Class Notes 1960s

Tony Gibbs, BSc Civil Engineering 1961, has been awarded an honour from the Queen, Companion of Honour of Barbados, in recognition of his contribution in the filed of engineering in Barbados and the Caribbean. (note added 13/01/2021)

Ken Houston, BSc Physics 1964, has published a book of children's stories that were originally written for his daughter and grandson. All profits from sales is being donated to the Samaritans. If you would like to purchase a copy, please email Ken on ken.houston@blueyonder.co.uk. (noted added 13/01/2021)

Peter Maurice Brown, MB BCh BAO 1969, retired to Devon after a career in ENT and Facial Plastics.  Achievements include setting up a new department in Milton Keynes General Hospital, becoming the hospital's first Medical Director, chairing the Association's National Comparative Clinical Audit Group, and developing an electronic web-based Comparative Audit system.  Retirement activities include leading the local U3A Environmental Group, attending the Art Appreciation Group and sailing the beautiful south-west coast. He is very proud that his wife is having good success as a photographer and has now set up her own web site (http://susanbrownphotography.co.uk), and that one daughter is training as a Paediatrician and the other working in the in the financial sector in London.  Peter can be contacted at petermbrown@uk-home.co.uk.

Peter Ingham, BSc Zoology 1969, PhD 1972, retired from College Head of Department in Guildford where he taught Biological Sciences and IT. He is now living in Snowdonia, playing keyboard, learning Welsh and selling the occasional painting. Peter can be contacted at PAIngham@gmail.com.

Tony McStea, BSc (Hons) Chemistry 1969, a photo taken on a day in July, 1969. Four young men who by rights shouldn't have been there. Four young men who came from the Boys' Model, a secondary school that did NOT send kids directly to university. But Norman McNeilly, headmaster of the Model, wouldn't take no for an answer and short-circuited the Northern Ireland Education Authority by having us do London University GCEs, and this is what carried us to Queens, two mathematicians, one physicist and a chemist (me). We had to work hard, especially the spectacularly academically ungifted me, but we got there.

Sadly, I am the only one left now, but this photo is a memory of great days gone by and of gratitude to an alma mater that carried us all to success in life.

Tony can be contacted at info@teemacs.com.

Alan Winter, BSc 1969, was appointed British Columbia’s first Innovation Commissioner on 5th February 2018. He has the mandate to represent the BC tech sector in Ottawa and abroad, and to encourage investment in British Columbia nationally and internationally. Alan has wide experience in technology & innovation in Canada, including the federal Communications Research Centre; Telesat Canada; MPR Teltech Ltd in Vancouver; ComDev in Cambridge; and he was appointed the President and CEO of Genome British Columbia in 2001. He stepped down from Genome BC in 2016 and he and his wife Carolyn, BA, BEd MEd, MA, moved to Victoria to be closer to their son Kyle BSc, MSc, MD, his wife Brianne and their daughter Quinn, where Kyle is a physician in the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

R N (Rob) Hughes, PhD 1967, completed his PhD while employed as a lecturer in Psychology at Queen’s.  At the end of 1967, he returned to New Zealand to take up a position at the University of Canterbury where he is currently a Professor of Psychology.  In the intervening time, he has carried out experimental research in behavioural pharmacology and teratology, developmental psychobiology and comparative psychology.  He has also served a 6 years term as Head of Department and has been elected to Fellowships of the New Zealand Psychological Society, the Association for Psychological Science (formerly the American Psychological Society) and the Psychological Society of Ireland.  He has also received the New Zealand Psychological Society's C. J. Adcock and Hunter awards for contributions to psychological research, and the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture's National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee's "Three Rs Award" for contributions to humane science.  Rob can be contacted at rob.hughes@canterbury.ac.nz.

Tony Watson, BSc (Econ) 1967, joined Prudential as an economist after graduation.  His career has included terms with the investment firms Touche Remnant, Citibank and AMP Asset Management. Tony retired as Chief Executive of Hermes Pensions Management in January 2006.  He also serves as Chairman of the Strategic Investment Board in Northern Ireland, Marks and Spencer Pension Trust Limited and the Asian Infrastructure Fund. Tony is a non-executive director of Hammerson plc, Witan Investment Trust and Vodafone Group Plc; he is also on the Advisory Board of Norges Bank Investment Bank and is a member of the Shareholder Executive Advisory Group.  Called to the English Bar in 1976, he is now a Bencher at Lincoln's Inn. Tony was awarded a CBE in 2009 and received an honorary degree from Queen's in 2012, both recognising his contribution to economic development. Tony can be contacted at tonywatson11@btinternet.com.

