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MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | RADFORD, Dennis John CharlesBorn: 1942Died: 2007 03 03 Architect | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prof Dennis Radford, had prepared an updated CV, which comprehensively lists his many achievements, shortly before he died and and this is included below. CURRICULUM VITAE DENNIS JOHN CHARLES RADFORD Compiled in January 2007 1. PERSONAL INFORMATION Nationality: British;Marital Status: Married with 2 children 2. EDUCATION MARIST BROTHERS COLLEGE Durban, South Africa.BRITANNIA ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE, Dartmouth, U.K: Midshipman: September 1960 - December 1961. UNIVERSITY OF NATAL, Durban, South Africa: Studies for the Bachelor of Architecture degree: 1962-1964. UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, South Africa: Bachelor of Architecture: Graduated November 1968. HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY, Edinburgh, Scotland: Conservation Studies Unit, October 1975 - October 1976; Master of Science: in Environmental Conservation, October 1976. UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, Johannesburg, South Africa: Doctor of Philosophy: awarded June 1980. Thesis: "The Architecture of the Western Cape, 1838-1901". 3. ACADEMIC POSITIONS Part-time Studio Tutor, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa: July 1970 - April 1971.Temporary Lecturer: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: July 1978 - December 1979. Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: January 1980 - July 1980. Senior Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: July 1980 - August 1986 (Tenure granted February 1982). Member, Board of the Faculty of Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: 1981 - 1990. Faculty Research Advisor, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: 1983 - 1984, 1987 - 1989. Visiting Scholar, Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: January - July 1985 (on sabbatical from the University of the Witwatersrand, January - December 1985). Associate Professor, September 1985 - June 1986, the Department of Architecture, The School of Art and Architecture, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana, USA. Appointed to the Graduate Faculty, Graduate School, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana, USA: 1985 - 1992. Chair of Architecture (and Full Professor) - University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: September 1986-1990, tenure granted 1989. Resigned August 1990 to take up position in USA. Professor of Architecture, Louisiana Tech University, U.S.A.: September 1990- June 1994 (resigned June 1994 to take up position in RSA). Tenure granted with appointment. Faculty Councilor - Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (A.C.S.A,) 1990-1994 Professor of Architecture, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa: July 1994 – Dec 2001 (tenure granted July 1997; resigned December 2001). Promoted to Level 7, Professor (University Senior Professor), University of Natal, Durban, South Africa: December 2001. Professor of Architecture, The Leicester School of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Design, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, United Kingdom: January 2002 – February 2007. 4. DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa: 1978 - 1990
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana, U.S.A.: 1985 - 1986
5. TEACHING EXPERIENCE University of the Witwatersrand, July 1978 - August 1990: Louisiana Tech University, September 1990 - July 1994: University of Natal - Durban, August 1994 - December 2001: De Montfort University – Leicester, February 2002 to February 2007: 6. PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS University of the Witwatersrand:
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana, U.S.A.:
University of Natal, Durban, South Africa:
The Leicester School of Architecture, United Kingdom:
7. SENIOR UNIVERSITY APPOINTMENTS
University of Natal:
University of the Witwatersrand:
