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Tribute to ‘a man of many parts’
WHAT should have been an 80th birthday celebration for Sir Alan Goodison turned into a lively and at times poignant commemoration of his life on Friday.
Friends and family of the former British Ambassador to Ireland, who died in June, packed Hampstead Parish Church in Church Row for the two-hour show.
Sir Alan, who retired from diplomatic life in 1986, had been a popular and sometimes controversial lay preacher at the church where he devoted much of his time following the death of his wife Rosemary in 1994.
Friends, who had planned an 80th birthday celebration called A Song for Sir Alan, instead put together a moving tribute, encompassing many of his favourite themes, to celebrate his life.
Interspersed with the readings – from Shakespeare, Noel Coward and Scott Fitzgerald amongst others – were performed pieces from Sir Alan’s beloved opera, including Mozart and Handel.
Friend and parishioner Doris Asher who organised the show said: “He was a man of many parts. He was a scholar, a linguist, he had great taste in clothes, he enjoyed a glass of gin and he had a great sense of humour.” |
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