My grandad, John Cooper, who has died aged 96, was an electrical engineer. Throughout his life and work he was open to new ideas and embraced education and other cultures. His own life experiences fostered a deep concern for the welfare of others.
Born in Reading, John was the eldest son of Maurice, a master draper, and Agnes (nee Bradley), an upholsterer. He gained a scholarship to Reading Blue Coat school, and left at 14, after passing his exams early, to support his family. He initially worked in telecommunications, joining the Post Office telephone engineering department in 1942 and the cable manufacturer Telcon, based in Greenwich, London, in 1949 – for whom he installed a large aerial cable on top of the Shot Tower on the South Bank for the Festival of Britain – before putting himself through night school to qualify as an electrical engineer.
