POSTMASTER AND THE MERTON RECORD 2012

Transcription

1 POSTMASTER AND THE MERTON RECORD 2012

2 Merton College Oxford OX1 4JD Telephone +44 (0) Edited by Matt Bowdler, Christine Taylor, Helen Kingsley and Philippa Logan Front cover image: St James, as depicted in the Chapel glass. Produced by Holywell Press Ltd, Oxford

3 Contents NEWS 5 FROM THE WARDEN Sir Martin Taylor looks back at his second year as Warden 6 JCR NEWS 7 MCR NEWS 9 MERTON SPORT Croquet, Rowing and Blues 13 CLUBS & SOCIETIES Neave Society and MCR VegPatch Society 15 INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUPS 19 THE LIBRARY 21 THE ARCHIVES 25 THE CHAPEL 27 THE CHOIR 29 THE GARDENS 30 SCHOOLS LIAISON & ACCESS 32 DEVELOPMENT 57 SERENDIPITY The Arab Spring uprising in Egypt, from the viewpoint of Australian Ambassador, Ralph King 60 MERTON AND CHINA Richard McCabe reflects on the close link between the College and China that has spanned several hundred years 62 DIAMOND JUBILEE Tom Millest reports from the very heart of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations 63 LOST, LITTLE KNOWN & UNBUILT MERTON 9 Alan Bott takes a look at William Butterfield s 19th-Century restoration of the Chapel 66 HENRY ABYNDON, WARDEN OF MERTON Robert and Michael Sackett s chance discovery in a Somerset church leads them on an interesting journey through a former Warden s life 70 BOOK REVIEWS English identity, American culture and medieval heresy FELLOWS 35 HAIL TO NEW FELLOWS FEATURES 40 VIEW FROM THE TOP Postmaster talks to Peter Phillips about the challenges facing the academic publishing industry 44 CLIMATE EMERGENCY? Henry Shue assesses the implications of the ever-growing release of carbon dioxide for future generations 47 MERTONIANS IN EDUCATION A collection of memories and musings from alumni about their work in education 52 MERTON CITIES: MUNICH Richard and Louisa Keane give an insider s view of the Bavarian capital 54 EDUCATION IN SOUTH SUDAN Naomi Pendle provides us with an insight into teaching the children of the world s newest nation RECORDS 72 THE WARDEN & FELLOWS ELECTIONS, HONOURS & APPOINTMENTS 76 NEW STUDENTS PUBLIC EXAMINATION RESULTS & PRIZES 80 UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS & PRIZES 83 GRADUATE DEGREES, AWARDS & PRIZES 85 COLLEGE STAFF 87 PUBLICATIONS OLD MEMBERS 93 THE MERTON SOCIETY Jo Woods reviews another year of keeping alumni in touch with each other 95 MC3 All the news from alumni across the Atlantic 97 GOLF SOCIETY Bill Ford looks back at a transitional year for the society 99 NEWS OF OLD MEMBERS 138 IN MEMORIAM 152 FORTHCOMING EVENTS

