ATKINS, E(dward) Wulstan (Ivor) 1904-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born November 24, 1904, in Worcester, England; died May 12, 2003, in Woldingham, Surrey, England. Engineer and author. Although an engineer by profession, Atkins is most remembered for his work in promoting the music and legacy of his godfather, English composer Edward Elgar. A graduate of Christ's College, Cambridge, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1926 and a master's degree in 1929, he joined the engineering firm of Mott, Hay & Anderson, for which he worked on tunnels and bridges throughout England, such as the Tyne Bridge. During World War II he was employed by a gas company in Bath, and after the war he helped with various building projects in northeastern England. After retiring in 1969, Atkins poured all his energies into the work he had only managed as a sideline until then: promoting Elgar's music. He did this in several ways, including establishing the Elgar Foundation and building a memorial center to the composer at Elgar's birthplace in Lower Broadheath. The completion of the Elgar Center in 2000 was one of Atkins's major life accomplishments. Furthermore, he was a patron of various music organizations, including the Croydon Philharmonic Choir, for which he served as president, the Oxted and Limpsfield Music Society, and the Elgar Chorale and Camerata. Atkins was also the author of two books—The Elgar-Atkins Friendship (1984) and The Centenary of the Birth of a Friendship (1990)—and appeared on various BBC-Radio programs to share his expertise not only on Elgar but on other composers as well.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Independent (London, England), May 19, 2003, p. 16.

Times (London, England), May 20, 2003, p. 30.