Graduation celebrations at Wrexham Glyndwr University draw to a close

The final day of Wrexham Glyndwr University’s 2019 graduation ceremonies has concluded.

Students studying Art and Design, Media and Communications Technology, Humanities and Computing courses received their awards in this morning’s ceremony in the William Aston Hall at the university’s Plas Coch campus in Wrexham.

Two Honorary Fellowships were awarded to distinguished individuals during the ceremony.

The first was renowned comics artist and former Comics Laureate Charlie Adlard, who has received many industry awards for his work on The Walking Dead and has drawn dozens of other titles through his career.

Charlie has been a “veteran” of the comic industry for over 25 years. He’s spent the majority of his time since 2004 working on The Walking Dead, which recently finished, and has received many industry awards for his work on the title.

In his time as a cartoonist he has worked on many other projects as far reaching as Mars Attacks, the X-Files, Judge Dredd, Savage, Batman, X-Men, Superman etc and creator-owned projects closer to his heart like Codeflesh, Rock Bottom, Vampire State Building, and White Death.

He was born in Shrewsbury on the 4th August 1966 and, after school, where he loved and drew comics incessantly, moved away to study film and video at art college.

Before moving back to his home town, he spent a brief stint in London, finding out that the BA he’d earned at art college was pretty useless in getting a job in the film industry, and after failing to set the world alight playing the drums in a rock band, eventually settled on the “third” option, which was comics. An option he finally realised should have been number one right from the beginning.

After spending two years back in Shrewsbury, working on a portfolio, he eventually found his first work at the Judge Dredd Megazine in 1992 and hasn’t looked back since.

Mr Adlard told the hall: “Let me congratulate all the graduating students in the audience. I stand before you as a good example of achieving my dream.

“So, if you have the same passion for whatever you want to do after this, it’s there for the taking. Never compromise.

“It’s hard work, believe me, but you can get there – just go for it.”

The second went to Tony Andrews, a highly-regarded designer and manufacturer of high-quality loudspeaker systems whose work has kept him at the top of the professional audio industry for the best part of half a century.

Tony is a highly-regarded designer and manufacturer of high-quality loudspeaker systems.

He is responsible for founding two professional loudspeaker companies: Turbosound and Funktion-One. Andrews’ landmark developments include the hugely successful Turbosound TMS3, Flashlight and Floodlight systems, and the critically-acclaimed Funktion-One Resolution Series, Evolution Series and Vero.

After leaving a geology degree course at the University of London in 1969 to roadie for Piblokto, Andrews soon realised that PA sound quality was a long way short of his homebuilt hi-fi. This was the beginning of his decade-spanning career in loudspeaker development.

By 1976 he was applying for his first loudspeaker enclosure patent and has subsequently been granted patents on more than a dozen loudspeaker-related innovations.

The focus of his work has been on horn-loading techniques for both bass and mid- range, motivated by the pursuit of efficiency and coherency. His mid-high waveguide designs have proved an innovative and very low distortion alternative to the ubiquitous compression driver and the amount of well-defined bass he can achieve from a small, horn-loaded enclosure is unique.

Andrews’ fundamental motive is to achieve the best sound quality possible. His free and unrelenting approach to innovation has kept him at the forefront of the professional audio industry for almost 50 years.

The fellows were presented to Wrexham Glyndwr University Chancellor, Colin Jackson CBE, and Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Maria Hinfelaar to receive their awards.

And Mr Andrews added: “Amongst the qualities essential for progress and achievement are application and perseverance, which today’s graduating students have amply demonstrated by successfully completing their studies.

“Keep in mind that there is great soul expression in going after the things you are passionate about. Most of the interesting stuff in life happens at frontiers and boundaries, and the status quo is merely a temporary condition on the way to truth – thank you very much.”

Wrexham Glyndwr University Chancellor Colin Jackson – who presided over his first graduation ceremonies as Chancellor this week – said: “I’m so excited to see the faces of people who have worked truly hard.

“I think this is the thing that we have to make people understand – that nothing comes easy – but when it doesn’t come so easy, and you are rewarded in this particular way, it makes it very exciting – for all of us.”

And Professor Hinfelaar told the graduating students: “There is an ambitious national strategy to grow the economy, to grow prosperity and to improve healthcare, but to achieve that we need the people and the higher level skills.

“We want to play our part and are ready to offer places to more students, whether they are local or from further afield. So spread the word: you’ve come through Wrexham Glyndŵr University and as successful alumni you are now our ambassadors!

“Today, though, is about enjoying the moment. Have a lovely celebration later on; you deserve it.

“And for the future, I wish you pob lwc, iechyd a hapusrwydd da – good luck, good health and happiness.”