{"id":18520,"date":"2015-11-06T19:11:10","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T18:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rogerdarlington.me.uk\/nighthawk\/?p=18520"},"modified":"2015-11-06T20:48:35","modified_gmt":"2015-11-06T19:48:35","slug":"a-tribute-to-my-university-friend-dan-filson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rogerdarlington.me.uk\/nighthawk\/?p=18520","title":{"rendered":"A tribute to my university friend Dan Filson"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have just learned the sad news<\/a> of the recent death of Dan Filson.<\/p>\n

In the late 1960s\/early 1970s, Dan and I were at university together, both of us studying Management Sciences at the then University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). In the academic year 1969-70, we both served as full-time sabbatical officers in the Students’ Union – me as President and he as Secretary. At that time, we saw each other every day and often spent hours working and talking together.<\/p>\n

After university, our lives went in different directions: I became a national trade union official and he became a tax officer. \u00a0But we both retained our interest in politics and Dan came back to my attention when last year he became a Labour Councillor in my London Borough (Brent), having previously spent 12 years as a Councillor in the Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.<\/p>\n

Having not seen Dan for perhaps 40 years, I reconnected with him this year when we got together twice to team up with some fellow UMIST students of our time at university [i blogged about the first occasion here<\/a>]. Then, thanks to e-mail and his contributions to Twitter, I was able to follow some of his political activities and thoughts.<\/p>\n

I knew that he had suffered ill-health, but his death comes as a real shock. I pay tribute to him for the support he gave me at UMIST Students’ Unions, his professional work as a tax officer, and his many years of service as a Labour Councillor. I offer my condolences to his family and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"