Submitted by his sister, Dorothy Froude

1953 – 2019

Chris was born in Chatham in 1953, moving to Plymouth and then Birmingham in his teens. He was very actively involved in scouting at this time and achieved the Chief Scout’s Award in 1968. In 1970 he went to Morocco for the Explorer Belt, where he spent one week with a partner trekking across Morocco, meeting and staying with the local population. He never lost his sense of adventure and travelled all over the world for work and for pleasure.

He had a full and active social life, his interests included diving, sailing, walking and photography. He was a member of the Imperial College Underwater Club, continuing to meet up with friends from there throughout his life. Latterly he developed an interest in art, especially printmaking in which he became very proficient. In 2018, he submitted a print to the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy.

He spent most of his working life with the Ministry of Defence, where he made a significant contribution to defence engineering, science and technology over a long and distinguished career. After retiring from the MoD in 2011, he worked at Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich MIND. There he used his expertise to set up good IT and mobile phone infrastructure, which proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He maintained the scouting ideal of service to others throughout his life, always ready to help his family, friends and the wider community. He was a kind and generous brother, uncle and friend, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Provided by his daughter, Sue Hawksley

Dr. George Jeffrey Hawksley CEng, CMarEng, FIMarEST

1935 - 2020

Jeff Hawksley was born in Sheffield and grew up in the Peak District. His father was director of Hawksley Stainless, and his mother, a teacher. During his childhood, the family made regular trips to the coast to alleviate his chronic asthma, instilling in him a love for the sea. He attended Dore village school and was awarded a scholarship to King Edward VII school in Sheffield. At 16 he began his career in engineering, becoming an indentured apprentice to the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company (Shell). Under the Merchant Navy Apprentice Engineers' Training Scheme, he undertook the Diploma Course at Bolton Technical College, with vocational training at Ruston Hornsby in Lincoln. After qualifying, he circumnavigated the world many times, progressing from fifth to Chief Engineer with companies including Shell, United Baltic Corporation and Christian Salvesen.

Following his marriage to Mavis and the birth of his children Robert and Susan, Jeff came ashore to spend more time with his family, initially working for the engineering firm Lister Blackstone. He went to night school to obtain an HND in Mechanical Engineering, then started teaching at Stamford Technical College. He attended Imperial College (City and Guilds College) as a mature student, graduating in 1972 with first class honours in Mechanical Engineering, and was awarded a prize for his outstanding project work and overall work at Imperial College. To support the family during his time at University, he worked at Stamford brickworks and returned to sea every summer. 

Subsequent to graduation he took up a post as Senior Lecturer in Marine Technology at Southampton College of Higher Education (now Solent University), moving to live in Romsey, Hampshire. He was also visiting Lecturer at Warsash College of Nautical Studies, and at the University of Southampton, where he studied for his Doctorate, awarded 1980. His research speciality was thermodynamics, and his PhD thesis explored combustion, noise and performance prediction of high-speed turbo-charged diesel engines.

Jeff pursued many other passions throughout his life. He was a keen photographer, taking mainly portraits and landscapes with his treasured Leica and developing his own film (commandeering a bedroom as a dark room, much to his children’s consternation). He retained his love of travel; he and Mavis made many visits to France, and with the Romsey Twinning group they made friendships and connections across Europe. On retirement, Jeff went back to sea, but this time sailing with a friend in a classic wooden-hulled sloop; ever the engineer, he restored the engine. He developed an interest in mills and waterwheels and was an active member of local history groups and the International Mills society, becoming an expert in the design of waterwheels and water-lifting devices. As a member of the Lower Test Valley Archaeological Society he researched and mapped all the known waterways and mills of Romsey in the 18th and 19th Centuries. His research into the history of boatbuilding in Romsey led to his involvement in the identification and preservation by English Heritage of one of the few remaining collapsible lifeboats designed by the Rev. Edward Berthon. He also took up his boy-time hobby of woodwork, making a series of accurate working mechanical models based on detailed research of original drawings, including overshot and undershot waterwheels, beam engines, and an educational model of a turbine engine. He made an exquisite precision model of the Berthon lifeboat, which is now housed in the King John’s House Museum in Romsey, while other models are on permanent display at the museum La Planète des Moulins in Luzech, France.

