Alan Henry Batten

BATTEN, Alan Henry
Passed away on 30th July, 2024, born in Whitstable, Kent, England, 21st January, 1933. Predeceased by his first wife Lois Eleanor (Dewis) and survived by their children, Michael and Margaret (Parkinson), son-in-law Terry and daughter-in-law Erica Roberts, and grandchildren Elijah, Remy Jean and Nicholas, by his second wife Erica Cruikshank Dodd, and his sister Joan and her family.
Alan was educated at Wolverhampton Grammar School and the Universities of St Andrews (B.Sc. 1955, D.Sc. 1974) and Manchester (Ph.D. 1958) and came to Canada in 1959 as a post-doctoral fellow at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, B.C., joining the permanent staff there in 1961. He remained on the staff until retirement in 1991 and continued as a guest worker until 2011, and was still publishing papers in 2024. He served as President of the Canadian Astronomical Society in 1972-74 and of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada from 1976-78. From 1980-1988 he was the Editor of the latter Society's journal and was elected a Fellow of the Society in 2016. He also served as a Vice-President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1964-66) and of the International Astronomical Union (1985-91). In 1977 he was elected to Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada and served on the Council of that Society. From 1992 to 2002 he represented the International Astronomical Union by visiting astronomers in developing countries. He also held visiting appointments at the Vatican Observatory in Castelgandolfo, Italy (1970), the Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio in Buenos Aires (1972) and was an Erskine Visiting Fellow at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand (1995). Locally, he has been a sessional lecturer in both astronomy and history in the University of Victoria and has also served as President of the Parent-Teacher Association of Willows Elementary School, a member of the Parish Council of Christ Church Cathedral and of the Synod of the Diocese of British Columbia and was for many years active in the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria, being Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Centre from 1997-2000. He was a faithful member of the band of bellringers at Christ Church Cathedral for the entire 65 years he lived in Victoria and was justifiably proud to be still ringing into his nineties.

The funeral service will be held at Christ Church Cathedral on Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 11:00 am. For those unable to attend, livestreaming will be available. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to UNHCR, Oxfam Canada, Amnesty International, or Victoria Hospice.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mccallgardens.com