Obituaries
year. In no time at all, he established himself as an outgoing, talented and mature young man, whose peers were as drawn to his gregarious personality as they were unsettled by his fierce intellect. He was the sort of boy who was a joy to teach; he was academically curious and engaged; prepared to ask perceptive and intelligent questions at the same time as listening to others; receptive to advice and therefore eager to improve; conscientious, motivated, reliable, amongst other attributes. Although Saagar excelled across all subjects, confirmed by his near-straight A*s at GCSE, he was a linguist at heart and decided to study both French and German, along with Maths, to A level. He was keen to put his language skills into practice, and went on the whole range of overseas school trips, including Vic-sur-Cere and Montpellier in France, the Christmas markets in Nuremberg, the German Exchange in Tubingen, and the Italian trip to Florence. Saagar’s rich contribution to College life was not restricted to the academic sphere though. A strong cricketer, he was an effective strike bowler who was praised by his under-15 coach for his ‘top notch work ethic’, as well as his unwavering commitment to the team. He was also a valued member of College badminton teams, playing up to under-19 level, and played hockey and competed at athletics for his house, Marlowe. He was duly awarded Half and then Full Colours in recognition of his wide-ranging contributions. During his time at the College, Saagar showed a sincere commitment to service. In Year 11, he was part of the Community Service programme at Turney School, where he would support pupils with special educational needs on a weekly basis by helping them with their reading and by playing games with them. But the clearest sign of his altruism was his commitment to the Buwembe School in Uganda. The two Rock Alive concerts organised by Saagar and his friends were hugely enjoyable, raised £4,000 for charity, and included Saagar playing drums. Given his energy and desire to help others, it came as no surprise that he decided to go to Uganda to visit the school, to which he had already given so much, in the summer after his A levels in order to continue his work. After leaving Dulwich, he went to Durham University but, sadly, died only two years later in October 2014. During his six years at Dulwich, Saagar fully embraced College life and achieved a great deal: his energy was relentless, his commitment steadfast, and his laughter ever-present. He was a true all-rounder, who inspired those around him: academically gifted, a talented sportsman, committed to charity work, and a superb musician. Engaging, independent, outgoing, and with a strong moral sense, he will be deeply missed by this community. This obituary is based on a eulogy by Elliot Read, the Deputy Head of the Upper School.
George Terence O’Connell (1952-60) 27.06.1941 – 28.08.2014
Terry O’Connell came to Dulwich with an LCC Scholarship from Brunswick Park School in Camberwell. He was in Sidney and distinguished himself during his time at the College, both academically and on the sports field. He was a school prefect,
House Captain of Sidney, and played for the 1st XV in his final year. After leaving Dulwich, he had won an open exhibition to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied geography. Terry enjoyed life at Cambridge to the full, winning the David Richards Travel Scholarship in 1961, and also returning to London to play as a centre for the OA 1st XV, at this time. He eventually played 176 matches for the OAs, winning an honours cap in the 1964/65 season. After graduating from Cambridge in 1963, Terry initially worked for English Electric, but some years later he moved to BIS Applied Systems, who soon sent him to Peru to re-organise the Peruvian textile industry. After three years living as an expat young family in Peru, they returned to the UK where Terry’s international career with BIS continued. By the early 1980s, he was the Managing Director of BIS and spending a lot of time in Northern Ireland establishing a microchip factory, a project which resulted in the firm winning the Queen’s Award for Industry. By the late 1980s Terry had finally left BIS and became co-owner of Ainsworth & Associates Consulting with his friend, Alan Ainsworth. After marrying his childhood sweetheart, Lesley, in 1964, a daughter, Helen and son, John duly followed. This was the extent of the family which spent three years in Peru, but they had all returned to London before another daughter, Elizabeth appeared. Lesley’s untimely death in 1982 from an embolism came as a bitter blow and Terry was faced with bringing up three children, aged 14, 12 and 9, alone. But in characteristic style, and with help from his sister, Marguerite, he coped magnificently. At the end of the 1980s, a second son, Nicholas, was born to Terry and Maureen. Terry became increasingly interested in the environment and for the last six or seven years of his life he was a director of the Global Commons Institute, a highly influential think tank that campaigns on the issues of climate change. He died after a short illness, but took much pleasure from the fact that the protracted purchase of a new home meant that he spent the six months before he became ill living with his eldest daughter, Helen, her husband and his teenage grandchildren, and with his younger daughter, Elizabeth, living on the opposite side of the road.
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