Hull Geological Society
Obituary
Malcolm Stephen Fry (1950 –
2017)
Malcolm Fry was born in
Salisbury, Wiltshire, on 29th August 1950 and attended the Bishop
Wordsworth Boys’ Grammar School in Salisbury before going up to Nottingham
University to read Geology with subsidiary Geography and Philosophy.
He graduated with honours in 1971 and went on
to University College Wales in Aberystwyth to gain his PGCE.
His teaching career began in September 1972 at St.
Albans Grammar School (now Verulam School) in Hertfordshire.
In February 1973, shortly after taking up this
post, Malcolm met his wife-to-be, Sue, at a party in St. Albans.
They married in April 1974 and in 1976 they
moved to Scunthorpe where Malcolm had accepted a post within the Geography
Department of John Leggott Sixth Form College with responsibility for leading
and developing the teaching of A-Level Geology.
Under his leadership the JLC contribution to
geology teaching was unparalleled in the region and his legacy remains in the
form of a still-thriving department.
One of his former students, Mike Widdowson, now
on the teaching staff at Hull University, wrote of Malcolm’s influence: “All
this from a humble beginning in Scunthorpe - sparked by an inspirational A-level
teacher telling a raw 17/18 year old what can be possible. It was! Thank you
Malc - you're a true 'geo-star'!”
Malcolm’s success had seen him promoted to a senior
management position at John Leggott College.
He was a keen gardener and conservationist and
in his spare time he was a volunteer for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
His retirement in 2012 allowed him the time to
combine his interest and skills in conservation, geology and education.
He was a member of the Geoconservation Group of
the Greater Lincolnshire Nature Partnership, helped with the running of a small
but enthusiastic geology group in Brigg and was elected to the Council of the
Yorkshire Geological Society in December 2016.
Typically Malcolm requested that his position
on YGS Council should have a specific role; he agreed to take responsibility for
coordinating a database of geosites within the Society’s footprint.
I was privileged to have worked with Malcolm during
the past four or five years.
We discovered together the beauty of the
Lincolnshire landscape and its geological treasures and were determined to bring
these discoveries to the attention of the general public.
We had also put together, and delivered
successfully, a presentation on “A Geologist’s Perspective on Fracking”.
Malcolm had completed a “Building Stones of
Lincolnshire” information leaflet and represented the Geoconservation Group at
the Lincolnshire Show.
Though Malcolm was a Scottish Highlands hard
rock fan, I was making some headway in convincing him that the Chalk was worth
some attention.
Malcolm died at 4pm on Monday 19th June
2017 in Scunthorpe Hospital and is survived by his wife, Sue, daughter, Hannah
and granddaughter Ola.
Paul Hildreth, August 2017
Copyright - Hull Geological Society 2017
Registered Educational Charity No. 229147