Irena Riddler
Irena Riddler worked in the University Library for almost 30 years. Through hard work and natural ability, combined with a serenity and charm of which she was totally unaware, she rose to occupy a pivotal position in the library, running the computerised catalogue on which staff and students depend for finding and borrowing books and journals. She died tragically in a cycling accident in New Zealand on 1 March 2003 at the age of 48, while on what should have been a holiday of a lifetime with her partner Duncan, with whom she lived in Newport.
Irena joined the University as a library assistant in 1974 while still in her teens, and, as the use of computing in the library grew in the late 1970s she was chosen by Gill Venner, the systems analyst, as a promising trainee. The quality and thoroughness of the training she received, together with her own quiet determination, ensured that she never looked back. By 1983 she was the only member of staff in the library with computing expertise, and when the library decided to move to its own computerised system, Irena played a central role in implementation while still programming for the existing systems on the university mainframe. Irena once spent a whole summer not daring to take holiday as a move to a new mainframe was imminent. The eventual move came much later and, typically, Irena often laughed at herself for her, as she saw it, excess of zeal.
Irena had completed an HNC in Computing in her spare time, and by the late 1980s, the PC age was coming. So little was known about these strange machines that she visited the Geography department, who were rumoured to have one, to find out how to plug in the leads of the library's first machine. From there, another mountain of expertise was climbed, and Irena played a major role in the development of the library's PC network. Meantime, the first computerised library system was due for replacement, and more new skills needed to be mastered as the current Dynix library system was installed.
Over the 1990s, the library systems team had seen welcome growth, with three new members, and Irena steered the library system through a series of mergers with other libraries. Last year, the library started to look to replacing the Dynix system, and Irena set to work with other library staff to investigate a replacement system. It was just as this project was getting fully underway that Irena's sad death brought her long involvement with library computing to an end.
Irena was an unobtrusive but constant presence in the library. Her lightness of touch coupled with her expertise meant staff were sure of a laugh and a solution if they asked for help. Her colleagues will miss her ready smile, her sense of humour, her calmness in the face of crises large and small, and her characteristically self-effacing competence in the job she had made her own. It is difficult for all of us in the library to accept that Irena's very special quality of being has gone from our lives.
Duncan McDonald
Many staff were saddened to hear of the death of Duncan McDonald, IT Services, on 16th January after only a few months of retirement.
A dux award pupil at Morgan Academy, Duncan completed his BSc in 1964 when our campus was still part of St Andrews University. His initial employment with Hawker Siddeley Dynamics in Coventry delivered scientific programs connected with missile design (especially the Sea Dart missile) and model testing.
When he applied 2 years later for a post as Senior Technical Officer in the newly established Dundee University Computing Laboratory, his aviation colleagues had already identified Duncanís personal strengths and the calibre of work which would characterise his career. They recognised Duncan would be an asset to any programming team and regretted his departure.
But Duncan was delighted to attain a post in his home city, and at his Alma Mater. He joined the Computing Laboratory in 1967 and the remainder of his career was at Dundee University.
Various promotions swiftly followed. By 1979 he was Chief Programmer ó overseeing programming and software maintenance by two groups working on applications software and systems software for various University mainframes through the years. Duncan too supervised the popular programming clinic that had frequent queues of students and academics seeking team advice on their programming.
In 1992, speaking of Duncanís major development of an accounting system for the department which by now had a turnover of £500,000 per annum, the Computing Service Director wrote: ìHis colleagues recognise him as a person always willing to help and to give of his time to anyone who seeks help. As a consequence he is heavily committed to various projects and often finds himself working extra hours to meet these commitments.
Yet Duncan found time too for external interests, with many years on the organising committee of the Dundee Chamber Music Society, and abiding interests in horticulture, hill climbing and wildlife. Through the years, Duncan worked on a succession of mainframe computers ñ the pioneering Stantec Zebra, Elliot 4130, DECsystem-10, Prime, and Sun. Latterly he also worked with PCs and Apple Macintosh computers.
His programming was in a variety of languages: Algol, Fortran, Cobol, Basic, and early work in machine code. Latterly applications were set up using database software ñ Prime Information and Paradox for Windows.
His University colleagues held him in universally high esteem. Duncan was always willing to put his programming skills to use to help others, with a little tweak to a piece of code here or an extra subroutine added there. Many research students through the decades have had cause to appreciate his guidance on appropriate use of statistical algorithms.
Duncan was a Member of the British Computer Society, the main UK professional organisation for those working in the information technology industry.
He is greatly missed by all who knew him as a dedicated and professional colleague and our sympathy is extended to his sister and family.
Gordon McHardy, recently retired Head Janitor and Bedellus of the University of Dundee, died suddenly on 1 April. A perforated ulcer caused his sudden death. Sadly his funeral was held only ten weeks after that of his beloved wife, Sylvia.
Gordon joined the University in 1982 after more than thirty years in the jute industry in Dundee. He became Head Janitor in 1983 and retired after eighteen years of dedicated service at the end of December 2000. During those years Gordon McHardy was in many ways the public face of the University.
Prior to the recent creation of the Tower Reception, the 'jannies buckie' was the entrance to the University and Gordon was its welcoming guardian. Generations of lost and nervous new students have fond memories of his kindness and patience when dealing with their enquiries. He always referred to the students as his 'bairns' and he treated them all as if they were members of his extended family. Once they became familiar, the banter would begin. I remember, as they do, two particular women students in the 1980s who were inseparable companions: one very tall and one very short, who were greeted by the Head Janitor with the words "here comes simmet and shorts".
Gordon was fiercely proud of the University and his own role within it. As Bedellus he carried the mace in the academic procession at every graduation ceremony for seventeen years and 'hooded' well over one hundred honorary graduates. An abiding memory of graduation is of Gordon dressed in his best uniform: cut-away tail coat, white gloves, cummerbund and a sprig of heather in his buttonhole, doing his duty in such a way that each ceremony seemed to the participants to be the most important of them all.
In many ways, Gordon McHardy was the epitome of the virtues of Dundonians: unassuming, loyal, generous and unfailingly kind. He also had a wicked sense of humour and a fondness for a cigarette and the 'occasional' dram-Cameron Brig, as I recall.
He leaves a son and daughter, Gordon and Karen, whose tragic loss his many friends in the University share. As a living memorial to Gordon the University intends to plant a tree on campus. Anyone wishing to make a donation should send it to Mary Friedrich in the Centre for Applied Language Studies.