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5 From the Warden It has been another invigorating year. Just as the sportsmen and women of Team GB have inspired a nation at the London 2012 Olympics, so we here at Merton have spent another academic year inspiring the minds of a generation of students, and have in turn been inspired by them. It is easy to be motivated by the work of the Merton Fellowship. I have heard Dr Steven Gunn, our senior Historian, and Professor Robert MacLaren, Consultant Ophthalmologist, talking with authority on Radio 4. Matthew Grimley, the Mark Reynolds History Fellow, appeared in the Channel 4 programme: The Plot to Topple a King. I have seen the amazing work being conducted by Dr Simon Draper on finding a cure for malaria. Awards and Fellowships have been conferred: Physical Chemist Dr Christopher Rodgers has been offered a University Fellowship from the Royal Society and a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship. Dr Nicholas Jones, Fitzjames Research Fellow in Philosophy, won the Oxford Studies in Metaphysics Younger Scholars Prize for Metaphysics Jennifer Payne, Professor in Corporate Finance Law, was awarded a distinction in Social Sciences. This is what Merton strives to provide for its undergraduates and graduates: prize-winning academics who are at the top of their field and whose wisdom and knowledge is relied upon for expert analysis and understanding. This theme runs through one of the most exciting projects for Merton s 750th Anniversary - the Merton Conversations, which will take place throughout 2014 in Oxford, London, New York and Hong Kong. They will be two-hander discussions on topics of great importance, featuring fine minds both from within the Merton family and from outside. Already this year I have met with Stephen Fry and Professor Brian Cox to discuss their participation and we shall be excited to announce the full programme soon. We plan to make these conversations available by podcast on the College website, so that no one need miss out. Life at the College is as busy as ever. The student body continues to be stimulating and remarkable. Alongside the academic achievements, it has been good to see so many other activities taking place: we give credit to the Women s Rowing team, with five Blues being won this year; the Junior Chaplain s student group is regularly involved in local volunteering; graduate student Christopher Gray leaves Merton to become Vice President of the Oxford University Student Union, with a particular responsibility for graduate students across the University. It remains crucial that we maintain the high standards of student intake each year. I am delighted that we now have a full-time Schools Liaison & Access Officer, Dr Cressida Ryan, and have been impressed by her efforts in meeting potential candidates in large numbers and coordinating events to explain that Oxford is an option for the brightest minds from all backgrounds. This is particularly important in the face of rising tuition fees for the year. With this in mind we have produced a series of online videos portraying student life at Merton. The end results exceeded my expectations and I am grateful to the Senior Tutor, Dr Catherine Paxton, and to John Clare of Lion s Den Communications for their hard work in making this project a success. You can view the videos on the Undergraduate Admissions section of the Merton website. I am also pleased that Benjamin Nicholas has now been made a permanent member of College staff, as the Reed Rubin Organist and Director of Music. Enabled by Reed Rubin (Merton 1957) and by other generous Mertonians, the Choir has continued to go from strength to strength this academic year, singing Choral Evensong for BBC Radio 3 in the autumn, and producing their first CD In the beginning, which achieved enthusiastic reviews. This is the time of year for goodbyes: students and Fellows leave this beautiful place. And so we take our leave of Dr Paul Chamberlain, Official Fellow in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, who is retiring. Richard Callaghan, Ralph Wedgwood, Sarah Percy, Christoph Ortner, Alison Parkin, Robert Metcalfe and Emily Holmes have gone on to pastures new, both in the UK and overseas. We wish them all well. And then there is our Finance Bursar: Cliff Webb, who has performed a remarkable job of managing both the College s finances and its endowments for the last 24 years, latterly during a period of global financial upheaval. We knew that we had a difficult task in front of us to find his replacement. Both the Fellowship and Mertonians have been most supportive in helping us with this challenge, and I am very pleased to announce that Charles Alexander will take on the role of Finance Bursar at this critical period of the College s history. He comes to us from Oxford and Harvard, and after working in strategy consulting and banking in London, India and Hong Kong. It is our objective to make sure that, as Merton approaches its 750th year, it is in the best shape ever. And so we are grateful to all who have helped us this year towards our 750th Anniversary Campaign target of 30 million. It will be a huge challenge to raise the final 10 million, but I should like to thank you for your continuing support as we work towards achieving our goal. Preparations for the 750th Anniversary Celebrations are also in full swing, so that we can all, as a Merton family, celebrate the College s continued success and its bright future. POSTMASTER

