Tom Carbery

Tom Carbery was proud of his Irish roots, his Catholic faith, his family and his

friends.

Born on a kitchen table into an Irish family in the Gorbals, Tom won a bursary

scholarship from St. Francis Primary School to St. Aloysius College when aged 11,

leaving school five years later to join Glasgow Corporation as a Clerk. In 1943 he

volunteered for service in the Royal Air Force and spent a year in South Africa

training to be a navigator before the increased survival rates among bomber

command crews resulted in him being reclassified as a Meteorologist. He served

at four RAF stations, including RAF Kinloss.

After demobilisation in 1947, he joined the Ministry of Labour as a Clerical Officer

and there met Ellen Donnelly whom he married in 1954. The family moved from

Govanhill to Kings Park, where they raised their three children: Anne, Moira and

Tom.

Whilst in full-time employment, Tom began a sustained period of studying.

Initially he gained a Diploma in Public Administration, in 1952. He gained a B.Sc

Honours in Economics from London University, followed by a M.Sc and then a

Ph.D from the same establishment with his doctoral dissertation being on the

British Cooperative movement.

He began teaching part-time in 1956 at the Scottish College of Commerce (SCC),

and became a full-time lecturer in Economics & Politics in 1961, and Senior

Lecturer in 1963. He was involved in the earliest days of Strathclyde University

(when SCC merged with The Royal College of Science & Technology in 1964),

and progressed from Lecturer through to Head of Department and was awarded

a Professorship in 1979. He served on both the University's Senate and Court.

For over 20 years he was Adviser and External Examiner to the Universities of

Cork and Galway and Academic Governor at Richmond College, The American

International University, London. Credited with being one of the first to discern

and write about the Americanisation of British politics, this created an invitation

in the 60's to take part in the Salzburg Seminar on American Studies, which was

an activity he relished. An inspirational teacher, many of his students became

life-long friends and regularly sought advice from him on their employment

careers and their development. Indeed, several went on to become lecturers

themselves.

Involved in the Co-operative movement from the age of 14, he became an active

member of the Labour Party at 19 and went on to be a lecturer at many Co-op

College and STUC Summer Schools. His support for the Labour movement led to

his involvement in many electoral campaigns, often resulting in newly elected

candidates going on to become cabinet ministers as well as remaining family

friends. Many of the public and charitable bodies on which he served existed to

combat inequality. A recently as 2014 he was working with Energy Action

Scotland to tackle fuel poverty.

Renowned for his quick wit, Tom brought a sense of humour and incisiveness to

the many public bodies on which he served. Reflecting his wide variety of

interests these ranged from The Scottish Legal Aid Board to The Press Council

and Royal Commission on Gambling. He served on the Independent Broadcasting

Authority from 1970 to 1979 and in 1983 he was awarded an aBE for services to

Broadcasting. Other appointments included: Member, Board of Governors, Notre

Dame College, Glasgow; Chairman, Housing Appeals Tribunal Glasgow City

Council; Member, Scottish Legal Aid Board; Arbitrator, Advisory Conciliation &

Arbitration Services (ACAS); Member, Broadcasting Complaints Commission;

Member then Vice-Chairman, Scottish Consumer Council; Chairman, Transport

Users Consultative Committee (Scotland)

When Tom retired in 1990 he was awarded the title "Emeritus" from Strathclyde

University, but retirement created the opportunity to engage with a wider

spectrum of organisations. Always striving to give something back to those who

had enhanced his development in the past, he was particularly delighted to be

appointed onto the Board of Governors of St. Aloysius College. Additional

appointments included: Chairman, Academic Advisory Board of Studies, Institute

of Counselling, Glasgow; Ombudsman, Mirror Group Newspapers (Scottish Daily

Record & Sunday Mail); and Chairman, Board of Academic Governors, Huron

University USA, London - who awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Business

Administration in 2007

Throughout his life Tom used his God-given talents for the benefit of others

receiving the Lord Provost's Medal for Service to The City of Glasgow in 1996.

His participation and lor chairmanship of religious committees over many years

came from his commitment to ecumenical and interdenominational affairs. He

counted many Church of Scotland ministers amongst his friends, and was a

member of Religious Advisory Committee, Scottish Television PIc. In recognition

of his contribution to the Catholic Church in Scotland, he was honoured by a

Papal Knighthood in 1996.

A natural storyteller, he was never happier than when relating some anecdote

from his political, academic or personal life to an audience. Indeed, Baroness

Liddell, in choosing Tom as one of her ideal dinner-guests, described him as the

best raconteur in Scotland. He developed this skill further by compiling his

anecdotes into a series of short stories while in his mid-80's. To date two books

have been published and the third of which will be published posthumously.

Whether it was watching football, on holiday in Puerto Pollenca, or on trips to his

beloved Largs, Tom thrived in the company of others and very much valued their

friendship and camaraderie. He was an inspiring teacher, loyal friend, devoted

husband, loving father and grandfather.