Dr Donald Radley (1952)

Donald Radley was born and grew up in the village of Hilton in Derbyshire, eight miles west of Derby. He was the elder son of Edwin Radley, who worked as a car mechanic and from an early age, Donald showed an aptitude for science and engineering.

Donald was among the first cohort of children to sit the eleven plus examination, which determined entry to grammar, technical or secondary modern schools in post-war Britain. He qualified for Bemrose Grammar School in Derby. From there, he secured a place at Queens’ College, Cambridge, becoming the first pupil from Bemrose Grammar to do so.

Before going up to Cambridge, Donald undertook National Service. He later described his time in the army as largely spent in a telecommunications unit, where he and his colleagues passed the time playing bridge while awaiting demobilisation. This was curtailed to allow him to begin university at the start of the 1952 academic year.

At Queens’ he read engineering, as a student Donald was a talented scholar receiving multiple prizes during his time at the college including the Charles White Prize in Engineering and the Penny White Prize for Mathematics

Donald remained in Cambridge for postgraduate study, being awarded a junior fellowship at Queens’ College. He lectured while working towards a PhD, which he completed in 1962. His research took place in laboratories housing early computing equipment, consisting of large-scale valve based systems which represented state of the art technology at the time.

Donald married Hazel on 18 July 1959. They had two sons, Simon and Stephen. In 1963, shortly after completing his doctorate, Donald was appointed to a teaching post in Sheffield, and the family moved there in the autumn of that year. Soon after moving to Sheffield their twin daughters Anne and Susan were born

During his academic career, Donald’s work increasingly focused on computing and technical standards. When Sheffield acquired its first computer in 1966, initially intended for administrative use with limited academic access, Donald was closely involved. As computing technology became available for domestic use, he acquired early home systems and wrote his own programs and languages. When Hazel set up her GP practice in Sheffield, Donald provided significant practical support from 1970 onwards, managing administrative and financial systems using a computer.

In the 1980s, Sheffield University encouraged the development of spin out technology companies. In 1985, Donald founded Codus, a technical consultancy specialising in standards and computing related work. He took early retirement from the university in order to devote himself full time to the company.

Alongside his commercial work, Donald was deeply involved with the British Standards Institution, serving on a number of committees. In 1990, he was appointed the United Kingdom representative to the International Electrotechnical Commission. This role involved extensive international travel, including regular visits to Europe, North America, Japan, China and South Africa. Hazel frequently accompanied him, and they often extended work trips to allow time to visit the countries concerned. In 2001, while travelling in North America, they were present during the disruption caused by the events of 11 September. Donald retired fully in 2007.

In retirement, he remained active and engaged in his range of lifelong interests. He pursued stamp collecting and became an expert in overprints, British stamps that had been repurposed for use in overseas territories.  He built a model railway, inevitably programmed and controlled from his computer. He and Hazel travelled extensively, and Donald spent time improving his culinary skills.

He is survived by his wife Hazel, their 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Written by Simon and Hazel Radley.