Lady Bagrit — founder of the Bagrit Centre

LADY Stella Bagrit, who died last month aged 95, was hugely instrumental in the development of bioengineering at the College, writes Liz Carr.

Professor Toumazou shares a joke with Lady Bagrit

Her involvement began just over 10 years ago when she decided to create a permanent memorial for her late husband, distinguished engineer Sir Leon Bagrit, in the shape of the centre for biological and medical systems, headed by Professor Colin Caro. The old steam laboratories in the department of mechanical engineering were converted into headquarters and labs for the new centre, formed from the merger of the physiological studies flow unit and the engineering in medicine group.

When the Chancellor of the University of London, HRH The Princess Royal, performed the official opening ceremony on 10 July 1991, Lady Bagrit was in attendance, together with her nephew, Dr Peter Fielding, and Lord and Lady Rees-Mogg, all of whom are trustees of the Sir Leon Bagrit Memorial Trust.

She took a close personal interest in the development of the Centre, its staff and students, and saw it become a department under the directorship of Professor Dick Kitney, then the department of bioengineering under Professor Chris Toumazou, head of the department of bioengineering.

The trustees also provided two annual studentships of £6,000 each. In 1995 an additional £500 a year was awarded to the best student of the year, known as the Ash Prize after Sir Eric Ash, former rector, who was instrumental in the original Bagrit Centre concept.  

Bagrit Centre dinners were legendary, and Lady Bagrit attended nearly all of them. Influential friends of the centre included Dame Alicia Markova and Bronwen, Lady Astor.

In July this year, a glittering event celebrated the centre’s 10th anniversary. “Stella turned up, looking young and beautiful, and received all the guests,” Professor Caro remembered. “It truly was a wonderful evening. We had become part of her extended family.”

At the funeral, her grandchildren spoke of her tremendous affection for IC and how the special link between staff, students and the Trust and Bagrit family is planned to continue.