Philanthropist Shirley Rabinowitz, wife of Ben Rabinowitz, and both of the Ben & Shirley Rabinowitz Foundation, died at age 80.

Over the years, the Rabinowitz couple dedicated their lives to charitable causes. In 2009, they were presented with the Inyathelo Lifetime Philanthropy Award for their support of a number of charities, projects and causes in South Africa. Throughout, their emphasis has been on education.

At UCT, they have made donations to the Faculty of Law and the Baxter Theatre Centre. Ben personally donated to the UCT Rugby Club, the Kaplan Centre and the Upper Campus Project.

As part of UCT's Law 150 endowment campaign in 2008, the couple established the Rabinowitz Visitorship, an initiative that brings leading lawyers, whether academic or practising, to participate in the intellectual life of the faculty.

More than 700 people attended Rabinowitz's funeral on 18 January.

Rabinowitz is remembered not only for her boundless giving, but also for her punchy one-liners and her great sense of humour.

Former head of paediatrics, Professor H ('Boet') de V Heese, died on 27 January, two weeks after his wife, Margaret. Heese was the second Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at UCT. He served in the department from 1970 to 1989. Heese was a highly respected academic and the breadth of his contributions to child health is enormous. Among other things, he led the development of UCT's Institute of Child Health, Child Health Unit, and first poisons centre. He was known for his outgoing personality, integrity, sincerity, extraordinary vision and superb ability to mentor and develop people. He leaves his son Jake, his daughter Sue, and his grandchildren Ashleigh and Abbey.

Former staffer Bill Campbell died on 1 January. Campbell had been a member of the academic staff in the Department of Chemistry from the 1950s until his retirement, as senior lecturer, in 1997. Many of the current academics in the department remember him as an inspiring and dedicated teacher, who was unfailingly polite and showed great kindness to students and colleagues alike. Campbell served as student advisor for many years. On retirement, he took up a contract position in the Department of Pharmacology, where he continued his research in the isolation and characterisation of active agents from plants. He leaves his wife June, daughter Dawn and two grandsons. He was 79 years old.