University College Oxford Record 2020

a much broader range of interests than that.”
However, he had his ways: Peter noted that “A
boy said that he stopped him running in the
corridor by sticking out his leg at right angles.”
But his friends and family would all agree
with Peter that Michael “left his mark, and East
Grinstead, the town that he loved, is richer
for his contributions, if poorer today for his
final departure.”
[The Editor is very grateful to Michael’s sister
Evelyn Corrall, and to Caroline Metcalfe and
Peter Freeland, for their kind help in preparing
this obituary.]
DAVID EDWARD
ALBAN MORRIS
(Shrewsbury) died on 16 August
2019 aged 83. David’s son William
has kindly sent us this tribute:
The second of four children
– Michael, David, Rosemary and
John – David was accepted into
Shrewsbury school on a scholarship
in 1949. From the start he set his sights
on Oxford University to read Classics, “Mods
and Greats”. He was eventually awarded an open
scholarship to Univ, joining his older brother
Michael at the college, with John following later.
In 1954 he was called up for National Service
in the Army, but having contracted TB and
undergone a major operation, did not finish his
two years there. In September 1956 he went
up to Oxford and elected to read PPE, changing
from Classics. He made some very close friends
there with whom he continued to keep in touch
throughout his life. They formed what they called
the Squirrel Club, principally a social club but
also a means to discuss the economics of the
day. He also attended The Chalet in Switzerland,
a summer study trip which had been instituted
for potential Firsts in “Greats”. At Univ his friends
used to know him as DEAM, a nom de plume,
and one which stuck throughout his life, both
with them and with others. In Finals in 1959 he
achieved a First and then joined Peats, Marwick
Mitchell as an articled clerk in August of that year,
qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1962.
His progress at Peats was rapid. He became
a manager of a department of some 40 people
in 1967, and then a partner in 1972. In 1980 he
was appointed to head up the firm’s Consultancy
practice. A colleague of David’s at Peats writes
of his abilities thus: “confident of
his intellectual superiority, he was
intolerant of poor quality and wrong
decisions but conveyed his views
firmly, always with charm, courtesy,
diplomacy and humour”. However, he
was also a very private man and did
not display his abilities on his sleeve.
He then decided to change course in
1993, leaving what became KPMG, and was
appointed the Finance Director of P&O where
he remained until he retired. Other notable
responsibilities before retirement were his role
in helping to set up the Saïd Business School in
Oxford, and the position of Chairman of the
Audit Committee for the Wellcome Trust.
He, his wife Moira, and sons William and
Richard enjoyed many happy years in Wimbledon
where amongst other things he was involved in
the Wimbledon Museum and with the local
Residents’ Association. For pastimes, he read
widely and used to do the crossword every day. A
hobby of his in earlier times was sailing, and many
happy days were spent with his family and close
friends on his boat “Bunyip” on the Solent. Later,
wood carving became a great interest. He had a
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