8. EXAMINING APPOINTMENTS University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Department of Architecture: University of Pretoria, South Africa: Department of Architecture: University of South Africa: Department of Fine Arts: University of Natal, South Africa: Department of Building: External Examiner, MSC. Thesis 1984. University of the Orange Free State, South Africa: Department of Architecture: University of Auckland, New Zealand: Copperbelt University, Zambia: University of Cape Town, South Africa: De Montfort University, UK: University of Nottingham, UK: University College of London, Bartlett School of Architecture, UK: 9. VISITING LECTURER/PROFESSOR APPOINTMENTS University of Natal, South Africa: School of Architecture: October 1980, May 1986. University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Department of Architecture: September 1982, May 1983, April 1986. University of the Free State, South Africa: Department of Architecture, May 1986 and April 1987, June 1988. Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana, USA: Department of Architecture, May 1988 and November 1989. University of Colorado at Denver, USA: Department of Architecture, November 1989. University of Auckland, New Zealand: Department of Architecture, October 1996. University of Colorado at Denver and Boulder, USA: The New College of Architecture, March 1997. Penn State University, State College, USA: School of Architecture, January 1998. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia: School of Architecture, September 1998. Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA: School of Architecture, March 1999. De Montfort University, Leicester, UK: School of Architecture, April 2000. Lebanese-American University, Byblos/Beirut: School of Architecture, May 2001. Fachhochschule Stuttgart, Germany: Department of Architecture, April 2004. Texas A&M University, USA: College of Architecture, Feb 2006. 10. EXTERNAL POST GRADUATE THESIS SUPERVISOR (SOUTH AFRICA) University of South Africa, Pretoria (Ph.D.). University of Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, South Africa: (M.Arch). Rhodes University, Grahamstown, Cape Province, South Africa: (M.A.). University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa: (M.Arch.). 11. SUPERVISOR: POST GRADUATE RESEARCH THESIS
12. PROFESSIONAL STATUS
13. MEMBERSHIPS The Victorian Society of the UK 14. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AS AN ARCHITECT Worked for HALLEN THERON and PARTNERS, Durban South Africa, November 1968 - June 1970. Mr. HALLEN was a past President-in-Chief of the Institute of South African of Architects. Worked for INTERARC, Durban, South Africa, July 1970 - April 1971. Worked in London: design of telephone exchanges: Traveled extensively in Greece, Turkey and Italy to study classical Greek and vernacular architecture: May - September 1971. Traveled in Belgium, Holland and Denmark, January - February 1972 to study Renaissance, Modern and Vernacular architecture. Resumed work for INTERARC, Durban, South Africa, March 1972 - August 1974. Traveled in Finland, Sweden and Norway to study work of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, December 1973 - January 1974. Worked for SMALL & PETTIT, Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa: September 1974 - September 1975. Mr. SMALL was a past President-in-Chief of the Institute of South African Architects. Private practice, Johannesburg, South Africa: conservation and restoration work, 1980 - 1990. Private practice, Durban, South Africa, 1994 - 2001. 15. CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION WORK (SOUTH AFRICA) Consultant to the Mafikeng Museum on the restoration of Warrens Fort, Mafikeng in the (then) Bophuthatswana: 1982. Consultant to The Star newspaper on the restoration of The Eastern Star premises, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape: 1982-1985. Consultant on the Listing of Buildings and Historic Places Programme, commissioned by the Durban City Council, Natal: 1983 and 1984. Honorary Advisor to the Conservation Committee of the Municipality of Roodeport, Transvaal: 1983-1987. Consultant to the National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, on the restoration of the Olive Schreiner House, Cradock: 1984-1986. Conservation study of Market Street and Market Square, Cradock, Eastern Cape, for the Cradock Foundation: December 1986. Consultant to the National Monuments Council for the restoration of the Congregational Church, Cradock, Eastern Cape: 1987 - 1988. Consultant to the National Monuments Council for the restoration of several projects in the (then) Transvaal: 1987-1990. Restoration Architect to the Mostert Trust for the Farmhouse Welgelegen, near Balfour (1912-1913) designed by Baker and Fleming: 1987. Listing of historic buildings in Grahamstown; commissioned by the City Council of Grahamstown: 1987-1990. Reports 1 to 4 presented. This was a complete inventory plus a townscape study. Consultant to the Congregation for the restoration of the N G Church, Heidelberg: 1988. Consultant for a signage policy, City of Grahamstown: 1987-1988. Consultant to the National Monuments Council; appointed to prepare a conservation study of Fordsburg, Johannesburg: 1988. Consultant for the reconstruction of Cradock Place, Port Elizabeth: 1988. Consultant: external restoration of St Mary the Less, Jeppestown, Johannesburg: 1989. Consultant for the rehabilitation of The Homestead, Town Council of Edenvale, Transvaal: 1990. Survey of Bulwer, KwaZulu-Natal, for the National Monuments Council: 1996. Member, Conservation Advisory Committee, Rhodes, Eastern Cape: 1999 - 2000. Consultant: External restoration of the City Hall (1904 - 10), City of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal: 2000. Consultant for restoration of the Manse, Georgetown, KwaZulu-Natal 2001. 