Obituaries

OBITUARIES

If you would like to submit an obituary for an alumnus or former member of staff for inclusion please email alumni@northumbria.ac.uk.

Marshall Hall Hon DLitt
An art historian, author and contributor of seven entries to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Marshall's books included The Artists of Northumbria (1973, 1982, and 2005), The Artists of Cumbria (1979), Newcastle Between the Wars (2011), and John Falconar Slater: The North East's Weatherproof Artist (2021). The Artists of Northumbria is considered the definitive work on regional art and artists and an essential reference for art historians, curators, collectors, dealers and fine-art auctioneers. He was awarded an honorary degree by Northumbria in 2011, in recognition of his significant contribution to raising the national and international profile of artists from the North East.

Baroness Rosalind Patricia-Anne George (Ros) Howells Hon DCL
Baroness Howells left St David’s in Grenada in 1951 to study law in England, but encountered humiliating racism when she arrived. She persevered in her efforts to find work before she began her course, eventually becoming the first black person to work in a public library. Community relations in Britain became her great passion and she has campaigned tirelessly for justice in the field of racial equality. She and her fellow campaigners have helped to shape race relations policy in the UK. Baroness Howells was the first black woman to sit on the Greater London Council’s Training Board, the first female member of the Court of Governors of the University of Greenwich, and the Vice Chair at the London Voluntary Services Council. She has also worked with the Carnival Liaison Committee and Greater London Action in Race Equality. After a distinguished and wide-ranging career in the voluntary and social services sectors, she retired as director of the Greenwich Racial Equality Office and was awarded an OBE. She was elevated to the House of Lords in 1999 until 2021.

Professor Saleemul Huq OBE, Hon DSc
Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, and a Professor at the Independent University of Bangladesh, Saleemul was a vocal champion of climate justice for the global South. He contributed to several Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and was one of the few people to have attended all of the UN climate change conferences. Professor Huq was awarded an honorary degree by Northumbria in 2022, in recognition of his contribution to climate science and campaigning for climate justice. We extend our condolences to his family and all who worked with him. The International Institute for Environment and Development has set up an online book of remembrance for colleagues and friends to share memories and condolences.

Baroness Helen Newlove Hon DCL
The Right Honourable Baroness Newlove of Warrington received the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law from Northumbria University in 2022 for her work championing victims’ rights and tirelessly campaigning for community reform, particularly in relation to alcohol-related violence since the murder of her husband and father of her three children, Garry Newlove in 2007.

Professor Mohammed Sarwar (Emeritus), BSc (Eng), MSc, PhD
Senior Academic & Lecturer (School of Computing, Engineering & Information Sciences), Northumbria University