Obituaries

Rain (AM and PM) 11° London Hi 15°C / Lo 9°C

Obituaries

For GAZETTE notices, telephone 020 7005 2882, fax 020 7005 2064 or e-mail gazette@independent.co.uk. Charges are £2 a word (VAT extra)


Undisputed genius: Qian in 1948, after taking up a teaching role at MIT

Qian Xuesen: Scientist and pioneer of China's missile and space programmes

Qian Xuesen was a rocket scientist who was regarded as the father of China's missile and space technology programme.

Inside Obituaries

Shelby Singleton: Record producer who unearthed undiscovered treasures in the vaults of the Sun label

Friday, 13 November 2009

The record producer and label owner Shelby Singleton is associated with several American hits of the 1960s but he will be best remembered for his re-marketing of the Sun Records catalogue in Memphis. He admitted that he had no great musical talent, but he knew what record buyers wanted to hear.

Bishop Werner Krusche: Bishop who played a crucial role in reconciling the two halves of Germany

Friday, 13 November 2009

Werner Krusche was a bishop in the East German Protestant Church who clashed with the ruling SED, Communists as he sought to gain concessions for Christians in the German Democratic Republic, but was eventually credited for his part in advancing Germany's re-unification.

Gavin Hodge, on the day of his wedding to Jan Burdette at Chelsea Registry Office in 1975

Gavin Hodge: Celebrity hairdresser who scandalised Sixties society

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Gavin Hodge was a hugely fashionable hairdresser who, beginning in the London of the swinging Sixties, packed into his life an inordinate amount of drink, drugs and sex.

Professor Thamsanqa Kambule: Inspirational teacher who fought for high-quality black education in apartheid South Africa

Thursday, 12 November 2009

It was an article of faith among many whites in apartheid South Africa that blacks were incapable of doing mathematics. Their belief was that black brains were simply not up to it. Thamsanqa Wilkinson "Wilkie" Kambule mocked the myth and gave the lie to it: he was black and a gifted mathematician; he was also an inspiring teacher who spoke with pride of several pupils who emigrated and went on to study nuclear physics, a field denied to them at home.

Monica Pidgeon co-judging the AD Project Awards in 1964

Monica Pidgeon: Influential editor of 'Architectural Design' for more than 30 years

Thursday, 12 November 2009

For more than three decades Monica Pidgeon edited the Bloomsbury-based Architectural Design (AD).

Malcolm Laycock: 'a delightful man, always smiling, always upbeat'

Malcolm Laycock: Broadcaster who parted company with the BBC in a row over the age of Radio 2's target audience

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

By employing cutting-edge presenters, sometimes with disastrous consequences, BBC Radio 2 has been modernising its output.

Edgar Lee in his garden this year

Edgar Lee: Last survivor of an heroic 1942 attack on the Luftwaffe by six Swordfish biplanes

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

On 12 February 1942 six obsolete Swordfish biplanes flew against the strongest force Hitler ever put to sea – two battleships, a heavy cruiser and powerful escorts afloat and in the air.

'Killem' Gillem, left, in the ring with Wilma 'Babe' Gordon

Gladys Gillem: Wrestling 'heel'

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Gladys "Killem" Gillem, who has died aged 89, spent her professional wrestling career as a heel, but not just any heel.

Lady Tumim

Lady Tumim: Campaigner fearless of authority in her efforts to reform charity law

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Lady Tumim, who died suddenly last Thursday, was a formidable public campaigner for changes in the management of charities and reform of the law respecting charities, but she was also an ebullient, vivacious and fun-loving person who enhanced and enriched the lives of her friends and family.

Wheatcroft

Tom Wheatcroft: Motor racing promoter who fought the sport's governing body to bring Formula 1 to Donington Park

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Frederick Bernard "Tom" Wheatcroft was an ebullient and charismatic man who loved nothing more than a good scrap, as numerous petty-minded planning officers and councillors found over the years.

More obituaries:

Most popular

Columnist Comments

andreas_whittam_smith

Andreas Whittam Smith: Brown is plunging down the same abyss as Major

Harrassment can begin when a PM's personal qualities are lacking

rupert_cornwell

Rupert Cornwell: Burden of sending men to their deaths

The more Barack Obama thinks about Afghanistan, the more intractable the problem becomes

brian_viner

Brian Viner: Great British sporting events

The FA Cup final, Wimbledon, the Ashes and the Grand National are woven into our culture

Article Archive

Day In a Page

Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat

Select date
sponsored links: