Dr J Terry Pearson CChem MRSC

Dr Terry Pearson was a leading light in the growth of the University of Huddersfield Chemistry Department helping to transform Huddersfield College of Technology to the Polytechnic and then the University. He was also a leader of the local section of the Royal Society of Chemistry, both regionally and nationally.

Terry was born in 1935 in Manchester and brought up in Glossop and Shirebrook in Derbyshire. His passion for football grew by being a team mate of Ray Wilson in Shirebrook. He attended St. Bede's School in Manchester and Queen Elizabeth's in Mansfield. On leaving School he worked for the National Coal Board in Cheltenham as a Junior Scientist while also studying A levels, Ordinary National Certificate and Advanced National Certificate. Terry was awarded a Coal Board Scholarship to study for a degree in Chemistry at Cardiff University where he was awarded a BSc Hons in 1959. He stayed in Cardiff to undertake research in Physical Chemistry and gained a PhD in 1962.

Terry and Jo met in Cardiff and were married in 1962. They then moved to the USA where Terry was a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Whilst here he was a consultant at the Camille Dreyfus (the inventor of celanese) Laboratory investigating polymer chemistry. Also there he became a sports pioneer launching the first soccer squad at Durham Boy's club.

In 1964 the couple moved to Huddersfield where Terry was appointed as a Lecturer then Senior Lecturer in physical chemistry in the former Huddersfield College of Technology. Chemistry was the only course at Huddersfield approved by the government for which an increased student grant applied. It is possible that had it not been for the prestige of chemistry at Huddersfield at this time that the college would not have been considered as a centre suitable for higher education. In order for Colleges to continue to offer degree courses, the Government had formed a new validating body, the National Council for Technological Awards (NCTA) to approve sandwich courses for the BTec degree. In 1958 only Chemical Technology and Dyeing were approved for this new degree at Huddersfield. The only Diploma in Technology (DipTech) course approved in Huddersfield was Chemistry. On formation of the Polytechnic Terry became a Principal Lecturer and Head of Physical Chemistry until his retirement in 1995. Such was the esteem in which he was held that Terry was a BTEC Moderator for Higher National courses in Pure and Applied Sciences in 12 different colleges over a period of a decade. Terry's expertise was in chromatography and thermal analysis, areas in which he supervised numerous PhD students.

He was active at the national level through the RSC, being a member of various review panels. Terry was the treasurer of the Huddersfield Section of the RSC from 2002 until 2016. Although retired, Terry continued to be an active supporter of the RSC regionally and nationally.

Terry was heavily involved with promoting Huddersfield as a place of study for overseas students, mainly from Asia and Africa, and more recently from Europe and Indonesia through his role as Higher National Diploma course leader. In the 1990's he undertook two trips to Nigeria with the British Council helping to develop university courses and building Chemical Engineering Laboratories.

Terry and Jo have two children, Andrew and Gareth, and 4 grandchildren. With his two sons they were regular supporters of Huddersfield Town games and he was a season ticket holder from 2006. Terry was committed to supporting local organisations, particularly through fund-raising, for example, for The Friends of Holme Valley Hospital  He was chairman of the PTA of Holmfirth High School, where he was also a Governor. With Jo he volunteered at Lindley Library and was a keen supporter of Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis.