Fred Holliday (marine biologist)

Holliday was born on 22 September 1935 on a council estate in Rubery, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England.^[1] His father, Alfred Holliday, was a technologist at a glass factory that was involved in developing bulletproof glass for the British military during World War II, and his mother, Margaret Holliday, was a cook.^[2][3] He was educated at Bromsgrove County High School, then a grammar school in Bromsgrove.^[1][4] His interest in science was developed as a child: he would "prick the fingers of his sister, Myrtle, and examine her blood under his microscope kit", and his mother once found a "decomposing snake under his bed".^[1][3]

A teacher at Holliday's school encouraged him to study biology at university rather than English literature which he had also been considering.^[4] He had been offered a place at the University of Cambridge but turned it down.^[3] He instead attended the University of Sheffield where he could study under Sir Hans Krebs, a Nobel Prize-winner.^[1] He graduated in 1956 with a first class Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in zoology.^[2]

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Early career

Following his undergraduate degree, Holliday undertook his National Service between 1956 and 1958.^[2] This was spent on defence vessels and at the Marine Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Scotland.^[4][3] In 1958, he joined the civil service having been appointed a scientific officer at the Marine Research Laboratory.^[4][1][2] He worked there for the next three years before moving into academia.^[4]

Academic career

In 1961, Holliday joined the University of Aberdeen as a lecturer in zoology.^[2] In 1967, he joined the newly created University of Stirling as Professor of Biology.^[1] He served as Deputy Principal of the university in 1972, and was its Acting Principal from 1973 to 1975;^[2] this made him the youngest head of a British university.^[4] In 1975, he returned to the University of Aberdeen where he had been appointed Professor of Zoology.^[4][2] However, he soon left Aberdeen for an academic administration position as "the executive bug had taken hold".^[1]

In 1980, Holliday became Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University.^[2] During his time as its head, he expanded Durham University through the building of the Queen's Campus in Stockton-on-Tees;^[4] this would later expand further and now consists of two colleges (John Snow College, Durham and Stephenson College, Durham).^[1] In 1990, he stepped down and retired from academia, being succeeded as Vice-Chancellor and Warden by Evelyn Ebsworth.^[2]

Later career

Having retired from academia in 1990, Holliday joined the Joint Nature Conservation Committee as its chairman; this is a public body that advises the UK Government on nature conservation.^[1] He resigned from the committee in 1991, in protest over the government's "failure to consult the committee before introducing the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act".^[3] This act created the Scottish Natural Heritage but also allowed land-owners to appeal against the creation of a Site of Special Scientific Interest.^[1]

Holliday joined the board of directors of Northumbrian Water in 1991.^[2] He was elected its chairman in 1993.^[1] During his leadership, he expanded company's coverage until it provided water for the North East of England.^[3] It was also a period of upheaval with the company being bought by Lyonnaise des Eaux, a French company which later merged with another to become Suez; Northumbrian Water was sold in 2003, becoming once more British owned.^[4][1] He stepped down as chairman in 2006.^[2]

He was President of the Freshwater Biological Association from 1995 to 2002 when they were renegotiating their relationship with the Natural Environment Research Council.^[5]

At the age of 75, Holliday developed Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.^[3] He spent the rest of his life in retirement; growing vegetables, reading a large number of books (including Gibbon's lengthy The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire), and rediscovering his interest in histology (including analysing samples of his blood).^[1][6] He had developed cancer twice in his last few years.^[7]

Holliday died on 5 September 2016, a few weeks short of his 81st birthday, at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.^[4][8] He had had a stroke.^[7] On 14 September 2016, his funeral was held at William Black Funeral Director's in Brechin, Angus, Scotland, and he was interred at Parkgrove Crematorium, Friockheim near Brechin.^[8][9]

Holliday met his wife Philippa when they both worked at the Marine Research Laboratory in Scotland.^[4] They married in 1957, and had two children together.^[2] His daughter Helen is a veterinarian and his son Richard is an engineer.^[1] Lady Holliday died in December 2024.^[10]

In 1971, Holliday was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE).^[2] In the 1975 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his service as Acting Principal of the University of Stirling.^[11] On 23 May 1985, he was made a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the Lord Lieutenant of Durham.^[12] In the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor, and therefore granted the title sir, in recognition of his service as Vice-Chancellor and Warden of the University of Durham.^[13] He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace on 25 July 1990.^[14]