TRIBUTES have been paid to a passionate university professor who had a “significant impact” on all those he taught and worked with.

Gabriel Pearson, who was the emeritus professor of the department of literate, film, and theatre studies at the University of Essex, died peacefully last month.

He had arrived at the campus in 1965 and went on to inspire generations of students, influencing many through his writing and numerous leadership roles.

During his decades of service to the university Gabriel, who leaves behind wife Sue, son Casper, and daughter Olivia, was head of the department from 1978 to 1981.

He was also dean of the School of Comparative Studies in the 1980s and pro vice chancellor in the early 1990s.

One his many achievements as PVC was the establishment of the campus nursery, from which many Essex parents and children have benefited.

Gabriel is remembered for being a top lecturer and public speaker who taught literature from the Renaissance onwards and had a passion for drama and theatre.

Paying tribute, vice chancellor professor Anthony Forster said: “We owe so much to Gabriel, who made such a significant impact on his department and the University over many, many years.

“He was a great teacher and writer who so obviously enjoyed sharing his love for literature and the creative arts, inspiring his students, colleagues and friends.”

Gabriel was an undergraduate at Balliol College, Oxford, where he founded the first issue of Universities and Left Review which later became the New Left Review.

He then became a lecturer at the University of Keele before eventually moving to Essex and he also worked as a reviewer for The Guardian.

He also published a seminal essay on the American poet Robert Lowell which helped establish Lowell’s reputation on this side of the Atlantic.

Professor Liz Kuti, head of the department of literature, film, and theatre studies, has also now remembered the ‘wonderful mind’ of Gabriel.

She said: “Gabriel had a seemingly unquenchable appetite for literature, story-telling, drama and art.

“Close friends speak of his ‘scintillating intelligence’ and his ‘wonderful mind’ but equally of his emotional intelligence, his gifts as a teacher, his ability to connect with people.

“He had a holistic intelligence and understanding of people, as well as art and literature.

“We will miss him so much and are so grateful for everything he brought to our department and the wider university community.”

The details of the Professor Gabriel Pearson’s funeral are being confirmed.