The world has lost a remarkable public servant with the passing of Tommy Gee, whose century-long life was defined by progressive values and transformative work in international education. He died aged 100, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy spanning continents.
A Life of Service Across Continents
Born in Nottingham, Tommy was the son of Tom, a butcher, and Beatrice Whitby. His academic journey took him from High Pavement grammar school in Nottingham to Brasenose College, Oxford, where he earned a mathematics degree. Following his studies, he joined the Royal Navy towards the end of the Second World War, eventually rising to become chief navigator on HMS Glasgow.
After passing the civil service exams, Tommy began his transformative work in Uganda during the 1950s. His first role as an assistant district commissioner quickly revealed his sympathies for the local population, a stance that won him few friends within the expatriate community. He later served as district commissioner for the kingdom of Bunyoro and then as secretary to the legislative council in Kampala.
His progressive approach to Africanisation frequently put him at odds with colleagues who believed the British Empire would endure for decades longer. His vocal opposition to the deportation of the King of Buganda to London nearly cost him his job, until Secretary of State Alan Lennox-Boyd surprisingly agreed with his standpoint.
Architect of Educational Transformation
When Uganda gained independence in 1962, Prime Minister Milton Obote personally asked Tommy to remain in the country. He accepted a three-year contract as a permanent secretary in the ministry of education, tasked with dramatically expanding the nation's educational infrastructure.
Through innovative solutions including enlisting western volunteers to work in Ugandan schools, Tommy oversaw an extraordinary achievement: the number of secondary schools doubled from 21 to 42 within just three years. His exceptional service was recognized with an OBE appointment in 1965.
Returning to the UK, he worked as a principal at the Ministry of Overseas Development before accepting a pivotal role at the newly formed Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University as its administrative director.
Global Educational Legacy and Personal Life
Tommy's international impact continued when he traveled to Fiji in 1969 to assess the viability of establishing the University of the South Pacific. His report proved convincing, and he became the university's registrar in 1970. Later, in 1985, he took up the position of registrar at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, serving for three years before retiring.
In his personal life, Tommy married Anne Smith in 1948 after meeting her at a ball at Brasenose College. She preceded him in death in 2010. He is survived by their three children – Nathaniel, Simon, and Sarah – along with eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Even in retirement, Tommy remained actively engaged in public life. He served as a Liberal Democrat county councillor in Keymer, West Sussex, and later became a prison visitor in Norwich after relocating to Suffolk in 1996. Demonstrating his lifelong openness to change, he converted from the Church of England to become a Quaker at 85, and at the remarkable age of 98, embarked on a journey up the Amazon with his son Nathaniel.
Those who knew him remember Tommy Gee as a man with a perpetual twinkle in his eye, abundant stories to share, and an unwavering commitment to progress that defined his century of life.
