 1996, when the USG was beginning to grapple with global, non-governmental coordination of the domain name system. Marilyn played a critical role from the earliest days, and remained a fierce and tireless advocate to the end. Rest in peace Marilyn, you will be missed and remembered.
I have have not known Marilyn personally, but reading the numerous heart touching tributes from several platforms shows that she has made a great deal of impacts in the Internet Governance ecosystem. May her legacies leave on. Hedenyuie (rest well as said in my local language – Ewe).
This is really sad news. May God rest her soul in peace. She was a great supporter of the IGF, and a knowledgeable person in Internet policies who we learned a lot from. A truly inspiring individual who we will always remember.
May she Rest In Peace.
Qusai AlShatti
I met Marilyn through her “son” Wisdom Donkor as we crafted and planned the Africa Geospatial Data and Internet Conference (AGDIC) in 2019, although we never met physical we worked so well virtually throughout! She was a courteous, prompt and respectful person. Always full of energy even when we had to wake her up early due to the time difference of the planning committee members. Your positive vibes and networking spirit will be missed. Rest in perfect peace Marilyn.
This is terrible news..
Marilyn was a wonderful warm personality, and I remember as a relative newcomer to the Internet governance scene during the ICANN meeting in Wellington in 2006 and being impressed at her energy and her empathy. In the following years I’d bump into Marilyn from time to time – she remained the same positive person that I had first met. Marilyn was a longstanding member of InternetNZ (..DC Branch that is..she’d say with a laugh) and was always willing to introduce .NZ folks to interesting people. There are lots of InternetNZ people (members and staff) who are feeling very sad about this news and Marilyn’s passing. Our thoughts to Marilyn’s loved ones.
Jamie Baddeley
President
InternetNZ
Thanks for your great contribution Marilyn
I have known Marilyn since 1997 when I first started playing a little bit in this space. We were not close friends like others here were, but I was always in awe of her knowledge, talent, skills and diplomacy.
Marilyn is one of the Parents (and Pioneers) of the multi-stakeholder model for both ICANN and IGF. Marilyn fought for not just businesses to be involved in Internet Governance (and ICANN), but for Civil Society as well. She always believed that Governance should not be for governments alone and I believe it’s because of her (and a few others) that we now have a model of governance in which we can all participate.
I know we normally pay the greatest tribute to the technical minds behind the evolution of the Internet, but just as important are people like Marilyn that spent so many years of her life fighting for end users, businesses (Both large and small), to have a strong role. She knew what it took many of us years to figure out that there was an important balance in Internet Governance between what Governments did to protect its citizens and what commercial entities needed to do to ensure that the Internet (and eCommerce) could continue to thrive absent too much governmental interference. She was one of the rare people that knew how to bring businesses and governments together to talk to each other (not at each other) so that each side had a common understanding of what the other side’s interests were. And it is that understanding which ultimately led to things getting done.
Whether you were on the same side as Marilyn on an issue, or the opposing side, no one can deny that Marilyn got things done and we are all the lucky beneficiaries.
Rest in Peace Marilyn.
Marilyn was a reference in ICANN, IGF, and her non apartheid legacy will prevail
Condolences for the family
May her soul rest in peace
Namaste
Vrikson
What sad news! All of these tributes are a wonderful reflection of a true positive force in the development and evolution of the Internet as we have it today. And Marilyn was not only engaged in ICANN, IGF, and Internet governance, but in a host of other important issues in the ecosystem. I first worked with her in the mid-1990s on online child safety issues – and was one of many people that she helped to guide and point in the right direction. She will be missed!
We are all saddened to learn that Ms Marilyn Cade passed away on November 4, 2020.
She was an excellent advocate who made tireless endeavor to advance National Regional IGF Initiatives, which we can never appreciate enough. May she rest in peace.
https://japanigf.jp/topics/rip-ms-marilyn-cade
Japan IGF Coordination Group
Marilyn was a significant force globally in bringing people together to discuss crucial issues, a true catalyst for a positive future. She was extremely helpful in bringing youth into Internet governance settings, and we at the Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University have been blessed to have her help the past 15 years in us in our quest to send hundreds of 18-to-21-year-old students all over the world to record global voices speaking out on major human communications issues of today with high impact for tomorrow. Her energy, intellect and sparkle will be sorely missed. Much love, to you, Marilyn, from all of us! If there is a beyond, beyond our place/time, it is likely that you are unabashedly leaping in with all of your might to be the spark, the instigator, the catalyst for new developments in your new plain of existence.
I think Marilyn would be so pleased to read these comments. What better legacy than to command the respect, admiration, and fondness of those she has touched – evidently deeply touched.
