OBITUARIES
Dr Elaine Kaye, Theology, 1992 February 21st, 1930 – October 20th, 2015 Elaine Kaye was the daughter of a Congregational Minister, and first came to Mansfield in the 1940s when she was an undergraduate at St Anne’s (then) Society. As a member of the Congregational Society she relished the inspirational leadership of the chaplain, Erik Routley, and the High Genevan worship in Mansfield Chapel led by Principal Nat Micklem. She taught in several girls’ schools, ending her teaching career as headmistress of Oxford High School for Girls. Throughout that distinguished career, she encouraged many girls to apply to Oxbridge, with high success rates. Elaine was a trustee of Mansfield before it became a full college in 1995. She wrote a doctoral thesis, published as Mansfield College, Oxford: its origin, history, and significance. Among several books, perhaps that which brought her widest recognition and acclaim was Daughters of Dissent, co-written with Mansfield alumni Janet Lees and Kirsty Thorpe, telling the story of women’s ministry in the Congregational and United Reformed Churches. Elaine taught church history, primarily to several generations of those training for the ministry at Mansfield. As well as instilling her knowledge, she was also a strong support. She sang regularly with the Mansfield singers for many years, turning up week after week for the good of the College, utterly reliable and helpful. Outside Mansfield, Elaine was a member, and Elder, of Summertown United Reformed Church, and had served as President of both the United Reformed Church History Society and the Friends of the Congregational Library. She was a strong supporter of women’s rights, a robust advocate in the cause of peace, and an advocate of relations between Christians and Jews, through which she learned much. Elaine was wise, intelligent, knowledgeable, courteous, reliable, and kind. Would that there were more people from that mould today. By the Revd Michael Hopkins (Theology, 1998) Along with Kenneth Sears and The Revd Geoffrey Beck, Dr Kaye was a founder member of the Adam von Trott Memorial Appeal. In January 2014, she was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, for her efforts to foster peace and understanding.
Maurice James Husselbee BA Theology, 1954 February 6th, 1930 – February 13th, 2015 Maurice Husselbee’s calling to ministry led to a particular responsibility, even before he entered College. When he did his national service, his fellow conscripts knew that Maurice was to train to be a minister and decided that he was the right man to look after their supply of beer, while they were away on exercises.. Maurice grew up in Newport, Shropshire, and was educated at Adams’ Grammar School in Newport. During his time in the army, he was in the Education Corps, helping illiterate soldiers to learn to read. He was accepted to train for the Congregational ministry at Mansfield College, but spent his first three years in Oxford at St Catherine’s College, studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He found one year at St Catherine’s very stressful and took time off, working in a tree nursery. He was ordained in 1958 to the village Congregational churches of Potterspury and Paulerspury, within the North Buckinghamshire Congregational Union, for which he also served as secretary.
Just before he was ordained, Maurice married Sylvia Dudley. They had three sons, David, who died from motor neurone disease, Andrew and John. In 1962, Maurice moved to Penn Congregational (and later United Reformed) Church, Wolverhampton, where he spent 24 years. During this time, he worked with the Wolverhampton Marriage Guidance Council (now Relate), and was Synod Clerk to the URC’s West Midlands Synod. Sylvia died in 1984, soon after they had celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. In 1986, Maurice married Lesley Beale and went to live in Coventry, where she was minister at West Orchard United Reformed Church. Maurice later served at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and at Alexandra Park, north London. He retired in 1995, and was for a short time Clerk of Thames North Synod. Lesley and Maurice moved to Manchester in 2001, when Lesley became a tutor at Northern College, and they became members of Chorlton Central Church. In his later years, Maurice suffered a number of health problems which restricted his movement, and left him housebound for the final year of his life. When he could no longer get to church, Bible studies were held at his home. The quiet ministry that Maurice undertook in later years was much appreciated. Many were grateful for his wisdom in helping them explore issues of faith, and for his thoughtful guidance in matters of church life and mission. By Reverend Bob Day
Kenneth Albert Edgar Sears Adam von Trott Committee member June 22nd, 1927 – November 9th, 2014 Ken Sears did so much for Mansfield that Lucinda Rumsey, our Senior Tutor, my wife Margaret and I, were surprised to learn at his funeral thanksgiving service in Sheerness that he had time for many other activities as well. These included acting as a guide to Canterbury Cathedral, writing learned articles for the United Reformed Church History Society, conducting services as a lay preacher, church leader in the local ecumenical partnership, delegate to various committees, and keeping in touch with the Ypres Veterans, some of whom came from Belgium to give thanks for all he did for them and for so many. We could not imagine he ever had time for a day job! He did: in the Education branch of the Civil Service. It was doing a DipEd that brought him to Mansfield in the 1940s after undergraduate studies at Lincoln College. He never forgot either College and showed his gratitude by acting as faithful steward and treasurer of the substantial finds accumulated by the Mansfield Association. But his best memorial he shares with his Mansfield alumnus hero, Adam von Trott, one of that courageous group of German dissenters who risked their lives to try and rid the world of Hitler in the July Plot of 1944. It was Ken who pleaded for a memorial plaque in the Chapel and Ken who was one of the chief initiators of the Mansfield Adam von Trott Memorial Scholarship Fund, which to date has funded three students from Germany for a two-year Masters Degree in International Relations, and organised some very fine lectures in Adam’s honour. Ken leaves behind him one of the best and shortest biographies of Adam, published in 2009, 2011. The book benefits greatly from the fact that Ken, being Ken, took much more trouble than most to get to know von Trott’s wife and daughters, visiting the family home near Göttingen a number of times. They loved him for it. So do we all. He was, says his Church Secretary at Sheerness, a very caring man. By Donald W Norwood, Secretary Mansfield College Association and von Trott Lecturer
Mansfield 2014/15
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