Odile Leroux

I was saddened to hear of the death of Odile Leroux. She was a good person.

I first met her in the late 1960s when I had the responsibility for developing Reuters Economic Services in Africa. Before travelling to West Africa it was essential to visit Paris in order to pick up visas to visit francophone African countries (not many had embassies in London at that time) and to have a meeting with Odile. Her encyclopaedic and up-to-date knowledge of what was going on in Africa was most impressive and very helpful, and with the background knowledge she provided we were able to start delivering our services for the first time to a number of francophone countries.

Later, when I worked in Paris, it was interesting to see her struggle to ensure that African news from Paris was not overshadowed by all the other stories being covered by the Paris bureau. By that time Reuters had a more developed management presence in Africa and her insight did not seem to be sought so frequently.

But I also remember what a compassionate and generous-hearted person she was. By that time Harold King, the legendary Paris bureau chief, had retired and was living in La Maison des Artistes (a home for retired writers and artists). Odile was one of the few people to care for him and to ensure that we did not forget him. I also remember that Manesse Jiminga, who had been an important Reuter Manager in West Africa, died suddenly in Paris. It was Odile who, on her own initiative, liaised with his family and ensured that the many legal and religious formalities were observed.

Paul Taylor describes her tobacco-stained voice. Others thought of her as French version of Margaret Rutherford. She was unforgettable. ■