William Walsh (23 February 1916 – 23 June 1996) was successively Professor of Education, Professor of Commonwealth Literature and Acting Vice-Chancellor at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

Academic career

Walsh graduated in English from

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

in 1943 and worked as a

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...

before becoming a

Lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

in Education at the University College of North Staffordshire (now

Keele University 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 ...

) in 1951. After a similar post at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, he was appointed

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

and Head of the Department of Education at the

in 1957. He served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Leeds from 1965 to 1967. In 1972 Walsh was appointed Professor of

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

in the School of English, also at Leeds University. Following the death in September 1981 of the incumbent

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 ...

Lord Boyle of Handsworth Edward Charles Gurney Boyle, Baron Boyle of Handsworth, (31 August 1923 – 28 September 1981) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds. Early life and career Boyle was ...

, Walsh delayed his retirement and served for two years from 1981 to 1983 as Acting Vice-Chancellor. Walsh retired from Leeds in 1983 with the title

Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

Professor and was succeeded as Vice-Chancellor by Sir

Edward Parkes Sir Edward Walter Parkes DL FREng (19 May 1926 – 25 September 2019) was Vice-Chancellor of City University London from 1974 to 1978 and of the University of Leeds from 1983 to 1991. Life Parkes was born in 1926. Parkes attended King Edward's ...

. Walsh was awarded the degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

(LLD)

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

in 1984. Walsh gave the 1983 John Keats Memorial Lecture.

Personal life

Walsh married May Watson in 1945. They had a son and daughter.

Death

Walsh died in Leeds on 23 June 1996, aged 80.

References

''The Independent'' 13 July 1996
Obituary: Professor William Walsh 1916 births 1996 deaths Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge Academics of Keele University Academics of the University of Edinburgh Vice-Chancellors of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Leeds British educational theorists {{UK-academic-stub