To me, Marilyn always conducted herself with the highest level of integrity, and never compromised or wavered from her high-level ideals. She never deviated from her defence of the multi-stakeholder model and the role that civil society was due in determining the course of internet governance. She rightly saw everything else through the lens of those vital objectives. We owe her so much thanks for her perseverance, kindness, and work.
I have missed her during this pandemic and when we do again approach “normal,” it will seem wrong to return to a world without Marilyn in it.
Marilyn was one of the truly great figures of ICANN. She was a regular at the public forum – introducing herself and then raising the issues that needed to be raised, with all of her background knowledge and wisdom. And, over a drink after an ICANN session, a real font of knowlege on what was really going on. She was one of ICANN’s greats anad will be truly missed
Somewhere in the world I heard Marilyn, somewhere else I personally spoke with her. It doesn’t matter how many. At this moment I prefer to highlight what I felt in those opportunities. Her soft but firm voice conveyed many things. Among them: humility despite her deep knowledge, an exalted person with tremendous kindness; simplicity despite its technical complexity; friendship despite not knowing you; understanding before your doubt; I could go on like this, but I want to end by saying that I was not her friend, I only met her and talked to her. But she made me feel like I was her friend …
Marilyn was one of the global leaders of digital world from policy side. I met her first during the 80’s when we were debating breaking up monopoly, open markets and universal service, etc. During the 90’s, we found the Internet as the new tool to make one world. Through ICANN, IGF and other policy forum, she always listened to others and tried to help global participants to be involved in. I think your contribution will never be forgotten. We will continue our policy debate as you did in your entire life.
The first time I met Marilyn was in 2007 at the IGF in Brazil, when I was asked to speak at one of the main plenaries around what it was the first call to support community wireless projects based on the experience of a project I was leading called WiLAC (which no longer exists) that was very active in the early 2000s and supported training for hundreds of people in Latin America around wireless networks deployments through the TRICALCAR project (funded by IDRC). She overheard when I was asked to do that, and probably saw my expression of surprise/terror and quickly self-nominate to help me out with the speech. She sat on the first row, smiling all the time and giving me the thumbs-up.
When she met my son the following year at the IGF in Hyderabad, she gave him one of her big, glossy business cards with a photo, and told him she was a friend and that he could ask her anything. He was 4 years old, and so he did! she sat with him for over an hour and asked all of his questions and even dig in her handbag and gave him a chocolate. She asked him if he was joining the newcomers session and he went along, just to see her again.
We had our share of work together through out the years, and I remember in particular the first session trying to get the different IGF initiatives in one room to talk about their practices, their challenges, and how they could collaborate. It was back at the IGF 2013 in Bali, and we worked with Marilyn, Ellen Strickland and Carlos Pedraza. It was hard work, but that lead to the official establishment of the NRI network the following year, which she continued to nurture over the years. Even though we didn’t agree a lot of the time, I don’t think anyone can’t deny she did work very hard to promote IG discussions around the world as well as supporting many individuals.
I am going to miss our disagreements and debates.
RIP Marilyn.
I was very sad to hear of Marilyn’s passing. It made me reflect back on the 20 or so years I had known her in various roles, our many conversations over the years, and of course that rather witty sparkle in her eyes. That was all the more present when we discussed some of the, shall we say, ‘more controversial’ topics.
Rest in peace, my friend.
I didn´t get the chance to meet her , but i know how much she believe in the next generation. May her soul rest in peace ! It´s a Huge loss.
Respected Marilyn was a model for the entire women. She did a great job for Afghan women and men. I meet her in Berlin last year and really inspired by her. ICT for Women can draw on her experiences.
RIP!
May the soul of Marilyn find peace with her maker. From the pieces I have put together concerning her passion and enthusiasm for IGF and AfICTA project.
This is a sad day for me having get to write a tribute to a passionate advocate for inclusion in the Internet Governance process. I first met Marilyn Cade at the ITU Study Groups and Meetings relating to Private Sectors about 20 years ago. While she will always be part of US delegation, I will be part of Nigerian government delegation to the ITU. We met again at ICANN when I began representing Nigerian government in GAC. From there to IGF process, in particular in building of the National Regional Initiatives Network.
Marilyn, as I know her over the years, was very knowledgeable and an expert in ICT policy development and processes. She had been a coach, mentor, adviser and strong advocate to many of us from the Global South, she is not afraid to voice her opinion on issues that favour the under-represented Internet stakeholder groups and communities. One of the founding members of the IGFSA. Her dream to see that the Global South is on the table at the IG and Digital policy discourse lives on.
Her legacies at the ITU, UN CSTD, ICANN, IGF, Capitol Hill, NRIs Network, risking her life in traveling and being present in countries that some may not dare to go for an IG program, will forever live in our hearts.
