In memory of Vhon Barrett

Vhon BarrettIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Vhon Barrett.

Vhon joined LSE in October 1999 and served as part of the Estates Maintenance team for almost 25 years.

He was also a member of LSE’s staff network EmbRace, and his enthusiasm for the group’s mission and community did not go unnoticed.

In memory of Anne Shepherd

A young Anne ShepherdIt is with great sadness that friends and colleagues from across the LSE share news of the death of Anne Shepherd, on Thursday 6 June 2024.

Anne joined LSE in 2002, and until her retirement last autumn, she managed the Editorial Office of Population Studies, deftly overseeing all aspects of the day-to-day production of the journal. She also served as the Secretariat for the Population Investigations Committee (PIC) and the British Society for Population Studies (BSPS). Anne’s unwavering and unparalleled commitment to her work has left an indelible mark.

Anne’s extremely competent, extremely knowledgeable, and no-nonsense approach to all she did, earned her much respect and admiration, both within and outside of the School. Countless members of the demographic research community who encountered Anne as PIC-funded MSc students, BSPS council members, authors, reviewers, and editors will have fond memories of her inimitably patient, good-humoured – but uncompromising and occasionally irreverent – manner and approach. She will be dearly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with her.

In memory of Cheryl Conner

Image of Cheryl Conner on a sunny day overlooking the beachThe Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) is greatly saddened to announce the death of our dear colleague and friend Cheryl Conner on 30 May 2024.

Cheryl, was CASE Administrator from 2010 to 2019, returning to the role in September 2022. She was a much loved member of the team, who will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Cheryl graduated from the LSE with a BSc in Social Policy in 2010 at the age of 30. She was incredibly proud of her achievement, having gone to university as a mature student. She followed this degree with a Masters in Social Policy and Planning in 2013. Cheryl worked alongside her part-time studies, first joining CASE in 2010 as John Hills’ Personal Assistant. She stayed at CASE for nine years, only leaving following a move to the Midlands in 2019 and a desire to work more directly with people experiencing disadvantage. She had several different roles following her departure from CASE, including as a Community Support Worker for North Warwickshire Borough Council during the COVID-19 pandemic, playing an important keyworker role ensuring older people were kept safe in their own homes. But she never stopping missing LSE (and we never stopped missing her).  It seemed fortuitous that when the incumbent CASE administrator left in 2022, Cheryl was also ready to return and immediately applied for the role of Centre Administrator. She was without doubt the most qualified and most enthusiastic applicant to be interviewed for the role bringing a wealth of experience and lots of new ideas. We were thrilled to welcome her back to the team and she picked up the role like she’d never left, making an immediate positive impact on the Centre and the CASE / STICERD admin office.

The work of CASE and of the LSE generally is not possible without the huge effort put in by its professional services staff, and Cheryl was at the core of CASE’s academic and social life. Cheryl was often the first person someone would meet in CASE, and she made everyone feel welcome and part of our community.

Cheryl was a key part of the joint CASE-STICERD admin teams that share an office in the Sir Arthur Lewis building, always on hand to offer support, advice, charm the printer, and do the literal heavy lifting. She was always up for a cup of tea and chat about the commute or share pictures and stories of her beloved pets. Cheryl was highly organised, creative, with a special interest in graphic design, and always kind and generous; a combination that endeared her to academics, researchers, professional services staff, and students alike. Cheryl was also very clever and astute, and able to share valuable takes and insights on CASE’s research. She created a huge following on CASE’s social media and was responsible for ensuring that CASE’s seminars and special events were well attended, as well as looking after speakers and ensuring the technology ran smoothly (no mean feat!).

Outside of work, Cheryl loved spending time with close friends and family, including her parents and brother, was a devoted aunty to her young nephew, and would delight in sharing stories about the adventures of her rescue cat, Tommy. She was a strong advocate of LGBTQ+ organisations and social justice causes. She enjoyed caravanning, playing with old cars and working out how to keep them running, art, trips to the seaside, being a quarter Danish, and European pop.

Cheryl took such pride in being part of CASE and the LSE, and we feel hugely privileged to have had her as both a colleague and a friend. She will be deeply missed.

In memory of George Carey

LSE Library is greatly saddened by the death of George Carey, a former member of the Collection Management team, a great colleague and friend to many of us. George joined LSE Library in 2000 and stayed for 21 years before retiring in 2021.

We will miss his enthusiastic contribution to the team; he had a mischievous sense of humour and was a great personality to be around. George was very supportive of his colleagues and always enjoyed helping library users.

George had a keen interest in football and music (especially Elvis Presley) and visited Liverpool several times to see the historical places associated with the football club, the Beatles, and the individual members of the group. George was also an avid traveller and visited multiple European cities, often sending postcards back to colleagues in the library detailing his numerous escapades.

He had a sharp, investigative mind and often after a shift in the Library would spend some time observing the proceedings in the Royal Courts of Justice. He never took himself too seriously and often joked about writing a sit-com based on the multiple things that could go wrong in a library.

In memory of Chris Hamlin

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Chris Hamlin, who passed away peacefully on Tuesday 21 May 2024.

Chris, joined LSE as part of the Estates Division in 2008, starting as a Porter and moving on as a General Cleaning Assistant as part the Centre Building’s night team in August 2019.

He was a well-known character across the campus and will be missed by all who knew and worked with him.