Robert ("Bob") Pennington

The UK's Times newspaper has published an obituary for Robert ("Bob") Pennington. Professor Pennington was one of several academics, including the late Prof L.C.B. ("Jim") Gower, whose work provided the foundation for the teaching and study of company law as a scholarly subject. The place of company law in the university curriculum is now well established. It was not always so; some regarded company law as dry, technical and inappropriate for academic study. Away from Pennington's considerable academic achievements, The Times obituary recounts the following colourful incident:

"On one occasion, calling in at his local bank, [Pennington] found himself in the middle of an armed robbery. A gun was pointed at his head. Drawing on his knowledge of military history, he peered down the barrel and said in his stentorian tones that the gun was only a replica. The robber fled. Not wishing to miss the lecture that he was on his way to give, he left the bank immediately and later found time to speak to the police between lectures".

Postscript (30 March 2008): The weekly higher education magazine THE published an obituary for Professor Pennington in its 27 March edition.