Peter Ernest Spargo was born on 07 June 1937 and educated at the Jeppe High School in Johannesburg, matriculating in 1954 with a First-Class pass with distinction in mathematics. During the next three years, he was a Pupil Engineer at the Johannesburg City Engineers Department, graduating in 1960 with a B.Sc. (Eng., Metallurgy) at the University of the Witwatersrand, and the following year the Transvaal Teachers’ Higher Diploma at the Johannesburg College of Education. In 1963 he was awarded the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education by the University of Cambridge; and in 1968 the M.Sc. (Physical Chemistry) by the University of the Witwatersrand.
His teaching experience included:
1961–1963 Science Department, Jeppe High School for Boys, Johannesburg, and Assistant Housemaster Tsessebe House.
1961–1962 Witwatersrand Technical College, Demonstrating Practical Chemistry for the Diploma in Medical Technology.
1963 – Chemistry Department, Fettes College, Edinburgh.
1964–1971 Senior Lecturer and Acting Head of the Science Department, Johannesburg College of Education.
1971 Part-time Lecturer in the Method of Physical Science for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Education of the Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit.
1972–1973 Senior Assistant in charge of Physics and Chemistry at the Head Office of the Education Research Bureau of the Transvaal Education Department in Pretoria.
1974–1975 Head of the Chemistry Department of the College of Education for Further Training, Pretoria.
In January 1976 Peter Spargo moved to Cape Town having been appointed Senior Lecturer in the Science Education Unit of the School of Education at the University of Cape Town. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1980, and Director until he retired in 1997.
Peter Spargo was a member of several professional societies, including the Royal Society of South Africa of which he became a Fellow in 1987. Between 1986 and 1990 he was General Secretary of the Society.
Despite his many efficient professional responsibilities, Peter Spargo found the time to contribute to many other clubs, societies and organisations. He was able to continue his personal research interests including Sir Isaac Newton and the old mines of the Western Cape. He contributed to 84 published articles and attended 94 conference presentations, talks, workshops et al. He was a remarkable Gentleman who will be remembered in innumerable local and international circles for many decades to come.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dr. Cathy Spargo is thanked for her father’s CV and photograph.