 Jeff was an exceptional man, kind, generous, hardworking and a perfectionist. He was much loved and respected by family, friends, colleagues and will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife, Mavis, his brother Peter, children Robert and Susan, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Provided by Dr Paul Seldon 

25 October 1950 - 26 January 2024

MC Black was born in Kent and grew up in Greenwich, attending Haberdashers’ Aske’s School. After attempting the I. C. scholarship examination (without much success) and a fourth A level after a term’s study (achieving an “old style” grade B), he left school and worked for the former Inner London Education Authority until the autumn of 1969 when he entered the Physics Department of the Royal College of Science. From the start, he was active in non-academic activities, managing the Mathematical & Physical Society second-hand bookshop, polishing (and occasionally riding on) Jez, challenging the quorum at IC Union meetings, playing (and occasionally refereeing) rugby for the RCS 2nd XV and similar intellectual pursuits. In his third year, he served as Honorary Secretary of the R. C. S. Union and was so successful in this position that he was subsequently elected Hon. Secretary of I. C. Union for a sabbatical year.

It was during this period that he served as Chairman of the Imperial College Bar Committee and persuaded the Refectory Committee to invest the accumulated bar profits into building and equipping a new bar at the eastern end of the junior common room in the new Sherfield Building (then called College Block). He was also awarded Half Colours by the R.C.S. Boat Club. His is the only R.C.S. Colours Blazer seen in the Stewards’ Enclosure at Henley Royal Regatta.

On leaving College, Black taught, mostly Physics (but also chemistry, geology, astronomy, navigation, computing, rugby, sailing, outdoor activities, manners and even biology), for nearly twenty years in both the maintained and independent sectors. During this time he held a variety of posts in the R. C. S. Association including Editor of the joint Handbook and, subsequently, THE RECORD, chairman of the Publications Board and Hon. Secretary of the Association. He also played Rugby for the ICB2s, refereeing both school matches and club games for the London Society.

Black was also first Secretary and Treasurer of the R. C. S. A. Trust and, subsequently Chairman of the Board of Management for many years.

In 1990, Black decided, rodent-like, to leave the sinking ship of schoolmastering and moved to the External Programme of the University of London where he had responsibility for the laws programme and gave advice to students from the four corners of the globe. After serving as Hon. Secretary of the R.C.S. Association for twelve years, he retired and was immediately elected a Vice-President. Three years later the Committee invited him to agree to be nominated as President, a view which was enthusiastically endorsed by the membership at the Annual General Meeting.

He also represented the Royal College of Science Association on the Imperial College Exploration Board and was a member of the Court (the Governing Body of Imperial College) for twelve years.

He jointly organized a Jubilee Reunion for the people who started their Physics degree in 1969 with both tours of Imperial College and the Physics department and visits to HM Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial.

He was a member of the Institute of Physics London & South East Branch Retired Members Section Committee and organized group visits to places of interest.

He volunteered for the Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service and as a “Hearing Aider” visited a Care Home to help the residents with their hearing aids. He was also a volunteer guide at the Royal Gunpowder Mills at Waltham Abbey.

In his spare time, Black played the Great Holmesian Game (which, a priori, assumes that Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson are real people and involves fitting the people, places and events described in the stories into “real” history and geography and required him, on occasion, to wear Victorian costume). He led groups on Detective Walks to places mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes Canon and important in the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was awarded a Doctorate for his research in Sherlockiana in 2020.

His other interests included photography and underground industrial archaeology.

Provided by Angela Reding, Peter's daughter 

1950 - 2023

Peter Machin was born in Manchester on 20 January 1950. A son to Helen and Jack Machin, he was the youngest of three children. Academically gifted, Peter was awarded a scholarship to attend De La Salle Preparatory School in Salford, travelling to the other side of Manchester alone each day aged just eight years old. Peter sat his A-levels a year early, and after working for a year, moved to London to take up a place at Imperial College London to study Chemistry.

After having been awarded a First-Class Honours degree, Peter stayed on at Imperial College London to undertake a PhD in Natural Product Heterocyclic Chemistry, a collaboration with Eli Lilly. The three months he spent in their labs in Surrey was one of the happiest times in his life - his work even generated some interesting publications!

