Tributes to leading figure in Glasgow's Hares and Hounds club
Dr Des Gilmore, who has died aged 83, was a remarkable figure whose life blended academic excellence with a steadfast dedication to student life and community. From his early beginnings in New Zealand to his long career at Glasgow University, he left a legacy as a scientist, teacher, mentor and volunteer. His contributions spanned research, teaching, athletics and mentorship, always delivered with warmth and enthusiasm.
Born and educated in New Zealand, he was modest about his considerable academic achievements. After graduating with a degree in zoology from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, he won a government scholarship to undertake a PhD at the same university.
His lifelong interest in reproductive physiology stemmed from this postgraduate research. He was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1968 where he worked on the control of ovulation by antifertility compounds.
After two years, he was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship to move to the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Here he worked in the laboratory of Dr MC Chang, whose work with Gregory Pincus in the 1950s famously led to the development of the oral contraceptive.
In 1972 Des returned to the UK to take up a lectureship in physiology at Glasgow University where he became interested in how the hypothalamic control of pituitary function becomes established in the human foetus and the possible role of central neurotransmitters in this process.
He continued with his research while taking on teaching roles delivering lectures, running courses and supervising final year BSc projects of science students and Student Selected Components of Medical Students. These student projects often led to publications in peer-reviewed journals; for example one honours project led to the publication of a short Letter to Nature indicating that male distance runners were likely to father slightly more daughters than sons!
Through a chance meeting at an international conference in Berlin in 1980, Des was invited to the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife to examine neurotransmitter levels in the opossum Didelphis. While this work was unproductive, a close friendship formed at the time with Professor Carlos Peres da Costa led to a return to Recife in 1989 to collaborate in research on endocrine function in the three-toed sloth.
Des retired in 2006, but continued with some teaching to the School of Life Sciences Honours students in anatomy, physiology and neuroscience at Glasgow. However, his main teaching commitment since was as a facilitator in the problem-based learning classes with first- and second-year medical students, as well as running exercise-related special study modules for second, third- and fourth-year medical students. This culminated in the award of a Certificate of Excellence by Glasgow University medical students, class of 2017.
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Upon Des's move to Glasgow in 1972, he became involved in sport at the university, specifically the Hares and Hounds running club. He served as secretary of the club and would then go on to be appointed president in 1988, a position he held until his death 37 years later.
At the same time, Des was appointed by the University of Glasgow Court to sit on the Council of the Glasgow University Athletic Club, which later became Glasgow University Sports Association (the student representative sport association at the university). He held this position until 2020, and then became honorary vice president, a position which he also held until his death this month.
Des was a well-known and respected Scottish Athletics Association official, and spent much of his time volunteering at events, primarily as a timekeeper. Among many other roles he was an ambassador at the events held in Glasgow during the 2012 Olympics and a volunteer at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He was also the member of the [[University of Glasgow]] staff who, along with two students, was selected to be a Queen's Baton Bearer during the lead-up to the Games in 2014.
Des Gilmore (Image: Contributed)
What set Des apart from all others though was his commitment to volunteering, specifically within GUSA and Hares and Hounds. Rain, hail, sleet or snow, Des would be present at Hares and Hounds training sessions and races to assist with timekeeping, and was a much-loved and friendly face to students, staff and alumni.
Additionally, Des remained on the GUSA Council until his death and would be at every meeting without fail. He also enjoyed attending the annual GUSA Ball and 1881 alumni dinner, the latter being a particular favourite where he was able to reconnect with former students and hear everything that they had been up to; he always had a wonderful recall of everyone he had met and showed a huge interest in whoever he spoke about. Both GUSA and the Hares and Hounds have been incredibly sad to hear of the death of their most fervent advocate and supporter.
Des was a lovely man, who always greeted whoever he met with a beaming smile and bounds of enthusiasm. Although he was happy to find he had spent all his life in Glasgow, he kept up very close relations with his family and many friends in New Zealand, visiting them during the southern summer or winter months most years. He also delighted in finding his close relatives in Ireland, becoming devoted throughout his life to all things Irish.
Des died following a short illness and was buried at his family plot in Kilkenny. A memorial service at the university will be planned in the coming months.
At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact garry.scott@heraldandtimes.co.uk
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