Barbu Armand Calinescu, architect for the University of Cambridge and son of the assassinated Romanian prime minister Armand Calinescu, has died at the age of 92.

Born in Romania, Mr Calinescu was sent to the Maiden Erlegh School in Reading in 1939, aged 16. Shortly afterwards, his father was shot dead in Bucharest: the assassins were acting on behalf of the Iron Guard, a Romanian fascist organization whose leaders had been arrested – and some killed – in a crackdown on pro-Nazi movements by the authoritarian National Renaissance Front government.

One year later, the remaining members of Armand Calinescu’s government were executed by the Nazi-allied National Legionary State under Ion Antonescu, while the Calinescu family crypt in Curtea de Argeș was desecrated and dynamited. Antonescu was later tried and executed for war crimes in 1946.

Meanwhile, the young Barbu returned to the UK, subsequently attending Magdalene College. In that time he played drums in his own jazz band and played for the university ice hockey team, becoming the coach in 1943. Almost half a century later in 1992, he was asked to drop the puck for the Cambridge-Oxford Varsity ice hockey match in recognition of his past achievements and a lifetime of support for the team.

After qualifying, he worked as an architect for Cambridge University Estate Management until he retired. He spent over 70 years living in the Cambridge area, in Dry Drayton, and was involved in helping young Romanian students at the university throughout his life.

Barbu Calinescu passed away peacefully in the early hours of 18th September 2014. He is survived by his daughters Marina and Alexandra, and his granddaughter Yasmin. The family requests that only family flowers be sent, and donations be made payable to ACT (to benefit Dementia Ward G6 at Addenbrooke’s Hospital), care of HJ Paintin Funeral Directors.

The funeral service will take place on Thursday 16th Oct at St Giles Orthodox Church Castle St, Cambridge at 2pm, with a reception immediately following at Magdalene College Hall, where Barbu spent time as a student.