18/1/1949 – 20/8/2026
A tribute by Professor Emerita Louise Morley of the Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research (CHEER), Sussex University, given in loving memory of Rosemary at her funeral in Greenacres Chiltern Park on 25/9/2026
Rosemary was a great feminist scholar, friend, colleague, and mentor, known and respected worldwide for her major contributions to the field of higher education studies.
Rosemary’s long and productive career in higher education began with her BA in Sociology at the University of Leicester from 1968-72, followed by an MPhil in Education. She was awarded a PhD by the Open University in 1990 for her thesis: Women and Leisure: A Sociological Investigation. She held academic posts at North Staffordshire Polytechnic, Loughborough University, the University of York, the Open University, the University of Lancaster, and the University of Bristol, and finally, Royal Holloway, University of London.
Her first highly influential book in gender studies, Women and Schooling, was published in 1978. She initially researched women and leisure and educational governance and went on to develop significant expertise and experience in equality, diversity and inclusion, doctoral education, higher education management, qualitative research, and the sociology of power and policy in education. Her work on neoliberalism continues to lead the field and her ongoing and relentless commitment to research, scholarship, and peer review resulted in over 100 publications.
Her intellectual generosity meant that Rosemary freely shared her substantial knowledge nationally and internationally. With her wry and dry humour, rapier wit, and encyclopaedic knowledge, Rosemary consistently and competently showed up – for colleagues, students, learned societies, policy gurus, and above all for friends.
She was most certainly a steady and supportive presence throughout my career and the careers of many others. The concept of knowledge exchange could have been invented with Rosemary in mind. She always offered insights, feedback and praise when you got it right – and advice if you got it wrong.
Rosemary’s retirement was more of a rewirement. She continued to enjoy and contribute to her profession with considerable gusto. Tenacity and connection were hallmarks of Rosemary’s personal and professional practice. Yes, she received formal recognition in terms of an OBE in 2013, countless promotions, fellowships, and awards. But what mattered to her was celebrating these events with the people she trusted as friends.
It was with great sadness that Rosemary celebrated her OBE and her 70th birthday without Kevin, her adored husband who died in 2013. I knew Kevin before I knew Rosemary, as we worked together for 10 years at the University of Reading. Kevin was so proud of Rosemary and talked extensively about her and the happy times they shared travelling, cycling, camping, cooking, and of course, debating!
I invite us all to remember the warmth, support, stimulation, care, and fun we shared with Rosemary. She will be hugely missed.
