It was with great sadness that I attended Paul’s funeral today.
Paul was a contemporary of mine at UMIST over forty years ago, and is pictured above showing his usual responsible style of management, in this instance in May 1970 as newly elected Chairman of the Tech Domski Hiking and Hostelling Club (TDHHC), by attempting to ride a children’s pink elephant outside an amusement arcade in Whitby.
Whilst family life and work commitments as a Mechanical Engineer drew Paul, like many of my other TDHHC contemporaries, away from a life in the outdoors, we had kept in touch over the years by way of occasional meals etc with others who were thrown together in the lottery of lifelong friendships that one tends to establish with contemporaries from University days.
My abiding memory of Paul is his expert and captivating rendition of ‘Napoleon’s Retreat from Wigan’ at the Fish Inn in Buttermere, before he adjourned to lie on his tent in the rain in a nearby field of cows.
There are many more happy memories – but time is against me today.
Paul was a lovely person and a great personality who will be sadly missed. Our condolences go to all his family and to his friends.
2 comments:
Studied for a short time under Paul at UMIST back in the early 90's
He influenced me greatly even to this day with the abiding memory of removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves at the commencement of his class. Without even an utterance, 'wake up students leaning is set to begin'.
Nice fella.
Even as a contemporary, I can picture Paul rolling up his sleeves in the manner you recall, Anonymous.
The seven years since he left us seems to have passed in a flash.
Thanks for your comment.
Martin
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