My husband, Chris Black, who has died aged 75, was a lifetime member of the Labour party and activist in local politics in Bedford.
He was born in Southampton, son of Arthur, a metallurgist who was head of research for aircraft manufacturer Vickers Supermarine, and Olive, who had been one of the first women to study metallurgy at Sheffield University, and worked on stainless steel products for Firths of Sheffield. His family background was politically centre right but Chris was an independent thinker who was strongly influenced towards the left. He attended Peter Symonds grammar school in Winchester, leaving in 1957 for Birmingham University, where he gained a degree in physics in 1960. We met at Birmingham and married in 1961.
Chris started his working life as a graduate apprentice with Mullard, a manufacturer of electronic components, in south-west London, but in 1963 moved to Bedford to work for Texas Instruments. Over the next 40 years he was active in the local Labour party, serving on Bedfordshire county council and Bedford borough council. He was keenly involved in education as chair of the education committee in the 1970s when the new comprehensive upper schools were being set up, and served as a governor of Hastingsbury upper school and John Bunyan upper school in the town over many years.
In 1980 Chris had the chance to work in the US for Texas Instruments in Houston, and it was during his time there that he developed a passionate interest in catamaran sailing. On returning to the UK he bought a boat and joined Grafham Water sailing club, where he became a regular and proficient member of the catamaran Sprint 15 fleet. Always keen to encourage the next generation, Chris devised a scheme to team up novices with experienced sailors, making them sail together for a lap, under instruction. This pro-am scheme was a huge success with the novices. Chris was an excellent coach and the fleet continued to grow, becoming the biggest and most successful fleet of Sprint 15 sailors in Britain.
When Texas Instruments closed in Bedford in 1995, Chris joined former colleagues as director of a new entrepreneurial engineering company, Spicer Consulting, which has successfully expanded into specialised niche markets.
Chris enjoyed hiking and camping in wild places, including the Lake District and the Hebrides. After being diagnosed with cancer four years ago he continued as race officer for the Grafham Water fleet and served on several local charities. He remained involved in local politics, and earlier this year received a merit award in recognition of his long and outstanding service to the Labour party.
Our daughters, Rosie and Hilary, and grandsons, Jacob and Samuel, also survive him.
