Press Release

12 July 2002
SPECIAL GRADUATES HONOURED BY UNIVERSITY
Click for photos of the honorary graduates

Leading figures from the worlds of sport, technology and science, charity, entertainment, politics and social justice, will receive Honorary Doctorates from the University of Bradford next week (Tuesday 16, Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18, July 2002).

The University will honour Trevor Foster MBE, Brian Noble, Brian Critchley, Emeritus Professor Rosemary Cramp, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint MBE, Sir Christian Bonington, Elizabeth France and Mohammed Amran, alongside more than 1,900 graduates of the University of Bradford.

The ceremonies take place in the Great Hall, University of Bradford, Richmond Building.

Details are as follows:-

TUESDAY 16 JULY, 10.30AM CEREMONY
Doctor of the University
Trevor Foster MBE

Born in Newport, Wales, in 1916, Trevor Foster's early rugby career was at Holy Cross R.C. and with Newport schoolboys. When he left school he made a name for himself as a wing forward before joining Newport. He was selected as reserve for Wales against Ireland in 1937 and there is no doubt that he would have had many Welsh caps but for his decision to 'go North' in 1938.

He came to Bradford after signing for Bradford Northern and what was to be the start of a 60-year unbroken association with the club. As one of the all-time rugby league greats and respected the world over, he achieved every honour in the sport with Bradford, Wales and Great Britain. Trevor Foster remained with Bradford Northern for 17 years, retiring as a player in the mid-1950s. He was the prime mover in the resurrection of his club after it ceased in November 1963. Bradford Bulls, as it is known today, reopened its doors in August 1964. In 1995, he received the Sports Council's 'Service to Sport' Award in recognition of 57 years involvement with rugby and other sports. He volunteers at two of the city's clubs, Bradford Police Boys Club and Sedburgh Boys Club.

He has also volunteered on the 'Chalkboard Project'. His work with young people was recognised by a Gold Award for 30 years service from the Association of Police Boys clubs. Throughout his years in Bradford he has worked tirelessly for charity, including War on Cancer, the Cancer Support Centre, the Catholic Housing Aid Society and BRI's Fund Raising Committee. He was awarded his MBE in 2001.

Trevor Foster receives a Doctorate in recognition of his contributions over a continuous period of 60 years as a player and official with Bradford Northern and Bradford Bulls Rugby League Club. In addition, for his voluntary work with young people and his active support for charities in the City of Bradford.

TUESDAY 16 JULY, 10.30AM CEREMONY
Doctor of the University
Brian Noble

Brian Noble's early rugby career was as a member of the Police Boys Clubs before he signed for Bradford Northern (now Bradford Bulls). His debut came in the 1978-1979 season and was the beginning of almost 15 years with the club, concluding in the Centenary Season of 1995-96 following a spell at Wakefield Trinity. "Nobby" played in excess of 400 games for Bradford Northern.

It was as a Great Britain player that he attained his highest honour, being one of the finest hookers ever to grace the British game. In 1984, he was chosen as the Captain of the Great Britain Lions to tour Australia and New Zealand. He played in all seven Tests on the tour, including the Test in Papua New Guinea, and was judged by many to be the ideal Tour Captain, possessing tremendous leadership skills. He has continued his association with the Great Britain squad and is now Great Britain Assistant Coach.

He came back to Odsal at the end of his playing career to take up a coaching role with Bradford Bulls and is now First Team Coach. The respect he has earned in his playing career stood him in good stead and his relationship with his squad is a big part of the Bradford Bulls success. In his first year in charge Bradford Bulls reached the Challenge Cup Final, and became the 2001 Super League Champions, gaining international recognition by becoming World Club Champions in 2002.

Brian Noble receives a Doctorate for his achievements as a rugby league player both at national level and, over a period of 15 years, with Bradford Northern Rugby League Club. Also in recognition of his contributions to the Bradford Bulls Rugby League Club as First Team Coach.

TUESDAY 16 JULY, 2.15PM CEREMONY
Doctor of Science
Brian Critchley

Brian Critchley was a pupil of Cowley School, St Helens, and graduated in Applied Physics from the University of Bradford in 1974. He held a variety of research and engineering posts in Electronic Display Technology at ITT, Ferranti and Thorn EMI Brimar before being appointed Technical and New Ventures Director of Rank Brimar in 1986. Under his technical leadership, Rank Brimar set about creating a high-brightness digital video projector that would one day replace film projectors and 35mm slide projectors.

