Sir Thomas Alexander Fraser Noble (29 April 1918 – 21 August 2003) was a Scottish academic. He was former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester and then Principal of the University of Aberdeen.

Early life

He was born in

Cromdale Cromdale ( gd, Cromdhail, from ''crom'' 'crooked' and ''dal'' 'valley, dale') is a village in Strathspey, in the Highland council area of Scotland, and one of the ancient parishes which formed the combined ecclesiastical (later civil) parish ...

Strathspey, Scotland Strathspey ( gd, Srath Spè, ) is the region around the strath of the River Spey, Scotland, split between the Moray council area and the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area of Highland. The term Strathspey usually refers to the upper p ...

. His father was Simon Noble of

Grantown-on-Spey Grantown-on-Spey ( gd, Baile nan Granndach) is a town in the Highland Council Area, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, abou ...

in the former Moray, and his mother was Jeanie Graham from

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east an ...

. His father died when he was eight. He had a brother. He attended Nairn Academy. He went to the University of Aberdeen when aged only 16. He graduated with a degree in Classics in 1938. He did military service with the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regim ...

(Royal Highland Regiment).

Career

University of Leicester

In 1962 he became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester at the age of 43. The University of Leicester now has the Fraser Noble Building.Fraser Noble Building
/ref> In 1962 the university had 1,500 students and two faculties of Arts and Sciences. By the time he left, the university had five faculties and 6,000 students. Thanks to him, the Royal Commission on Medical Education (1965–68) in its 1968 report decided that the university needed a medical school. From 1970-72 he was Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom (now known as Universities UK). Fraser Noble Building - geograph

University of Aberdeen

From 1948 to 1957 he lectured in Political Economy (Economics) at the University of Aberdeen. He drew up the constitution for the

Scottish Economic Society The Scottish Economic Society (SES), known up to 1953 as the Scottish Society of Economists, is a scholarly society "promoting the study and teaching of economics." It is registered as a charity in Scotland (number SCO 21757). Aims and activit ...

. He became the Principal of the University of Aberdeen in 1976. The university, like Leicester, has a Fraser Noble Building.

Personal life

He was knighted in the 1971 Birthday Honours. He married in 1945 and they had a son and a daughter. His wife taught Maths at Nairn Academy. He enjoyed playing golf. He lived in Nairn for the last 22 years of his life.

References

External links

''Independent'' obituary September 2003

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, Fraser 1918 births 2003 deaths Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Black Watch soldiers People educated at Nairn Academy People from Badenoch and Strathspey People from Nairn Principals of the University of Aberdeen Vice-Chancellors of the University of Leicester