It is with great sadness that we record the death of Geva Blenkin, a co-editor of this journal until 2006 and a loved and highly respected friend and colleague.
Geva became a co-editor of Early Years, along with Marian Whitehead and the late Vicky Hurst, in 1992 when the journal first came to be based at Goldsmiths College, University of London. At this time, the publisher was Trentham Books and the journal was evolving from being a small but influential professional compilation hosted by various institutions of higher education, into a more academic publication. Geva brought all of her scholarly approach, creativity and early years expertise to accelerating this process. She was the driving force behind the editorial decision to create an academic journal that emphasised research and analysis, as they relate to the enhancement and development of reflective practice. From this point on, subsequent issues of the journal always carried at least one academic research article and a growing number of international contributions. Geva was inspirational in leading the journal away from its reliance on British institutional contributions towards this more international approach and in 1998 it was upgraded to refereed status. Like the keen football fan that she was, Geva celebrated our promotion to the premier league in 2001 when we moved to a major international publishing house and started to play with the big teams! This move to Taylor & Francis meant a new format, increased overseas contributions, an enlarged Editorial Board of international experts, a strong research focus and, from 2005, three issues per year. Now, in 2015, it is clear that Geva’s ambitions for the journal have been more than fulfilled, but she would still be urging us on to greater efforts as advocates for young children and their families.
Geva’s own life and career were dedicated to the care and education of young children, but she also inhabited a rich and varied world of friendships, interests and passions. She was born and educated in the north-east of England and trained as an early years teacher at Goldsmiths College and then worked in schools in the East End of London. She soon made her mark as an inspirational and progressive teacher and became the deputy head of John Scurr Infants School in Tower Hamlets, before being appointed lecturer in Education at Goldsmiths in 1972. Geva’s career at the college as tutor, practitioner, academic, researcher and author was spectacular but in a very quiet, collegial and dignified way. The list of her achievements is stunning: co-designer and tutor of Master’s degrees in Curriculum Studies and in Early Childhood; co-founder of the Goldsmiths Association for Early Childhood (GAEC); co-author with the late Professor Vic Kelly of many books on early childhood and on curriculum and Director of the Principles into Practice (PIP) research project.
Apart from her professional life in education, Geva was a gifted craftswoman who created amazing designer knitwear and loved the world of expensive London shops (we haunted Heals and Liberty!). She was passionately interested in design and art and was always the most elegant delegate at any conference! Geva was also a voracious reader of English literature and an expert on the novels of Charles Dickens. The humour in these books chimed perfectly with her own mischievous sense of the absurd and she would frequently calm a rather hot-headed colleague with the advice from Little Dorritt, ‘Count to five-and-twenty, Tattycoram’.
Geva’s achievements were considerable but many early years educators and tutors have reason to be most grateful for the way in which she helped them to become authors and advocates for quality early years care and education. She was supported in this enthusiasm for rigorous and accessible writing by her colleague, co-author and husband, the late Professor Vic Kelly.
It is also comforting to know that Geva trained and inspired several generations of students who went on to become influential and reflective practitioners all over the UK and beyond.
Geva imbued her students and professional colleagues with the belief that only the best of care, commitment, scholarship and research is good enough for young children and their families. We will need to hang on to Geva’s inspiration in the dark and uncertain days and years ahead and that is, perhaps, the best way of remembering our dear friend and colleague.
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