Donald Trelford

{{Short description|British journalist and academic (1937–2023)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2016}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Donald Besch

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth-date|9 November 1937}}

| birth_place = Coventry, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|01|27|1937|11|09|df=yes}}

| death_place = Mallorca, Spain

| nationality =

| education = Bablake School

| alma_mater = Selwyn College, Cambridge

| occupation = Journalist

| known for =

| title = Editor of The Observer

| term = 1975–1993

| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Jan Ingram|end = divorced}}|{{marriage|Katherine Mark|end = divorced}}|{{marriage|Claire Bishop|2001}}}}

| children = 6

}}

Donald Gilchrist Trelford (9 November 1937 – 27 January 2023) was a British journalist and academic who was editor of The Observer newspaper from 1975 to 1993. He was also a director of The Observer from 1975 to 1993 and chief executive from 1992 to 1993.{{cite news|title='I'm Britain's oldest new father', boasts former Observer editor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/apr/02/im-britains-oldest-new-father-boasts-former-observer-editor|accessdate=29 November 2015|newspaper = The Guardian|last = Greenslade|first = Roy}}

Early life

Trelford was born in Coventry.{{cite news|url = https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/donald-trelford-former-observer-editor-dies-at-85-n85zlgcwf|title = Donald Trelford obituary|newspaper = The Times|date = 27 January 2023|access-date = 27 January 2023|url-access = subscription}} He was educated at Bablake School, Coventry,{{cite news|title=s Coventry man Donald Trelford Britain's oldest new dad?|url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/news-opinion/coventry-man-donald-trelford-britains-9019506|accessdate=29 November 2015|work=Coventry Telegraph}} where he was school captain from 1955 to 1956. He completed his degree at Selwyn College, Cambridge.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/inside-story-introducing-the-press-gang-413625.html|title=Inside story: Introducing the Press Gang|author=|date=22 September 2011|website=independent.co.uk|accessdate=9 August 2018}}

Career

In 1994, he was appointed professor of Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield,{{cite web|url=http://journalism.dept.shef.ac.uk/?tag=donald-trelford|title=Donald Trelford on journalism's state of health|date=18 November 2008|publisher=University of Sheffield|accessdate=7 February 2011}} and became a visiting professor in 2004 and emeritus professor in 2007.

Trelford was a member of the Council of the Advertising Standards Authority until 2008{{cite web|url=http://www.asa.org.uk/Media-Centre/2008/New-ASA-Council-members-appointed.aspx|title=New ASA Council members appointed|date=1 April 2008|publisher=ASA|accessdate=7 February 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119222857/http://asa.org.uk/Media-Centre/2008/New-ASA-Council-members-appointed.aspx|archivedate=19 November 2010|df=dmy-all}} and chairman of the London Press Club. He was also a member of the Newspaper Panel of the Competition Commission from 2001 to 2007.

Trelford was a regular broadcaster and published books on snooker and cricket and co-authored (with Daniel King) a book on the 1993 Times World Chess Championship in London between Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov.{{cite book|last1=King|first1=Daniel|last2=Trelford|first2=Donald|title=World chess championship : Kasparov v Short|date=1993|publisher=Cadogan Chess|location=London|isbn=1857440668}}

Trelford was interviewed by National Life Stories (C467/12) in 2007 for the 'Oral History of the British Press' collection held by the British Library.[http://sounds.bl.uk/Oral-history/Press-and-media/021M-C0638X0012XX-0001V0 National Life Stories, 'Trelford, Dennis (1 of 4) National Life Stories Collection: 'Oral History of the British Press', The British Library Board, 2007]. Retrieved 10 October 2017.

Personal life and death

Trelford had three marriages and six children. He had three children from his first marriage, to Jan Ingram, whom he married in or around 1963. He had another child from his second marriage, to Katherine Mark. In 2001, he married former television presenter Claire Bishop, and they had children in 2011 and 2014, when Trelford was 73 and 76.{{cite news|title=I expected to be dead at 73, not doing 3am feeds with my baby|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/features/article569745.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208131525/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/features/article569745.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 December 2015|accessdate=29 November 2015|work=The Sunday Times}} He lived in England and Mallorca.{{cite news|title=Why we're all set to stay put in Spain|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/expat-property/4193773/Why-were-all-set-to-stay-put-in-Spain.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208165203/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/expat-property/4193773/Why-were-all-set-to-stay-put-in-Spain.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-12-08|work=The Daily Telegraph}}

Trelford died from cancer in Mallorca, on 27 January 2023, at the age of 85.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jan/27/former-observer-editor-donald-trelford-dies-aged-85|title=Former Observer editor Donald Trelford dies aged 85|work=The Guardian|date=27 January 2023|access-date=27 January 2023}}

References