Announcements - births, deaths, marriages
Please send details of births, deaths and marriages to announcements@the-actuary.org.uk
Sri Ramaswamy (1916-2007)
Born in 1916, Sri Ramaswamy, MA, AIA, LLB, FASI, IRS, passed his BA Hons degree in Mathematics from Madras University. He ranked fi rst in Pure and Applied Mathematics in the examination and was awarded the prestigious gold medal as well as the book prize for scoring the highest marks in Madras Presidency. He was awarded an MA degree and qualifi ed as associate of the Institute of Actuaries in 1945, later becoming a fellow of the Actuarial Society of India in 1987.
He started his career with the offi ce of the Controller of Insurance. After serving for fi ve years he was transferred to the Indian Revenue Service as income tax offi cer. His grasp of tricky legal matters was legendary and he had a successful stint as the departmental representative before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. He retired from the service in 1974 as commissioner of income tax, Calcutta.
He was a keen chess player, winning several tournaments including the Mandi Chess tournament at Simla. He had a great thirst for knowledge, never stopping learning until his last moment. He started studying law just before his retirement and qualifi ed as an advocate in 1973.
Since 1980, he was mainly practicing as an actuary, performing actuarial valuations for enterprises and funds. He moved to Kochi in the 1980s to be with his close family but continued to be professionally active. In July 2001 he submitted an award-winning paper entitled Employee Retirement Benefi ts in India to the fi fth annual conference of the Asia Pacifi c Risk and Insurance Association held at Bangalore.
Sri Ramaswamy was one of the earliest members of his generation to use computers. In the 1970s he developed a Cobol program to process actuarial valuation cases, using the facilities at the Regional Computer Centre, Calcutta. From home he serviced clients across the country, using the computer and internet. He was simple and unassuming, quick to forgive others’ faults and able to give charitable interpretations to their motives. With such an attitude, it is no wonder he enjoyed an inner peace until the last. Sri Ramaswamy passed away peacefully on 15 August 2007 at the age of 91. He is survived by three sons and four daughters.
(reproduced with editing from The Actuary India)
John Young (1915-2007)
John Young was born in Lasswade, Scotland, and qualifi ed as a fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries in 1938. John joined the Scottish Widows Fund on leaving school in 1932, spending his working life there until he retired in 1977.
He served the Faculty of Actuaries in many ways. He was a tutor and then an examiner between 1953 and 1965 and chairman of the Board of Examiners between 1961 and 1965. He served for 19 years in three spells on the Faculty Council, including one as president from 1971 to 1973. John also wrote an actuarial textbook with HF Fisher, Actuarial Practice of Life Assurance, published in 1965 by Cambridge University Press.
Outside the profession his interests were his family and the church. As well as being an elder, for 10 years he was the treasurer of Greenbank Parish Church, Edinburgh. He was a member of the General Finance Committee of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for many years, including four as its convenor.
John loved travel. After qualifying he went walking and cycling in the Black Forest in August and September 1938, following that trip with another down the River Danube in 1939 with his friend, fellow actuary Denys Hall Todd, who provided a home-made canoe. Not surprisingly, two young Brits making such a trip looked rather suspicious and they were held for questioning by the Gestapo. Fortunately they were not detained, completing their trip to Budapest.
World War II broke out shortly after their return and John joined the Army, serving in the Royal Artillery and attaining the rank of major. Most of his service was spent in Liverpool. Using his mathematical expertise he made the city’s resources more effective in defending the port against air raids.
When ill health meant that John had to move into a Colinton Nursing Home a few years ago, the family home was sold. Among his possessions was a landscape, Cornfi eld, Sandy Dean by William McTaggart, which he presented to the National Galleries of Scotland.
John married Margaret (Margo) H Watson in December 1939. Margo died in 1999. John is survived by the couple’s three daughters.
Eric Robertson
Appreciation: Bernard Fison (1931-2007)
Bernard and I met as post-war generation actuarial students. Two half-days off a week were spent at the Institute reading the ATS notes, as well as attendance at four discussion classes prior to the exam discovering the brilliant two or three that answered all the questions correctly. One of these was Bernard.
Bernard predated my time with Clifford Hymans, an unsung hero of the profession. By the time I joined, Bernard had already left to join the team that made Phillips and Drew the force it later became. Bernard’s prowess enabled him to help develop sophisticated techniques for maximising returns in the then vitally important market of gilt-edged securities for pension funds. He graced Council for six years and endowed a number of Institute committees with his talents. His profession meant a great deal to him and I recall him being totally overwhelmed by his election to the Actuaries Club.
Another facet of his talents emerged when he took over sole responsibility for the entertainments at the annual Students’ Society supper (‘Cinderfella’, ‘Noilamgyp’ to name just two). It was during these ‘send-ups’ of the profession that I got to know Bernard best, and the performances will not be forgotten. As well as exhibiting the creative side of Bernard’s nature they gave striking evidence of his leadership. On one occasion, the sound effects machine failed and we were all for calling off the show. Bernard simply said ‘the show must go on’, and it turned out to be the funniest of our performances.
Bernard was the first to admit his good fortune when Phillips and Drew was bought out at the top of the ‘big bang’ market, enabling him to pursue more amenable activities. He decided he wanted to sail, an activity he mastered in two years, culminating in a round-the-world trip in his boat, with his son Peter as sole crew.
In later years, Bernard moved to Boot, in Cumbria, where he became involved with the local parish as treasurer, and latterly as a church warden. He also became committed to charity work for the poor and elderly in Sri Lanka, after receiving much warm hospitality there during his voyage. There is no doubt that he is irreplaceable.
Norman Freethy
Deaths
Bernard Hayden Fison died on 10 October 2007, aged 76. He became a fellow of the Institute in 1957.
Barry Campbell Griffi ths died on 28 November 2007, aged 75. He became a fellow of the Institute in 1963.
John Young died on 12 December 2007, aged 92. He became a fellow of the Faculty in 1938.
Terence John O’Donnell died on 31 August 2007, aged 63. He became a fellow of the Institute in 1975.
Sekharipuram Vekateswarier Ramaswamy died on 15 August 2007, aged 91. He became an associate of the Institute in 1945.
Robert Lorne Thomas died on 25 December 2007, aged 62. He became a fellow of the Institute in 1970.
Births
On 21 October 2007 to Shirley Cunningham (Darwin Rhodes) and Michael Cunningham, a girl, Grace Ella Cunningham.
On 13 October 2007 to Christopher Reynolds (AXA) and his wife Elizabeth Reynolds, a boy, Owain Jac Reynolds.
Please send details of births, deaths and marriages to announcements@the-actuary.org.uk
