John Morison (1937-2021)

John Morison sadly died on 5 January 2021 at the age of 83. John was President of the International Committee for Soviet and East European Studies (ICSEES; now the International Council for Central and East European Studies) from 1990 to 1995. He worked prodigiously in this capacity playing a leading role in organizing the IV ICSEES World Congress in Harrogate in July 1990 and the V World Congress in Warsaw in August 1995.

John studied history at Oxford University, learnt Russian while in the British navy and joined the Department of Russian Studies at Leeds University in the mid-1960s. He was a specialist in late Tsarist Russia, publishing many articles on diverse topics, such as the 1905 Revolution and educational reform. He also researched various aspects of modern Czechoslovak history. He edited numerous volumes of essays, including several based on proceedings at ICSEES congresses. John will be sorely missed by many cohorts of former Leeds students whom he helped selflessly and tirelessly and for whom he was an inspiration.

Kevin McDermott
7 January 2021