An ‘Adastral Park legend’ will be laid to rest this week, a man who was constantly brimming over with ideas and enthusiasm – and who made sure to send a Christmas card to all 1,200 of his junior colleagues.
Dr Bruce Alistair Boxall was known for many things; his fierce intelligence, his infectious smile – and for choosing the colour to paint the iconic BT tower in Martlesham.
Bruce was born in 1949 in Limehouse, east London, the only child of Avis and Ron Boxall.
The family was not wealthy; for the early part of Bruce’s life, it was just him and his mother, for Ron had contracted tuberculosis as a military policeman during the Second World War and was confined to a TB hospital.
It was left to Avis to support the family, which she did by taking in piecework, sewing collars onto shirts for a few pennies a time.
Against all odds, Ron recovered and returned home when Bruce was four-year-old. At the time, the then-London county council was working to get families out of the capital, and a council house for the Boxalls was found on a new estate in Shenfield, where Ron set up his own window cleaning business using a van given to him by the Red Cross.
As a Baby Boomer, Bruce did not start school until he was six, as the local school was full to bursting.
From an early age, he showed an interest in science and technology, and often amused himself building electric circuits. A teacher suggested he consider a career as a TV repairman.
Bruce’s ambition was roused when he failed his 11-plus, which came as a shock. Having seen how his parents struggled, he was keenly aware that an education was the route out of poverty.
Having been transferred to a technical school rather than a grammar, Bruce knuckled down – and surprised everyone when he became the first in his family to attend university, where he obtained a first in electrical engineering.
It was at Salford University that Bruce met Helen, the woman who was to become his wife of over 50 years.
She remembers meeting him for the first time. Helen was the only female studying the course, and Bruce sat behind her during their first lecture.
“I thought, who is that behind me, dropping his pens and not paying attention?” laughed Helen. However, the pair soon won each other over, and within two months had become a couple.
They tied the knot on January 29, 1972.
Bruce achieved his PhD from Imperial College London, where Queen’s Brian May was also studying in the physics department. It became a family joke that Bruce had no memory of May – and also could not remember GMB presenter Richard Madeley or former Chancellor Philip Hammond, despite having attended school in Shenfield with both of them.
In 1975, Bruce accepted a job at the telecommunications branch of the Post Office, which later became BT, and he and Helen moved to Bentley. They later settled in Martlesham Heath.
Bruce started out in the laps making the silicon chips for transatlantic cables.
However, Bruce’s innovativeness and ambition were soon recognised, for he was always brimming over with ideas and enthusiasm. He soon climbed the ranks to becoming a senior manager and managed several multi-million pound projects.
This included turning BT research laboratories into Adastral Park as we know it today, overseeing the creation of new buildings for the high-tech companies which now had premises there.
By this time, Bruce was a father of three: Sarah arrived in 1978, then Alex in 1980, with Nick completing the family in 1986.
His children were always very impressed that their father had chosen the colour to paint the BT tower, which he tried to make as discrete as possible.
Bruce was respected and popular amongst his colleagues, who have described him as an ‘Adastral Park legend’. He was always smiling, and acted with great integrity, supporting and nurturing his young colleagues with patience and kindness.
At one point, said Helen, he had 1,200 graduates working under him – a figure she remembers, for Bruce made sure to handwrite a Christmas card to each and every one of them.
Bruce left BT after 35 years, at which point he became head of IT for Norwich City Council.
Despite these demanding jobs, Bruce still found the time to give back to the community; he served as Chairman for his local Scouts branch, and for a short time served as a governor at Amberfield School.
In his spare time, Bruce loved to cycle around the Suffolk countryside. He would often get up at first light to enjoy the beauty of the backroads through Waldringfield. Like his father, he too developed an interest in photography.
Nothing gave Bruce more pleasure than seeing his children succeed and flourish. Sarah became a senior technology officer working in IT; Alex became a finance lawyer; while Nick is a surgeon frequently working in urology, often using the most cutting-edge technology to do so.
Bruce was also thrilled to become a grandfather of four.
Dr Bruce Alistair Boxall passed away following a battle with Lewy body dementia on August 9.
His family are raising funds for Operation Smile in his memory, which provides care to children born with cleft conditions.
To donate, visit: drbruceboxall.muchloved.com
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