Holocaust survivor leaves University £1.5 million

A former child evacuee from Nazi Germany has left University of Manchester £1.5 million in her will.

Professor Fanni Bogdanow was evacuated by the Kindertransport mission when she was 11 years old, and arrived in Manchester in 1939.

On finishing school she was awarded three scholarships to the University of Manchester to study French, where she remained as a lecturer and professor and leading scholar on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Professor Bogdanow was finally reunited with her mother in Manchester in the 1950’s, after she had been released from concentration camps.

The money she left the University after her death in July last year will be used in part to fund lectures around Holocaust Memorial Day next year and provide prizes for high performing students.

Dr Matthew Philpotts, head of Languages and Intercultural Studies and a former student of Professor Bogdanow, said, “I was fortunate enough to have classes with Fanni when I was a student here in the early 1990s.

“She made no secret of her background and often mentioned it in class, but I don’t think any of us realised quite how remarkable her personal history was.

“Like so many of the best academics, she had a considerable presence and gave us a rare insight into the importance of her subject.”

President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Manchester Dame Nancy Rothwell said, “Professor Bogdanow was a remarkable scholar with a remarkable story.

“She was able to conquer extreme adversity to become one of the leading scholars in her field and a valued member of the University community.

“We are delighted she left this sum to the University. This will be used in a manner which will serve as a fitting tribute to her memory.”