I read with profound sadness of Tom Reilly’s death. I received a number of emails yesterday following Tim Cable’s message on the Liverpool John Moores’ website. The text of Tim’ message about Tom is:
He was a very private man who was universally respected and admired by all. He was a deeply compassionate and loyal man, profoundly interested in the development of others before himself. His intellectual powers knew no boundaries, providing deep insights into the worlds of philosophy, literature and the use of English language. But, outside his family, his passions were science (particularly kinanthropometry – on which he completed writing a textbook in the last week!), Everton, Everton, Football in general (many codes but mainly the round ball shape) and Ireland. He was a voracious reader and writer and his motivation and dedication to acquire and disseminate knowledge appeared endless.
He applied his bountiful energy in the realm of academic leadership, both within and outside this institution. He was the first ever Professor of Sports Science in the UK, and helped forge the rich heritage of sport and exercise scientific study at Liverpool Polytechnic, LJMU and beyond. As his reputation of excellence grew, his influence extended nationally and internationally, leading many initiatives and effecting change in policy and practice in many esteemed organisations. Perhaps the most profound legacy has been his mentoring of staff and postgraduate students (his self-titled “Liverpool Mafia”) that now exert significant ripples of influence across all walks of society, but particularly within HE. In this way, over the years, he has been responsible for germinating the seeds of our young discipline.
But despite these powerful academic credentials, Tom will remain in my mind as a very warm, intensely caring and very humorous individual, whose eye always had a twinkle.
Tim’s final sentence is my memory too … particularly the ‘twinkle’. My last opportunity to spend some time with Tom was in May 2005 at a conference in Hvar. We had some time to walk and talk on a beautiful evening at the end of the conference. Our conversation started with a discussion of the Everton teams of the late 1950s and 1960s. I had gone to Everton games during this period with my cousins and marvelled at the ability of Gordon West, Alex Parker, Ali McGowan, Brian Labone, Tony Kay, Brian Harris, Jimmy Gabriel, Howard Kendall, Colin Harvey, Alan Ball, Bobby Collins, Dennis Stevens, Johnny Morrisey, Derek Temple and Roy Vernon. Tom recalled all these players too, had a story about each of them and we had the most wonderful discussion filled with laughter. (I told Tom that many years later as my career in performance analysis started I read his PhD and synesthesia took over recalling those days. That night in Hvar we even got round to discussing the prodigious throwing skills of the lady who threw toffees into the crowd at Goodison Park.)
On our walk back to the conference hotel I asked Tom to consider writing about his remarkable career. My interest has always been in qualitative research and I thought Tom’s story would be a wonderful biography to share. He and I had paths that crossed without knowing including his time at St Mary’s College and his work with Vaughan Thomas. A THE article in 1997 had captured briefly some of his early work but there was much much more to share. My point to Tom was that his wonderful insights would help a new generation of students locate their practice in his synoptic vision. I encouraged him to consider this phase of his career as a time for synthesis. I had hoped that by the time we got back to the hotel I had persuaded him. His parting word was ‘Maybe’ as left with the twinkle in the eye that Tim recalls so poignantly.
There will be many celebrations of Tom’s life and career. He touched and inspired many many people and was one of those unique men who are able to define and transform a generation.