Brian Weir, BA German 1967, has retired from his post as Education Officer after more than 35 years' service with the Southern Education and Library Board.  His wife Daphne (nee Hempsall, Stranmillis 1964) is still a part-time teacher. He remains active in Armagh Baptist Church and Baptist Missions (Ireland) and follows the dwindling fortunes of Armagh City Football Club and Armagh Cricket Club.  Brian can be contacted at b.weir@btinternet.com.

David S Crawford, BA Dip Lib Stud 1966, has been honoured by the Canadian Health Libraries Association/ Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA/ABSC), who named the honorary life membership award the David S. Crawford Honorary Life Membership Award (Membre honoraire à vie David S. Crawford).

David emigrated to Canada in 1971, working first at the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library at Dalhousie University in Halifax before moving to McGill University in Montreal where he spent thirty years as Assistant Director and then Director of the Medical (subsequently Health Sciences and then Life Sciences) Library. David can be contacted at david.crawford@mcgill.ca.

Diana Hadden, MB BCh BAO 1965, is a member of Riddel Hall Old Students Association which meets for a walk and lunch every month – climbing Slemish in July being possibly the most energetic so far!  A few copies of Pioneering Women: the story of Riddel Hall and Queen’s University Belfast by Gillian McClelland are still available.  Diana can be contacted at dianahadden@doctors.org.uk.

Ken Mitchell, BSc Geography 1965, retired from teaching on December 31, 2015 after 45 years as a Professor of Geography at Rutgers University, USA. He hopes to continue research, writing and other assorted activities until they no longer satisfy.

S Noel Rea, LLB 1965, has retired from Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, where he worked as Counsel and National Alternative Dispute Resolution Co-ordinator; he previously worked in the Law Department of Imperial Oil Limited. Noel can be contacted at reasn@shaw.ca. 

Parvin Eskeland, MB BCh BAO 1964, has now retired and just celebrated his 71 birthday. He would like to work a few days a week but in Norway you cannot work over the age of 70! He was in private practice since 1974 dealing mainly with children with allergies and hyperactivity.  Three of his four children are now physicians and he has three grandchildren. Parvin can be contacted at peskel@yahoo.com.

Alan Gurd, MB BCh BAO 1964, retired in 2007 from the Cleveland Clinic after 31 years as Head of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery.  He was replaced by his son.  He is now working part-time and enjoying some long overdue free-time.  Alan is married to Ruth Imrie MD who is a full time Paediatrician at the same clinic and who also graduated from Queen’s in 1964.  Alan can be contacted at gurda@ccf.org.

John S Geddes, BMedSc Medicine (1963), MD (1966); Thomas F Baskett, MB BCh BAO Medicine (1964): Tom Baskett, an internationally recognised medical historian has written and recently published a book with cardiologist John Geddes, now retired in Florida. The 2 authors, along with Ronald D Stewart, traced the evolution of the cardiac ambulance from its ‘invention’ in Belfast at Royal Victoria Hospital in the days of Frank Pantridge, to the sophisticated EMS system now established throughout North America. John did most of the ground-work in the development of the Belfast cardiac ambulance and worked for many years in cardiac electro-physiology in Winnipeg. 

Tom Ekin, BSc (Econ) 1962, was Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2004/05 and is still a Councillor trying to make Belfast a better City in which to live and do business.  Meanwhile his Weaver's Court Hi Tech Business Park in the heart of Belfast continues to be successfully developed.  Tom can be contacted at t.ekin1@ntlworld.com.

John Green, BSc Chemistry 1962, PhD 1965, following his time at Campbell, John studied Chemistry and received a BSc and then PhD in 1965.  Two post doc appointments in Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh, and Newcastle upon Tyne followed. Then he returned to the USA and joined Martin Marietta Labs (later Lockheed Martin Labs) and stayed for 29 years, being Director for the last 12 years.  Following that time, he became Vice President of the Aluminum Association, the trade association for the industry in the USA.  Following the Association, John took early retirement and established his own consulting operations. This involved work both in USA, Europe and Australia.

