Universities join tributes to former Villa chairman who has died aged 94
BUSINESSMAN, philanthropist, community champion and football club chairman... Tributes have flooded in to Sir Herbert Douglas Ellis, better known as ‘Deadly Doug’, the man who led the transformation of Aston Villa from a Second Division club to the top of English football.
Sir Doug had two spells as chairman, from 1968 to 1975 and then 1982 to 2006 when he sold the club to Randy Lerner before taking a role as honorary president emeritus.
A minute’s silence will take place on Saturday before Villa play Swansea City at Villa Park.
But it has become clearer this week that Sir Doug, granted a knighthood in 2012 for his services to charity, was so much more than just a football club owner.
His death at the age of 94 last Thursday (October 11) prompted a string of warm words from all quarters, even Birmingham City fans.
Sir Doug was widely respected as a leading businessman and was renowned as a pioneer of the package holiday industry in the 1950s.
He ran a travel agency in Birmingham’s Broad Street for many years and helped thousands of working Brummies take their first trip abroad in more straitened times.
But he was also a champion of good causes who threw his name, and occasionally some of his substantial wealth, behind initiatives and campaigns across the city.
He died just before the latest recipient of his generosity was able to announce his donation.
Royal Sutton Coldfield Community Town Hall Trust, the charity which manages the locally listed town hall, had been ready to announce Sir Doug as its first major donor this week.
Trust chairman Richard Mason said: “Through his generosity we have been able to commence the first of the many phases of redevelopment including significant enhancement of our new bar area which is about to begin construction.
“Kickstarted by Sir Doug, our refurbishment will not only begin the journey of restoring our Town Hall to its former magnificence, it will also develop it for future generations as a significant community facility. We will be naming the new bar in honour of Sir Doug.”
Among those also paying tribute were three city universities.
In 2016 Aston University launched the Sir Doug Ellis Pathway to Healthcare programme to prepare students to enter medical school and other healthcare professions at both Aston and elsewhere.
The programme is for West Midlands students from non-traditional backgrounds such as those who will be the first in their family to attend university and has so far benefited more than 200 people.
Vice-chancellor Professor Alec Cameron said: “His philanthropic leadership and engagement with students in Birmingham will be greatly missed. He left a huge legacy at Aston.
“Through his support, over 200 students from schools in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands have already been prepared for studying medicine or other healthrelated courses. And we are due to take a further intake of 120 students this November.”
In 2015 Sir Doug donated £1.1 million to support a new school at the University of Birmingham as well as towards cancer research.
His pledge was split by the university between a school it was building in Selly Oak and a new medical facility aimed at finding cures for cancer.
University of Birmingham named part of its Medical School ‘The Doug Ellis Learning Hub’ where a dedicated space was created for student services such as welfare support, confidential rooms and study areas.
In 2010, Birmingham City University (BCU) opened a new £7 million sports facility, named The Doug Ellis Sports Centre, which is open for students, staff and the wider community, at its campus in Perry Barr.
That campus has now closed to make way for the 2022 Commonwealth Games athletes’ village but the sports centre will not be redeveloped and remains open.
BCU also included him in its list of 175 ‘Brummies Who Inspire’, to mark the anniversary of the institute’s birth as Birmingham Government School of Design in October 1843. Sir Doug features alongside such luminaries as automotive pioneer Herbert Austin, founder of chocolate dynasty John Cadbury and engineer James Watt.
Sir Doug Ellis OBE was born on January 3 1924, in Hooton, Cheshire and died on October 11 in Sutton Coldfield. meeting