In Memoriam
The University of Adelaide is proud to have played a role in the lives of our alumni, and we are grateful for their professional contributions. It is with deepest condolences to their families, friends and colleagues that we pay tribute to their lives.
Emeritus Professor John Robin Warren AC
1937-2024
M B B S 1961
Emeritus Professor Warren was a respected pathologist whose work changed lives. He is credited with the 1979 re-discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, and worked with Professor Barry J. Marshall to demonstrate the significance of the bacteria, proving it was the cause of stomach ulcers and helping to develop a diagnostic test. This work earned the pair the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005. In 1996, Prof Warren was the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University, and in 2006 was presented an Honorary Doctorate. He was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia in 2007.
Emeritus Professor Robert (Bob) Seamark
Passed away 31st May 2023
B Ag Sc 1959
Bob was both an alum and long-serving staff member at the University of Adelaide. Graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in 1959, he then obtained a PhD in Medicine from the University of Cambridge.
Bob returned to the University as a foundation lecturer in the Department of Animal Physiology at the Waite Institute (1964-1969), then as Senior Lecturer / Reader in Endocrinology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (1969-1995). In 2016, Bob was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine (honoris causa).
Professor Edwin Malcolm Symonds
1934-2023
MBBS (1958) MD (1970)
Professor Malcolm Symonds graduated MBBS from the University of Adelaide in 1958. He trained in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Australia and the UK. He was Clinical Senior Lecturer & Reader at UoA before being appointed to the Foundation chair of O&G in Nottingham, UK in 1972 where he worked until his retirement in 1997. He was made an honorary fellow of the RANZCOG in 1998 and a visiting Professor at Adelaide in 2002.
Beryl Kimber OBE
Passed away 25 November 2022
Alongside her late husband, Clemens Leske, Beryl Kimber was a much-loved figure at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, where she served as Associate Professor of Violin from 1964 until 1998. Beryl was an instrumental figure at the Elder Conservatorium, attracting the most gifted young violinists from around the country. She had extraordinary talent as both a musician and educator.
Professor Elizabeth Grant
1963-2022
B Arch St and Grad Dip Env St (1999), M Env St (2002), PhD (Arch) (2008)
Professor Elizabeth Grant was a leading architectural anthropologist, criminologist and esteemed academic, who evoked change through her research and design work in Indigenous architecture and placemaking. Professor Grant was a valued alumna and was a former Senior Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide.
Emeritus Professor George Rogers AO
1927-2021
Ph D (1963), D Sc (1978)
Emeritus Professor George Rogers joined the Department of Biochemistry at the University in 1963, as a reader, before being promoted to Professor. Professor Rogers served as Department Head from 1988 to 1992, and in 1992 became an Emeritus Professor of the University of Adelaide.
If there are additional alumni who have passed away in the last few years who should be recognised here, please submit the name of an alum to this list or contact us at alumni@adelaide.edu.au.