He is married to Joan Salay and they have two children and 5 grandchildren. Derek has retired to Ellicott City in Maryland. John can be contacted at jasgreen3712@verizon.net.

Walter J Maguire, BSc 1962, PhD 1966, MB BCh BAO 1976, did a post-doctoral at Duke University in North Carolina. He then worked as a research chemist for DuPont and for Burlington Industries before returning to Queen’s for his medical degree. He married, Marguerite, in 1967. They have both recently retired from the University of Illinois, where Walter worked at the student health centre. He also retired from the US Army Reserve as a Colonel in the Medical Corps, and from Carle Clinic in Urbana, where he worked in the Occupational Medicine Department. He still works at Carle on a part-time basis. Walter and Marguerite visit relatives in County Fermanagh once or twice a year. Walter can be contacted at wmaguire@illinois.edu.

Peter McClintock, BSc Physics 1962, is expecting to retire (partially) from the Department of Physics, Lancaster University, on 1 October 2008. However he will continue on a part-time research basis, as he has EPSRC research grants running up to 2012.  Peter can be contacted at p.v.e.mcclintock@lancaster.ac.uk.

Raymond Flannery, BSc 1961, PhD 1964, DSc 1998, has officially “retired” from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta after a distinguished career in theoretical atomic and molecular physics.  He was then appointed Regents’ Professor Emeritus. Throughout the years, Georgia Tech has presented Ray with the Distinguished Professor Award and several Sigma-Xi Awards for his research. During his career, Ray garnered most of the external physics prizes in the field on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition, his former high school, St. Columb’s College Derry honoured him with its Alumnus award, the Royal Irish Academy elected him an Honorary Member and his alma mater, Queen’s University, bestowed on him a DSc degree for distinction in science.

Now as well as having extra time for travel, Ray is currently writing two text books and continues with his theoretical research.  Ray can be contacted at R.Flannery@physics.gatech.edu.

Tony Gibbs, BSc Civil Engineering 1961, was the joint Sasakawa Laureate for Disaster Reduction in 2007 (awarded by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction).  In June 2008 he was the engineer on the joint World Health Organisation / World Bank mission to China in connection with healthcare facilities following the Great Wenchuan Earthquake of 12 May 2008.  Tony can be contacted at tmgibbs@caribsurf.com.

William McDowell, BSc Chemical Technology (1961), who went on to earn a PhD in Polymer Science from Manchester University, now lives in Berkshire.

 

John Black, MB BCh BAO 1960, trained as a general surgeon and spent much of his working life in New Zealand.  He returned to the UK in 1977 and worked as a consultant general surgeon in North Tyneside.  He became Medical Director of the North Tyneside Healthcare Trust and retired in 1998.  John can be contacted at blackrj@aol.com.

Mike Douse, BSc Econ (1960), Dip Ed (1961), continues to advise the European Commission on its support for education internationally. In recent months this has taken him to Somalia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Swaziland and Belize. Gone to Ground, his second collection of poems, was published in 2015.

This autumn he hopes to speak at the Literific at Queen’s, some 62 years after first doing so. 

Leonard Evans, BSc Physics 1960, continues to be active as the world’s top traffic-safety expert.  His 2004 book Traffic Safety has acquired a classic status.  Dr Evans has presented keynote addresses and other invited lectures in over 30 countries.  His travels are not confined to professional activities.  In 2000 he visited the Titanic, two and a half miles under the Atlantic, an adventure he described in a lecture to the Belfast Titanic Society in 2005.  He and his wife Wendy have three children and one grandchild.  Leonard can be contacted at LE@ScienceServingSociety.com.

“It was a beautiful spring morning in the Anatomy Department at Queen’s. A mild euphoria pervaded the room as we finished five semesters of anatomy and looked forward to our clinical years at the Royal and Mater Hospitals.

“A spleen was picked up and bowled to a femur-wielding batsman. Contact was made and the formalin hardened spleen sailed through the open window and landed at the feet of the approaching Professor.

“Silence prevailed as Professor Pritchard, with his mane of white hair, entered the room.

“No attempt was made to identify the culprits. Instead, in his subdued Australian accent he reminded us of the living who had generously donated their bodies so that we might learn. He mentioned the sanctity of the human body and the respect it deserved. He expressed his disappointment. He quietly turned around and left the Department.

“At that moment, I believe, we all became better doctors.

“Thank you, Professor Pritchard.”