Eric read chemistry at Balliol College, Oxford, with X-ray crystallography as special topic. It was in 1965 at Oxford that he first came into contact with computers -- learning Algol on KDF9, an English Electric machine most memorable for its hardware implementation of stacks, known as "nesting stores." Part II of his MA (the research piece) was neutron scattering sprectroscopy at Harwell, which introduced him to IBM (7030 Stretch) and Fortran.
Next Eric moved to the part of St Andrews that soon became the University of Dundee. Here he started a PhD in X-ray crystallography, but found that programming is far more fun. He produced the control programs for a new automatic X-ray goniometer, developed programs to process its results, and ported various "direct method" packages to the IBM 1620.
But what really got his enthusiasm in Dundee was the Students' Union. The Union was mainly concerned with food and drink, so his brewing background came in handy, and he became Secretary, then President - by then (1969) a sabbatical post.
Eric was the last Dundee Union President, and drafted the constituion of a new Students' Association, bringing together the logistical activities of the Union with the more "political" ones of the Students Representative Council (this was 1969!).
The other hot issue was the design of a new Union building. Andy Krasun, another future IBM Hursley person, had set the ball rolling when he was Union president, but the plans emerged in Eric's time, and were his introduction to British Architects' obsession with open plan. Even showing them the rowdy behaviour of people in the bar scarcely weakened their resolve to put the new one on a balcony overlooking the main hall/debating chamber! But the committee stuck firm, and the building is NOT open-plan.
Link to information on Dundee University today.
University is a source of many continuing friendships, but I've lost touch with the following, and should be delighted to hear from them:
- John Barker (first President of DU Students' Association)
- Gill Gardner (Union vice-president and later at Bank of England)
This page last updated 13 September 2010 by
Back to my home page