Dear colleagues, students and alumni,
We are very sorry to announce that Professor David Johns, Founding Director of City Polytechnic from 1983 to 1989, has died aged 88.
As Founding Director, Professor Johns paved the way for CityU’s global successes in professional education and research.
Professor Johns led a highly successful career in aeronautical engineering in the UK before coming to Hong Kong. He joined Loughborough College of Technology as its first Reader in Aeronautics and over a period of 19 years, he was appointed Professor, Head of Department, Dean of the Engineering Faculty, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC) and Senior PVC.
In Hong Kong, he supervised the early rounds of student recruitment for City Polytechnic and helped to design the new City University of Hong Kong. After Hong Kong, he returned to the UK where he was Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bradford from 1989 to 1998.
In 1998 he was appointed Commander of the British Empire for services to higher education. He held the position of Chartered Engineer and Fellowships at the Royal Aeronautical Society, Aeronautical Society of India, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Professor Johns maintained close connections with CityU over the years. He attended our anniversary banquet in 2009 and gave a talk in 2011 about his career in engineering.
We have contacted Professor Johns’ family and expressed our deep sadness at this news. He is survived by his wife Sheila, his daughter Sue, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Way Kuo
President and University Distinguished Professor
26 September 2019
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各位同事、同學和校友：
香港城市理工學院（城市理工）創校院長莊賢智教授（1983年至1989年）逝世，享年88歲，城大上下深感悲悼。
作為創校院長，莊賢智教授為城大奠定基礎，促進其發展成為專業教育及研究位處世界前沿的學府。
莊賢智教授來港前，在英國擁有非凡的航天工程事業。他加入拉夫伯勒科技大學，擔任航天學准教授。在校19年間，他先後獲委任為教授、系主任、工程學院院長、副校長和高級副校長。
在港期間，他領導城市理工早期的招生工作，以及協助設計新的香港城市大學。離港後，他回到英國，於1989至1998年間擔任布拉德福大學校長。
1998年，他以其對高等教育的貢獻獲得大英帝國勳章。他亦擔任英國皇家航空學會特許工程師及院士，以及印度航空學會、香港工程師學會、英國皇家工程院院士。
莊賢智教授多年來與城大維持緊密聯繫。他於2009年出席大學周年晚宴，2011年蒞臨主講有關其工程事業的講座。
我們已聯絡莊賢智教授的家人，包括其夫人Sheila，女兒Sue，兩名孫兒及兩名曾孫，並致以深切哀悼。
郭 位
校長暨大學傑出教授
2019年9月26日
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