Peter then went on to spend the next 40 years working in the Pharmaceutical Industry. His first job was as a Medicinal Chemist working on drug discovery projects, designing and synthesising new compounds at the Roche Research Centre in Welwyn Garden City. Peter spent 20 years at Roche, eventually managing all the Chemistry groups at the Centre. The highlight of those years was his contribution to the design of HIV Protease Inhibitors, Saquinavir.  Saquinavir became the first HIV Protease Inhibitor to reach the market - a tremendous legacy to leave.

After 20 years Peter moved to SmithKline Beecham to run Discovery Chemistry in Europe and within a few years became the Global Senior Vice President for Chemistry & Screening Sciences, managing 700 scientists in the UK, Europe, USA and Japan

Peter oversaw many successes during his time at SmithKline Beecham, including the clinical development of 30 new compounds. In 2007 one of those compounds, an antibacterial called Retapamulin, reached the market.

Peter retired from the Pharmaceutical Industry in late 2007 and became self-employed. He gave advice to investors, small companies and academic groups. He was made an Honorary Professor of Chemistry at Cardiff University and a Trustee at the Royal Society of Chemistry, spending four years as the Honorary Treasurer.

Peter was an exceptional man. Much admired and revered by his colleagues for his sharp intellect, wicked sense of humour and generosity with his time. Aside from his professional life, Peter was very happily married for 40 years to Mary Gargan who he met shortly after moving down to London for University.

Despite being sadly widowed in 2012, Peter continued to live an exciting life. He supported the College, helping to judge the STEM For Britain competition each year. He enjoyed fine dining, a good bottle of red wine, traveling, jigsaws, walking his dog, watching his five grandchildren in school performances, and spending time with his two daughters, Angela and Lucy.

Provided by Jeremy Graham

Frederick John Perry died on the 17 February 2019 at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

Always known as “John” to his friends and colleagues he will be best remembered as the aerodynamicist responsible for the unique BERP helicopter rotor and a key member of the small team of engineers that captured the helicopter absolute world speed record in 1986, which still stands to this day. His contribution to the development of analytical techniques, his grasp of rotating wing physical behaviour and the inspirational vision which led to the BERP blade has left a legacy that few can aspire to match.

John arrived from his native Canada in 1969 having just graduated from the University of Windsor in mechanical engineering. He came to the UK to take a prestigious Athlone Fellow research position at Imperial which allowed him to further his interests in aviation and where he gained his MSc and Diploma of Imperial College. At the completion of his studies, he moved to Westland Helicopters in 1971 as an aerodynamicist at a time when the Company was determined to achieve a step change in helicopter performance through the development of analytical tools that would better define rotating wing aerodynamics.

John stayed with the aerodynamics department throughout his career at Westland Helicopters rising to the position of Chief Aerodynamicist in 1981 and retiring from that post in 1999. During this time there, he was instrumental in the development of rotor technologies for all of the company’s products together with the supporting analytical tool development and aerodynamics research activities. He was recognised by the civil airworthiness authorities as responsible on their behalf for the independent assessment of design compliance with international airworthiness design codes.  John enjoyed a wide range of collaborative activities with Companies and Government organisations across the globe and he published many peer reviewed papers on topics related to rotor aerodynamics and noise. He is the author or co-author of eight patents relating to rotor configurations. In 1995 he was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society Bronze Medal in recognition of his major contribution to the development of aerodynamic and aeroelastic analysis tools which provided the foundation for the development of advanced high performance rotor systems.

Following retirement from Westland Helicopters, he lectured at Bristol, Swansea and Southampton Universities and at Imperial. His expertise was a matter of international recognition and he was invited to present lectures in Europe, the United States of America and the Far East. He supported the industrial training of budding aeronautical engineers in Sweden and South Korea. Always inventive, his time in retirement was punctuated with the development of concepts to further improve the helicopter rotor including novel active flow control and methods to better understand the fundamental behaviour of the complex rotating wing aerodynamic environment.

His interests outside of work included aviation history, Canadian railways, photography and aero modelling, the latter allowing him to hone the aerodynamics of available kits for much improved flying qualities. The other members of the Pitney Club could often be seen to follow suit in the knowledge that his ideas would work well even if they did not fully appreciate why.