16. AWARDS Eastern Province Herald Architectural Award for the restoration of the Eastern Star premises, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa: March 1986. Eastern Province Herald Architectural Heritage Award, for the restoration of the Schreiner House, Cradock, Eastern Cape, South Africa: March 1988. Kress Foundation Fellowship, Society of Architectural Historians, USA, April 1995. 17. PUBLIC & PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENTS (UNITED KINGDOM) Member of Standing Committee of Heads of Schools of Architecture (SCHOSA), UK. 2002-3 Member of Leicestershire and Rutland Society of Architects Practice and Education Sub-Committee. 2002 to 2007 Council member, Leicestershire and Rutland Society of Architects, co-opted 2002.-5 Member of Working Party, European Network of Schools of Architecture.2002/3 Member, Scientific Committee for 2nd International Congress on Construction History, Cambridge, 2006 18. PUBLIC & PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENTS (SOUTH AFRICA) Member: Transvaal Heritage Committee of the Transvaal Provincial Institute of Architects, September 1981 - September 1983. Member: Education Action Group, Transvaal Provincial Institute of Architects, 1980 - 1985. Honorary Chairman: the Transvaal Branch of the Vernacular Architecture Society of South Africa, January 1980 - 1984. Elected Council Member: The Society of South African Art Historians, 1984 - 1985. Member: Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate a new educational structure for architects, South African Council for Architects, 1988 - 1989. Examiner: Board of Examiners, South African Council for Architects, 1987 - 1989. Member: Heads of Schools Committee, South African Council for Architects, 1988 - 1990, and 1995 to date. Architectural Advisor to St. John's College, Houghton, Johannesburg, 1988 - 1990. Member: Transvaal Plans Committee, National Monuments Council, 1988 - 1990. Honorary Curator: National Monuments Council, 1987 - 1990. Member: Working Committee of Durban Heritage Foundation, 1996. Member: National Advisory Philatelic Committee, 1996 - 1998. Member: National Committee for Architectural Education, 1997. Chair and Commonwealth Association of Architects Representative: Joint Visiting Board to School of Architecture. UNITEC, Auckland, New Zealand, 1999. Member: Selection Committee for Director of Architectural Services. Department of Public Works, KwaZulu-Natal, 1999. Member: Natal Technikon, Durban, Architecture Liaison Committee, 1999 - 2001. Vice Chair: M.L. Sultan Technikon, Durban, Architecture Liaison Committee, 2000 - 2001. Outside Evaluator - African Association of Universities, School of Architecture, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2001. Member: National Committee for Architectural Education, 2001. Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) Representative: Expert Evaluator – National Research Foundation: South Africa 2003. 19. PUBLIC LECTURES The Development of Adderley Street. Delivered to the Cape Town Branch of the Vernacular Architecture Society, April 1980. Edwardian Interlude; Victorian Architecture in South Africa; The Architecture of the 1820 Settlers. Delivered in a lecture series given to the Transvaal Provincial Institute of Architects, September & October 1980. Victorian Cape Town. Part of an extra-mural lecture series at the University of Natal, October 1980. Natal Towns. A lecture to The Transvaal Provincial Institute of Architects. February 1982. The Development of the Victorian Villa in South Africa. A lecture given to the Department of Architecture, University of Port Elizabeth and to the Eastern Province Chapter of the Cape Provincial Institute of Architects. September 1982. The Development of the Victorian Villa in South Africa (revised and expanded version of lecture above); a public lecture delivered to The William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley. October 1982. The Stoepkamer Tradition in South Africa. A lecture to the Johannesburg Branch of The Simon Van Der Stel Foundation, March 1983. Herbert Baker as an Arts and Crafts Architect. A lecture to The Decorative Arts Society, Johannesburg. September 1984. Architectural Conservation in South