John Stafford: John Stafford, who died on November 20th aged 70, was one of the founders of the Blackrock Society which has flourished over the past 13 years in promoting a renewed interest in the local history of this area of south Co Dublin.
The idea for such a society came from John himself and was immediately followed up by a number of other enthusiasts. There are now about 400 members including some from the US, Canada and Australia.
He was also the editor of the society's annual proceedings, which grew under his tutelage from a slim volume of 60 pages to 200 pages packed with information, photographs and anecdotes about the area in which he grew up and spent most of his life.
He had virtually completed the editing of the 2005 volume when illness struck.
He was a skilled photographer and supplied many of the illustrations for the articles. He had an extensive range of contacts in the Blackrock-Dún Laoghaire area which grew with each year's publication. He also liked to use the work of local artists such as Peter Pearson, Piet Sluis and Hugh Brady.
In recent years he put tremendous energy into organising Bloomsday in Blackrock and took pride in the performances in the Main Street beside the ancient cross of writers and poets such as Anthony Cronin, Ulick O'Connor and Maureen Charlton.
John Stafford was born in Birmingham, England, on December 13th, 1934. His father, Jack, later became a senior representative in Ireland for Kodak which may help to explain John's later interest in and love for photography.
His grandparents on his mother's side came from Romania and France, and he was proud of his central European ancestry. His maternal grandfather was a couturier who once worked at the Russian imperial court and was reputed to have been tailor for one of the tsars.
When the family moved to Blackrock, John attended Willow Park and Blackrock College. He finished his secondary schooling at the Oratory in England. He studied for a BSc in University College Dublin and qualified as a biochemist. He married Catherine O'Brien, from whom he later separated. They had three daughters.
He worked first for the Gypsum company in Co Cavan and then in the laboratories of a number of Dublin hospitals including Sir Patrick Dun's, Harcourt Street Children's Hospital and finally St James's, from which he retired six years ago.
In retirement he had more time to devote to sailing, much of which he did from Howth. He was the navigator for voyages around Ireland and to England and Scotland. He was also an official measurer of the Royal Ocean Yacht Club, which entailed numerous trips.
Another keen interest was cooking, and he loved doing cookery courses and persuading friends to do the same.
He is survived by his former wife, Catherine, and daughters Jane, Emma and Lucy.
John Stafford: born December 13th, 1934; died November 20th, 2005