It is with great sadness that St Catharine’s has learnt that Professor Michael Chisholm, Emeritus Fellow of the College and Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of Cambridge, died at home in Cambridge on 9 July 2024. The College flag will be flown at half-mast in his memory today.
Professor Chisholm was admitted to St Catharine’s to read Geography as an undergraduate in 1951. He went on to make fundamental contributions to economic geography and its translation into public policy, including serving on several government commissions. He returned as a Professorial Fellow in 1976, following his election to the 1931 Chair of Geography at the University of Cambridge in 1975. On his retirement in 1996, he became an Emeritus Fellow and turned his attention to advancing our understanding of the drainage and navigation of the Fens throughout history.
Sir John Benger (1979, English), Master of St Catharine’s, commented:
“As an academic community, St Catharine’s has been – and continues to be – home to leading geographers and Professor Chisholm was undoubtedly among the giants of his field in the twentieth century. St Catharine’s was fortunate to have benefited from his expertise and passion for economic geography over so many years, and I am sure he will be missed by colleagues and collaborators in Cambridge and beyond. On behalf of the College, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Judith, and his wider family.”
