Obituaries
Dr Brian David Owen-Smith (1948-57) 29.05.1938 – 11.12.2013
Bursary Appeal Fund. The voyage ended with a splendid reception at the College boathouse in Putney. He could also frequently be seen cycling between home in Chichester and his much loved cottage in Bosham. Brian was pre-deceased by his wife, Rose, but is survived by his two children. Dr Mike Nicholls and Professor Ewan Anderson (49-56) (another of the Thames canoeists) both contributed significantly to this obituary.
Brian Owen-Smith was the younger of two brothers who came to Dulwich. He came to the College from Ingleside College
in West Wickham and was in Sidney. He was also a boarder for his entire time at Dulwich, starting in The Orchard before moving on to Blew House, where he eventually became Head of House. He was a talented sportsman and played rugby as the hooker in the scrum for the school from the under 14s to the 1st XV. He played for the 1st XV for all of his last three years at the College, and was captain in his final year. He was also captain of the Kent Schools team in that year. His other major sport was swimming and he also competed at diving. He was also in the swimming team for all of his last three years and, like the rugby team, he was captain of swimming in his final year. After leaving Dulwich, Brian went to Queen’s College, Cambridge, to read Natural Sciences and was awarded a BA degree in 1960. He then returned to London and Guy’s Hospital Medical School, where he qualified as MB BChir, LRCP (Lond) and MRCS (Eng) in 1964, and then MRCP (Lond) in 1970. His first position after qualifying was as Medical Registrar at Prospect Park Hospital in Reading in 1964-65, before moving on to become a lecturer in clinical pharmacology at the Indiana State University Medical School in 1966. He specialised in physical medicine, and rheumatology and rehabilitation medicine, being awarded a diploma in physical medicine in 1970, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP, Lond) in 1984. He held a senior post at the National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath and at the same time lectured in clinical pharmacology at the University of Bath. He then moved to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, where he was Specialist Consultant in rheumatology as well as Director of the Rehabilitation Unit at Donald Wilson House, establishing a successful weekday care unit. He continued his research into the production of uric acid and its value as a marker of metabolic impairment (pre-eclampsia), which he had started in the USA. He was a qualified history of medicine proponent and was active within the Benjamin Franklin Society. He was President of the Hunterian Society of London in 1999-2000 and during his presidential term he spoke about the polymath Franklin. Brian married Rose, a nurse he had met while working in Reading in the 1960s, and together they had two children, Emma and Tim. He was a devoted family man, an ardent supporter of the Alleyn Club and an active member of the Alleynian Sailing Society. He also continued to play rugby after leaving the College, playing county rugby for Surrey as well as for the OAFC. In retirement, he canoed the full length of the River Thames with three other OA contemporaries, to prove that they could still do something physically active at their age, and to raise money for the College’s
Kenneth Gilbert Pettifer (1944-49) 09.05.1931 – 03.09.2012
Ken Pettifer came to the College from the Prep during the Second World War, as one of a long line of the Pettifer family spanning three generations who came to Dulwich. He was in Sidney and boarded in Ivyholme, rising to become the captain of both
houses, and he was also a school prefect. Ken was a superb all-round sportsman and played for the 1st XV for three years, 1st XI cricket team in his final year, as well as being captain of athletics in his final year and was also in the boxing and squash teams. On leaving Dulwich, Ken did his National Service with the RAF in Rhodesia. After his National Service ended, he worked for a short time for BP in Aden, but then returned to London. He started working in insurance with underwriters, Lloyd’s of London, where he remained for the rest of his entire working life. In 1957 Ken married Pamela but that marriage only lasted a short time. He married Valerie in 1969 and together they produced a son, Jake, and a daughter, Samantha, but that marriage also ended in divorce and Valerie subsequently died in 1989 after suffering a blood clot during a routine operation. He then met Wendy and they lived together in Cardiff for several years, with Ken commuting to the City from Wales, before Wendy also died and Ken moved back to London. Having been so good at sport while he was at the College, Ken needed an outlet for his sporting skills and energy after leaving school, and he played sport for OAFC for many years. He played for the 1st XV and went on many OA rugby tours. Towards the end of his rugby playing days, he was persuaded to switch from the wing to the second row of the scrum, and this change was so effective that he was awarded his Honours cap in 1963. He played for the 1st XI OA cricket team and also played squash for the OAs. He became a full member of the MCC at Lords in 1966, having played for them on numerous occasions in and around London. He also played cricket for the Incogniti and was well known at sports clubs throughout London and the Home Counties. He soon became a regular at Lords, where he was known as ‘The Colonel’ to his many friends there. It has recently been said that ‘going to Lords is not the same without Ken’.
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