FOR many Huddersfield people, Ronald Morton's name is synonymous with concerts and music.

Mr Morton, who died aged 83, dedicated 48 years of his life to working for local authorities in Huddersfield.

Much of his work during that time involved arranging musical events in the town.

His most prominent role was as senior arts officer for music with Kirklees Council - a post he held between 1974 and 1985, when he retired.

Mr Morton was born in Staffordshire in 1921 and came to Huddersfield at the age of three.

He was educated at Deighton Council School and King James's Grammar School.

He left at 15 to become an office junior in the borough engineer's department of Huddersfield Corporation in 1937.

During his teenage years, he sang with jazz and big bands at the Princess Restaurant and Co-op hall in Huddersfield.

However, by the age of 19, he found himself serving on minesweepers and cruisers with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

He was in the navy for five years, working with convoys in the Atlantic, Russia and the Mediterranean.

After leaving the navy, he went back to working for the borough engineer in 1946.

Soon, his boss the concerts committee secretary asked him to help out at musical events. Initially, this involved selling programmes at Huddersfield Town Hall for Saturday night `Penny Pop' concerts.

But Huddersfield had just helped form the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, which brought more music to the town and more work for Mr Morton.

When the concerts committee secretary retired in 1961, Mr Morton was appointed to the job.

In 1974, Kirklees Council was formed and he was made senior arts officer for music.

During his long career, Mr Morton organised about 1,300 concerts for the area.

He also met some of the world's greatest orchestras and musicians - including the Moscow Philharmonic, the Halle Orchestra, and conductors Rubinstein, Ashkanazy and Sir Malcolm Sargent.

Mr Morton was not a musician himself, but music was his life-long passion.

Brian Pearson, head of Kirklees Cultural Services, worked with Mr Morton during the 1970s.

He said: "He was totally devoted to the job and was admired and respected by many internationally known artists and their agents.

"It was a privilege to have worked with him."

Mr Morton's other passions included watching Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Huddersfield Town FC.

He was a long-standing member and former president of Almondbury Conservative Club and was a member of local government worker's union Nalgo for 48 years.

He was president of the Kirklees branch between 1981 and 1983.

Mr Morton and his late wife Barbara had one daughter, Mrs Susan Marshall.

They had three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mr Morton's funeral was held on Monday at Huddersfield Crematorium. Donations were collected for Cancer Research UK.