Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw
His Honour Judge Andrew Gilbart QC writes: One of the pleasures of any civic function in Manchester was to enjoy the company of Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw (obituary, Sept 4). I first met her in 2008 when she was already well over 90, when as the new honorary recorder of the city I attended a reception in the town hall for the new lord mayor. She was introduced to my wife and myself and then talked with wonderfully infectious enthusiasm about her work as a mathematician. She was always direct, cheerful and the opposite of pompous. She told me on that first occasion that when she was bored she would lie in the bath and write equations on the ceiling.
She never let her age hold her back. As a freeman of the city she would always attend the annual Remembrance Service at the cenotaph in St Peter’s Square, and would insist on walking in the procession to and from the town hall, usually on the arm of her fellow freeman Sir Bobby Charlton, much to the appreciation of those lining the route. Manchester will miss her a great deal.
The Right Rev John Austin Baker
Canon Barney Milligan writes: John Austin Baker (obituary, Aug 27) was a very musical man with a distinctive sense of humour. As a fellow student at Cuddesdon Theological College I saw something of his many-sided gifts and enthusiasms. When, many years later, I tried my hand at writing hymns, I sent him copies and invited him to write tunes. This was after his retirement when I assumed that diary pressures would have become less demanding. His replies, with the sheets of music, were delightful, often starting “Dear Gilbert” and ending “John Sullivan”.
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Susan Raven
John Rankin writes: Ten years ago I sat next to Susan Raven (obituary, Aug 29) at a wedding reception in Suffolk. About 35 years earlier I had taught a boy called Adam Raven at a London crammer. I inquired if she was his mother and she said that she was. Adam had told me that Simon Raven was his father, and that having a father who was a notorious novelist was challenging. Susan explained that Adam had become an artist and was proud of his achievements in an admiring, critical way. She sent me 23 postcards covering a ten-year range of Adam’s work. I was impressed by his paintings for their humour and quirky style, depicting London scenes. He was a gifted artist and Susan made every effort to help him be recognised.