Part 2 (Obituaries) - King's College - University of Cambridge
Part 2 (Obituaries) - King's College - University of Cambridge Part 2 (Obituaries) - King's College - University of Cambridge
178 OBITUARIES a committed civil servant who calmly and with dedication occupied a pivotal place in British and world finance during tumultuous times. John was born on 23 August 1923 to Sidney John Page, who ended his career as Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Transport, and Doris Mary Binns. He grew up in Highgate where he also attended Highgate School with a Foundation Scholarship. In 1941 he came to King’s to read Modern Languages. The war interrupted his studies in 1942 when John joined the Royal Air Force. He stayed in the RAF for four years where he piloted Spitfires. In 1946 John changed the crammed cockpit of his fighter plane for the loftier environs of King’s, this time switching his degree to Economics. He graduated in 1948 and throughout his life John took pride in his membership of the College. It was also in 1948 that he married GloriaVail, with whom he would share 56 years of happy marriage. John’s professional life took place almost exclusively within the Bank of England, the “Old Lady of Threadneedle Street”, except for a secondment to the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, from 1953 to 1956. He devoted nearly 35 years of service to the Bank of England, where he was appointed Chief Cashier in 1970. This position had existed since 1694 and entailed not only having to put one’s signature on banknotes, but more importantly overseeing the commercial banks. With tact and professionalism John would make contacts with banks that did not toe the line, and his word was universally respected throughout the City. He did not have to raise his voice, but a sotto voce murmur of discontent was enough for chief executives to heed his advice. It was a time when personal interplay still counted for more than written regulation. Though John was a private and reserved man he did have a lighter side as well. He was happy to appear on Jimmy Savile’s television show Jim’ll Fix It when a young boy wanted to meet the man who signed the banknotes.The structure of the Bank of England was revised at the end of the 1970s and the office of the Chief Cashier was taken away in 1980. John opposed these changes brought about by a new management culture and bank deregulations. He did stay on as an Executive Director but retired after two years in 1982.
After his retirement John held other posts in the financial world. He was Chairman of the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and held directorships at Standard Chartered Bank and the Nationwide Building Society. Retirement also left time for his many interests, which he shared with his wife, such as travelling, gardening and listening to opera. John was a reserved and humble man who at the same time could be both courageous and strong. He was known by his friends and family for combining qualities of tenderness, kindness and integrity. John also had a keen sense of humour and an excellent practical understanding of the psychology of man, no doubt a reason for his ability to grasp the workings of the nervous and volatile worldwide financial market. He died on 2 February 2005 and is survived by his wife Gloria and their two children, Sue and Simon. JOHN BAIRD PATRICK (1957) read English at King’s and went on to become a key figure in Australian educational radio. John was born in West Wickham, Kent, on 17 October 1937 and was educated at Dulwich College. After King’s he taught Drama and English at Tulse Hill Comprehensive School for six years. He then emigrated to Australia, initially to teach at Burnie High School in Tasmania before becoming Senior English Teacher at Deloraine High School. In 1967 he married Dorothy Turner. John made the move into the world of media in 1969 when he joined the Australian Broadcasting Commission as a producer of educational radio programmes. After working his way up through the ranks John became Head of School and Continuing Education Radio at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, at a time when the Education Department was split along media lines and he assumed responsibility for the field of adult education as well as the traditional schools audiences. He aimed to inform the casual listener as much as the student and programmes were made for children rather than for schools to meet the needs of a more media-aware and challenging generation. 179 OBITUARIES
- Page 68 and 69: 128 OBITUARIES have been at the for
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178<br />
OBITUARIES<br />
a committed civil servant who calmly and with dedication occupied a pivotal<br />
place in British and world finance during tumultuous times.<br />
John was born on 23 August 1923 to Sidney John Page, who ended his career<br />
as Under-Secretary at the Ministry <strong>of</strong> Transport, and Doris Mary Binns. He<br />
grew up in Highgate where he also attended Highgate School with a<br />
Foundation Scholarship. In 1941 he came to King’s to read Modern<br />
Languages. The war interrupted his studies in 1942 when John joined the<br />
Royal Air Force. He stayed in the RAF for four years where he piloted Spitfires.<br />
In 1946 John changed the crammed cockpit <strong>of</strong> his fighter plane for the l<strong>of</strong>tier<br />
environs <strong>of</strong> King’s, this time switching his degree to Economics. He graduated<br />
in 1948 and throughout his life John took pride in his membership <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>College</strong>. It was also in 1948 that he married GloriaVail, with whom he would<br />
share 56 years <strong>of</strong> happy marriage.<br />
John’s pr<strong>of</strong>essional life took place almost exclusively within the Bank <strong>of</strong><br />
England, the “Old Lady <strong>of</strong> Threadneedle Street”, except for a secondment to<br />
the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, from 1953 to 1956. He<br />
devoted nearly 35 years <strong>of</strong> service to the Bank <strong>of</strong> England, where he was<br />
appointed Chief Cashier in 1970. This position had existed since 1694 and<br />
entailed not only having to put one’s signature on banknotes, but more<br />
importantly overseeing the commercial banks. With tact and pr<strong>of</strong>essionalism<br />
John would make contacts with banks that did not toe the line, and his word<br />
was universally respected throughout the City. He did not have to raise his<br />
voice, but a sotto voce murmur <strong>of</strong> discontent was enough for chief executives<br />
to heed his advice. It was a time when personal interplay still counted for<br />
more than written regulation.<br />
Though John was a private and reserved man he did have a lighter side as well.<br />
He was happy to appear on Jimmy Savile’s television show Jim’ll Fix It when a<br />
young boy wanted to meet the man who signed the banknotes.The structure<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Bank <strong>of</strong> England was revised at the end <strong>of</strong> the 1970s and the <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong><br />
the Chief Cashier was taken away in 1980. John opposed these changes<br />
brought about by a new management culture and bank deregulations. He did<br />
stay on as an Executive Director but retired after two years in 1982.
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