By 1992, Rank demonstrated the world's first digital moving display. By 1995, the team was ready to show in public for the first time a full, acceptable, DMD system. In 1996 the Rank Group decided to sell all its manufacturing divisions, including Rank Brimar. Brian Critchley led a management buy-out to form Digital Projection Limited and, in the same year, he became Managing Director and Chief Executive of the new company.

In 1999, he also became Senior Vice-President, Technology, for the IMAX Corporation before retiring from that post in 2001. In 1998, Mr Critchley was awarded an 'EMMY' by the Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences for Outstanding Engineering Achievement in Projection Display Technology.

Brian Critchley is awarded a Doctorate in recognition of his work in display technology and, in particular, for his contributions to the creation of the high-brightness video projector.

WEDNESDAY 17 JULY, 10.30AM CEREMONY
Doctor of Science
Emeritus Professor Rosemary Cramp

Educated at Market Harbrough Grammar School and St Anne's College, Oxford, Professor Rosemary Cramp became lecturer at Oxford from 1950 before moving to the University of Durham in 1955. In 1966, she became Senior Lecturer, then Professor of Archaeology and Emeritus Professor in 1990. She later became a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. In 1995, Professor Cramp was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University of Durham.

Professor Cramp has held numerous titles and played a key role in a range of organisations. She was President, now Honorary Vice-President, of The Council for British Archaeology. From 1978 to 1999, she was Trustee of the British Museum and from 1973 to 1999 she was Commissioner for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments for Scotland.

She is a member of The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and, from 1992 to 1997, she was Vice-President of the Royal Archaeology Institute. She has previously been President of the Society for Church Archaeology and a member of the Advisory Board for Redundant Churches. She is a Fellow of a number of societies including the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and the Royal Historical Society.

Research and publications have included the Relationship between Anglo-Saxon Literature and Archaeology, Anglo-Saxon and Early Mediaeval Monasteries and Anglo-Saxon and Early Mediaeval Sculpture.

Professor Cramp receives a Doctorate in recognition of her contributions in the field of archaeology and, in particular, for her work in championing the cause of science in archaeology.

WEDNESDAY 17 JULY, 2.00PM CEREMONY
Doctor of the University
Rachael Heyhoe-Flint MBE

Rachael Heyhoe-Flint first played cricket for England in 1960 and captained the side from 1966 to 1977. In 1964, she represented England in hockey and also played hockey, squash and golf for Staffordshire.

In 1972, she was awarded an MBE for her services to cricket. She was the captain of England's first women's team to play at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1976. In the same year, she achieved a top score of 179, still a record score for an English player in Test Matches in England. By the time she ended her international cricketing career in 1983, she had made a record 51 appearances for her country.

Rachael Heyhoe-Flint taught Physical Education from 1960 to 1964 before becoming a journalist, then Sports Editor at the Wolverhampton Chronicle. She later turned freelance as sports writer for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph. In 1973, she was appointed TV's first woman sports presenter/reporter with ITV's World of Sport. In the same year, she was named Best After Dinner Speaker by the Guild of Professional Toastmasters.

In 1997, she was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands and Main Board Director of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. She is also Vice-President of the Cricketers' Club in London. In 1999, she was named as one of the first female Honorary Life members of the MCC and, in 2001, she was made President of the national charity Lady Taverners. She has also written a number of books, including Fair Play and Heyhoe, and is now a Public Relations and Sports Marketing Consultant.

Rachael Heyhoe-Flint is awarded a Doctorate for her contributions to women's cricket in general and for her achievements as Captain of the England Women's Cricket Team 1966-77.

WEDNESDAY 17 JULY, 4.15PM CEREMONY
Doctor of Letters
Sir Christian Bonington

Born in 1934 and educated at University College School, London, and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Sir Chris Bonington is Britain's best-known mountaineer. He has led and been on 19 Himalayan expeditions, including four to Everest, which he climbed in 1985 at the age of fifty, and has made many first ascents in the Alps and greater ranges of the world, including Annapurna II in 1960, and Nuptse in 1961. In 1975, he was Leader of a successful Everest South West Face Expedition. More recently, he was Leader of a 1997 British Expedition to make the first attempt on Sepu Kangri, which he led once again in 1998.

He began his army career in 1956 in the Royal Tank Regiment before becoming an instructor in the Army Outward Bound School in 1959. Since 1961, he has been a freelance mountaineer, writer and photographer.

