Amongst the victims of Friday's train crash at Potters Bar were Jonael Schickler, a PhD student at Queens' College, Cambridge and Emma Knights, a former member of staff. Queens' College and Emma's former colleagues have both paid tribute to these two much-liked figures.

Queens’ College, University of Cambridge,
11 May 2002

It is with great sadness that the College learnt today that one of its students died following the railway accident at Potters Bar yesterday.

Jonael Schickler was a postgraduate student of Queens’ College in his third year of reading for a Ph.D. degree in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. His research topic was Metaphysics as Christology: an odyssey of the Self from Kant and Hegel to Rudolph Steiner, for which his PhD thesis was almost complete and ready for examination.

In 1998, Jonael graduated with a First Class BA(Hons) degree in Philosophy from Sidney Sussex College in the University of Cambridge.

Jonael was born in Switzerland, of German nationality, but brought up in the UK from an early age, and a native English speaker. He was just a few weeks short of his 26th birthday. His family home is in East Sussex.

His interests included music (cello), amateur archaeology, and sport (basketball). He was passionate about philosophy and esoteric thought.

He had close friends within both the postgraduate and undergraduate community at Queens’ College. The College is providing counselling to those most affected by his untimely death.

At this time our thoughts go out to his family and to his close friends.

Dr Fraser Watts, a former supervisor, said:

"Jonael was an intellectually brilliant student with a passionate commitment to his philosophical work. He had strong spiritual beliefs, stemming from his family background and his education at a Rudolph Steiner school. He had hoped that his work would contribute to a new understanding of the potential of philosophy, and was half-way through an ambitious five-part academic project. Though passionately serious, he also had a physical energy, a sense of fun, a warm heart, and many friends. His death is a great tragedy. It robs the world of an enormously promising young man who could have had a great impact for good."

Emma Knights

It is with great sadness that the University has learned that former member of staff Emma Knights also lost her life in the Potters Bar train accident.

Emma Knights worked in the Finance Division of University until December 2000.

Mr Kerry Sykes, Deputy Director of the University’s Finance Division said

"Em was a very committed, positive person who brought energy and vitality to the University. She had a great number of interests and many friends. She was extremely professional and enthusiastic about her work and was very highly regarded by her close colleagues.

"Em made many good friends here and maintained those friendships after she moved on. We are stunned at this terrible news. She had so much energy and warmth. It’s tragic that her life has been cut short. We want to send our heartfelt wishes to her family. Our thoughts are with them."

Photo copyright Brian Callingham


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