David Thompson dies

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Posted on 25 July 2013

This obituary via Chris King ...

David studied as an undergraduate in the Geology Department at Keele before working as a meteorologist for two years and then teaching in north Manchester. He returned to Keele in 1972 as a lecturer in the Education Department with responsibility for geology teacher training. He became a Senior Lecturer and remained in the Department until his retirement in 1996. 

During his teaching career and his time at Keele, David was a pivotal figure in geoscience education in this country. He was a founder member of the Association of Teachers of Geology (later the Earth Science Teachers’ Association), later becoming ESTA President and Editor of the journal of the Association. He was also a member of the Geological Society Education Committee. David played a key role in the assessment of geology, being at different times on the geology committees of several Examination Boards. He was co-convenor of the first international geoscience education conference, in Southampton in 1993 and attended several succeeding conferences. He was also active in local geoscience and history groups and, as well as a geoscience educator, a well-known local geologist, with widely-recognised expertise in the Triassic System. 

Despite all these international, national and local plaudits – David is probably most fondly remembered by the trainee geology teachers he taught for many years at Keele, many of whom have gone on to form the backbone of the geology teaching profession in the country. David developed all our thinking skills, enabling us to become the body of reflective professional teachers that continues to ‘fly the flag’ for geology education across the UK.

David leaves his wife, Doreen, an ex-member of the Keele support staff, and his two children.

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