Celebration of Fifty Years of Service

Peter Clayton and John Ebden Presented with Long-Service Awards
Departmental Farewell for Peter Clayton

At a gala dinner on Tuesday 1 April 2008, the Department celebrated a combined fifty years of service by Peter Clayton and John Ebden who joined the Department within a few months of each other in late 1982/early 1983.  This remarkable achievement was recognised through the formal long-service awards made by the University, which were presented by the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Saleem Badat.  They were also presented with framed photographs of the Hamilton Building in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Department of Computer Science.

In welcoming the guests to the dinner the Head of Department, George Wells, noted how many people were present who had been in the Department as staff members or as students 25 years earlier.  This was indicative of the solid foundations that had been laid by the original members of the Department, including Peter Clayton, John Ebden and Pat Terry.  Among the guests were Prof. Denis Riordan from Canada and Dr. Terry Marsh from East London.  Their presence meant that the full academic staff complement from 1983 was reunited for the first time in many years (see the photos below).

The Department also used this opportunity to bid farewell to Peter Clayton and to wish him well in his new position as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Development).  Tribute was paid to the immense contributions that he had made as a dedicated and inspiring teacher, a highly productive researcher and a great leader.  In a light-hearted moment, he was given a secret map showing the "escape route" from the main administration building back to the Department, before being presented with a book of memories of his time in Computer Science, created as a tribute by his colleagues.

Then and Now!
1983	2008