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SOAS
<rrath@boomslang.win-uk.net>
I am only one of many other H-Africa readers who will have
been shocked and saddened to read Martin Klein's news of
Chris Gray's tragic and premature death. Many of the older
African history community in London got to know Chris as a
talented and exciting young Master's student.
Although I was not one of his teachers, he was very much a
presence, contributing to seminars, attending lectures and
the rest. He became a valued friend in 1987 when he was one
of the organisers of the small workshop on modern West
Africa which resulted in the book edited by Donal Cruise
O'Brien, John Dunn and myself, "Contemporary West African
States" (CUP, 1989). Chris was throughout quietly
efficient, a small corner of calm when panic raged. All of
those who attended that conference will remember his many
kindnesses. His fine command of French not only made the
running of a bi-lingual conference possible but also
contributed to the success of the book in that his
translations of difficult texts opened up some of the best
new work in French in this field to a readership who lacked
his facility with languages.
His research was consistently original and imaginative and
it is a great loss to the field that he did not live to see
his many projects to their conclusions. But Chris will also
be missed as a lovely colleague. His great gentleness, his
caring attitude towards those he worked with as well as
those he studied and his habitual courtesy were leavened by
a wonderful sense of humour. News of his death will be a
very sad beginning of the week for his many friends on three
continents.
 Humanities & Social Sciences Online 
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