TENBURY'S "history man" Howard Miller has died at the age of 76.

Born in Ludlow where his father was tax officer, his family moved to Hazlemere, in Buckinghamshire, when he was seven.

Educated at the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, he went on to to gain a BSc in mathematics at London University.

This eventually led to a teaching career in further education colleges across the country, where he specialised in Mathematical Engineering.

His progress was interrupted by a period of National Service in the Royal Air Force teaching maths to WAAFS which, according to his wife, Mary, he thoroughly enjoyed. He was later taken on by aircraft manufacturers Vickers Armstrong, at Swindon, and ended his working life teaching in Huddersfield until retirement in 1987.

Seeking the right spot to settle into retirement, Howard and Mary opted for Tenbury Wells believing that it found them rather than the other way round - it proved to be a good day for Tenbury.

With no particular historical background, Howard took on the town's history, turned it over and put it on to the printed page for all to read and learn from; he soon became the enthusiastic researcher into the town's past and was often called upon by outside agencies keen to pick up on his wide range of knowledge.

It was his urgent response to the dilapidated state of the Pump Rooms that eventually persuaded high-level interest to return the famous spa to its former glory.

Howard was involved in many groups, including the history society, the tourism group and the festive lights committee. His many books and video films on Tenbury Wells and the Teme Valley are still much sought after.

Married to Mary for 51 years, the couple had two sons, Peter and Brian, and six grandchildren, the youngest just three months old.

A celebration of Howard Miller's life took place yesterday at St Mary's Church, Tenbury Wells, when family and friends from all quarters of the town gathered to pay their own personal tributes to a man who did good things for his adopted town.