On Wednesday we said farewell to my friend Professor Norman McCord. He had passed away in October and his funeral was the occasion for some of the lecturers from my day as an undergraduate and postgraduate at Newcastle University to meet up. It was good to see them again. Norman had been one of my lecturers but also my mentor when I was working on my PhD thesis back in the late 80s and early 90s. Much to my surprise, I was given a mention in the eulogy as a former student who kept in touch with Norman.
Norman discovered the Roman fort at Washingwell, Whickham in 1970. All that is left are the crop marks but the site at least could be viewed from my bedroom window of my childhood home. I had been working on a piece of research about the fort which I planned to complete this year. Alas, 4 election campaigns kept me occupied with the result the completion of the work will now be next year, meaning Norman cannot get to see it. At least I was able to meet up with him at his house in Cullercoats in 2022 to discuss the project.
So thank you Norman for all the help and advice over the years. Farewell my friend.