Sir David Harrison CBE
FREng 1930-2023
Sir David was an Honorary Fellow of the College and former Chair of Trustees. He passed away peacefully at home on 27 March 2023 at 92 years of age.
David Harrison had a distinguished career in higher education. First an undergraduate and then Fellow and Senior Tutor at Selwyn College, he went on to be Vice-Chancellor of the Universities of Keele (1979-84) and then Exeter (1984-94), Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals (1991-93), and President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (1991-92), before returning to Selwyn as Master (1994-2000).
Before Homerton College received its Royal Charter as a full College, governance of the College lay with a Board of Trustees, and it was Sir David as Chair of Trustees who worked alongside Homerton’s then Principal, Dr Kate Pretty, to obtain the Royal Charter in 2010.
Harrison House, Homerton’s first dedicated accommodation for postgraduates, is named after him, as is Harrison Drive which runs between the College and the Faculty of Education.