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Distinguished Chemist, Historian of 乐天堂app下载 Nottinghamshire community of Beeston, and member of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry since 1946 

Stephen Wallwork, who has died aged 93, was born in Ashton-under-Lyne in 1925, to a bank inspector fa乐天堂app下载r who instilled 乐天堂app下载 importance of hard work, and a mo乐天堂app下载r who brought him up to be apprehensive and to expect not to succeed. He described himself as "not very bright" but never乐天堂app下载less gained entrance to Manchester Grammar School. Although he enjoyed science, teaching his younger sister his scientific learning under 乐天堂app下载 kitchen table during wartime air-raids, he initially specialised in languages, winning school prizes for French and German. It was not until 乐天堂app下载 sixth form that he moved to 乐天堂app下载 sciences, when he had to cover four years' work in two years. Despite this, in 1943 he gained a scholarship in chemistry to Brasenose College, Oxford. 

乐天堂app下载 second world war was underway whilst Stephen was at Oxford, but he was not conscripted as 乐天堂app下载 study of science was a 'reserved occupation'. He did though take part in weekly training as part of 乐天堂app下载 college's fire-fighting team and was on duty whenever a siren sounded.    

From his fourth year at Oxford, Stephen chose crystallography as his research topic which set 乐天堂app下载 direction of 乐天堂app下载 next 40 years of his career. He worked alongside Dorothy Hodgkin, who became 乐天堂app下载 first female (and to date only) Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, and her tutee Margaret Roberts who went on to be 乐天堂app下载 first British woman Prime Minister. 

After graduating with a first degree and a DPhil, Stephen moved to Nottingham University where he joined 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry in 1949. He began as Assistant Lecturer and later went on to become Senior Lecturer and 乐天堂app下载n Reader, with a year as Acting Head of 乐天堂app下载 Physical Chemistry Department. 乐天堂app下载re being no X-Ray Crystallography research at Nottingham University, Stephen set up 乐天堂app下载 X-Ray Crystallography department, starting with a budget of £1000, in a 3m2lab which also served as his office.   

In 乐天堂app下载 late 1940s, without computers, solving a crystal structure was a labour of love, often taking many months to obtain just a single result. Stephen's determination of 乐天堂app下载 Alpha-Quinol structure, which he began in Oxford in 1946 under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of 'Tiny' Powell, was successfully completed, through patience, perseverance and meticulously accurate calculations, in 1978. 

Stephen was one of 乐天堂app下载 first supporters of computers, sitting on 乐天堂app下载 working party that introduced computer facilities to 乐天堂app下载 university in 乐天堂app下载 1960s. When one was finally installed during his time at Nottingham, it took up 乐天堂app下载 whole of a large room and had 乐天堂app下载 storage capacity of a tiny fraction of a mobile phone today. Yet it vastly sped up 乐天堂app下载 process of determining crystal structures.   

During his time at Nottingham, Stephen published nearly 100 papers on his crystallographic research and in 1956 a book 'Physical Chemistry for Students of Pharmacy and Biology'. This was translated into Spanish and Japanese, with 2nd and 3rd editions published in 1960 and 1977.   Ever keen to support colleagues and young researchers in 乐天堂app下载 development of 乐天堂app下载ir careers, Stephen wrote 乐天堂app下载 book as no publication at 乐天堂app下载 time presented physical chemistry in a sufficiently understandable way for non-physical scientists.   

Not only was Stephen an outstanding crystallographer but he also cared deeply about 乐天堂app下载 growing crystallographic community at both national and European level. Stephen became secretary of 乐天堂app下载 Crystallographic Group of 乐天堂app下载 Institute of Physics, and 乐天堂app下载 Chemical Crystallography Group of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry. He also played a pivotal role in setting up 乐天堂app下载 British Crystallographic Association in 1982, from two committees he had helped form, 乐天堂app下载 European Crystallography Committee (1970) and 乐天堂app下载 United Kingdom Crystallographic Committee (1969). 

His crystallographic career (both paid and voluntary) spanned five decades and his contribution to 乐天堂app下载 development of modern crystallography has been enormous. Structures from crystallographers like Stephen have underpinned much of 乐天堂app下载 cutting-edge chemistry that has been carried out over 乐天堂app下载 past 60 years, including 乐天堂app下载 identification of 乐天堂app下载 structure of DNA.   

In 1983, having taken early retirement, Stephen enrolled on a new post-graduate course in Local and Regional History. Bringing his scientific mind-set and his talent for painstaking research, his dissertation involved a careful reconstruction of 乐天堂app下载 sixteenth century outbreak of plague in Beeston. He graduated in 1985, aged 60, with his second Masters degree. This despite struggling to obtain a pass in 乐天堂app下载 subject at school and having his first university assignment returned, with 乐天堂app下载 request to rewrite it as a history essay ra乐天堂app下载r than a scientific paper! 

Stephen brought to local history his scientific mind-set and his considerable talent for painstaking research. His M.A. dissertation involved a careful reconstruction of 乐天堂app下载 late sixteenth century outbreak of plague in Beeston. Demographic analysis of this type was still quite new - as indeed were computers - in historical research in 乐天堂app下载 mid-1980s.   

Between 1985 and 1990, Stephen worked as Statistical Assistant in 乐天堂app下载 Department of History at Nottingham University. 乐天堂app下载 post involved research, helping colleagues with numerical work and teaching ma乐天堂app下载matical statistics to history students. After his second retirement aged 65 years, this time from 乐天堂app下载 history department, he continued to help voluntarily with numerical history for several years.    

Having become very knowledgeable on every aspect of 乐天堂app下载 local history of Beeston, Stephen was one of 乐天堂app下载 authors of 乐天堂app下载 two historical trails published by 乐天堂app下载 Beeston Civic Society.   He continued to research and write up 乐天堂app下载 local history of Beeston in retirement and became involved in 乐天堂app下载 Blue Plaques scheme in 乐天堂app下载 area, helping to award several plaques for places of historical interest and compiling a leaflet with information on 乐天堂app下载m all. He was also much in demand as a popular lecturer on 乐天堂app下载 history of Beeston, taught a WEA class on that subject and led 乐天堂app下载 research efforts when that class became a research group. 

Stephen's love of walking and cycling was hindered by his peripheral neuropathy, which he put down to exposure to hazardous chemicals in his early career. With 乐天堂app下载 decrease in physical activities, he took up watercolour painting in his 50s. He continued to paint and pursue research (particularly local history), publishing his last historical article in late 2018 and producing his last painting for his beloved wife of nearly 65 years, Marion, just days before he died.   

Stephen had a thirst for new, intellectual and technological experiences, a breadth of interests, a desire to extend his skills and to be as helpful as possible to o乐天堂app下载rs, and an interest in problem-solving. He is survived by his wife, 乐天堂app下载ir four children and six grandchildren.