Don Hartley, my late husband, passed away at the age of 85. Despite facing impoverished circumstances during his upbringing, he became a renowned and inspiring sociology lecturer, adult education teacher, and lifelong student.
Don was born and raised in Stacksteads, Lancashire, in a humble back-to-back home. His parents, John Hartley and Edith (nee Fowle), worked as cotton workers in the local mill. Sadly, Don’s father passed away when he was only eight years old. Despite this challenge, Don secured a place at Bacup and Rawtenstall grammar school, although he admittedly was not a diligent student at first. It was only after his English teacher recognized his potential that Don resat his school certificate exams and was placed in the most academic stream.
Don took his A-level exams and later secured a trainee accountancy position at the Bacup Town Hall in 1951. Simultaneously, he ran two local youth clubs. This led to further career opportunities, such as serving as a sports and activities organizer with the YMCA in Worcester and managing hostels in Cheltenham, Southampton, and London.
Don developed a passion for social work and decided to pursue a certificate in social studies at Birmingham University from 1959 to 1961. He then completed his probation training at Rainer House in London. In 1962, Don became the first trained officer with the Nottingham probation service. During this time, he also achieved a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics via external study. Don married Ulla Drawin in 1957, and the couple had three children, but they later divorced in 1978.
In his pursuit of higher education, Don was appointed as a lecturer in social work at the Nottingham Regional College of Technology (now Nottingham Trent University). He later became a full-time lectureship holder and focused on sociology and criminology, eventually achieving a doctorate in 1985. Don’s enthusiasm, amiableness, and respectfulness made him a popular and esteemed professor. He received a Fulbright scholarship in 1986 and served as an exchange professor on two occasions at MacMurray College, Illinois (1986-87), and Kent State University, Ohio (1989). In 1987, Don and I met in Nottingham and later got married in the United States.
After his retirement at 64, Don continued to teach and supervise postgraduate students for another 13 years at the University of Nottingham, Loughborough University, and the University of Leicester. He had a deep love for learning, passionately enrolling in various courses "just for fun," and even served as a teacher in the Workers’ Educational Association, Nottingham University, and Open University summer schools. As one of the earliest Open University students, Don obtained an arts degree in the 1970s and later earned a first-class history degree from the same institution at the age of 80. At the time of his passing, he was working on a book about the history of empires.
Don is survived by me, his three children Christopher, Connie, and Adrian, as well as four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
