Chris Barron remembers his father John
John Barron was born in Hollingbourne near Maidstone in December 1925. An accountant by trade and son of a carpenter, he served in the Royal Navy in WW2 and eventually joined the University of Kent at Canterbury as it was then called, as Assistant Accountant in November 1964. He spent the rest of his career at the University, eventually leaving as Deputy Director of Finance.
He saw massive expansion of the campus over his years, and became a Senior Member of each of the colleges as new ones were built. I remember his reminiscing of the lavish themed balls that were held on campus. One that stands out was a “Wild West” themed ball in one of the colleges which was catered for with huge barbeques. Unfortunately no one had quite anticipated the extent of the smoke this would create, and soon the dining hall was full of smoke. At least in those days there were no smoke alarms to go off!
John passed away on 16 April 2024 in his care home at the age of 98. A very practical man, John wanted to be of as much use to as many people as possible even in death, so he decided to donate his body to medical research. He is survived by his two sons Steve and Chris.