Professor Geary will be sadly missed.
This week we heard the sad news of the passing of Dick Geary, Emeritus Professor in the Department of History. Professor Geary was a charismatic and popular colleague and will be missed by those lucky enough to know him.
Professor Ross Balzaretti was kind enough to offer a brief biography and personal history of Dick, who was something of a mentor to him.
"Dick was born in 1945. He studied at King's College, Cambridge and, before coming to Nottingham in 1987, he worked at Lancaster University where he was head of the German Studies department.
While at Nottingham, he was Head of Department in the early 1990s and for some years Director of the Institute for the Study of Slavery (ISOS). He was a remarkable scholar and intellectual whose research ranged widely from European labour history, the history of modern Germany, and more recently the history of slavery especially in Brazil.
He published at least ten books including one on Karl Kautsky, a Marxist philosopher, a very well-known book on Hitler and Nazism in 1993 — which was much used in sixth forms across the country and translated into many languages — and several important volumes on European Labour politics and protest.
I can say, from personal experience, that he was a spellbinding lecturer and a wonderful colleague who as always very encouraging to younger members of staff. For many years he could reliably be found in the University Club at lunchtime, where he captivated many with sparkling conversation and unforgettable anecdotes."
Our thoughts are with Professor Geary's friends and family at this difficult time.
Posted on Friday 26th February 2021