Chapter Lalage Bown: The Enduring Legacy. A Personal Reflection

Abstract

This personal reflection of Lalage Bown focuses upon her professional contributions internationally to the field of progressive adult and continuing education, and her remarkable personality and charisma. Although the contexts for her work varied considerably over her many decades of activism and leadership, the values underpinning her approach remained constant. The chapter begins by outlining the nature of these guiding principles, and then considers her intellectual achievements, as exemplified in her 1994 Lecture on Radical Social Purpose Adult Education. Lalage had, by common consent, a memorable ‘presence’ as a public speaker, and this rare talent is discussed and some examples given. The chapter concludes with some personal reminiscences, which try to give a flavour of her unforgettable character; and some suggestions about some (realistic) policy priorities which Lalage might be campaigning for in the 2020s.