He is survived by his only son Rupert, but pre-deceased by his wife Jill who passed away in 1976. His colleagues and friends will all miss his confident and knowledgeable contribution to all matters of debate whatever the subject matter.

Dr Martin Alan Gay who died on 6^th January 2017, trained at Charing Cross Medical School in the 1970s. After he qualified as a doctor he began his career at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital, later moving to the Christie Hospital, Manchester, before settling in Birmingham in 1990 where he became a Medical Advisor, initially with the Civil Service, and later private companies.

Martin was a committed doctor throughout, working tirelessly for quality and fairness. His broad experience and knowledge gave him an ability to connect with many sectors, from patients and medics, to business managers and organisations, gaining respect wherever he was involved through the quality of his work. Many opportunities occurred during his time which he welcomed, enabling him to apply his expertise, adaptability and excellent organisational skills.

Alongside his medical career, Martin was deeply involved in the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, (renamed Crohn’s and Colitis UK). Through his work on various committees and research projects, his aim was always to make a positive difference to people’s quality of life and healthcare, offering his wisdom, support and personal insight. He was Vice Chair of the Charity from 2011-2014.

Martin had a passion for fixing things, be it people, buildings or vehicles. His Sunbeam S8 vintage motorbike was his pride and joy (even though it occasionally let him down!) He loved to ride around the country lanes of Warwickshire, and to church on a Sunday morning where he rang with a team of bell ringers.  He was a talented photographer, and always had a camera on his shoulder, whether on walks with the family Labrador or while travelling.

Martin was a loyal, courageous and true gentleman. He was devoted to his family, and family life with his wife Jan, and son and daughters, Tom, Amy and Grace. He is greatly missed.

Provided by Simon Maddison

Michael Carey died at home on 9 February 2021, 16 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Michael joined the Post Office as a Student Apprentice in 1967, and then studied Electrical Engineering at Imperial College as an undergraduate. He joined the Post Office Research Establishment in 1971 as it was in the process of moving to Ipswich and Martlesham. Michael worked in the digital switching research group, amongst a team developing ideas behind what would become System X, the British public telephone digital switching system. It was then he started investigating digital coding schemes, including Walsh functions.

Michael moved on to take up a position at the University of Keele in the Physics department. He completed his doctorate at this time. It was in 1981 that he was approached to set up a small research group at Mitel Telecom in South Wales. Mitel had been formed in Canada a decade before by Terry Matthews and Mike Copeland (also an Imperial alumnus). It had grown to some $Can 400Million and was establishing a new engineering and production facility at Caldicot. Michael’s research included digital signal processing (DSP) and novel wireless communications. As with others who had spent formative years in the British telecoms industry, Mitel was a liberating experience. In 1986, along with Adrian Anderson and Simon Maddison he left to found Ensigma, a digital design consultancy. The company quickly established itself as a leader in the research and development of digital speech and audio DSP applications, designing in its early years a digital dealing system for Reuters and the compression algorithms for some of the first mobile phones, as well as work for another Terry Matthews company, Newbridge Networks.

Other early foci were digital audio broadcasting and speech recognition, both of which became core development activities for the company under Michael’s management, leading also to digital wireless. Much of its business derived from licensing designs for incorporation into semiconductors. He was a strong believer in education and in the importance of the links between industry and universities. Michael had numerous patents and international papers in the field of speech recognition and speaker verification that are still being referenced today.

In 2000, Michael negotiated a takeover by Imagination Technologies, a company that had comparable expertise in video technologies. This gave Ensigma the critical mass to compete successfully on the world stage. The company remained in Chepstow where it had originally been established and grew to employing over 100 staff, most of whom were specialised development engineers. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease Michael retired but continued to work as an honorary professor at Birmingham University where he continued his research and supervised a number of PhD students, and continued to be well respected on the international speech recognition stage.

Michael was an immensely talented and high energy man of razor-sharp intellect, great determination, ambition and focus. From a modest family background in Preston, he studied hard through grammar school to get into Imperial College, and his parents worked hard to support him. Outside of work, wine and classical music were great passions, and he was an early adopter of top end hi-fi equipment, including electro-static speakers which brooked no compromise in their place in his house. Michael became a keen scuba-diver, which he pursued until his health could no longer permit it.

