Obituaries are often mournful pieces, quite reasonably so. But this is not what Alan P. Dobson would have wanted. He crammed into 71 years of life more than many of us could do in two lifetimes. An incredible marriage with his first love, Bev, and three wonderful daughters – Becky, Jess and Naomi. Somehow he managed to nudge them all into special relationships of their own too, bringing into his family Simon, Jarek and Sebastian, together with grandchildren Mya and Christopher. At the same time Alan was one of those annoyingly multi-talented individuals, with passions for singing, hiking, cooking, gardening and painting – at which he was so prolific that he regularly sold work and obviated household redecoration by plastering all of Bev’s wall space with art. Alan was also a keen gardener, an outstanding cook and an appreciator of the medicinal qualities of alcohol. I count myself fortunate to have many times sat in his garden, consumed his cookery and perhaps occasionally sampled his latest choice in fine wine or whiskey – memory is a little fuzzy on the latter.
All of this was done alongside building an outstanding academic career, which is what we best know him for. His intellectual curiosity was as diverse and uncompromising as his pastimes. Interests in political philosophy, political economy and international relations were developed in tandem with those in aviation and cultural history, the latter two brought together personally in a fascination with Biggles. Perhaps one of Alan’s exceptionally few regrets would be his personal collection of 92 volumes falling just shy of the complete series. Alan moved institutions seldom in his academic career, reflecting personal values of loyalty, determination and belief that universities would – or ought to – recognise talent and dedication within their ranks. A PhD at Durham University was followed in 1978 by an appointment in the Department of Political Theory and Government at Swansea University, where he progressed to Reader before taking a Chair in politics at Dundee University in 1999. There he stewarded improved research performances, expansion of his Department and new initiatives that reflected his research interests and an eye for opportunity – such as the Institute of Transatlantic, European and American Studies. In 2011 Alan formally retired, though no-one would have known. His academic output increased, he held honorary professorships in St Andrews and Swansea Universities, edited both the International History Review and the Journal of Transatlantic Studies (JTS), co-developed a new publishing series in transatlantic studies with McGill-Queens University Press and, of course, continued his involvement with the Transatlantic Studies Association (TSA), which he founded in 2001.
Alan’s written academic legacy runs wide and deep. He won numerous prizes and awards, including a senior fellowship at the Norwegian Nobel Institute and a Fulbright Teaching and Research Scholarship at Baylor University. Ten books, three edited collections and over fifty journal articles and book chapters later, he was still going; in March this year we sat together in his home office, planning our next collaboration and indexing what neither of us knew would be our last book together. Alan was a leader in the field in international aviation history, his works including Globalisation and Regional Integration: The Origins, Development and Impact of the Single European Aviation Market, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Civil Aviation 1933-1945: Flying High, Flying Free, and A History of International Civil Aviation: From Its Origins Through Transformative Evolution. It is in relations between Britain and the United States, though, that Alan is best known by scholars and students alike. The titles of published works stand testament to the breadth and depth of his knowledge and expertise: US Wartime Aid to Britain, The Politics of the Anglo-American Economic Special Relationship 1940-84, Peaceful Air Warfare: the United States, Britain and the Politics of International Aviation, and Anglo-American Relations in the Twentieth Century: Of Friendship, Conflict, and the Rise and Decline of Superpowers. However, for an insight into the awareness and humility of the author, look no further than the timely reflective piece he penned for the JTS: ‘The Evolving Study of Anglo-American Relations: the Last 50 Years’ (18: iv, 2020, 415-34).
Alan was first and foremost a family man and thought very much of the TSA as his extended family. He conceived, nurtured and then supported the Association in much the same way that a parent transitions through the life of a child. He drove a vision of transatlantic studies that was comprehensive and disciplinarily broad, combining initial Association strengths in international security and diplomatic history with expansion into other fields including culture, literature and identity studies. Alan was especially proud of the Association’s diversity, inclusivity and reputation as one of the friendliest conferences available to established and new scholars alike. He led by example, good humour and grit, honour and integrity. His support of young scholars was legendary, even if they might have to field a trademark three-part question that could take five or more minutes to ask and leave the recipient hoping he’d inadvertently talked through to the end of the panel session. Alan championed as much financial support for these scholars as possible through the Association and was unfailingly generous in sharing his time and experience. Those of us who progressed into the academic profession under his supervision were particularly exposed to his rigour and standards, these being sometimes frustrating and invaluable in equal part.
Many people spread far and wide around the world will rightly miss Alan P. Dobson, and share prices may dip in the distilleries. But when our last book together is published later this year, I for one will instead raise a silent glass of gratitude for the many years of fun, friendship and learning we shared together.
Steve Marsh, Cardiff University, UK