I will surely miss Marilyn Cade just like the IG community, colleagues. friends and her family also will. We shall miss her usual intro “This is Marilyn Cade”. her mobilising and organising ability, winning people and resources, wise counselling, though most times misunderstood by those with deferring stance, we shall also miss.
I am still in shock and heartbroken but will carry on with the tasks we have been doing together in the IG space.
RIP brave IG woman, my coach, Marilyn Cade
Mary Uduma
Marilyn was a tireless champion and advocate of an open Internet. Marilyn was bright and brave; she was fearless. Her passion and energy were examples for many of us. She will be missed.
May she rest in peace.
Constance Bommelaer de Leusse
Marilyn was a woman whose energy could be felt when she entered a room. You either hated her or loved, one thing was certain her life continued to provoke reactions and even more so in her death. In living Marilyn was raised and a proud daughter of Virginia in the United States of America and had a strong sense of justice and appreciation of right and wrong. In life, in her career she engaged in diverse sectors and serving the globe on matters of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Internet Governance where she interfaced on many levels, facets and she moved among the corridors of power with the tenacity of a lioness whilst nurturing her cubs. For many of us who had the rare privilege of serving with Marilyn Cade whether within the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), on the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), her extraordinary contribution to “Geographical Diversity and Inclusion through “meaningful participation” is at best unparalleled. I AM A WITNESS! Marilyn, was one where if you locked her and others out of a table, she would create her own table until it became bigger than the table she was already kicked out of. The existence and success of the National Regional Initiatives being where it is today within the IGF processes is unequivocally the result of her tenacious advocacy, diplomacy. Marilyn pushed for the equalisation of voices and challenged our brothers and sisters in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East to rise and be counted to stand up, to assert their positions and make their voices heard rather than just token participants in a gathering.
Ms Marilyn Cade, I am deeply saddened to hear of your passing knowing that you had reached out two days before you passed but rejoice knowing that you are now resting. Your life impacted all of ours and we thank you for living your best life and for being a bridge for the underserved regions of the world.
Wisdom, Mary and I will miss your forthrightness, love and compassion. Until we meet again, my friend. Rest Well!
Love and Hugs,
Sala
I met Marilyn in 2015’s ICANN meeting in Singapore. I was a newcomer to the Internet governance field and she was just so approachable, humble, and passionate in explaining to me about the complexities of the field. I will never forget her kindness.
Rest in peace Marilyn. She was so passionate about integrating the least represented in the various IG policy processes. She always looked good, dressed impeccably and left a good impression.
Marilyn, your great work and passion for IGF lives on. You touched many lives. Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge. Most heartfelt condolences to the family, Friends, Colleagues and the entire IGF family. Rest In Peace!
ICANN’s Intellectual Property Constituency remembers a memorable colleague.
Marilyn Cade was there when the IHAC mooted the idea of an organisation like ICANN to manage the Domain Name System. She believed passionately in and advocated tirelessly for our multi-stakeholder model of governance. One of her most notable initiatives was to rally IP and business interests to secure what would become ICANN as an open body in which we the stakeholders could actively contribute and participate. She persuaded us all with her steely smile and legendary arm grip that the interests of governments and internet users would not always be aligned.
Over the years Marilyn became a fixture at ICANN as a defender of accountability, transparency, and common sense at the microphone, in meeting rooms and in the hallways.
She was generous with her time and unceasing in her determination to enhance participation. She valued IP and the rule of law, and did her utmost to keep us accountable to both. We will miss her and her commitment to ICANN’s values and community.
Our thoughts go out to her family at this sad time.
Last month I wrote to Marilyn, after a long gap, asking for help and advice for someone here in Saint Lucia who is interested in the “private sector” aspects of the IGF. The reply came back straight away – “I will reach to her! Of course.” She went on to tell me about her illness “but not to burden you” and ended “My spirit is fine, though and I loved hearing from you. Tell your colleague I will be in touch!”
She was a very special lady!
Vint is right about the need to offer honour and praise while the recipient is there. I hope Marilyn knew how much we valued her.
The list of comments and tributes is substantial. Possibly no need for me to add.
In common with Vint Cerf, I am left with the feeling that we should aim to better honour our inspirational people while they are still with us in person.
RIP Marilyn
When I first joined ICANN community back in 2007, Marilyn was among those women leaders to provide support, to guide, share her wisdom. She was genuinely interested in the region I was coming from, in the set up and frameworks, and always keen to listen.I will never forget her enthusiasm when I brought my daughters to the IGF in Istanbul 🙂 and learned they were attending sessions together with me (I was a MAG member back then). During every event we met she would go: “We need to talk” and I knew she is up to something special ?
