Ceri Peach (1939 – 2018)

St Catherine’s College is deeply saddened to share the news that Professor Ceri Peach, Emeritus Fellow, passed away on 2nd October, aged 78.

Born in Bridgend, Wales in 1939, Ceri first came up to Oxford in 1958 to read Geography at Merton. After completing his DPhil at Brasenose in 1964, he began to lecture at Merton College, before being appointed to a Lectureship at St Catherine’s College. Ceri was a Tutorial Fellow in Geography from 1969-2007, and alongside that role undertook many other positions in College, including Domestic Bursar, Senior Tutor, Finance Bursar and Acting Master in 1993-94.

During his time at St Catz, the number of undergraduate geographers accepted by the college increased from 4 each year to between 10 and 12. His main field of research was migration, and the segregation of minority ethnic and religious groups in Britain, America and Western Europe, and outside of his research, he always maintained a keen interest in Catz rowing. On his retirement in 2007, he was elected to an Emeritus Fellowship at St Catz, and in 2016 was awarded a Doctorate of Letters by the University of Oxford, one of the highest academic honours that the University may confer, in recognition of the outstanding contribution he made to academia throughout his career.

Ceri was well loved by his students and colleagues alike. He made a significant contribution to the College, the University and the wider community, and will be deeply missed. We have been touched to read the many heartfelt messages offered by his former students; to add your own, please fill in the form below.

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