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Sometimes people’s names become words in their own right – think of wellington, sandwich or leotard. We see it in books as well – Wisden and Bradshaw are two that come to mind. Nearer to home we could add Tolley or Whillans.
I was reminded of this last week when reading the obituaries in The Times – not that I have quite got to the stage of the man who got up only after reading the obituaries and checking his name wasn’t there, but sometimes that does not feel very far away. I came across the obituary of Oliver Stanley, who was described as a tax expert who was once ‘the most unpopular man in Weymouth’.
Unfortunately, I was never lucky enough to meet him but I know how well regarded he was and, on behalf of Taxation’s readers, we send our condolences to his family. There is something comforting about the idea of somebody’s name living on after their death in this way.
As a postscript, he was also the publisher of the best-selling guide to punctuation Eats, Shoots and Leaves. We will have to be extra careful about our use of commas in this week’s magazine.
