Dr Alexander D. G. (Derek) Gunn OBE, died 4th February 2009

 Derek qualified from the Sheffield University in 1960 and, after house jobs and a spell in general practice, began his career in student health by joining the student health service at Sheffield as assistant medical officer. He moved to Reading in 1967 and became Director of the University Health Centre in 1970, a position which he held until 1997. Following his retirement as Director he continued as Medical Advisor to the University and undertook some clinical work at Bulmershe Health Centre on a separate campus of the University.

Derek was a prominent member of BAHSHE having held the offices of Secretary and Chairman. He was President of the Association in 1988.  He did much to raise the profile of student health through contact with ministers and the British Council, his membership of organisations such as the European Union of School and University Health and Medicine (EUSUM), the Medical Officer of Schools Association (MOSA) and the National Bureau for Handicapped Students, and his writing and travelling.

He was a prolific author, writing or contributing to books on subjects as diverse as “The opportunities of a physically disabled student for a university education”, “The privileged adolescent” and “Knowing about pregnancy”, and providing columns for(amongst other) Nursing Mirror and Mother & Baby magazines.

Derek was also an avid traveller, attending conferences in many parts of the world.  So much so tha,t in student health circles from Finland to New Zealand, if you said you were from Reading the response would be ‘Ah, you know Derek Gunn’.

He was active in the Red Cross and took a particular interest in the problems of handicapped students. It was largely for this work that he was awarded the OBE in 1989.

Despite these many activities he remained a committed family man and is mourned by his wife Sheila, his children Mark and Jessica, and his grandchildren.

He died on 4^th February of motor neurone disease.