in Battersea, and Alan came to Dulwich on a scholarship from Hearnville School in Balham in 1950. Dulwich encouraged his ability and interest in music and he went straight to the Royal Academy of Music after leaving the College. While at the Royal Academy, he won the Dove Prize and the Boise Travelling Scholarship, which he used to visit and study in Paris, Bayreuth and Vienna. In 1960, he became a professor at the Royal Academy and joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) as second clarinet. In his late twenties, he suffered a thrombosis on his spinal column, which left him permanently paralysed and confined to a wheelchair. He left the LPO because he was no longer to able to tour with them in his wheelchair. He always felt that they should have been more ready to accommodate a disabled member of the orchestra, but this allowed him to develop a solo career. In the 1960s Alan was active in reviving the basset clarinet, an instrument with an extended lower range for which Mozart originally wrote his quintet and Clarinet concerto. He also formed a contemporary music ensemble called the Pierrot Players with composers Harrison Birtwhistle and Peter Maxwell Davies. After Birtwhistle left in 1972, the group became the Fires of London. He was also appointed chairman of the Music section of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and of the British section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. He was still much in demand as a clarinet player, playing with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Aldeburgh Festival and with film and television makers. In the World at War series made by Thames Television, he was a virtual soloist as he played in 25 of the 26 episodes. In 1972 Alan became the Sir Robert Mayer Lecturer at the University of Leeds, and he was then appointed a lecturer in music at the University of York in 1976, becoming a senior lecturer from 1984 to 1987. After leaving York, he embarked upon a conducting career and in 1988 he was awarded an OBE for services to music. His great musical talents meant he was soon in demand all over Europe as an opera conductor. On one occasion, just after the honeymoon following his third marriage, Alan was asked to conduct in Cologne the following morning. As his new wife, Margaret, drove towards the Channel Tunnel, he learnt Shostakovich’s Symphony No 12 by torchlight in the car. At 10am the following morning he was on the platform for the rehearsal, followed by the concert, for which he received much acclaim.
of the sport, and he also had a keen interest in both rugby and boxing. He loved jazz music, particularly Glenn Miller, and was interested in history, especially Oliver Cromwell and genealogy. He was an amateur cartoonist and delighted his friends and colleagues with his drawings. He also had a very keen wit and a creative sense of fun, so there was always much laughter surrounding him in his life. Simon Green came to the College from the Prep and was a weekly boarder in Bell House. A keen all-round sportsman, Simon especially enjoyed athletics, rugby and cricket and, when not participating himself was a dedicated follower of the senior teams wherever they were playing. He was a keen fisherman from an early age, a pastime he continued in several countries throughout his life. Simon found his interest in art while at the College and went on to study Graphic Design in London. In 1985, he emigrated with his family to Perth, Western Australia, and explored several graphic design opportunities before establishing his own company, Generation Graphics, which was very successful for many years. Simon’s caring personality led to an interest in working with young people and adults with autism, a career path he followed when he no longer felt able to maintain his graphic design skills in business. As a mature student, he undertook the formal qualifications, training and practice required to work with The Autism Society and was actively involved on a full-time basis in caring for and working with groups of young adults in need of companionship, care and encouragement in their lives. Always gentle and artistic in his approach to life, Simon made a valuable contribution to the wellbeing of many young people who depended on him and he was a much loved and respected member of their community and part of their lives. He passed away suddenly in Western Australia and is survived by his wife, Stephanie. Simon’s stepfather and fellow OA, Peter Cook, has contributed significantly to this obituary. Simon Edward John Green (1978-82) 29.11.1966 – 31.01.2012
Alan Ray Hacker (1950-55) 30.09.1938 – 16.04.2012
Alan Hacker was born into a musical family in Dorking, Surrey, in 1938, the elder of two sons of Kenneth and Sybil Hacker. His father was a headmaster
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