Bob retires after 41 years at the University

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Bob Arkell

Bob Arkell from the Agriculture and Food Investigation Team (AFIT) in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, retired after over 41 years service at the University recently.

Bob began work as a clerical assistant in the former Department of Agricultural Economics in May 1970 and was, on his last day at work, the fifteenth longest serving member of staff at the University. 

He joined the dedicated farms survey team in May 1971 and was steered towards computer programming by the influential figure of the late Harold Casey.

With the demise of main frame computing in the 1980's he was guided by emeritus Professor Tony Giles OBE towards the data analysis and fieldwork aspects of the Defra farms survey commissioned work programme.

Since 1995 Bob was a Research Officer in AFIT involved with Reading's share of the annual Farm Business Survey in England.

Bob celebrated the occasion of his last day at work with a lunch party at a local pub with his colleagues who wished him a long and happy retirement.