Our colleague….our friend….our memories

It was with great shock and sadness that we heard that Mr Paul O’Connor, our highly esteemed colleague and recently appointed Director of Curriculum, had passed away on Monday 22nd December 2014.

Paul had a career of over 30 years in Further Education; having started out in Rupert Stanley College after acquiring his qualifications in the University of Ulster. He commenced working in Community Education where he helped to positively influence and develop the lives and working futures of many hundreds of young people during our troubled times in Belfast. His passion for his work was rewarded by a number of promotions within the College but Paul never lost sight of the importance of the student – the core purpose of our work.

During his time as a Principal Lecturer in Community Education, he also took on a training role in the Key Skills Resource Centre for 5 years until his promotion to the Head of Information and Student Services – a very diverse role which he carried out with real commitment and dedication until his recent appointment as our Director of Curriculum. Outside of College, Paul made very important and influential contacts; representing this College in an exemplary fashion and making a huge contribution to the positive image of Belfast Metropolitan College.

Everyone agrees Paul O’Connor was a people person but he was so much more than that; he was a listener, an ear for those who wanted or needed to talk. He was the hand of friendship, remember those warm, instinctive handshakes with students and parents, friends and colleagues. He had a great way of complimenting you in a sincere and genuine manner, acknowledging your work and efforts as well as adding his own little bit on to your name or even giving you a nickname. Paul was a storyteller, how many times did we listen while he shared his experiences, his ‘brief encounters’, always in a tale much bigger, always much better and always so much funnier than reality, for Paul didn’t believe in letting the truth stand in the way of a good story.

He was very witty and told lots of stories in which he was the neutral observer or an active participant, with a brilliant sense of fun, which you could observe by that sparkling glint in his eye. Paul could have you laughing across a room by simply lifting one eyebrow. How many of us smiled as we watched him type using two fingers, anything more than a sentence or two he would call Eileen in. We will miss and treasure those poems he diligently crafted for many a leaving do or maybe you have one of those poems that you will now treasure.

As a manager, Paul operated an open door policy which was much appreciated by all of his staff. His interpersonal skills and capacity to motivate and bring staff with him was a master class in emotional and social intelligence. He believed in the policies of honesty, integrity and loyalty. Staff who arrived at his office for a 10 minute discussion would leave an hour later having received a listening ear; a cup of coffee; his favourite biscuits; a marketing pen, tie or cufflinks and a reassurance that he cared and would do everything to support them – having, of course, been regaled with stories of the past.

Even in challenging and difficult times, staff were assured that ‘everything would be all right, we will be all right’ and you knew that you were included in that ‘we’. He was always cool in a crisis, kept everyone else calm, and would not let anyone turn a drama into a crisis and how often did we hear him say ‘If you panic you are beat’; Paul was incredibly supportive to staff in such an unassuming way, generous with his time he was a steady rock for many people at Belfast Met.

He was always someone who could read the room. He was insightful and reflective. He was the person who had the human and professional capacity to break deadlocks and get things moving again. We relied on him to give us the pulse reading and he was always brilliant and astute in knowing what made people tick and always working with them never against. He had a great way of supporting and grounding people and for those of you who had the privilege of working with him we were humbled by his kindness and compassion to everyone around him.

He said to his staff that the secret of leadership was to ensure that the dignity of everyone was always paramount and that is was important to step into the other person’s frame of reference and see the situation through their eyes. Paul lived out what he preached to others and this too will be his legacy.

Legacy can sometimes be an over-used word these days but with Paul it’s true, he has left behind so much that we all can use in our own professional lives here in Belfast Met. Compassion and strength, determination and loyalty, high level emotional intelligence fused with complete dedication to our students and their learning. Paul was a highly valued member of the College and the effects of his passing are already being felt by his fellow staff. It is often said that it is the people you meet at work that really matter and colleagues like Paul are very special, they leave a lasting impression. He was a true gentleman. One in a million.

Paul is survived by his wife, Patricia; his son, Sean and his daughter, Claire. Our thoughts are with them. We will miss Paul as a manager, a mentor, a colleague and a friend.

We know we speak for all of Paul’s co-workers when we say how very much he will be missed. We are glad to have this opportunity to share just a few of the memories of Paul with you. They say ‘death ends a life, not a relationship’ ….so here’s to P OC as he was affectionately known, to his life, his legacy, his values and his friendship…….