Dr Gordon James Piller OBE FRCPEd, FRCPCH

Gordon Piller was born in Plymouth and educated at Penzance Grammar School, King’s, Durham and the King’s Fund Staff College in London. From 1960 he was the Chief Executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital where he was responsible for humanising reforms and numerous high profile fund raising initiatives.

He initiated the Leukaemia Research Fund, became its Director and developed it as the foremost charity of its kind. He was made OBE for services to Leukaemia Research. He was Leverhulme Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and Honorary Fellow of Institute of Child Health, University of London., and was made a Fellow of the RCPCH.

In retirement he became a Director of Children’s Research International and gained a PhD in the History and Presentation of Leukaemia.

In 1995 he became a Fellow of this College and in 1995 he was appointed Trustee of the College where he applied both his great enthusiasm and his intimate knowledge of investment strategy from his earlier days.

There is no space to describe all of the myriad organisations of which he was a valued member if not leader. A very large number of organisations, not least this College, will greatly miss a man who though not medically qualified contributed more than most to child health and to our profession.

Contributed by Roger Smith

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