UPDATE:

The police believe they have found the body of Dr Rex Walford, a fellow at Wolfson college. The body was discovered near Weybridge yesterday, over a month after Dr Walford was presumed dead following a tragic boating accident.

The body has not yet been officially identified: A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said that the post mortem examination is likely to take place in the next few days.

NEWS REPORT 7/1/11

Dr Rex Walford, an Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, was involved in a tragic boating accident at Shepperton last weekend. Dr Walford, 76, is missing, presumed drowned, after a boat carrying six people capsized on the River Thames. Four people were rescued, but sadly the body of Keith Lowde, 66, a music industry executive and friend of Dr Walford’s, was discovered by police frogmen on Monday.

The police search for the body of Dr Walford was called off on Wednesday, after divers had conducted two days of thorough underwater searches. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service crews have said that they will continue to search the river.

Dr Walford had a long and distinguished career which included being a lecturer in Geography and Education, Director of Studies at Emmanuel College, fellow (and later Emeritus fellow) of Wolfson College as well as the president of the Geographical Association and vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society.

In addition to his academic pursuits he was also a keen lover of music and drama and spent much of his spare time directing more than 80 plays and musicals. He was chairman of Cambridge Drama Festival and served as a Council member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators.

One of his former students, Peter Freeman, has given Varsity a moving tribute to a man who was liked and admired by the many who came into contact with him over the years. Freeman was taught by Dr Walford at several of the short residential courses he gave at Madingley Hall in Cambridge, and describes the experience as “a great pleasure and privilege”. He called Dr Walford “a mine of enviable, expert knowledge on theatre, cinema, radio comedy and popular poetry” and added that “Rex's courses at Madingley enjoyed a substantial regular following, due as much to his great personal charm, infectious enthusiasm and sense of both humour and fun, as to his erudition.”

Freeman depicts a man who was not only an inspiring teacher, but a person of great kindness who was more than happy to give up his time for others. He says, “an abiding memory is of him sacrificing his entire coffee break in order to search a DVD for a short sequence in which my sister appeared. One does not forget such kindnesses.”

“When I last saw him a few months ago he was excitedly starting to plan a course next March on the American light music composer Harry Warren. He will prove irreplaceable and a great loss to the Institute of Continuing Education. My sympathies go out to his family, friends, colleagues and fellow-students.”

Wolfson college have also extended their sympathies to the family of Dr Walford and have described him as an individual who “contribut[ed] greatly to the academic and social life of the University, College and local community”.

All at Varsity would like to extend deepest sympathies to the family, friends, colleagues and students of Dr Walford. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.