Obituaries

Anthony was one of South Africa’s leading agri-businessmen and respected board member. He read PPE at Trinity College as a Rhodes Scholar and went on to do an MBA at Harvard Business School. In 1968 he joined his father as an assistant chief executive of the Rhys Evans Group agri-business and took over the leadership in 1972. Anthony was a pioneer in the farming business, leading the company through the turbulent 1990s and introducing new farming techniques. In 1983 he won the ‘Farmer of the Year Award’. The Rhys Evans Group was awarded the Grain South Africa’s Grain Producer of the Year Award. Throughout his life he received many recognitions and sat on many boards such as the Rhodes Scholarships for South Africa Committee.

In 1949 he was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to study a DPhil in nutritional deficiency and peripheral neuropathy at Magdalen College. After completing his clinical training at the Radcliffe Infirmary and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Hammersmith Hospital, he returned to his hometown Auckland in 1956 as a Medical Tutor. In 1959, he was appointed the first head of the Auckland Medical Unit at the University of Otago. During his prestigious medical career, he was known for standard setting, teaching, patient car which helped mould today’s leaders in research and clinical medicine.

Earl read PPE at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and became ordained in 1964. He was a straight-talking minister of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI). Earl served as many roles in the church and was key to the union of the Presbyterian and the Congregational Churches in 1965 to form the United Church in Jamaica and Grand Cayman, and in 1992 the merger with the Disciples of Christ to form what is now the UCJCI. Thames has several publications to his credit, the latest being The Book of Revelation: A commentary for Lay Persons, published in 2015.

Professor Jonathan (Jon) Borwein read Msc and DPhil Maths as a Rhodes Scholar and was Laureate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Jon was a leading Scholar in experimental mathematics but he also had a breadth of knowledge across pure mathematics, optimisation theory, computer science and mathematical finance. He was also passionate about reaching out to a broader audience through mediums such as The Conversation and The Huffington post. Jon contributed two articles to the Rhodes Scholar Blog this year on the Indian mathematician Ramanujan (link to this rhodes blog post> and he shared his long-running interest in Pi . Jon also served on many committees and organisational boards, including Governor at large of the Mathematical Association of America (2004-07) and President of the Canadian Mathematical Society (2000-02).

We are saddened by the news of Herbert Benington's passing. He came to Oxford in 1950 to study mathematics.

Born in Jersey City, Reginald was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship in 1956 and graduated in PPE. He then attended New York University as a Root-Tilden Scholar to study law. Afterwards he served as an Infantry Lieutenant in the US Army and Reserves. Reginald’s legal career started in Morristown and he was raised to the bench of the Superior Court of New Jersey in 1975. In 1985, Reginald became the Assignment Judge of Morris and Sussex Counties until he retired at 70. He was active in many spheres, including being a member of the US Rhodes Scholarship Committee and, president of the Morris County Bar Association and The Morristown Club to name a few. Reginald also received recognition, most notably honorary degrees from St. Peter's College and Seton Hall University.

Dr John Brademas, born in Mishawaka, graduated Oxford with a DPhil in Politics. He went on to be a Democrat Congressman for 22 years, championing education and increased government funding for the arts. 1981 to 1992 he became New York University’s 13th president and created its global reputation today. He was a skilled politician and fundraiser which led to great achievements: he raised $8000 million for NYU, almost doubled its endowment, recruited top Scholars, created new fields of study, grew the campus and established NYU study programs in Cyprus, Egypt, France, Israel and Japan. In 2005, NYU setup the John Brademas Centre for the Study of Congress, a research and teaching facility. Throughout his life he received a plethora of honorary degrees and awards, including the Distinguished Friend of Oxford. External link <https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/nyregion/john-brademas-indiana-congressman-and-nyu-president-dies-at-89.html?_r=1>

The Rev Dr Richard Pfaff gained a DPhil in Theology from the University of Oxford and went on to become a Priest (1966), and a history professor in ecclesiastical, cultural, and political history of medieval England at the University of North Carolina. During his academic career he was Secretary of the Faulty, Chairman of the Library Boards and member of the Chancellor’s Executive Advisory Committee. Outside of his Scholarly work, he was a Priest Associate at the Chapel of the Cross from 1968 until his death.

The Hon Mr Justice Keith McCall was a South African judge who made an immense contribution to the development of labour law in its early stages. He studied Law at Oxford and was called to the Bar in 1962. Keith was appointed as a judge in 1992 and continued to be a judge long after retirement.