St Edmund Hall is extremely sad to announce that Bill (William) Broadbent, a friend of the Hall and the namesake and donor of the beautiful Broadbent Garden at the College, passed away aged 70 on Monday 27 September.
Born on 26 January 1951, Bill was educated as an undergraduate at the William College Massachusetts and earned a masters at Stanford University. Bill had recently retired after a successful career in the finance industry. Both of his children have connections with Oxford University: his daughter Avery went to St Edmund Hall in 2004 to read Modern History and his son William studied Modern History at Christ Church in 2006.
The Hall is very grateful to Bill for his generous time, support and philanthropy over the years. Most notably, he funded the refurbishment of the Broadbent Gardens, situated at the back of the Hall’s Library/St Peter-in-the-East; this space is a very popular recreational space with students and staff and is particularly enjoyed in the summertime. Bill and his family also created the Broadbent Junior Research Fellowship in American History, which was set up in collaboration with the Rothermere American Institute and Christ church. The position is currently held by Dr Mandy Izadi. Starting in Michaelmas Term 2017, the endowed Fellowship allows a post-doctoral scholar to produce research for publication in books and articles, to gain experience in teaching, and to work alongside Oxford’s specialist faculty in American history. Tenable for three years, the Broadbent Junior Research Fellowship alternates in its college association between the Hall and Christ Church. Lastly, we thank Bill for attending the annual alumni New York dinner over the years.
He is survived by his wife Camille and his two children and will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him at Teddy Hall.
