Dr Bill Edwards (1944 – 2007) <br />

Friday 1 June, 2007
Dr Bill Edwards (1944 – 2007)
It is with great sadness that we record the death of Dr Bill Edwards. Dr Edwards, who died on Monday after a long illness, had been a member of the Geography department (now the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences) since 1969 and had served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts since August 2005.

Bill had a great passion for the countryside and its people which was expressed through his research. He was Co-Director of the Rural Surveys Research Unit (RSRU) from 1989 to 2000, undertaking a range of projects in rural Wales, including helping communities assess their own needs and challenges. Since 2004 he had been Co-Director of the Wales Rural Observatory, again producing policy-relevant research on the region. He was also involved in research for the ESRC, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Welsh Assembly Government on community action and rural governance and was a leading influence on the new body of research on rural governance.

Bill believed in the interconnection of teaching and research. He taught across a range of topics with enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism, and was committed to his PhD students. He also played a major role in the management of the department, taking on a series of responsibilities, most recently as Director of Teaching, in which he promoted a commitment to high quality, student-centred education. This was a vision he carried over to his last position as Dean.

His friends, colleagues and students in the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences will miss him greatly and extend every sympathy to his family, Kay, Kate and Rob.

A public funeral service for Bill will be held at Llanychaearn Church on Friday 8 June at 1.30pm, followed by a wake at the National Library of Wales. Donations in lieu of flowers are invited for Meurig Ward, Bronglais Hospital, c/o Trefor Evans, Brongenau, Llandre, Aberystwyth. Details of the funeral arrangements and a full appreciation of Bill's career may be found on the IGES website, please follow the link in the right hand column of this page.