Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1995

conferred by the University of Leicester and culminating with this latest by The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was made aKnight Bachelor by Her Majesty the Queen in 1990. Unusual for a scientist, Sir Eric was also honoured by the Royal College of Art in 1992; the college made him a senior fellow. This was probably in recognition of not only the enormous contribution he had made as an educationist but also of his other public service appointments as chairman of the BBC Science Advisory Committee and as atrustee of the Science Museum. During aperiod of active teaching and research lasting well over 40 years, one of Sir Eric's many duties also brought him to Hong Kong as an external examiner to this university. Later in his career, when the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology came into existence, he became amember of that university's School of Engineering Advisory Committee. In 1985, Eric Ash's journey to the world outside Imperial College came full circle when he returned to his alma mater to take up the rectorship of Imperial College. A journey which should have taken no more than 20 minutes actually took half a lifetime, and when he stood and surveyed the college where he had studied as a young man 40 years before, it must have felt, in the words of T. S. Eliot, as though he were looking at it for the first time. This passage in L i t t le G i d d i n g comes to mind: We shallnot cease frome x p l o r a t i o n And theendofall our e x p l o r i n g W i ll beto a r r i ve wherewe started And knowtheplace f or the f i r st time. As rector of Imperial College, Sir Eric Ash became a member of the Committee of Vice- Chancellors and Principals and wrote many of the more illuminating treatises on higher education in the last decade. One of these, entitled Towardsthe21st Century— A Prospectus f or UK U n i v e r s i t i e s , is full of penetrating insights and persuasive arguments. He said, for instance, that 'a shortage of the most able graduates will be the key constraint on future growth.' He also said, 'Anyone who believes that a university employment will lead to worldly riches is probably inadequately numerate, even for those disciplines for which such skills are not of central importance.' Mr. Chancellor, after reading those two statements, I am sure you will agree with his third when he said 'there is rather little evidence that intellectual ability decreases rapidly with advancing years.' In Eric Ash's case, it most certainly does not. Mr. Chancellor, there needs to be aspecial reason for conferring another signal honour on someone who has been honoured thus on eight previous occasions by universities across the world. Other citations would have exhausted the canon of valedictory eloquence. In our case, the honour we are doing Sir Eric today is for the inspirational example he has set for our teachers and students of what a dedicated scientist, engineer, researcher and teacher is able to achieve. It is for the quality of his mind, for the humility of his spirit, it is for the ceaseless search of excellence in teaching and research and it is, above all, for his belief that science and university are there to serve mankind. With these words, Mr. Chancellor, I have the honour to present Sir Eric Ash, a knight of the realm, eminent scientist, educationist, Royal Medallist, Faraday Medallist, renowned researcher and teacher of man for the award of the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa. 48th Congregation 3