Part 2 (Obituaries) - King's College - University of Cambridge

84
OBITUARIES
He progressed to become the Head of Architecture at the University and
eventually also Dean of the Faculty of Architecture between 1986 and 1989,
before he retired from full-time work to part-time. He eventually retired for
good in 2003, ending a long and fruitful relationship with the institution. As
part of his professional activities Geoffrey was also Director of Traffic and
Safety Studies at the Institute of Highway Engineers and published on road
safety engineering.
The sense of humour and of the ridiculous coupled with a great curiosity and
intelligence that made him such a well-liked teacher also made Geoffrey into
an affable eccentric in his private life. As he was blessed with a complete
disregard for others’ reactions to his lack of conformity, he was happy to go
skiing with a piece of tinfoil to cover his nose in order to protect it from
sunburn. His family also remembers the thick polythene addition to their
flysheet igloo tent, which did make it completely waterproof even though it
caused a certain amount of surprise and attracted sniggers on Continental
camping sites.
Geoffrey’s disregard of people’s opinions of his appearance never transmuted
into a disinterest; he was always a compassionate witness to others’ situations
and plights. He was a deeply religious man who had a uniquely personal and
reflective relationship to a Christianity that he wanted above all to exercise
practically. As part of the Friends of St John’s Psychiatric Hospital he helped
numerous people with disabilities and illnesses, talking to them or taking
them back to his home for the day. Later he also did voluntary work for the
Citizens Advice Bureau, using his legal skills for those in need of them.
Geoffrey’s deeply felt Christianity helped him bear the tribulations of his final
years marred by disease, facing them with dignity and composure. He grieved
for his active and sharp intellect that seemed at times to give way before his
body, but bore this most frightening loss with a sense of humility.
REGINALD BRIAN BENNETT (1924) was born in December 1906 and
attended King Edward VII School in Sheffield. He came up to King’s to read