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DAVID'S ENERGY AND COMMITMENT TO THE CAUSE CREATED NOT ONLY A FLOW OF NEWLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS BUT ALSO A SERIES OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES THAT DID MUCH TO INFORM AND SUPPORT ECONOMICS TEACHERS IN THE UK, EUROPE AND BEYOND
David Whitehead died on January 14, aged 58. He had been ill with cancer for several years. Typically, when he learned of his own condition, he phoned his friends and acquaintances and urged them to take good care of themselves and make sure that they were checked out regularly.
In the 1970s and 1980s in particular, when economics education in the UK was thriving in 0 level and A level classes (and their equivalents) the length and breadth of Britain, David was in the vanguard of educationalists who were actively supporting its growth and development.
As Senior Lecturer in Education (Economics) at London University's Institute of Education, David's energy and commitment to the cause created not only a flow of enthusiastic, well-trained newly qualified teachers but also a series of books, and many articles, that did much to inform and support economics teachers in the UK, Europe, and beyond.
The EBEA was just one of many vehicles that he deployed for campaigning and evangelising.
He was particularly successful at finding ways and means of promoting ideas in print; his Handbooks for Economics Teachers were best-sellers.
David was a man of intellect.
In areas of life that really mattered to him (and there were many of those) he had his position thought through, and was well able to articulate it. He believed in the power of argument, and many people can testify to his readiness to engage in debate. His innate courtesy more or less guaranteed one a hearing. Finding and harnessing the arguments to shift his stance or dent his conviction always remained something of a challenge.
His former students well recall David during his many years in teacher-training. Celia Flynn tells of his 'enthusiasm, his generosity with his time, and his caring concern'. Des Monk recalls how well organised David was, and has fond memories of David's sense of humour, and particularly of the absurd. Jenny...