clark_urion

Obituary
November 2006

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Frank Clark (pictured left) of Casablanca. At 86 he was the oldest active participant in the Southport & Formby Quiz League.

S&F Chairman Bill Thomas writes:
Frank had been a quiz player for 40 years and was a member ot the Aintree Conservatives quiz team that won the MQL(Scott) Cup in 1970. Due to commitments he ws not able to play regularly but in the early 70's he joined his company team, Vernons Computers. He was part of the triumphant Vernons team that raced through Northern League besides winning the MQL Cup in 1976 & 1980.and Rendon Cup in 1977. When Jim Prendergast left for warmer climes, Frank joined AC Meadows, winning League, MQL Cup and Champions Cup honours. He continued his succesful run with Sefton Gunners, Empress and Condottierri again sweeping the honours board. In 2001 he reached the last three in a 15 to 1 Grand Final. Latterly, of course, he had been at Casablanca. His statistical balances were legendary as was his companionship, good humour and love of quizzes. He will be sadly missed by all his friends and colleagues.

In the same week we learnt of the death of another MQL stalwart Allan Urion of the Northern League. A former Chairman and President of MQL, Allan will always be associated with the MIMIR competition.

Ronnie Woods (NQL Chairman) writes:
ALLAN URION 1934 to 2006
Allan was well known to many people in the MQL circles as an official and a formidable player from the 70's to the 90's. He held high office in the MQL, starting as Deputy Chairman 1972 - 74, Chairman 1974 - 84 and achieving the Presidency in 1984, an office that he was very proud to hold. He was chairman of the NQL from 1970 -1990, and the first Northern President. Allan had a great deal of success with his team, the Brooke, winning major MQL trophies and was also a member of President Trophy winning teams.

Allan will be best remembered for the instigation of the Mimir Trophy, the only individual competition in the MQL diary. For about twelve years Allan wrote most of the questions in his distinctive style, all hand-written under the name of Torquemada. In recent years Allan's quiz activities had been restricted due to ill health.

So long, Allan it was good to have known you, a nice man and a great ambassador for quizzing.

John Wilson adds:
Allan was an industrial chemist by training, but latterly he worked in quality and standards, a job which took him regularly across the Atlantic and into Europe. All this added to his fund of jokes and stories. He had in his younger days made a few appearances as a stand up comedian (he was a contemporary of Barry Cryer at Leeds University), and you always knew that it was never going to be a dull evening when you played the Brooke.

Allan played in the first season of the MQL in 1959-60, so a link with the earliest days of the league has now been broken.