Africa. A lecture given during a national symposium organised by The Wildlife Society and The Geological Society of South Africa in Johannesburg. November 1984. Victorian Adderley Street. A lecture in a course on The Early Architecture of Cape Town at the University of Cape Town Summer School. January 1985. The South African Gardens of Sir Herbert Baker. A lecture to The Decorative Arts Society of Johannesburg. January 1985. Conservation in Historic Natchez, Mississippi, USA. A lecture to The Port Elizabeth Historical Society. March 1986. The Mystery of Longwood House, St Helena. A lecture to The Friends of the Library, University of the Witwatersrand. October 1986. Herbert Baker and the Mining Houses. Inaugural Lecture, University of the Witwatersrand. August 1988. (Repeated to The Decorative Arts Society, August 1990.) Conservation in a Changing World. Institute of South African Architects Congress (Interbou), Johannesburg. August 1988. Housing of the Indian Community in Natal, 1870 to the 1920's. College lectures, University of Durban-Westville. October 1988. Victorian Architecture in South Africa. A lecture in a series, Department of Continuing Education, University of the Witwatersrand, May 1989. Repeated in Cape Town in the National Monuments Council series, December 1989. The Neglected Heritage - the early mining buildings of the Witwatersrand. Institute for the Study of Man in Africa, Johannesburg. July 1990. The Education of the Architect. Inaugural Lecture, University of Natal, Durban. September 1995. Under Foreign Skies. Lecture at Architectural Students Congress, Bloemfontein, South Africa. June 1997. Sacred Geometry. Lecture to the Theosophical Society, Durban. March 2000. The Union Buildings. Leicester School of Architecture Open Lecture Series. April 2003. Herbert Baker's South African Work. Victorian Society, Leicester. April 2005. Late Victorian Architecture in South Africa. Victorian Society, Leicester. Feb 2006. 20. PAPERS DELIVERED Architecture, The City and the Market: Leicester. Paper submitted to UIA 2005 Istanbul Congress (with Sahap Cakin). Paper published in proceedings. July 2005. Co-chair – Shaping the Relations between the European Higher Architectural Education Area and the Professional Bodies. 6th Annual Meeting of Heads of European Schools of Architecture, Hania, Greece. September 2003. Faultlines: Theory and History in the Architecture Curriculum. Paper delivered at American Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), Western Regional Conference, University of Montana, Bozeman, Montana, USA: published as part of proceedings. October 2001. Heritage Conservation in a New Democracy. Paper for UNESCO Conference - More than Two Hundred Years in the History of Architecture, Bethlehem, Palestine. Published as part of Proceedings on Conference webpage: www.unesco.org/archi2000. Conference twice postponed and then cancelled. October 2000. Modernism and the Crisis of Monumentality: A South African Case Study. Paper delivered at the annual meeting of The Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand, Melbourne, Australia. Published as part of the proceedings. September 1998. A Taxonomy of Housing in Victorian Durban. Paper delivered at History of Architecture Workshop, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa. July 1997. Existing Codes of Ethics. Paper delivered at a workshop on 'Reconstruction of Stone Walling', by invitation, to the Trustees of the Kruger National Park, Skukuza Camp, South Africa. March 1997. The White-Walled Beauty of the Cape: Cecil Rhodes, Herbert Baker & 'The Cape Dutch Revival'. Paper read at the Annual Meeting of The Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand, Auckland, NZ. October 1996. The Role of the Military Engineer in the Evolution of Creole Architecture. Paper read at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians, Seattle, USA. April 1995. Spanish influences in the Development of the Creole House. Paper read at a conference on Spain's Hopes and Realities, at Louisiana Tech University, USA. Published as part of the proceedings. April 1993. Comparative Conservation Strategies. Paper read at a conference on Urban Conservation Symposium, Johannesburg, South Africa. Published as part of the proceedings. July 1990. The House Museum - conflict or consensus?. Paper read at the South African Museums' Association Annual History Conference, Pretoria, South Africa. Published as part of the proceedings. February 1990. The Housing of the Indian Community in Durban. Paper delivered at Third International and Interdisciplinary Forum on Built Form and Culture Reserves, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. November 1989. The Recycling of Historic Buildings. Paper