Abstract
Alan Knight was born in Sussex on 15 June 1936. His early education was interrupted by four years of medical treatment but he worked hard in his teens to make up for his lost schooling. In 1955 he went to Reading University where he was awarded an Honours degree in Physics. The award of an MSc in Reactor Physics and Technology at Birmingham University followed this.
He joined Plessey Nucleonics as a Development Scientist then moved to F G Miles Engineering. This led to a post as Research Scientist working on neutron activation analysis applications at the National Institute for Metallurgy, Johannesburg, where he stayed for three years. This enabled him to pursue one of his hobbies and he was able to enjoy many hours watching cricket in South Africa.
Figure 1. Recipients of the SRP Awards of Honorary Fellow and Founders
Prize for 1998 with Dr John Hunt, President of the Society. (Left to right: Mr Alan
Knight, Dr Mark Little, Dr John Hunt, Professor Keith Boddy.)
On his return to England he moved into radiation protection as a Scientist with the Neutron Studies Group at the Radiological Protection Service at Sutton in Surrey. It was here that he worked with Veronica, who was later to become his wife. The neutron studies, started at the RPS, continued at Sutton through the early years of the National Radiological Protection Board up to 1974, when he moved to the NRPB's Headquarters at Chilton. In the next 20 years Alan was responsible for radiation measurements and advice to Government Departments, industry and individuals on many aspects of radiation protection. His friendly approach and ability to readily explain technical matters made him the ideal scientist, at the Chilton Opening Ceremony, to show the Queen Mother around the Board's whole-body monitor in the shielded room. Following the Windscale Inquiry he took part in the air-monitoring programme around Cumbria: he was also involved with fallout monitoring. Alan provided advice on radioactive consumer products and regularly lectured on this subject. When the RIMNET programme was being considered Alan was an obvious choice to be involved in the specification of the programme. His expertise led him into responsibilities for emergency planning. Radiation protection is a broad subject and Alan played significant roles in many areas. Alan also found time for Trade Union activities and was an official of the NRPB Branch of the IPMS for four years. Alan retired from NRPB in 1994.
With such a busy career it may seem surprising that Alan should be able to serve the Society in so many ways for over a decade. He joined the Society in 1976 and within a short time he was serving on our Electoral Committee. However, his prime period was as Secretary from 1989 to 1998, a post that he held far longer than any previous Officer. Nine years as Secretary without missing a single meeting is a remarkable record. The Society grew from some 800 members up to about 1100 in that period. Indeed the growth of the Society led to the need for administrative assistance: Alan was much involved in specifying and securing the current successful administrative arrangements we now value. Portsmouth 1994 was the venue for the Society's 5th International Symposium and Alan was the Secretary of the Organising Committee. This was at a time before administrative assistance and also when the Committee Chairman was abroad in the year prior to the Symposium. As Secretary of the Society Alan attended meetings of the Society's many Committees. He became a fount of knowledge about the Society. His advice was always respected and his work much valued.
One of Alan's important contributions to the success of our Society was his involvement in much of the work that led to SRP becoming the UK Affiliate Society to IRPA. This had long been an ambition and he was delighted to have helped to achieve this goal.
The local community around Blewbury has also benefited from Alan's dedication. He is Treasurer of several local societies and of funds associated with local churches: he is auditor or independent examiner for various local clubs and committees. He has been a school governor and clerk to the Governors.
Alan has been a keen gardener for much of his life: he raises many vegetable plants that are sold for the benefit of the Church. He and his wife are keen bridge players: in any remaining time he enjoys walking, as long as there is no cricket to watch.
However, this is not the end of the story, as Alan is about to embark, in April of this year, upon a new career as the Parish Clerk in Blewbury.
Alan is a most deserving recipient of an Honorary Fellowship of the Society and Council has great pleasure in presenting him to the Annual Meeting for their approval.
Ken Shaw
Keith Boddy
Keith Boddy was born on 1 November 1937 in Stockton-on-Tees and has always had an affinity for God's own country. He excelled as a sportsman at school, also playing under-15 Rugby for Durham County and cricket for the local town.
From Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton Keith went to Liverpool University. After graduation in 1959 he went to work in the `scientific wonderland' of the Associated Electrical Industries (Fundamental) Research Laboratory at Aldermaston Court in the Health Physics Section. In the posts of radiation protection officer, and subsequently Head of the Health Physics Section, he obtained exposure to many aspects of radiation protection, including a research reactor, nuclear fusion and particle accelerators. Whilst at Aldermaston Court he established the first environmental survey programme and off-site emergency team outside the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. He was the first to report radioactivity in rainfall in Britain following Russian nuclear weapons tests. At the same time he obtained an MSc in Radiation Physics from the medical College of St Bartholomew the Great, where his mentor was Professor Joseph Rotblatt, now a Nobel Laureate, although Keith says the events are not related.
His next move was to the Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre at East Kilbride. Whilst there he established the Health Physics and Nuclear Medicine Unit. His passionate research interest lay in whole-body counting and he developed the first British high sensitivity shadow-shield and mobile whole-body counters. These were for use in clinical studies of body composition, metabolism and in radiation protection. He was also heavily involved in in vivo neutron activation analysis. He was the first to use californium-252 sources for partial-body and bilateral neutron generators for total-body in vivo neutron activation analysis. During this active research period he obtained a PhD from the University of Glasgow and a DSc from the University of Strathclyde. His considerable scientific achievements earned him election as a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was particularly successful in obtaining research income and served on various national and international expert committees.
However, the lure of the post of Head of the Regional Medical Physics Department and the opportunity to work in his beloved North East proved too much and he arrived in Newcastle in 1978. There he established a truly Regional department with over 270 staff in 7 units, 6 sub-units and 18 hospitals/centres. His advocacy was legendary. Entirely correct is the rumour that trainee accountants at the Regional Health Authority were sent to deal with Professor Boddy as a penance. The local clinicians quickly recognised his skills and he served as Chairman of the Hospital Medical Committee, and as their representative on the Newcastle District Health Authority Management Board.
He has numerous academic achievements, including giving the annual lecture to the British Nuclear Medicine Society, the Walker Lecture to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow, the Association Lecture of the Hospital Physicists' Association and the first Jack Meredith Memorial Lecture of the Institute of Physics. He has been elected as an honorary member of the British Nuclear Medicine Society, the Royal College of Radiologists and the British Institute of Radiology, and as an honorary Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine. De Montfort University has recently awarded him an honorary DSc. His activities within the radiation protection field are too numerous to mention them all. He has served on the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee, the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, the Ionising Radiations Advisory Committee and the Sellafield Local Liaison Committee, chairing their Environmental Health Sub-Committee. He has also chaired a working group of the Watt Committee on Energy. He has acted as a consultant on whole-body monitoring to the International Atomic Energy Agency and advised the World Health Organisation. He has served as President of the Hospital Physicists' Association and Institute of Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, now IPEM; he has also been President of the International Organisation for Medical Physics and is currently President of the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine.
To summarise Keith Boddy and his achievements one might borrow a phrase from Shakespeare: `he has bestridden the Medical Physics world like a Colossus'. Amongst people who have had the privilege to work with and for him he is regarded as a truly great mentor. Medical physics is the poorer for his retirement, even though it is only partial. His humour and wit are legendary. He is a public servant of great intellect and integrity. His many achievements have been recognised in the award initially of an OBE and subsequently a CBE.
Professor Keith Boddy is a more than worthy recipient of the award of Honorary Fellowship of the Society for Radiological Protection.
Keith Faulkner