His numerous titles include President of Lepra, President of the National Trust Lake District Appeal, Chairman of the Mount Everest Foundation, Chairman of the Outward Bound Trust Risk Management Committee and President of the British Orienteering Federation. From 1988 to 1991 he was President of the British Mountaineering Council and from 1992 to 2000 he was President of the Council for National Parks. He has also been President of the Alpine Trust.

Having been awarded both a Knighthood and a CBE, he has also been awarded the Founders Medal by the Royal Geographical Society, the Lawrence of Arabia Medal by the Royal Asian Society and the Livingstone Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Author of 15 books, he has presented and appeared on a number of television programmes.

Sir Chris Bonington is awarded a Doctorate in recognition of his achievements as a mountaineer and a writer.

(picture Chris Bonington picture archive)

THURSDAY 18 JULY, 10.30AM CEREMONY
Doctor of Laws
Elizabeth France

After reading Political Science at University College Wales in 1971, Elizabeth France joined the Home Office as a trainee, gaining experience in all the main business areas, including working with local authorities, the criminal justice system, the private sector and Ministers and senior civil servants, until she became head of the Establishment Division in the Police Department. From 1989, she was Head of the Home Office's Information and Pay Services Division in Bootle. In 1994, she left the Civil Service to become Data Protection Registrar. The post changed to Data Protection Commissioner when the new data protection law came into force and again, in 2001, to Information Commissioner when Freedom of Information was added to her responsibilities. She completes her second term as Commissioner in the autumn when she will become the UK's first Telecommunications Ombudsman.

Elizabeth France became Data Protection Registrar against a backdrop of an explosive growth in computer usage, the Internet and e-commerce and under her regime, privacy and data protection have moved to a high place on the political agenda. She is the key person in the UK in guarding privacy. She has been vigorous in evidence to Parliament and government, has helped implement new laws on data protection and her office has taken on some high-profile legal cases.

She is an honorary graduate of De Montford University and Loughborough University and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Elizabeth France is awarded a Doctorate in recognition of her contributions in the field of data protection and, in particular, for her achievements since 1994 as Data Protection Registrar and, more recently, as Information Commissioner.

THURSDAY 18 JULY, 2.15PM CEREMONY
Doctor of the University
Mohammed Amran

At the age of 22, Mohammed Amran was appointed the youngest ever Commissioner for The Commission for Racial Equality. Coming from an inner city area of Bradford, he left school with no formal qualifications and later obtained a BTEC first and BTEC National Diploma. In 1998 he gained a qualification in Youth and Community Work.

For ten years, he has worked voluntarily in the community and has actively been involved in encouraging young people to embrace the concept of good citizenship. During the Bradford disturbances of 1995 he was on the front line of conflict resolution where he brought into play young people having open and honest dialogue with the West Yorkshire Police Service. This was previously unheard of. Following the disturbances, he set up the 'Young People's Forum' in order to give a voice to the young people of Bradford.

In 1996, he became the Co-ordinator for Youth for Understanding UK and has previously worked as a Remand Worker for the Youth Offending Team. He has volunteered, and has held numerous titles, on almost 30 organisations, including Vice-Chair of the Police Community Forum, Board Director of the Single Regeneration Board, European Representative for the Prince's Action Trust, Adviser to the Holocaust Memorial Day Steering Group and Board Director of the Bradford Youth Development Partnership. Since stepping down as a Commissioner for the Commission for Racial Equality, he has worked as the Outreach Manager for the Prince's Trust. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mohammed Amran is awarded a Doctorate for his work with disadvantaged young people in the Bradford area, his community work and contributions in the field of race relations. Also in recognition of his appointment in 1998 as the youngest ever Commissioner for the Commission for Racial Equality.

Professor Chris Taylor, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: "We are pleased to be able to recognise the achievements of such talented and distinguished individuals and we are delighted that they will join with us in celebrating the achievements of our many graduates. This year's Honorary Graduates have excelled in their particular fields, contributing in a unique way to society. It is therefore only fitting that their commitment, talent and hard work are recognised with the conferment of these degrees. "

Photo and interview opportunities are available. For further information, including a list of photo call/interview timings or more detailed biographical information, please contact Rachael Ellis in Corporate Communications on (01274) 233084/0787 9437986 or Claire Holmes on (01274) 233089. Alternatively, e-mail press@bradford.ac.uk or fax on (01274) 235460.

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