Sir Gordon Beveridge, who died on August 28th, aged 65, fought courageously on behalf of Queen's University Belfast, of which he was president and vice-chancellor from 1986 to 1997.
Born in St Andrews, Fife, in 1933, he was educated at the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Minnesota. He came to Queen's University from the University of Strathclyde where he had been Professor of Chemical Engineering and Head of the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering for 15 years. At Queen's, he demonstrated a stubbornness which stood to him during turbulent years when the university weathered financial difficulties, and what he saw as unwarranted cuts in government funding.
When he joined the university, Queen's was in the grip of a financial crisis. His financial ability and prudence left the university in a position of financial health, facing the future with confidence.
While he was perceived as a man not easily swayed by emotion, he was certainly prepared to let his feelings show when it came to defending Queen's, at one point accusing the government of being "blind and deaf" to the case it was making for funding. He achieved a balance between dealing with the consistent rise in student numbers and financial constraints imposed externally, and promoting the university's excellence in the crucial areas of research and of building links with industry. In the latter area, he was particularly interested in such matters as improved management standards, and in improving Northern Ireland's image as a place in which to invest.
Indeed, the links fostered by Sir Gordon are credited with having enabled some Northern Ireland companies to become serious contenders in European markets.
He worked tirelessly outside the university also, taking on demanding challenges. He was chairman of the government's Radioactive Waste Management Committee, and a board member of the Northern Ireland Growth Challenge. He was also a director of the Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre, the Northern Ireland Quality Centre, and University Bookshop. His belief in the importance of research to Queen's University and to industry was deeply held and vigorously advanced. "I think there is no doubt that we are the best research university on this island," he declared on one occasion.
While he took pride in the university's high standards in other areas such as Irish studies, archaeology and music, it was Queen's research achievements which were the greatest source of pride to him. He could point to specific companies that had been attracted to Northern Ireland by the university's research capabilities.
He believed that Queen's University needed to engage in an "outreach" strategy in the south and west of Northern Ireland. This wide vision culminated in the opening, four years ago, of a Queen's University campus in Armagh.
The university became part of him, and he of it. When, in 1996, he announced his retirement, he said that, during his time there, "my life has become almost totally intertwined with that of this university".
In retirement, he maintained an interest in promoting the welfare of Northern Ireland. Two years ago, he was among a group of business, community and church leaders who publicly signed the document Pursuing Peace.
Sir Gordon Beveridge received his knighthood for services to higher education.
His standing among all sections of the community was attested to by the presence at his memorial service of Cardinal Cahal Daly, the former Catholic Primate, and of Dr Robin Eames, the Church of Ireland Primate.
He is survived by his wife, Lady Trudy Beveridge, and by his children Norman, Stuart and Catriona.
Sir Gordon Beveridge: born 1933; died August, 1999.