She is a Sagittarius like me, she is November 24 and I am November 26, and we always joked about several commonalities we shared!
I will miss her a lot ? May she rest in peace and condolences to her loved ones!
Merilyn was a great mind and genius! She was unselfish to share her Intellect and wisdom with those she came into contact with. We shall miss her a great deal. May the Almighty God Jesus Christ rest her soul in eternal peace, Amen.
MArilyn said
i am poured out as a wine
i have fought the good fight
i have kept the faith
what remains for me is a crown of glory
Live on amazon
I was so sad when I heard the news that Marilyn Cade had died. Marilyn and I met in the late 1980s when I helped Senator Al Gore organize hearings on high-performance computing and the NSFNET, a core of the early Internet. In the following years, she played a critical role in building support for the “Gore computer bill”, which expanded Federal funding for networking. More recently, she was the driving force behind the IGF-USA and then turned her attention to helping other countries organize their own national Internet Governance Forum conferences. On Tuesday, I was part of a briefing for Internet policy leaders from Afghanistan and elsewhere in south Asia. Marilyn was scheduled to talk, too. Several of the participants mentioned Marilyn’s leadership and commitment. She will be missed by many people in many places.
Thank you Marilyn for everything. My sincere condolences to his loved ones and to the entire IGF community. May she rest in peace.
Marilyn was a force of nature, and unstoppable force for global good. As another original/Old Guard coming from an academic/civil society perspective, involved from Gore Bill/pre-ISOC & pre-NII days, and pre-ICANN, and pre-IGF, AND pre-IGFUSA formation. I admit we were frenemies before we became friends. But I will never forget Marilyn’s support for my and Milton Mueller’s more than controversial workshop at the second IGF on liberalized gTLD markets…> a decade before they became a thing – for better or worse. More recently, Marilyn and I became very close – true friends- over the past ~5 years, collaborating in IGFUSA, UN IGF, and IGFSA activities among others with Garland McCoy a mutual true friend and collaborator. Marilyn Cade cannot be replaced, or duplicated, but her legacy is the hundreds of NRIs, the ongoing resilience and work for global good of the UN IGF and ICANN, and the sustaining contributions of the IGFSA and IGF USA. Long may Marilyn live in our memories, and in our hearts. And in our own efforts to do a fraction of the good for the world that Marilyn accomplished in her incomparable life, bringing the global Internet to life.
I first met Marilyn in 2002 – with an arm tug, of course! – but she will be remembered as my Chief Catalyst. She used her very strong and passionate voice to help create a model for others to have a voice in the governance of the internet. She worked tirelessly to bring people from all walks of life into the community and use their voice at IGF and ICANN. She was relentless, doing this through her last days. Let us honor her memory by continuing to be inclusive and value personal relationships. RIP, friend.
I join the chorus of friends and colleagues who worked with Marilyn for many years and who will miss her greatly. I particularly will miss our chats and debates over the issues of the day, whether in her individual capacity or her official one. She was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our ICANN community. In tribute to Marilyn, PIR has registered and donated marilyncade.org to be used in her memory. It currently redirects to this tribute page. RIP Marilyn.
I am deeply saddened by the glorious exit of Madam Marilyn Cade who has been a passionate mentor and a kind counsel to me throughout my engagement as member of UN IGF MAG.
She’s so sweet elderly colleague, ever vibrant and a strong believer in someone like me who came from a developing country in Africa (Nigeria). She inspired and set me on fire for IGF engagement. She’s an excellent facilitator and a great bridge builder among us. She’s always consulting and engaging, and always seeking to strike a balance in her dialogue. I will miss her, the IGF world will miss her greatly indeed.
I console myself and everyone touched by her death with these solemn words from my Christian Scriptures.
”He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away”
THEREFORE I CELEBRATE YOU MADAM MARILYN CADE!
Adieu Madam Marilyn Cade…Sleep well in peace at the bosom of the Lord.
Amen.
I’m deeply saddened to hear that Marilyn has died.
I didn’t know she was ill, and, even though it’s many years since we last spoke, I would have have loved to have called her and had another chat. We didn’t agree about many things, but I always respected her views and her second-to-none understanding of what was going on in the ICANN world.
She is and will be greatly and sadly missed.
Dennis
To our dear friend Marilyn Cade, may you be in your element debating and “putting the world to rights” as you pass from this world to the next. A true believer and defender of multistakeholder governance. Marilyn helped so many people, she was a great ICANN and IGF ambassador and her work in outreach especially in developing countries reaped so many rewards. We will all miss her quirky ways, she was just and loyal and we say goodbye with fond memories and so many anecdotes. Heaven has just received one very charismatic, legendary lady. RIP Marilyn Cade.
