Secretariat

Obituary: Alan Steele

Members will be very sorry to learn of the death, on 23 July 2004, of Mr Alan Steele, former Lecturer in the School of English.

Having read English at Oxford, Mr Steele went on to complete a BLitt on the fictional treatment of industrial relations in the period between 1825 and 1870, with particular reference to the novels of Mrs Gaskell. He was appointed as an Assistant Lecturer in the School of English in 1965 and was promoted to Lecturer in 1967. Mr Steele took a full part in the academic activities of the School, a number of the undergraduate options he taught in Victorian fiction being particularly successful and popular. His cultural accomplishments and interests he was, for example, a very proficient pianist and a keen student of the evolution of musical performance also did much to enrich the communal life of the School. In addition, Mr Steele served on various Faculty and other Boards, including the Board for Collegiate Academic Awards, and he was the Schools AUT representative for many years. He was a very private person but was intensely political and campaigned on behalf of the local Gay and Lesbian community.

Mr Steele took early retirement from his post in December 1995 on health grounds, after thirty years service, but was a Senior Fellow in the School on a part-time basis for some time after his retirement.

The funeral service, including a tribute from his sister, Mrs Enid Wilson, took place on Friday, 30 July.

Published: 4 August 2004