[Gocamino] Fallen Pilgrim

[Grant Spangler]

Why we watch the weather. The DiarioDeNavarra.es release of the story:

Muere un peregrino inglés que se perdió cerca de Roncesvalles durante 18 
horas
http://www.diariodenavarra.es/actualidad/noticia.asp?not=2007040502405987&dia=20070405
(An English Pilgrim dies after being lost near Roncesvalles for 18 hours)

Bloomberg.com's coverage of the story:

Scottish Widows Fund Chief Phillips Dies on Hike

By Tracy Alloway

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Chris Phillips, the chief executive of Lloyds TSB 
Group Plc's Scottish Widows Investment Partnership Ltd., died during a 
walking tour in northern Spain. He was 50.

``The onset of poor weather'' in the Pyrenees mountains probably was a 
factor in the death, Edinburgh-based Scottish Widows said today in an 
e-mailed statement. Phillips succumbed to hypothermia, the Financial Times 
reported earlier today. Spanish authorities are investigating the incident, 
the statement said.

Phillips was due to take over as chief executive officer at Aviva Plc's 
Morley Fund Management unit in July. His departure from Scottish Widows was 
announced in January. Phillips left a widow, Elizabeth.

``Chris was hugely respected across the industry and deeply liked by all his 
colleagues,'' said Archie Kane, chief executive of Scottish Widows Plc, the 
insurance unit of Lloyds TSB, the U.K.'s fifth-largest bank. ``He played a 
significant part in re- establishing SWIP as a leading player in the 
competitive asset management sector and he will be greatly missed.''

Phillips joined Scottish Widows at the end of 2003, when it had about 77 
billion pounds ($151 billion) of assets. He said at the time he hoped to 
improve U.K. stock fund performance to win more pension clients. The unit 
had about 102 billion pounds under management at the end of 2006.

Phillips boosted profit at the company in his tenure, Cameron Walker, a 
spokesman for Scottish Widows's insurance business, said in January. Pretax 
profit in the first half of 2006 was 17 million pounds, up from 8 million 
pounds a year before, he said.

Pilgrim to Santiago

In January, Phillips was hired by London-based Morley to oversee its 162 
billion-pound portfolio. Like Scottish Widows, Morley is a unit of an 
insurance company, managing about three- quarters of its assets for the 
parent.

``We're shocked and saddened by the news,'' said Fiona Baker, a spokeswoman 
for Morley Fund Management in an interview today. ``It's way too early to 
even start thinking,'' about Phillips's replacement, she said.

Phillips died at the start of what was to have been a five- week walking 
tour along the pilgrim's route to Santiago de Compostela, the Financial 
Times reported earlier today.

Phillips studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University, 
the newspaper said. He was a policy adviser to the Social Democratic party 
before starting his financial career with Morgan Grenfell & Co. in 1983 in 
international banking, the Financial Times said.

At the time of his death, Phillips also was chairman of the Association of 
British Insurers' investment committee, which represents the U.K.'s largest 
shareholders, the FT said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tracy Alloway in London at 
talloway at bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 9, 2007 08:46 EDT

******************************

This was an intelligent accomplished Englishman.
He simply did not take heed of the prevailing weather conditions.
May he rest in peace. May you heed the weather report.

* Weather Camino Francés 1: Seven day forecasts city by city
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/WeatherCaminoFrances.msnw

* Weather Camino Francés 2: Outlook for tomorrow by autonomia
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/weathercaminofrances2.msnw

* Weather Camino Francés 3: Long term climate on the Camino Frances
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago/climatecaminofrances.msnw

The best single indicator station for pyreneean prognostication is 
Roncesvalles.

* http://www.inm.es/cgi-bin/locali.cgi?ig=31630

PDFs of long term climate on the Camino Frances:

* http://elcaminosantiago.com/PDF/Climate_Camino_Frances_by_Locale.pdf

* http://www.elcaminosantiago.com/PDF/WX_Camino_Frances_by_Month-2b.pdf

Buen Camino,

Grant

Grant Spangler
GASpangler at hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago
http://community.webshots.com/user/ElCaminoSantiago