I don’t remember when I met Marilyn for the first time – was it at an ICANN meeting, or at the WSIS, but I do remember her smile and kindness towards a newcomer from Eastern Europe. During the next couple of decades I’ve interacted countless number of times with her, and she would constantly show knowledge (which she was happy to share) and interest to learn even more (on issues that she was an expert in). I also witnessed an extremely kind gesture of hers towards another person, and that made me realize that she was not only ready to go above and beyond normal friendly gestures, but she was actually doing it. She was helping friends in need, and was doing it, because they needed it. She was also tough arguing with, but was doing it gently and in a way that wasn’t upsetting in anyway. In some cases I would lose an argument with her, and feel… happy about it!
You are already missed, Marilyn.
Rest In Peace.
Since I first met you in 1997 you have been a very special friend, mentor, guide and a woman I looked up to, always fighting for just causes and uniting people. You were the driving force behind the progress and consensus building in the Domain Names Supporting Organization which became the Generic Names Supporting Organization. You rallied the troops across the Business (BC), Intellectual Property (IPC), and Internet Service Providers (ISPC) constituencies in a constructive way and like no one else could do. Remember the Cross Constituency Breakfast which became known as the “Marilyn Breakfast” – the round tables with name cards! You were a pillar in the construction of the global Internet and ICANN which will never be forgotten nor will any ICANN meeting ever be the same without you. You said farewell to me in Copenhagen when I left ICANN now it’s is my turn to say farewell dearest Marilyn, Rest In Peace.
I have been participating in Internet governance processes for a long time, since I was involved as part of a multistakeholder group which proposed and co-founded the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee in 1995 – about eight years before the WSIS events started to build on the notion of Internet governance. I met Marilyn at the very beginning of WSIS, and since then we shared agreements and disagreements, but a common sense of commitment.
Besides the friendship, I miss Marilyn for her untiring commitment to confront the challenges of the Internet with proposals, solutions, creativity. And when finally the UN agreed to launch the IGF, there was Marilyn, untiring again, at the front-end of the main battles for the values of the Internet we cherish.
I will miss her as a colleague, a friend and a dedicated fighter for a better world.
I was extremely saddened to learn that Marilyn has passed away. I’d known her for over 20 years. I first worked with her in the late 1990s when I was representing the UK government at the ITU. We quickly developed a shared mission to fight excessive regulation of IXPs and she subsequently became a regular contact for me at ICANN meetings – in particular promoting relations between the business community and the Governmental Advisory Committee – an example of how she strove to make the multi-stakeholder model work more effectively. At the IGF, Marilyn’s unstinting efforts to coordinate the NRIs at the IGF have proved to be immensely valuable for strengthening the IGF. I was also grateful for her constant support for the initiative I was involved in to establish a Commonwealth profile at the IGF. Marilyn was a dedicated person who was incredibly energetic and inspirational: an icon of multi-stakeholder Internet governance, a great communicator and also great fun to be with. Despite being frenetically busy, she always had time to greet you, to take your mind on things and before you knew it you had a whole bunch of new contacts added to your network. It is impossibly hard to contemplate life in the world of Internet governance without Marilyn. She will be greatly missed.
My first encounter with Marilyn Cade was during an ICANN meeting. After she took us through the journey of ICANN and IGF. She finally ends by saying I don’t give my complimentary card if you are not ready to engage.
I first got to know Marilyn at one of the very early ICANN meetings, it was in Berlin in 1999. At that meeting we worked together to help set up the BC and ISP Constituencies. We were both working for large telco’s at that time, but on different continents and we had very different backgrounds. What shone through from that very first day was her dedication, commitment and enthusiasm to make the Internet an open platform that delivered benefits to all, regardless of class, religion or sovereignty. Thoughts of internet Governance, what that would require, and how to ensure it evolved towards today’s model were in their infancy. But even then Marilyn knew exactly what was required and never shrunk from the challenges that posed. Her dedication to that cause, ICANN, and later the IGF is legendary.
The memories I have of Marilyn as both a business colleague and a friend, spread over many years, will not be lost.
You really made your mark on this earth Marilyn and you will be sadly missed by so many, because of what you achieved and what you stood for. Rest in Peace.
Marilyn, you will be greatly missed.
I remembered the discussion we had at the ICANN meeting in Kobe, Japan; touched based on issues, proffered unforgettable points.
Continue to rest in peace.
I’m saddened and shocked to learn of the passing of Marilyn Cade.
