ADDIS ABABA– Rita Pankhurst, wife of the late British Historian and Ethiopianist, Richard Pankhurst has passed away.
In a message of condolence to family and friends, the Embassy of Ethiopia in London Rita was born in Romania in 1927. She emigrated to the UK with her parents in 1938. After attending the Perse School for Girls in Cambridge, she studied modern languages (French and Russian) at Oxford (LMH) and obtained her MA in 1948.
Rita married Richard in 1957 and had two children: Alula Andrew and Helen Sylvia. Thereafter, most of Rita’s working life was spent in academic librarianship. She became a Librarian of Haile Sellassie I University, a post she held for a decade.
When the family returned to London in 1976 due to the revolutionary situation, she was appointed Head of Library Services of the City of London Polytechnic and remained in charge for eleven years until she and Richard returned to Ethiopia in 1987.
Rita and Richard returned to Ethiopia leaving the children at universities in the UK. Rita undertakes library consultancies, and edits academic books and university thesis.
Rita held several posts in managerial and chairmanships in different organizations.
She wrote several books related to women and other issues.
BY STAFF REPORTER
The Ethiopian Herald June 1/2019
