Monday 27 September 2010

Sad news

Ron Pickford died peacefully in his sleep on the 18th of September. He was almost 90.
Among his many achievements, Ron was largely responsible for saving the BRLSI collections. Click here for some background.
The photo shows Ron with Bev Halstead. Ron was the first recipient of the Halstead Medal from the Geologists' Association.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I was very sorry to hear of Ron's death. He was a delightful person and he did quite extraordinary work in keeping the collections intact and safe during a period when the local Council and others were indifferent to their fate. it is entirely thanks to him that they survived at all.

Bev Halstead, who was my partner, discovered Ron and his lifelong commitment to geology, and was determined to honour him in a public way in the geological community. He made Ron the first recipient of the new Halstead award to be presented at the GA meeting in London in May 1991. Bev arranged for the Bath Chronicle to do a half page spread on Ron's work, which would have appeared on May 1.

Tragically, it was later that day that Bev died in a car crash. Ron's story got pushed off the pages of the Chronicle, though it was covered in the GA magazine.

The GA did fully recognise Ron's work. He made a moving speech at the GA meeting.

During the time that I knew Ron, through Bev, I saw that he was a truly dedicated person, with a clear idea of what was needed, and how he could take responsibility for doing it. He was a gentle man, and a gentleman with a lovely sense of humour.

Helen Haste