We live in difficult times, and unfortunately the optics community recently experienced a great loss. Gallieno Denardo, who was for more than two decades a leader of the optics and photonics programmes at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), passed away on 23 July after a heart attack. It was a sudden and unexpected loss. ICO has lost a great friend and a key person who disseminated optics and photonics across the world.

I had the great fortune to work with Gallieno over the last six years and I was always impressed by his tenacity, dedication, generosity and great sense of how to manage optics activities. There is little more that we can add, so it is perhaps time to continue with our joint work.

This entire issue of ICO Newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gallieno. These pages refer to important aspects of his unique work to develop programmes in optics and photonics, and they reflect the extent of his international prestige.

It is also a good opportunity to thank the ICTP for its necessary support to ensure that Gallieno Denardo's legacy continues.

Maria L Calvo, ICO secretary.