Noel's professional achievements are detailed below, but we his children have to complete the picture by saying that in addition to all this, he was the most loving, supportive and loyal husband and father anyone could have wished for. Although it is 20 years since his death, hardly a day goes by when we do not think of him or wish he were here. His knowledge and breadth of wisdom was second to none and it was only with his passing that we realised how much we relied upon him as a reference. No question went unanswered, it was like growing up with a human encyclopaedia, he always knew the answer, the background history or the reason why. His mind was crystal clear and he was razor sharp. It was an astonishing childhood at Greenlands and then Brasenose and Homer End, always surrounded by fascinating people and the combination of our parents, Noel relaxed and quiet, book or newspaper in hand after many hours of work, and our mother Eli, quite the opposite, full of energy, the doors to our house always open and a party of one kind or another either in full swing or being planned.

Noel first married (Edith Evelyn) Pearl Howard in 1927, they had no children and the marriage was dissolved in 1944. In 1946 he married Elinor Hirshhorn Marks (Eli) whom he met while in Washington during the Second World War. They had two children, Louise Owen (born in 1950) and Jonathan Noel (1952), and two grandchildren, Alexander Noel (Walsh born 1981) and Naomi Katherine Hall (born 1983).

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Ronald, Noel was educated at Newcastle Royal Grammar School, Bromsgrove School, and Brasenose College Oxford, from where he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in History, (1924) he remained at Brasenose as Senior Hulme Scholar (1924-25) for a further year gaining a Certificate in Social Anthropology. From Oxford he went to America where as Commonwealth Fund Fellow he studied Economics at Princeton University for a further two years gaining an AM in Economics (1925-27).

Returning to England in 1927, his career as an academic seemed inevitable and Noel secured his first job as Lecturer in Political Economy at University College, London soon being promoted to Head of Department of Political Economy, Civil Service Tutor and Senior Lecturer by 1929. He was made Professor of Political Economy in 1935 aged only 32, an achievement of which he was undoubtedly very proud as he often referred to being amongst the youngest Professors of his time and barely older than some of his students. From 1930-36 he was Secretary of The Fellowship Advisory Committee of the Rockefeller Foundation for Social Sciences in Great Britain and Ireland, from 1938-43 he was Director of the National Institute for Economic and Social Research and in 1939 he was a Member of the International Commission for the Relief of Child Refugees in Spain.

The outbreak of war in 1940 (he was unable to undertake active service due to poor eyesight) was to change his career path forever and Noel transferred, with the rest of his staff to the Ministry of Economic Warfare where he became Joint-Director at the age of 37. From 1941 to 1943 he was Minister in charge of the War Trade Department at the British Embassy in Washington. He did not always see eye to eye with Churchill and turned down the offer of a Knighthood saying he could not accept personal honour without it being bestowed upon the whole of his department. On leaving America (where he met Eli) in 1943 Noel was sent as Development Advisor to the Governors of what were then Britain's four West African colonies.

Returning to England in 1945 he was appointed first Principal of the Administrative Staff College, Greenlands, Henley on Thames (now Henley Management College). Eli came to England in 1946 when they were married and in 1950 Louise and in 1952 Jonathan, their two children were born. In 1957 Noel was commissioned by the Government to write the Hall Report on the Grading Structure of Administrative and Clerical Staff in the Hospital Service for which he was knighted in 1957. In 1958 he was invited to New York University as the first Ford Foundation distinguished Visiting Professor and was awarded the New York University Medal.

In 1961 Noel was invited to become Principal of his old College Brasenose in Oxford, an honour that he accepted, and so the family moved from Greenlands and enjoyed a very different life in Oxford. It was at that time that Noel and Eli felt they should buy their own home and wishing to remain near to Henley where they had many friends, they bought Homer End. In 1962 Noel became Chairman of the Academic Planning Board at the University of Lancaster and later became a member of the University's Council, receiving an Honorary LLD in 1964. In 1963 he was made Honorary Associate of the College of Advanced Technology by The University of Birmingham.

Not only did he return to his old College as Principal, he was also for many years Chairman of the Board of Governors of his old school, Bromsgrove. He held various company directorships including Costains, Babcocks & Wilcocks and Fisons, and during his time in Oxford he was Chairman of the Oxford Regional Hospital Board (now the Oxford NHS Trust). Aside from the Hall Report, other publications include The Measure of a National and International for Raising Standards of Living (a Report to the Economic Committee of the League of Nations in 1938), The Exchange Equalisation Account in l935, and The Making of Higher Executives in 1958.

Not surprisingly this did not leave much time for hobbies, but Noel did enjoy golf which he played at Huntercombe Golf Club close to Homer End, and in the evenings he and Eli would play Bridge with friends. When I started playing Bridge I remember him telling me quite firmly that it was a 'partnership game' which he then proceeded to play almost single handedly, well, you can't be good at everything!

Noel retired from Brasenose in 1973. He kept himself occupied by retaining his Directorships and playing golf and bridge. He and Eli moved to Henley in 1981 following the sale of Homer End, and Noel died of a stroke while on holiday in Crete in March 1983. A dignified and peaceful end to an astonishing life. He was spared any of the indignities or infirmities of old age having suffered no ill-health and no deterioration of his brain.

Louise and Jonathan

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