It’s remarkable to read the testimonies already written here and elsewhere about Arnold. Here was a warm, generous and supportive friend to colleagues and students alike. It’s hard to think of a more fitting and genuine tribute to a wonderful man. He was my Head of Department for my first dozen years at Bradford from when I joined in 1978. Through some turbulent times he was a calm and cheerful leader, always convinced of the value of the eccentric enterprise we had set out on. For a Roman archaeologist like me he even managed to initiate me into the hitherto unknown world of the Postgraduate School of Physics. We specially worked together jointly supervising four PhD students, who set about radiating tiny samples of Roman pot and processing the results on very large computers. With Arnold’s blessing and sound advice from the early days we also set off into the field with bulky instruments and lots of recording sheets to try to map out our buried sites. He always had an amused tolerance at our archaeological adventures and was steadfast in support of the attempt to create a special Bradford style of doing archaeology.
At the heart of everything Arnold put his human values. The success of Bradford came fundamentally in creating a welcoming and good-humoured atmosphere in our Department, above all for students. The well-being of students was paramount for him, in a human direct way. That came from Arnold’s own personality. He cared about each of them, and they all knew it and valued it.
As a young colleague, I learned so much from his advice and encouragement, but mostly from his example. He was much loved and appreciated, most of all by those who knew him best. Despite all his academic achievements, I think he would be happy that his best memorial lies in the warmth of the memories of him that live on with his friends.