Stephanie Kwolek obituary
Chemist who developed the polymer fibre Kevlar, used in bulletproof vests and body armourKevlar has become a household term, associated with police in bulletproof vests or soldiers in body armour. Yet...
View ArticlePauline Drewitt obituary
My mother, Pauline Drewitt, who has died aged 91, was a lifelong carer, giver and above all a people person. She worked as a nurse in Liverpool, north Wales and Newcastle upon Tyne, and in 1983, the...
View ArticleLetter: Norman Willis and the art of crowd control
Norman Willis tried to build a broader base of support for the TUC and when I was in parliament he invited me to speak at a big rally in Central Hall, Westminster, knowing that I was then a member of...
View ArticleSimon Richards obituary
My friend Simon Richards, who has died aged 54 after living with kidney cancer for 10 years, always maintained an impressive balance of openness and realism about his condition. He never allowed it to...
View ArticleLetter: Norman Willis had a brilliant sense of comic timing
Norman Willis was a kind, talented and honourable man who lived and breathed the politics of socialism. But he never failed to try to see the funny side of things, even when the jokes were at his own...
View ArticleBobby Womack dies at 70
Soul great who worked with musicians from Sam Cooke to Damon Albarn has died after career spanning nearly six decadesBobby Womack, who has died aged 70, was one of the great soul singers, who, in a...
View ArticleBobby Womack, gospel-soaked baritone and the very last of the Soul Men
Rock journalist Barney Hoskyns recalls being on the road with the R&B star, who has died aged 70Bobby Womack is famished. He woke late in his Belgravia hotel and is now in a crazed hurry to get to...
View ArticleMary Rodgers obituary
Composer of the musical Once Upon a Mattress who went on to write the bestseller Freaky FridayMary Rodgers, who has died aged 83, was a composer and songwriter whose 1959 musical Once Upon a Mattress,...
View ArticleDavid Lockwood obituary
Sociologist whose groundbreaking books changed the way we study classDavid Lockwood, who has died aged 85, changed the way British sociologists view and study class with groundbreaking books such as...
View ArticleLeslie Manigat obituary
Academic who served as Haiti's president for 133 days in 1988 before being overthrownLeslie Manigat, who has died aged 83, was Haiti's first modern-minded president. He tried to break the vicious...
View ArticleDaniel Mornin obituary
My friend Daniel Mornin, who has died aged 58 following a heart attack, was a strong new voice in British drama in the 1980s and 90s, bringing to stage and screen the authentic voice of contemporary...
View ArticleHalina Newman obituary
My wife, Halina Newman, who has died aged 68 from complications following a stroke, was born in Belsen to Polish parents who had been imprisoned in the concentration camp during the second world...
View ArticleDermot Healy obituary
Author and poet who wrote A Goat's Song, one of the great Irish novels of recent timesThe Irish writer Dermot Healy, who has died aged 66, was once described by Seamus Heaney as "the heir to Patrick...
View ArticleJoyce Warham obituary
My aunt, Joyce Warham, who has died aged 94, taught social studies and sociology for 35 years at Cardiff, Leicester and Keele universities. She also wrote several books on social policy and on the...
View ArticleElizabeth Lebas obituary
My mother Elizabeth Lebas, who has died from cancer aged 67, was a teacher and researcher in the politics and philosophy of urban living. Her work focused on health, housing reform and urban policy in...
View ArticleNigel Calder obituary
Distinguished writer, editor and TV producer with a gift for explaining what scientists do and why they do itNigel Calder, who has died aged 82, became one of Britain's most distinguished science...
View ArticleRhea Martin obituary
My friend Rhea Martin, who has died aged 84, was only four when her father, Leslie Mitchell, died suddenly of peritonitis, a week before his 34th birthday. He was the celebrated author of 17 works,...
View ArticleLetter: Josephine Pullein-Thompson's empathy for all creatures
Although her formal education was sketchy, Josephine Pullein-Thompson was extremely well-read. She also had an excellent verbal memory, and even when old and ill could produce without hesitation...
View ArticleLetter: Mary Rimington's work for civil liberties
Not only did Mary Rimington achieve great things for City and Islington College; she was also a long-time activist with the National Council for Civil Liberties, now Liberty, in the days when the...
View ArticleLorraine Watkins obituary
My friend and colleague Lorraine Watkins, who has died aged 59 after suffering a heart attack, was a stalwart campaigner for other people with learning disabilities across South Wales and beyond. In...
View Article