His wife, Elizabeth, worked with him in the business from the beginning. She has lovingly and tirelessly cared for him through his illness. He is survived by his three children and eight grandchildren. We shall miss his intellect, lively discussion and friendship.

17/02/1949 – 14/01/2020

 Provided by his wife, Karen K Watt

 “To the well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure.”

 Peter, a man of knowledge, integrity, generosity and love. His wanderlust for travel and adventure began at a very early age. Peter was born in West Hartlepool and spent his early childhood in Ghana before returning home to Wistow in Yorkshire. The second of four brothers, Peter was a great athlete, innately intelligent and loved a challenge. Studying Engineering at Cambridge, Queen Mary’s University and Imperial College London, his quest for knowledge was satiated. His experience, however, became the true educator.

 After several impressive engineering projects, he began prospecting for minerals in the far north of Canada where the physical realities of nature, and the night sky gave him a challenge that he truly valued. Early exploration of oil and gas saw Peter return to the UK, and in particular to the oil capital of Europe, Aberdeen. As an entrepreneur, Peter established an engineering service company and over the last 30 years has served the oil and gas industry vehemently through Argosy, with his team and many years prior to that gathering experience and knowledge which made him the ultimate teacher. Peter was a true ambassador for the industry.

As if working in a demanding and fast paced industry was not enough, Peter needed another challenge and became Chair of Governors at Read School, Drax Yorkshire, the school that the four boys attended as children. In six years of his tenure, Peter engineered many positive changes which helped secure the school’s future. His sharp business acumen, pragmatic attitude and gregarious warm personality were a rare and distinct combination which contributed greatly to his success. A true humble gentleman with a great sense of humour, Peter impacted many lives personally, professionally and philanthropically.

He is sadly missed by family, friends and colleagues. Peter is survived by his wife Karen and four children, Christopher, Phillip, David and Henry.

 “Out yonder there was this huge world, which exists independently of us human beings and which stands before us like a great, eternal riddle, at least partially accessible to our inspection and thinking. The contemplation of this world beckoned like a liberation…”

Provided by Stephanie Horner

Loving husband and devoted father

Simon Grenville Horner was born on 29 May 1956 in Oxford, England to Lionel and Audrey Horner. He was one of three children alongside his sister, Sonia Watsham, and brother, Max Horner.

He attended the University of Oxford pursuing a degree in Physics. He then went on to the University of London to pursue a Geophysics career. After graduating and working he realised he wanted to be in the Oil & Gas industry. So he went to Stanford University where he earned a Master’s in Petroleum Engineering.

Simon worked overseas traveling the world and pursuing his passion. While he was stationed in Peru, he met the love of his life and future wife, Yolanda Horner.

Simon is survived by his wife and three children, Christopher, Stephanie and Nicole Horner. 

Walter Kwok, driving force in Hong Kong business and Imperial alumnus, has died aged 68.

Mr Kwok’s family announced in a statement: “We are saddened to announce the passing of Mr Walter Kwok, who left this world peacefully on the morning of 20 Oct 2018, with his loving family by his bedside.”

Born the oldest of three sons in 1950 in Hong Kong, Mr Kwok had a long-standing relationship with Imperial. He completed his BEng in Civil Engineering in 1971, followed by an MSc in 1972, and was later awarded an honorary degree by the College in 2007.

Mr Kwok became the Chairman and CEO of Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), one of the world’s biggest property developers, when his father, Kwok Tak-seng passed away in 1990. Mr Kwok parted ways with SHKP before starting his own property company, Empire Group Holdings in 2014.

Mr Kwok was passionate about education and supported Imperial’s own President’s Scholarship Fund, both personally and through the SHKP Kwoks Foundation. The President’s Scholarship ensures talented students join the Imperial community and make the most of their studies and all the College has to offer. It provides students with the freedom to take up opportunities like unpaid internships or summer research opportunities to develop skills that will prepare them for the workplace.

In 1998, Mr Kwok was awarded the Legion d'Honneur Knighthood for his contribution to the economic and cultural development of France in Hong Kong and China. He was an Honorary Citizen of Beijing and Guangzhou and a Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.