It has been a sombre and sad end to 2013 and start of 2014 with the news of the sudden and shock passing of Allan Murray on the 23rd December. Family, friends and colleagues said a final farewell on the 8th January in a private ceremony in Warrington, the town of his birth.
Allan was instrumental in setting up Glass Qualifications Authority within the then Glass NTO, Glass Training Limited, eventually overseeing the official split from the parent organisation in 2001, and running the Awarding Body as Chief Executive until his retirement in 2010. Allan continued to contribute to GQA beyond his retirement, first as a contracted External Verifier and then additionally as a Director of the Board.
Allan was very well respected, not only by his friends and colleagues at GQA, but also by Approved Centres and those within the wider realms of the glass and related industries and the Awarding Body community. Many of you will have a connection with Allan, whether directly as one of the centres he was EV for, or indirectly through his work in the early development of standards and qualifications or through his development of Glass Qualifications Authority as the glass industry’s specialist Awarding Body; and I am sure you will have had the benefit and influence of Allan’s experience, knowledge and fervour for learning.
Our thoughts are with Allan’s family and friends at this time, his presence within and around GQA will be sorely missed.
Please do get in touch with us with your thoughts and comments on Allan as we will be putting together an online remembrance book that I am sure will highlight the breadth of Allan’s influence and the regard in which he was held.