delivered at the World Environment Day Seminar, Randburg, Transvaal, South Africa; sponsored by The Federation of Societies of Professional Engineers. Paper published as part of the proceedings, and in Planning 98, July 1988. The Origins and Diffusion of the Verandah House. Paper delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, Staunton, Virginia, USA. May 1988. The Housing of the Indian Community in Durban, 1820-1930. Paper delivered at the 3rd annual conference of the South African Association of Art Historians, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Paper published as part of the proceedings. September 1987. Preserving the Work of Art in a Diversity of Cultures. Paper delivered at The XVth Congress of the C.I.H.A., Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Paper published as part of proceedings. 1986, August. A Conservation Strategy for Small Towns. Paper delivered at a conference on conservation in the Eastern Cape, organized by The Eastern Cape Heritage Committee of The Institute of South African Architects, Grahamstown. Paper published as part of proceedings. March 1986. Cape Dutch Survival and Revival. Paper delivered at the Bi-annual Congress of the Institute of South African Architects, Cape Town. April 1983. The Past Made Perfect. Paper on the teaching of the history of architecture, delivered at The Seminar of Architectural Teachers, held at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Paper published as part of the proceedings. October 1982. The Necessary Reinforcement of the Structure. Paper delivered at the Conference on Building Restoration, organized jointly by The Simon Van Der Stel Foundation and The Transvaal Provincial Museums Services, Potchefstroom, South Africa. October 1982. 21. SCHOLARLY REVIEWS A review of The Bungalow, by Anthony King: published in De Arte: Journal of the Department of Fine Arts and Art History, University of South Africa, 1986. A review of Timber and Iron, by Peter Bell: published in the South African Journal of Cultural and Art History, Vol 1, No 4, December 1987. A review of The Comfortable House, by Alan Gowans: published in the South African Journal of Cultural and Art History, Vol 2, No 2, 1988. A review of The Villa, by James Ackerman: published in The South African Journal of Art and Architecture History, 1991. A review of Historic Architecture of the Transvaal (Editors: Schalk LeRoux et al). Published in the South African Architect. March 1999. Report on Joint Visiting Board visit to UNITEC, New Zealand: Commonwealth Association of Architects Newsletter. 1999. A review of Opportunities for Relevance by S Marshall and B T Kearney. Published in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Institute for Architecture Journal. April 2001. A review of Wakkerstroom. Editor W H Peters. Published in the KwaZulu Natal Institute for Architecture Journal. July 2001. A review of ‘Blueprints in Black and White’ by J Bizzell. Published in the KwaZulu Natal Institute for Architecture Journal. October 2002. 22. ARTICLES SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION SHORTLY BEFORE RADFORD'S DEATH. Herbert Baker and the Interior of South Africa House. Submitted to The South African Architectural Record 2007. Unlocking Lutyens; The Leicester War Memorial as a case study of the architect’s Design methods. Submitted to The Architecture Research Quarterly (UK) 2006. Durban's First Garden Suburb. The Development of the Stella Lands. Submitted to Planning History (UK), 2001. A Taxonomy of Housing in Late Victorian Durban. Forthcoming in The Journal of Architecture (UK), 2001. Herbert Baker. Entry in the Dictionary of African Arts. MacMillan Publishers. Commissioned and Accepted. Late Victorian Building Costs in the Colony of Natal: a Comparative Study. Submitted to and accepted by Construction History (UK). The Verandah in Historic Grahamstown. Forthcoming in Architecture SA: Journal of the Institute of SA Architects. 23. ARTICLES IN PREPARATION PRIOR TO RADFORD'S DEATH South Africa House and Trafalgar Square. Complete The Rise and Fall of Cape Town's General Post Office (with F. Frescura). Timewell, Parktown: a House by Herbert Baker. To be published by the Parktown & Westcliff Heritage Trust, Johannesburg, South Africa. Oatlands House, Grahamstown, South Africa. (with William Martinson.) In two parts. Southhill: Bishop Macrorie's House in Pietermaritzburg. A monograph on the history of the house. The Early Spatial Development of Durban. In two parts. 24. BOOKS IN PREPARATION AT TIME OF DEATH Decorative Cast Iron in South Africa. (With Marilyn Martin.) To be published by Chris van Rensburg Publishers, Johannesburg, South Africa. (Awaiting subvention). The Architecture of the Western Cape, 1838 - 1901. To be published by A. A. Balkema Publishers, Cape Town, South Africa. (Awaiting subvention). 