Obituary for Loretto O’Callaghan
3 February 2012
Loretto O’Callaghan, former Disabilities Officer, died on 4 December 2011. Emeritus Professor Rees Rawlings (Educational Quality Office) pays tribute:
“Loretto was born in March 1944 at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. She came to London aged 18, where she worked in PR and publishing, before joining the College in 1988 as a Student Accommodation Officer. Her role was to administer the allocation of students to halls of residence. Over time, however, she became more and more involved with students with disabilities, and this was acknowledged by her appointment, in December 2001, as the College’s first Disabilities Officer, a post she held until her retirement in December 2007.
Loretto was always willing to go into battle on behalf of deserving students and took every opportunity to promote awareness of disabilities through formal and informal discussions with both staff and students. She gained respect and confidence from both staff and students, which was essential for the development of her role.
From the late 1960s she lived in Queen’s Club Gardens, where she remained for the rest of her life. It was here that she met her constant companion, Christopher. Her diligence and hospitable nature led to many calls on her time and she worked hard for More House, the Roman Catholic Chaplaincy for Imperial, and the Queen’s Club Gardens Residents’ Association.
Loretto will be greatly missed by all those who knew her.”
Tags: Obituary
Posted in College, Students, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
3 Responses to “Obituary for Loretto O’Callaghan”
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Kevin Cope says:
This is very sad news.
Lorretto was a wonderful individual who was a tireless champion for Imperial staff and students, a stalwart of the College and admired colleague
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Eduardo Aguilar Pelaez says:
This is very sad.
Loretto was a wonderful person and was always willing to help students. She was the go to person when any students had problems and she would always do her best to help them, this is a great loss.Eduardo
Subwarden at Beit Hall (2006-09) -
Brian Hill-Samuel says:
February 18th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
I was saddened to learn about Loretto’s passing in the Reporter
Loretto was passionate and vociferous in the promotion of disability issues in the Sherfield Building and elsewhere at Imperial. I gained invaluable experience from Loretto, which has served me well in my current post retirement role as Facilities Manager and Health and Safety Officer at the Medical FoundationBrian Hill-Samuel
Campus and Environmental Manager
Sherfield Building
1998-2003
