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Ms Maggie Crosswaite, executor of The Estate of Professor Ian Davies, with Professor Simon S K Lam at The Twelfth Inauguration of Endowed Professorships on March 20, 2019 in Loke Yew Hall, HKU.

THE FIRST GIFT

Ian Davies Professorship in Ethics

The first gift to the UK Friends of HKU came from a beloved member of the HKU Family.

Professor Ian Davies was the founding Chair of Periodontology and Public Health at HKU in 1980. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry and Director of Prince Philip Dental Hospital concurrently from 1983 to 1989, and as the University's Pro-Vice-Chancellor from 1991 to 2000. In the last two years of his Pro-Vice-Chancellorship, he also served as the Registrar. He was the University's 13th Vice-Chancellor from 2000 until his retirement in 2002. He passed away peacefully in London on July 24, 2014 at the age of 72.

 

The executors of his Estate believe that the legacy of Professor Davies should continue in perpetuity at the University. Four years after he passed away, the executors of Professor Davies' bequest announced on May 2, 2018 the establishment of the Ian Davies Professorship in Ethics at HKU.

 

Dr Gordon Chiu 趙啟聰 (BDS 1987; MDS 1989), speaking on behalf of Professor Davies' executor Ms Maggie Crosswaite, said that "Ian was adamant regarding his wishes on the establishment of an endowed professorship in relation to ethics, which he himself demonstrated to a very high level."

 

Professor Rosie Young 楊紫芝 (MBBS 1953; MD 1959; HonDSc 1995) remembered her first meeting with Professor Davies when she was Dean of Medicine, and he became a professor in the newly created Department of Dental Studies in 1983. Professor Young said, "He was a patient listener, fair and considerate. And he made sure that not only justice was done, but also seen to be done. The disputes were resolved ethically to the satisfaction of both sides. In Ian we had a close and loyal friend, a charming colleague and a dedicated servant to the University. Today we witness another act of his generosity and affection for the University which was his home for almost two decades."

 

The Ian Davies Professorship in Ethics 戴義安基金教授席 (倫理) will be in perpetuity, to expound integrity, and the spirit and principles of ethics, and act as a knowledge exchange platform.

 

Professor Simon Lam Sing-Kwong 林誠光, Professor of Management at the Faculty of Business and Economics, was appointed as the inaugural Ian Davies Professor in Ethics. It was celebrated at the Twelfth Inauguration of Endowed Professorships held on March 20, 2019 at HKU.

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