I will remember Marilyn as a strong advocate of the multistakeholder Internet Governance ecosystem and active supporter of NRI initiatives in particular in developing countries. But above all a dynamic, inspiring woman who combined her enthusiasm, profound knowledge and extensive network to connect people in the Internet community and beyond. I’m glad and honored to have met Marilyn, since I joined the Internet Governance community in 2012.
I will miss her “we need to talk”, whenever she wanted to discuss relevant issues at stake. I remember when she approached me (always with a smile) in the beginning of 2015 showing me in confidence a coloured chart on one page full of Internet Governance events + dates in that important year for the IGF that she made all by herself. She asked me surprisingly if I had any comments before distributing her calendar widely. Of course, I could only compliment her. She also stood for the SMEs in the IGF giving her background. That was also Marilyn.
May she Rest In Peace.
Arnold van Rhijn
When I first met Marilyn we played on different teams. While never the greatest of friends in those first years and later in ICANN, we learned to deal with each other. Later as colleagues on the IGFSA EC we got to know each other better and became friends. I last heard from her last week when she contacted me about a common acquaintance who had died. Fitting somehow.
Not seeing her again just seems wrong.
avri
Marilyn was indefatigable. A real force of nature! We will miss her.
RIP Marylin Cade, you tireless networker. Larger than life. Thank you for all contributions aimed to make the governance institutions and its community stronger.
Marilyn was a force unto herself. Her presence and impact will always be felt in all the many initiatives, forums, communities she touched. Her contributions to the NRIs cannot be overstated. She was a great connector of people and continues to do so from the great beyond, surely with the trademark Marilyn twinkle in her eye. May she rest in peace.
It has been wonderful to read all the tributes to Marilyn. I agree with some other comments that she would have been really touched to have read these – and it is such a shame that she did receive such widespread recognition while she was alive. As Glen de Saint Géry noted, she was a major force behind the establishment of the DNSO and then GNSO at ICANN. Whilst I was chair of DNSO/GNSO – Marilyn was always finding ways to reach consensus on matters where there were often very divergent views. She would work the room, corridors, bars, phones – to find where that consensus position might lie. In the early days when there were less ICANN funds available, she was always willing to host teleconferences and meetings in the offices of her employer. In more recent years, Marilyn has really focused on trying to bring new people into the multi-stakeholder eco-system from the developing world. Every time I saw her at an ICANN meeting she would introduce me to someone new. I last had an email from her a coupe of weeks ago seeking some support for the IGF. We agreed via email to catch up at the next face-to-face meeting. I regret not speaking to her by phone and asking her how she was.
Wherever she is she must be smiling because she achieved most of her aims, especially helping people from the developing world mainstream into the IG universe. She cared. If you followed her life you would see she was selfless. May peace and healing be upon all those impacted by her untimely demise
It is so sad for our community to lose Marilyn.
I met her at ICANN meetings and interacted with her across a few meetings. It was especially a pleasure to be part of both group and one-on-one conversations with her. Quite often, my interaction with her was when she championing the IGF initiatives and/or interacting with ICANN Fellows.
Perhaps I appreciated catching her going for transport, or coming off transport. That way there would occasionally be some good exclusivity in some moments, or one would get meet a lot of people as they stopped by to get their “Marilyn moment”. Marilyn’s multitasking was intriguing… it was all richly inspirational.
I really appreciated her natural teaching, love, connecting people and the ideas that she put forward towards our national initiatives.
I wish there were another conversation, and physical visits to my regional or national events. She gave context, spirit and guidance to IG. She was often an oasis in an overwhelming landscape. Grateful for her contribution!
I was deeply saddened to read that Marilyn Cade has passed away. She was a formidable lady. It comes as no surprise to read in these tributes so many people recalling with remarkable clarity the first time that Marilyn approached them to offer a warm welcome.
My story is a slight variation. My first ICANN meeting was a brief two-day trip to Paris (June 2008), at which I remember Marilyn’s interventions on the microphone. But my baptism of fire came a couple of years later in Nairobi (March 2010), during the GNSO pre-session on the Saturday afternoon. Marilyn marched over and invited me – summoned me, more accurately – to a dinner that evening.
At the table was a mix of old-timers and newcomers: among those present were Ron Andruff, Ayesha Hassan, Martin Sutton and Scott McCormick, and I was also introduced to others who came over to say hello. Marilyn seemed to know the entire restaurant! She led the conversation, which interested me greatly, as it frequently touched on internet history and ICANN/IGF formation. I mentioned Jon Postel, and was taken aback when Marilyn launched into a totally alternative contemporary perspective on his root server experiment from the one we read in the history books.
