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Obituary: Alwynne Gardner Alwynne Gardner died on Saturday, February 15, aged 58, after a long illness borne with courage and dignity.  Alwynne joined the University in 1980 as a Senior Clerk in the Department of Classics, having held a variety of secretarial posts elsewhere. In 1983 she was promoted to the grade of Principal Clerk and in 1989, when the Department of Classics closed, transferred to the Department of Economics.  She subsequently moved to the Department of French and when the language departments merged to become the School of Modern Languages in 1996, she was appointed School Secretary, a task she carried out with calm efficiency and cheerfulness. Alwynne was born and brought up in Kirby Muxloe. She attended the Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth. In 1966, she and her husband, Pete, moved to Newbold Verdon where they remained and raised their family. Over the years, Alwynne enjoyed a wide range of pursuits: she was a keen tennis and badminton player, an enthusiastic cyclist - a favourite ride of hers was round Rutland Water - and a hiker. She loved to travel, and in recent years had been out to Dubai and to the Cayman Islands to visit her sons. Her involvement in the Methodist Church in Newbold Verdon was a very important aspect of her life: she taught in the Sunday School, sang in the Choir, and acted as Secretary to the Church Council. At the heart of Alwynne's life was her much-loved family, and she would talk with animation about their achievements, holidays, and adventures. Alwynne's death has been a great blow to her many friends, not only among the clerical and academic staff of a number of departments, but also among the students of Modern Languages, many of whom remember with affection her kindly and reassuring presence in an often hectic office. She was among the most courteous and conscientious members of the University's staff, and her good humour, her fund of common sense, and her selfless commitment to her work made her an invaluable and sorely-missed asset to the School of Modern Languages. Christopher Rolfe  March 2003  Back to People Back to index

Last updated: 21 March 2003 15:00
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