Campus honours jet plane pioneer

Sir Geoffrey de Havilland's company built the first jet aircraft

Gone with the Wind star Olivia de Havilland has visited Hertfordshire to launch a university project named after her family.

The Hollywood actress, who remains the only major surviving star of the 1930s film classic, launched the University of Hertfordshire's plans to build a new complex honouring her cousin Sir Geoffrey de Havilland.

Sir Geoffrey was a man who devoted his life to learning about planes

Olivia de Havilland

It was Mr de Havilland's company which built the world's first jet airliner at Hatfield, where the university campus is based.

"It's a wonderful thing that a campus will bear his name, because it stands for learning, and he was a man who devoted his life to learning about planes," said the actress at the inauguration of the project.

The de Havilland Campus is set to open in 2003 on a large area of land near the factory that produced the Comet jet aircraft.

Sir Geoffrey's cousin starred in the 1930s film classic

Miss de Havilland added: "I knew Sir Geoffrey well and he was a brilliant man and a very human one. I think that he would have welcomed with enthusiasm the concept of a campus rising on the land from which his aeroplanes flew.

"He was much concerned with education for his workforce and had his own technical school and a library for staff."

The screen legend, accompanied by her niece Anne Essex and daughter Gisele, was also celebrating her 84th birthday.