Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Tributes to professor
Professor Mike Rennie spent 20 years in the city as a professor of physiology, having been appointed to his post in 1983.
Today, his daughter Louise, 41, told the Tele that her dad was a “colourful character” who would be well remembered by his associates.
She said: “He was the life and soul in his department a lot of the time.
“I worked for a bit in his department and I was quite surprised at how well thought of he was.
“He always had time for the caretaker staff and would give them money for a drink at Christmas.
“A lot of people would have described him as larger than life.”
Born in Newcastle in 1946, Professor Rennie completed a degree at the University of Hull, a post-graduate Masters at the University of Manchester years, before retiring shortly after. By his own estimates, he was believed to have contributed to around 400 academic papers in his lifetime.
Louise said: “He was very proud of his work — it was a big part of him and how he saw himself. But he had a lot of time for us and was an active dad.
“He certainly packed a lot into his life. As a family, we are very proud.”
Professor Sir Pete Downes, principal and vice chancellor at the University of Dundee, paid tribute to Professor Rennie today.
He said: “Mike Rennie taught me much about academic leadership early in my career when he was head of the department of anatomy and physiology. He put human physiology research in Dundee on the international map with his pioneering work.
“He will be remembered as a passionate advocate of physiological research who could be highly critical of weak science and also as an unstinting and loyal supporter of all those who benefited from working with him.”
A FORMER University of Dundee professor described as “the life and soul” of his department has died at the age of 70.