STEWART CRICHTON MILLER CBE, BSc, HonDTech (Lough), HonDEng (Birm, UMIST), FREng, FRAeS, FIMechE, FRS Stewart Miller was born on 2 July 1934, in , son of Grace and Willie Miller. His primary school education started on 4 September 1939, the day after war was declared. A contemporary, with whom he was a fast friend during school years, is Archie Howie, a distinguished Physicist and former Head of the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge. Professor Howie recalls that he and Stewart vied with each other for school prizes etc, with Stewart emerging as the dux of the primary school. Kirkcaldy High School had, like most such institutions in , some very distinguished alumni and teachers - William Adam, the architect and father of the famous Adam brothers, was a student there, as was Adam Smith. Carlyle was a teacher there for a spell. During Stewart's time, it was an enormous “multilateral” school of around 1500 pupils, offering courses ranging from Greek to motor car maintenance. Particularly outstanding was the teaching of mathematics by the remarkable James Whyte, who made a deep impression on Stewart and on all his contemporaries. Nevertheless, Stewart was impatient to get on and left after taking highers in the fifth year (1950-51) to study Mechanical Engineering at Edinburgh. In the following year, James Whyte scored one of his greatest triumphs, with pupils taking three places out of seven in the John Welsh Mathematical Entrance bursary list, a result that would have been even more impressive if Stewart had remained at the school. Stewart was the first of his family to go to University. He graduated from Edinburgh with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering in 1954, after only three years - unusual for someone entering from fifth year. On graduation, he joined Rolls Royce and spent his entire working career of 42 years with that company, a career of the highest distinction in manufacturing industry. Sir Ralph Robins, Chairman of Rolls Royce, notes many successes on a wide variety of engine programmes - Conway, Spey, RB162, Adour, the RB211 in its launch phase and the RB211-535, and most recently the Trent series. In 1974, Stewart was appointed Head of Advanced Engineering and in 1976 began his long association with the RB211-535, first as Chief Engineer and then as Head of Project. He became Director of Advanced Engineering in 1984 and from 1985 to 1990 was in charge of all Aero Engine Design and Development. Sir Ralph continues that without doubt the RB211-535 was Stewart's greatest achievement. It is the world's most durable engine, mainly because of Stewart's attention to detail, his insistence on people doing things right from day one, and his ability to follow things through to a conclusion. One engine has recently achieved a world record of 40,000 hours in service, or 24 million miles, a distance equivalent to 50 round trips to the moon, with nothing more than routine servicing. He was appointed to the main Board of Rolls Royce in 1985, and served for 11 years until his retirement in 1996. During these years, he was central to the company's strategic thinking, in both its engineering development and partnerships, and his responsibilities spanned nuclear power plants for submarines and industrial gas turbines for power generation and pumping, as well as aero engines for civil and military aircraft and helicopters. It was characteristic of Stewart that, in his dedication and absolute sense of responsibility to the company, he imposed a self-discipline on external commitments until late in his career, probably to the detriment of the greater public recognition which would undoubtedly have come his way. He was appointed to the Council of Loughborough University as Pro-Chancellor in 1994, and became Chairman of Council in 1995. The University benefited immensely from his wisdom and fairness. He brought his qualities of complete commitment and personal integrity to everything that he did, and helped to shape the University's aspirations into a coherent whole. He took great pleasure and pride in its achievements, not only in Engineering and Sport, but across all academic disciplines and support services. The affection and respect in which he was held is exemplified by a letter from Jo Willmott, President of Loughborough Students' Union in 1997/98. She writes “Two main aspects struck me as Union President. Firstly, his obvious tact and diplomacy when chairing University Council meetings. Secondly, I came to appreciate greatly his warmth and welcoming manner which he demonstrated on every occasion”. Stewart was widely sought by other institutions, who recognised the value of his counsel. Sir Brian Fender, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, has written “He will be missed by Higher Education generally as well as Loughborough”. He was a member of Court of University. He successfully chaired a working party bringing together the Universities of Edinburgh, , Heriot-Watt and Strathclyde with Scottish Enterprise, and in collaboration with the US software company Cadence. This success was instrumental in achieving one of the most significant inward investments in Scotland, through the establishment of major research facilities and an associated training programme. Sir John Arbuthnott, Principal of Strathclyde, has written: “He was a truly exemplary man. His contribution at Strathclyde was immense. He was such a fount of excellent advice and sound judgement. His work on the Cadence project was quite prodigious; without his patience and skill I do not think it would have succeeded.” Sir Stewart , Principal of the University of Edinburgh, adds: “However difficult the situation which he faced, and however complex the issues, Stewart had the capacity to take a calm, sensible and realistic view of what might be achieved, and ally that to a vision of what was for the best.” He was appointed to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council in 1997, and became Chairman of its Mergers Committee, an onerous and important role in supporting the strategic direction of Higher Education in Scotland. Professor John Sizer, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Councils, comments “His wide experience, his wisdom and above all, his personal warmth and ability to communicate, were invaluable to the Council and to the Scottish Higher Education Sector”. Gerald Wilson, then Secretary of the Scottish Office Executive Education and Industry Department adds: “We had very much come to value his contribution to the Scottish scene and he is a great loss to us as well.” He joined the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in 1994 and served until 1998. During that time, he was instrumental in developing the concept of the successful Innovative Manufacturing Initiative. Richard Brook, Chief Executive of EPSRC, has written “He was remarkable not least for still being in a distinctly rising part of the curve in terms of national life and it is cause for deep regret that we shall no longer have the privilege of his ever courteous but ever prompting wisdom”. Many honours came Stewart's way. He was a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the French National Academy of Air and Space. He was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1986, and of the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1996. Stewart did much varied work for the learned societies, including for Council of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Malcolm Jeeves, former President, has written “We soon came to recognise Stewart Miller as one of the members of Council who, having heard deliberations on at times contentious issues, would quietly and calmly propose a sensible solution - more often than not one that would commend itself immediately to the majority of Council members”. The Executive Secretary adds that his shrewd judgement of people and projects contributed much to the successful launch of the Society's Enterprise Fellowships Scheme. He was awarded the Ackroyd-Stuart Prize in 1979, the British Gold Medal of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1988, the James Clayton Prize of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Faraday Medal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, both in 1996. He received Honorary Degrees from Loughborough University, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. In 1990 he was made a Commander of the British Empire, for services to Engineering. Stewart was selfless in bringing to all his public services, those decisive qualities of commitment, integrity and wisdom, which were responsible for world-class engineering and technology in a major UK industry. He was a devoted member of the Church, and an elder of the Presbyterian Church in Derby, and of Pitlochry Church of Scotland, on his retirement there. Throughout all his immensely demanding service with Rolls-Royce and his commitment to public and professional service, Stewart greatly valued his family life with Catherine, their children David, , Sarah and Lucy, and their grandchildren. Jim Keir, a fellow Director in Rolls-Royce, and long time personal friend, recalls his huge fatherly joy and pride in his family, evident no matter how far his travels took him from them. He died in Pitlochry on 7 August 1999.

DAVID WALLACE