William Alexander Campbell Stewart (17 December 1915 – 23 April 1997) was a Professor of Education and

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of Keele University.

Early life

Stewart was born in Glasgow but brought up in London where he attended

Colfe's Grammar School Colfe's School, previously Colfe's Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school in Lee in the London Borough of Lewisham, in southeast London, England, and one of the oldest schools in London. The school is a member of the Headmast ...

(1927–34) and University College, London (1934–38) where he obtained a BA degree in English. He obtained a

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in 1947 from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

on which he later based a book, ''The Quakers and Education''.

Career

He was housemaster at the Friends School, Saffron Walden from 1938–43 and then moved to Abbotsholme School,

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from 1943-44. He lectured in education at University College, Nottingham (now the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

) and at the University of Wales in Cardiff from 1944-50. In 1950

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, the founder of the newly opened

University College of North Staffordshire Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

, (now Keele University), appointed him the

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of Education in 1950. At Keele he built up the department and later the Institute of Education. He became Acting Principal at Keele after the death of Sir George Barnes in 1960. In fact Keele's first three principals had all died in office. In 1967, after the college had gained university status in 1962, he became

, a position he held until 1979. After retiring he lived in

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and had an Honorary Visiting Professorial Fellowship at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

. In 1989 he completed and published a survey on ''Higher Education in Postwar Britain''.

Personal life

In 1947 he married Elizabeth (Ella) Burnett, a practising

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

, and had one son and one daughter.Halsey, A H ''Stewart, (William Alexander) Campbell (1915–1997)''

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, 2004, accessed 26 April 2012 In 1954 he contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

, which left him with a permanently paralysed left arm. He died following a car accident on a return visit to Keele. His funeral was held in the university chapel.

Publications

* ''The Quakers and Education'' 1953; Facsimile edition 1971 * ''The Educational Innovators'', two volumes, 1967–68; Publisher: Macmillan * ''Higher Education in Post-War Britain'' 1989

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, W. A. Campbell 1915 births 1997 deaths Vice-Chancellors of Keele University Academics from Glasgow Academics of Keele University Alumni of University College London Academics of the University of Nottingham Academics of Cardiff University Academics of the University of Sussex Schoolteachers from London People educated at Colfe's School