When the time came to return to our hotel, I suggested taking a taxi, but Marilyn would have none of it. “It’s only a mile or so ,” she told me, implying that she’d prefer to walk. A true statement, but this was the centre of Nairobi at 2am on a Saturday night. I honestly thought that was the night we would lose Marilyn – but not to the unsavoury characters trying to tempt us into nightclubs, nor to the groups of street children tugging on her bright red jacket. No, I was concerned that in the darkness, and being distracted, Marilyn would surely fall down one of those huge open holes in the pavement. Needless to say, we arrived back at the hotel safely.
A month later, the Business Constituency Vice-Chair (Finance and Operations) suddenly resigned, and Marilyn called me to ask if I would step in to help. What followed were four very intensive ICANN years for me, attending 12 of the next 13 meetings.
Many have said in these tributes that they wished they’d known Marilyn better. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to know her very well: she became my mentor. A phone call from Marilyn never lasted five minutes, but more like 90 minutes, usually with an abrupt ending as her next call was overdue.
Some years later I mentioned in conversation that I had been at the Paris meeting adding “but you wouldn’t have known me”. She quipped back: “I knew exactly who you were.”
Marilyn had an incredible memory for people and their lives. She never forgot a name, and would unfailingly recall details from a single brief conversation that had taken place years before.
As Cheryl Langdon-Orr pointed out to the 150 friends and colleagues who paid their respects on the IGF-2020 post-meeting Zoom memorial session on Friday 6th November 2020, “Marilyn’s networking was not out of self-interest, it was to support her mission.” That mission was a multi-stakeholder, free and open internet, and her strategy was to be genuinely inclusive of the wider community.
Marilyn had a strong sense of justice and appreciation of right and wrong, and supported “business” as an economic building block for mankind; she called out the undeclared vested interests in policy-making of many corporates. She challenged those, even volunteers who acted in self-interest. She stated things as they were, sometimes too bluntly, occasionally overstepping the mark and losing supporters along the way.
Most of all, Marilyn was totally selfless in the name of supporting her mission. Her drive and energy continued unabated, despite increasing health and financial challenges in recent years.
My final goodbye to her was in Washington, about two years ago. She was driving her MCADE-plated convertible with the wind in her hair, and a mischievous smile on her face. I will always remember her this way.
Ironically, the last email I received from her was a condolence message: she had heard that my father had died during the pandemic.
It would be fitting for a global internet outreach award to be named after her – the institutional recognition that she missed out on during her lifetime.
Rest in Peace Marilyn.
It was both a shock but also with great sadness that I learn t about Marilyn. I know, of course, she was ill but had no idea how seriously. Indeed we had only been speaking together a few weeks previously on an IGFA Executive Committee Call. Marilyn was a true inspiration, a passionate defender of a free and open Internet and one which was governed by all people. She did so much to enhance multistakeholder governance, not least at the ITU and in the UN; and of course she was a leading and passionate advocate of the IGF, working tirelessly to bring in new national initiatives. I have many memorise of her, going back over 25 years, not least working together late into the night and early morning at CSTD sessions in Geneva, at ICANN sessions of the CCWG on Internet Governance and at the IGF. She was a true inspiration and will be greatly missed.
A great person. She will be missed. She is already.
I met Marilyn when I volunteered for IGFUSA committee. She was very welcoming at our in-person meetings and would always private message me during virtual meetings and ask me to ‘speak-up’ and contribute to topics of discussion because I doubted my voice. ‘What are your thoughts on such and such…’
I absolutely loved her energy and commitment to the internet/connectivity/access mandate.
Farewell Marilyn
The passion and eagerness that I saw in Marilyn at every ICANN meeting was one of the things that I always looked forward to. I will miss Marilyn dearly.
I would like to offer my heartfelt sympathy to her loved ones.
I first met Marilyn in early 2010 at some internet policy event in Washington DC and we corresponded and then she got me involved in helping to build up the IGF USA and also bring in people from ISOC DC. At that time she was self-funding the IGF USA. She then brought me into her inner circle of close friends and continued to tell me about other interesting programs that I might be interested in whether in the US State Department, the ITU and others. She encouraged me to get involved with the US State Department work with the ITU, CSTD, and other groups. She did so much to enhance multistakeholder governance, not least at the ITU and in the UN; and of course, she was a leading and passionate advocate of the IGF, working tirelessly to bring in new national initiatives.
She was a tireless networker and could reach so many people in power and in influence. If you needed a speaker at some Internet Governance event she was always on hand to call and cajole them to come. We did disagree on some points but it was never a large point. She was a strong and fearless leader always on hand with advice and volunteer efforts. in 2014 when I was self-funding my way to an ITU meeting she gave me some tips on how to possibly raise some funds to attend and was always on hand to offer a suggestion or some other advice.
