Tributes pour in for dedicated archivist

Tributes have been flooding in for the late Paddy Davies since the news of her death broke.

Prior to her death, Paddy, who lived in Tettenhall, worked as a principal technician and purchasing co-ordinator at City of Wolverhampton College, formerly Wulfrun College, for 47 years.

She was also an avid supporter of Wolverhampton City Archives and a dedicated volunteer.

Part of her work saw her help in the digitisation of the Express & Star archives in 2015.

She was in her early 70s when she died at the end of November.

Chris Leggett, director of marketing and communications at MNA Media, which runs the Express & Star, said: “Paddy made a fantastic contribution to the photo archive, especially in the early stages of the volunteer project.

“She was very enthusiastic and interested in all aspects of local history, especially education. We benefited from her enthusiasm and dedication, as well as the warmth she showed to everyone she met at the Express & Star.” Paddy was also committed to the preservation of local history. Local historian, Ned Williams, who also worked with Paddy over the years said: “Paddy was kind, generous and dedicated. She threw herself into everything she did. I first met her in 1967 at Wulfrun College in Wolverhampton. She studied ONC science and went on to become chief technician at the college. She had a 40 to 50-year career at the college, that just shows how committed she was.

“She was a natural archivist, very thorough in her work. She will be greatly missed.”

Heidi McIntosh, senior archivist at Wolverhampton City Archives said: “We were all very shocked and sorry to hear of the loss of Paddy Davies. She was an avid supporter of Wolverhampton City Archives and a regular visitor to our various events.”

Jackie Harrison, an archives volunteer said: “

She was a long time member of the Soroptimists, served on the management committee of the Friends of Wolverhampton City Archives, belonged to the Civic and Historic Society, participated in the Express & Star Photo Archive project, and had amassed a huge archive of her own relating to the history of the City of Wolverhampton College and its predecessors.”

She added: “The day I learned of Paddy’s passing was a strange one because several things had happened that day that had brought her to mind. I feel very sad, but to quote something she had often said to me – ‘never mind kid, carry on’. So I will. But with Paddy in mind.”