Secretariat

Renee Bailey

Members will be sorry to hear of the death of Miss Renee Bailey, who died on 23 January 2005 aged 74, and who was Medical Illustrator in the School of Medicine for twenty eight years until her retirement in 1990.

She was trained at Keighley School of Art and Crafts between 1943 and 1946 and after employment as a tracer at Parkinsons Engineering in Shipley and with the Surveyors Office of Baildon UDC, joined the Department of Medical Illustration in 1962 as Assistant Medical Illustrator to Harold Grayshon Lumby. The title of tracer hides the wide range of skills in communication which Renee was to bring to the Medical Faculty and was to develop while she worked here, the last nine years being as head of the service.

Her work encompassed illustration and design services for teaching and research activities of the faculty and for University publications. Her skills in turning the rough sketches submitted by staff of complex anatomical structures, clinical procedures, laboratory processes and other activities into illustrations, teaching materials, research posters and displays, complete with fine lettering, was exceptional. Although her output of artwork was appreciated by thousands of students, conference delegates, and readers of books and research papers world-wide, the process of its creation was little understood and her name was rarely known by those who saw her work. As a mentor to Anna Durbin, Renees Assistant Medical Illustrator in the Illustration Office during the 1980s, she was without equal and amongst members of the faculty and wider University her personal and professional qualities were highly respected.

During her time with the Medical School she completed a BA with the Open University. Renee was born and lived almost all her life in Bingley and she had close involvement for over 50 years with Bingley Little Theatre, of which she became a Life Member.

To family and friends of Renee, University colleagues extend their sincere condolences and remember with affection and respect the enormous contribution she made to medical illustration at Leeds University, where, as those at her funeral service were told by the officiator, she had found her dream job.