She was a passionate advocate for connecting the unconnected and always trying to bring new faces in. We worked together on the IGF Connecting the Next Billion to put together a response from IGF USA and she would continue to try and get more industry and government participation into our group.
Marilyn would often go out of her way to help. I once told her about my balcony garden and then she would dispense planting tips or offer to pick up large items for me at the plant store or bring me some new plants. Marilyn, you will be truly missed, and wish we could have done more work together.
May your family find comfort in all these loving tributes by the people you touched. May your memory continue to be a blessing to all.
A big personality, always professional and welcoming, especially to newcomers, and tireless and hard-working, but never dull or one to miss a social event either. She truly believed the Internet governance community should be a true community, united by our belief in a new way to deal with the policy challenges of this Internet thing, and we should truly be inclusive.
Like many people active in Internet governance I sometimes found myself on the other side of a policy question to her – but I also found myself agreeing with her on many other issues, and she was always open and professional either way. Her voice seemed ever present, and always one to listen to. She truly believed in the multi-stakeholder model, and that we needed to keep striving to be better as a community, to keep improving our institutions, our sense of accountability and good governance, and ourselves as a community.
We are all the poorer for her loss. She will be missed.
Marilyn was passionate about institutions she helped to create, like ICANN and the IGF. That led her to be a tireless world traveler in order to observe and influence meetings in-person.
That’s where Marilyn created relationships with newcomers that could be leveraged to nudge things in the direction she thought was best for these institutions.
For any of you who crossed Marilyn, as I often did, things could be very difficult and delicate until you came around to see the wisdom of her desired approach. But you have to acknowledge that Marilyn’s edge and intensity were always deployed in service of her vision for how things should work – right down to the smallest detail.
Marilyn’s legacy is the internet governance groups where we work, and I’ll never forget the imprint she has left on me.
Marilyn was one of the driving forces behind the multistakeholder approach. She left a legacy in the IG world.
Rest in Peace Marilyn.
Our world has been shaken as one of the pillars of Internet Governance has been taken from us, too soon. Marilyn was the formidable, indomitable, exasperating stalwart of the open Internet, and the bottom-up, consensus based, multi-stakeholder principles that underpin its governance. Her positions were principles based and difficult to contest. Our world will miss “M”, the First Lady of ICANN and the IGF.
As well as having worked with, for, against and alongside Marilyn for more than 20 years, I was also fortunate enough to have enjoyed some time-outs with her and other individuals from our Internet world, to go travelling in some of the countries we had visited over these years, and after a day or two of Marilyn getting over the last meeting, to enjoy her company and enjoy some truly amazing sights. The Iguazu Falls in Brazil, on safari in South Africa, and in the Sahara backblocks of Tunisia are a few that spring to mind – and some amazing memories from these jaunts will stay with me forever. To have learnt a little more about her and some of the amazing things she had done in her earlier life was an insight into her driving force and her (sometimes exasperating) formidable persona. To have got to know Marilyn on more than just a professional basis, and to be able to regard her as a friend was a great privilege and an honour.
Marilyn may you have achieved Peace, Perfect Peace.
It is with great sadness that i write these words of tribute to Marylin. So many memories and images abound in my mind, of Marylin with her ever present carry on suitcase, in the snowy streets of Geneva, the heat of Tunis or the backstreets of Johannnesburg, from the WSIS negotiation rooms when you were whispering in my ear about how we should create the IGF, to the ICANN public forums and corridors. And that ever present smile, and determination.
I will miss you dearly. But somehow I know you will be with me for longer: at the lobby of a conference hotel, or in the margins of an Internet governance working group, I will continue to expect to bump into you, with a fresh piece of advice, a new idea, and that wonderful dry sense of humour. Farewell, friend.
I am very sad to hear this news. I was straight off from university when I went from switzerland to the US for an internship at the AT&T Innovation Center/Government Affairs Office. Marilyn and Joy where my supervisors. It was such a wonderful & exciting time, because Marilyn threw me right into it doing research on internet governance, net neutrality, cyber security, antitrust policy! It was a WOW moment for me to be so close to where the events around tech policy happened. She took me to conferences, I did write ups on Senate committee hearings, ICC policy briefings, helped her compile slidedecks & ran with her from meeting to meeting in Washington DC. I really enjoyed it so much & these months really helped me understand many things. I am forever grateful to her and I will always remember her kindness & encouraging attitude. When she entered my room the first time at the AT&T office and I did sometimg for TFAS school, she said: Can you please help me! I will always remember that lucky moment where it all started. I contaced her to ask how things are – but never received an answer. Then I googled her & found that out. So very sad! Best & thanks Marilyn!! Adrian K.