By
Andrew Ffrench
@OxMailAndyF
Business reporter covering Didcot and Wallingford. Call me on 01865 425425
Robert Fryer Picture: Fryer family
Robert Fryer, who has died aged 76, was an Oxford schoolboy who went on to play an important role in re-shaping education nationally.
He was made a CBE for his contribution to adult and community education, particularly to under-represented groups, and was also prominent in research projects and modernising trade unions.
Known as Rob or Bob to family and friends, he was born in Solihull in the West Midlands in September 1944 to motor mechanic Harold Fryer and his wife Edith, a nurse.
After moving to Weymouth and Banbury, the family settled in Oxford, with young Robert attending South Oxford School and the City of Oxford High School.