25. MEMBER: BOARDS OF REFEREES: JOURNALS The South African Architect. (Was Architecture SA) Journal of the Institute of South African Architects. Cape Town, South Africa; 1985 - 2006. Urban Forum. University of the Witwatersrand; 1988-1994. South African Journal of Cultural History. Pretoria, South Africa; 1999 - 2000. Transformations: Journal of the Centre for Social and Development Studies, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa. 1997 - 2001. Natal Museum Journal for Humanities - Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. 2001. Urban Design International - School of Architecture - Oxford Brooks University; UK. 2003. The African Architecture and Art Journal - University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. 2005. Dennis Radford November 2006 Dennis Radford had been diagnosed with high blood pressure before he relocated to Leicester School of Architecture in the UK in January 2002. At his own request, to lighten the stress of management, he stepped down as head of the School of Architecture in October 2003 to focus on teaching and research at Professorial level within the school, a move which pleased him greatly. It gave him the time to research and explore English buildings. Dennis had moved to England because his daughter by his first marriage lived in London. Both Kathy Wagner (his second wife) and Tom (his son by her) were living in or near New York, USA and Dennis travelled there often to visit them. Dennis died from a heart attack on 03 March 2007 at his house in Leicester in the evening, while talking to Kathy Wagner on the telephone. By all accounts it was very quick. Dr. Douglas Cawthorne, of the Leicester School of Architecture delivered one of the Eulogies at his cremation in Leicester (see text below). Many family, friends, colleagues and students were present at the cremation. His ashes were interred some days later in the Radford family grave in Devon, England at which there was a private ceremony for family only. [Submitted by William MARTINSON] EULOGY Dr Douglas Cawthorne, of The Leicester School of Architecture, Faculty of Art & Design, De Montfort University, Leicester, delivered one of the Eulogies at Dennis Radford's cremation in Leicester, at which many family, friends, colleagues and students were present. His ashes were interred some days later in the Radford family grave in Devon, England at which there was a private ceremony for the family. I can only begin by borrowing the words of great men. As Pericles so famously said, "it's difficult to say neither too little nor too much;" and in forming a Eulogy for a great academician it may be difficult to avoid a Valediction. However in ancient tradition which Dennis would have recognized and I hope taken delight in, the following may be apposite: Professor Dennis Radford, Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, Architect. Head of the School of Architecture and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture – University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Head of the School of Architecture - Louisiana Technical University, Ruston, USA. Head of the School of Architecture – University of Natal, Durban, South Africa. Head of the School of Architecture – De Montfort University, Leicester England. These are the principal offices that were held by the man we honor today. However it is the man we honor and it is of him that I would speak. Some will remember Dennis as a devoted family man, others will no doubt recall with a smile his devotion to Italian sports-cars and his fondness for absurd Larsen cartoons and Monty Python. For me and many of my colleagues he was and always will be the friend and scholar who daily showed me the humanity in our discipline. Dennis was a mentor not only to his students but also to those of us who had the very great privilege of working with him. He was the most generous of collaborators, we shared our working life, became excited by ideas, and we were embarked upon a marvelous journey of discovery in research, the fruits of which we were only just beginning to share with others. Dennis was one of those rare men of sound counsel and great compassion, but first and foremost he was an academic who modestly held his great talents so that others might shine. Perhaps for a historian the words of Ecclesiasticus writing in 180BC describe the essence of the man: "They shall not be sought for in publick counsel, nor sit high in the congregation: They shall not sit on the judges' seat…..But they will maintain the state of the world, and [all] their desire is in the work of their craft." With Dennis's