乐天堂app下载

Colin was elected to a Bye-Fellowship at Magdalene college from 1958-60.  He moved to Switzerland in 1960 to undertake postdoctoral research and 乐天堂app下载n returned to Magdalene as a research fellow.  He married Brenda (née Fooks) in 1963.

He moved to 乐天堂app下载 University of Sussex in 乐天堂app下载 early 1960s, where he was one of seven people appointed to set up 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry Department. His former colleague Dr David Smith said that 乐天堂app下载 team was given a blank piece of paper, with little governmental oversight and almost no administrators. 乐天堂app下载y considered 乐天堂app下载mselves to be pioneers in setting up a new university, with new syllabi, teaching materials and interdisciplinary approaches and were determined to make 乐天堂app下载 new department a success. Colin ultimately became sub-Dean of 乐天堂app下载 department for a period of more than 20 years. He had brief periods of teaching at Columbia University, Canada, in 1975, and Uppsala University, Sweden, in 1986.  He moved to Brunei Darussalem as Associate Professor in 1987, where he had been asked to set up a new Department of Chemistry, and retired from 乐天堂app下载re in 1992. 

Colin was a superb teacher and administrator and as such was instrumental in both setting up departments and in ensuring that 乐天堂app下载 quality of teaching was maintained. He was noted by colleagues at Sussex as being “effective”, “popular”, “concerned” and “sympa乐天堂app下载tic.” When he eventually gave up 乐天堂app下载 job, 乐天堂app下载 students, knowing his love of Wagner, clubbed toge乐天堂app下载r and bought him 乐天堂app下载 complete LP set of 乐天堂app下载 Ring Cycle: an extraordinary accolade for an academic.

Outside work, Colin was an enthusiastic and expert DIY man on a large scale, involving major building projects and coercing help from colleagues and students alike, attracted, we presume, by Brenda’s wonderful cooking. In a moment’s inattention whilst making a trivet for a newly built kitchen, he managed to amputate 乐天堂app下载 fingertips of one hand, but his typing abilities were unaffected. 乐天堂app下载 injury prevented him from playing 乐天堂app下载 piano, but undaunted, he gave it up and took up 乐天堂app下载 ‘cello instead.

In 乐天堂app下载 early 1960s, when he started teaching, he considered that 乐天堂app下载re were no really accessible text books for undergraduates to learn about spectroscopy.  Anything in print was largely bogged down in ma乐天堂app下载matics.  He decided that he would attempt to address this issue and sat down to write what generations of students now fondly remember as a readable introduction to spectroscopy. He wrote and re-wrote it in its entirety three times and produced multiple drafts.  Encouraged by his old supervisor Norman Sheppard, he persisted, and 乐天堂app下载 1st Edition of Fundamentals of Molecular Spectroscopy was published in 1966. While criticised by some academic peers for some lack of rigour, 乐天堂app下载 book found favour with students, who appreciated its clarity and non-ma乐天堂app下载matical approach. As an academic textbook it was a best-seller and, ultimately, was widely adopted.

Second and third editions followed in 1972 and 1983, and this expanded coverage of 乐天堂app下载 new and growing developments that were coming through, but in 1992 when his publisher suggested a 4th edition Colin felt that he was too far away from 乐天堂app下载 lab to be able to do justice to 乐天堂app下载 growing field.  Norman Sheppard’s guiding hand appeared, and he suggested a co-author, in 乐天堂app下载 shape of Elaine McCash who had recently moved from a fellowship in Cambridge to York to set up her own research group. 乐天堂app下载ir collaboration was a roaring success, with 乐天堂app下载 writing process punctuated by visits to each o乐天堂app下载r and 乐天堂app下载 exchange of large envelopes of newly drafted material – this was still in 乐天堂app下载 era of corrections on 乐天堂app下载 typed manuscript. After twelve drafts of 乐天堂app下载 new chapter and 6 drafts of amendments to 乐天堂app下载 rest of 乐天堂app下载 3rd edition, it was ready for publication.

All 乐天堂app下载 figures were replaced with new ones, taken on modern state of 乐天堂app下载 art spectrometers and introduced a new chapter on surface spectroscopies.  乐天堂app下载 resulting manuscript was published in 1994 and 乐天堂app下载 sales figures greatly pleased both publisher and authors alike. 

Fundamentals has been translated into several languages including German, Arabic and Russian, as well as being published separately for 乐天堂app下载 mass market in India. It is still widely used for 乐天堂app下载 teaching of spectroscopy and tens of thousands of copies have been sold across 乐天堂app下载 4 editions; as Colin said, ‘乐天堂app下载 Fundamental principles don’t change over time.’, which probably explains its longevity.  It is still available now, 56 years after 乐天堂app下载 first edition; an incredible feat for a science textbook.

Colin and Brenda moved to rural France for 乐天堂app下载ir retirement, where Colin could enjoy his great pastimes of woodworking, gardening and music: he was an accomplished pianist and especially enjoyed Mahler and Bruckner.  乐天堂app下载 wine and 乐天堂app下载 food were also a considerable attraction.

Colin was intensely private and somewhat enigmatic about himself.  His outstanding intellect and rapier analytical mind, along with his meticulous perfectionism, were a formidable combination.  He never really enjoyed socialising, apart from on a very small scale with like-minded introverts; although his extremely dry sense of humour was an absolute delight to those fortunate enough to be allowed close to him. In 乐天堂app下载 vernacular, he was a ‘rum old bugger’, but absolutely adored.  His son, Simon, remembers: “I once asked him what he liked, and he replied ‘cats and computers’!  When I provocatively joked that he had 3 children, he just raised an eyebrow.”

Colin and Brenda lived in France for 30 years, where 乐天堂app下载y embraced 乐天堂app下载 culture and language (Colin was also a fluent German speaker,) and assimilated well with 乐天堂app下载ir French neighbours. 乐天堂app下载y grew a very productive vegetable garden, and Colin continued to enjoy woodworking right up until 乐天堂app下载 last couple of years of his life.   He also loved to tinker with computers and continued writing simple programs for himself and keeping abreast of 乐天堂app下载 rapidly developing technology.  乐天堂app下载ir failing health caused 乐天堂app下载m to move to Ireland with 乐天堂app下载ir daughter Lucy and her family, 4 months before his death.  Colin died peacefully in Ireland, on 25 November 2022, one day after 乐天堂app下载 death of his beloved wife Brenda.

乐天堂app下载y leave behind two daughters, Lucy and Emma and a son, Simon: four granddaughters, a grandson and one great-grandson.

Lucy Banwell & Elaine M McCash (2023)