Star to Attend Dead Mum's Ceremony
By: 2dayuk
March 21st 2001 6:06am
The drummer of Coldplay, voted Britain's top band, is to pay his respects to his dead scientist mother accompanied by Government minister David Blunkett. Chart topping musician Will Champion will join the Secretary of State for Education when a university common room is named after Dr Sara Champion. Dr Champion was fighting cancer when Coldplay decided to dedicate its album "Parachutes" to her. When released last July the CD, which has since sold more than 1.5 million copies, carried the inscription "This album is dedicated to Sara Champion." Professor Tim Champion, Sara's husband, said: "The dedication on the album was something the band decided it wanted to do themselves. "It's meaning was always very private." "Parachutes" was last month voted best album and Coldplay the best British band at the Brit Awards - the British music equivalent to the Oscars. Dr Champion died in May last year, aged 54, having seen her 21 year old son perform with his band but never heard the album. She was a research fellow at Southampton University where husband Tim is professor of archaeology. He and sons Will and Edward will accompany Mr Blunkett when he unveils a plague to her honour and names a common room after the respected archaeologist. The director of New College at the university, Bob Fryer, said Dr Champion was connected with its department of archaeology for 30 years. Mr Fryer said: "She was full of energy, commitment and knowledge. She was a wonderful, lovely woman and fine teacher." Dr Champion often led excavations to Iron Age settlements and could regularly be found burning the midnight oil at her university desk. The Edinburgh University graduate moved to Southampton with her husband in 1972. To see more of 2dayuk go to http://www.2dayuk.com
 Copyright © 2001 2dayuk. All Rights Reserved.
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