passing, our little academic community has lost a master craftsman of ideas, a true scholar of the English tradition, a teacher of rare talent and a gentle-man of the first order. And I have lost a friend. What makes these losses in some measure bearable is both the legacy of his ideas, and the memory of the life he shared with us. In the words of the greatest English Architect we say: "Metiendo Vivendum" – "By measure we must live", and it’s in no small part that by Denis’s example we measure ourselves. DAC 9th March 2007 [Submitted by William MARTINSON] Obituary KZNIA Journal Vol 32/1 On 3rd of March, architectural educators lost an outstanding colleague when Dennis Radford died unexpectedly at his home in Leicester at the untimely age of 64. Among the fraternity, Dennis occupied a unique position, having served as Head of four Departments of Architecture on three continents: Witwatersrand (1988-90); Louisiana Tech (1990 - 94); Natal (1994 - 2001); and De Montfort, Leicester (2002). Indicative of his leadership qualities, he also served as Dean of the former Faculties of Architecture at both the South African universities. Dennis John Charles Radford was born near Liverpool. As his father had experienced the African sun in Egypt during WWII, the family migrated to South Africa in 1947 and settled in Durban where Dennis was educated. On matriculating in 1959, Dennis commenced a naval career at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, but opted for Architecture and registered at the University of Natal in 1962, to qualify at Cape Town in 1968. He worked in Durban in the offices of HALLEN & THERON and INTERARCH; and in Pietermaritzburg with SMALL & PETTIT. Hans HALLEN found Dennis to be "bright and capable with a gentle character" and remembers his excellent drawings and models. But Dennis sought a specialization and opted for an MSc degree in Environmental Conservation at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh (1976). On his return to South Africa, he embarked upon his academic career and joined the staff at the University of the Witwatersrand. He simultaneously earned his PhD degree, awarded 1980 by that University, on The Architecture of the Western Cape, 1838-1901. In 1986, he was appointed Professor. On the attainment of democracy, Dennis returned from Louisiana to his hometown, Durban, to assume headship at the University of Natal. Dennis proved to be a well-organised administrator, diplomat, scholar and intellectual who contributed significantly to Natal's reputation. In turn, staff appreciated his quietly supportive manner, the time he made available for everyone, his wit at meetings, and his roaring laughter that occasionally drowned conversation at tea times. He was a committed teacher with a keen perception expressed at crits and discussions. Dennis was disciplined, perhaps pronounced due to his stint in the navy, and would dispense with administrative and teaching duties to dedicate afternoons to research pursuits. Thus he authored numerous articles, including his Guide to the Architecture of Durban and Pietermaritzburg (2002), aimed at a broad audience. And, with his term as Head at De Montfort over, Dennis again immersed himself in what he loved most, teaching and researching in the history of architecture. After a memorial service attended by numerous students and colleagues at Leicester, Dennis's ashes were interred in the family grave in Samford Peverell, Devon. Our thoughts are with his family, especially his mother Marguerite (85) who too traveled from Durban for the funeral. Walter PETERS. The following are extracts from some of the tributes read at a commemorative gathering of family, friends and colleagues in Durban: "A few people are blessed that their life's work will survive them. Dennis is one of these. From his student days until his final months he was characterized by optimism, a generous spirit and a dedication to both his work and to helping others. "I will remember Dennis with affection. As Head of School he welcomed me into the academic family and was generous with guidance and advice. As leader of the School he showed strength in his calm approach to management, always imbued with a wry sense of humour, a most essential commodity, as I have subsequently learnt, if one is to navigate a career in academe". "I’ve known Dennis since 1960 ... at the University of Natal. "I would expect that everything will be said about Dennis that ought to be: the teacher, the postgraduate, the scholar, the architect, the writer, the administrator, the person etc. All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon. Articles by RADFORD
Books by RADFORD
Entries in books by RADFORD
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