Former president of IHEEM and the International Federation of Hospital Engineering, Lawrence (Laurie) Hadley OBE, healthcare engineer, died during August 2008, aged 83.
Having spent the early years of his life in central London and Middlesex, Laurie Hadley was evacuated to Minehead at the outbreak of war. Returning to London in 1941, he continued his education at the Regent Street Polytechnic. His reports at the time included “Could do better”, and “Must try harder”. It was clearly not an inspirational time for him.
During the later war years he worked as an apprentice with a mechanical engineering contractor in central London, furthering his studying at the Borough Polytechnic, whose courses formed the foundation of the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering when it was founded in 1948. He wrote 60 years later: “I recall my main tutors then being Mr Harwood and Mr Cowan, who managed to keep our attention in spite of the regular flying bombs overhead. I don’t recall the class ever retreating to the shelters – just a quick duck under the desk.”
After completing his apprenticeship he joined Donald Smith and Partners, Consulting Engineers, the forerunner of DSSR. In a letter dated July 1946, confirming his appointment as a draughtsman, Donald Smith himself wrote: “We trust you will find your work for us congenial and can assure you that you will have ample opportunities for enlarging your experience”.
Laurie Hadley’s relationship with DSSR lasted 41 years. He was a partner for 30, and senior partner for six. Taking up the challenge from Donald Smith, and never one to shy away from involvement with his fellow engineers, he rapidly involved himself with a number of committees, sub-committees and working parties for professional institutes and learned bodies. He became a council member of the Association of Consulting Engineers, a member of IHEEM in 1972, and later a Fellow of IHEEM, and became involved with a number of other engineering institutions, including the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers.
He became a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers in 1976 and was the livery company’s senior steward from 2002. In 1977 he was chairman of the National Joint Consultative Committee for Building, and in 1978 president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. He was elected president of IHEEM for the years 1983-1985 and to the same role at the International Federation of Hospital Engineering for the years 1998-2000. Laurie Hadley continued to be active in IHEEM committees, finally stepping down from the IHEEM Journal Committee in December 2006 and the Institute’s International Committee in January 2007.
In 1986 he was awarded the OBE for services to hospital engineering. Laurie Hadley’s life is a story of dedication, care and commitment to his fellow engineers and their professional bodies. He pursued his passionate interest in professional engineering throughout his retirement. As recently as July, 21 years after his formal retirement from DSSR, he was exchanging emails with a fellow engineer, who “marvelled at the patient and constructive manner in which Laurie responded to several questions posed, offering his usual sound advice”.
Married for 44 years to Doddie, who pre-deceased him in 1996, he is survived by his son Brian.