6 NEWS JCR JCR News This year has marked another successful and enjoyable time for the undergraduate body at Merton. High attendance at JCR events and a widely-held willingness to get involved in many different areas of College life are testament to the strong community spirit that has existed within the JCR this year. One of the primary focuses of this year s JCR Exec has been to increase student academic representation within the College. To this end, we have elevated the role of Academic Affairs Representative from the Committee to the Exec; we have formalised and codified the formerly haphazard Subject President system into something more accountable and consistent across the subject groups; we have also been granted permission to attend one meeting of the Warden and Tutors Committee per term, the first time such representation has been granted to junior members in Merton. We have also worked hard to secure changes to the College Bar in an attempt to safeguard it as a cornerstone of the College community. The College has kindly agreed to a refurbishment programme over the summer, as well as to considering serving more food options there. JCR members can now purchase from the Bar select bottles of SCR wine, which is quite an exciting coup! The JCR is also in the final stages of setting up its own Bike Scheme, which would allow members to sign out a JCR bike from the Lodge for a designated period of time, free of charge. The JCR s charitable inclination has also been in evidence this year, with 6 POSTMASTER 2012 several motions being passed that pledged money for Mertonians engaged in charitable activities in their free time and the default charitable contribution levied termly on battels being raised to 10. We have also been pleased to establish the first Leavers Gift where finalists are offered the chance to make a donation to the College as a class of leavers. The uptake so far has been very heartening and we hope that its success will continue for years to come. This year, the JCR has stayed true to its traditional apolitical disposition. In Michaelmas Term, we voted to support OUSU s response to the Government s controversial (and now shelved) White Paper on Higher Education in which we affirmed, in opposition to the Government position, that students saw themselves as partners in education, not consumers. The JCR s socially inclusive dynamic was underscored by two well-supported motions in Michaelmas Term, one encouraging Committee members to use gender-neutral language in communications and another adding a Q (for queer or questioning) to the LGBT Rep s acronym, bringing Merton into line with the national movement. Turning to the JCR s social activities, this year has seen a very impressive run of BOPs, with record takings at the bar and an impressive firework display at the last BOP of the year. In Freshers Week, a new event was added to the long-established programme, a Wine and Cheese night after the Matriculation Dinner. The event was very popular with the Freshers and should become a regular fixture for Freshers Weeks to come. Also in Michaelmas Term was the return of the Time Ceremony which again passed without serious incident. Adding to the safety and security of the event was the biggest number of JCR/MCR helpers that has ever been recruited. My thanks go to them for sacrificing multiple laps of Fellows Quad to help make the event run more smoothly. In both Hilary Term and Trinity Term, the Entz reps trialled a very successful Big Night Out, where we held a drinks party in the JCR followed by a mass outing to one of Oxford s clubs. It s been great to see so many Mertonians going out at the same time and has proved a very popular feature of the termcard. The highlight of Trinity Term has to be the amazing Arts Fest, competently presided over this year by first-year student Emma Moyse. The showcase event was, for a third year running, Mertonbury. This year saw a sunny Saturday afternoon of Pimms, strawberries and acoustic music in the relaxed setting of Fellows Garden. The rest of the week was taken up by an equally ambitious and successful programme of art exhibitions, salsa dancing and play readings. The College societies have also continued to flourish this year. The Neave Society has held its usual programme of fortnightly debates on a diverse range of political issues, ranging from whether property is theft to whether we live in a wholly consumerist society. It has hosted speakers such as Mertonians Basil Eastwood and Denis MacShane MP. The Merton College Music Society is growing in strength with its partnership with University College s Music Society. The highlight of the year has to be when the combined Fidelio Orchestra performed their termly concert in the highly prestigious setting of the Sheldonian Theatre. Turning to sport, the rugby team had

7 MCR NEWS an unbeaten season, earning them double promotion into the First Division. The pool team and the women s football team won their respective divisions, repeating feats achieved the previous year. The Boat Club has also enjoyed a fantastic year, with two JCR members earning the distinction of rowing for university crews. To conclude the report, I d like to wish next year s President, Nicole Sparkes, and her Committee the best of luck and to offer my fondest farewell to this year s group of leavers. Sam Hall (2009) JCR President MCR News Merton s MCR is one of the largest and most dynamic graduate communities within the University of Oxford; Merton is, in fact, the only undergraduate/graduate college with more graduate than undergraduate students. The over 300 Merton graduates are at the forefront of much groundbreaking research, are prize-winning sports men and women, and established artists. In short, Merton s graduate community underlines the College s excellence across the walks of life. To name but a few examples of academic excellence, Johannes Moeller received the Arthur H. Cooke Memorial Prize from the Condensed Matter Physics Subdepartment, Giulio Disanto was awarded the 2011 Rita Levi Montalcini Prize from the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society, Andrew Cichy received the Louise Dyer Award from the Musica Britannica Trust, and Martin Lester and Steven Ramsay both received an Excellence for Teaching award from the Department of Computer Science. Merton students this past year have also excelled at securing scholarships and fellowships: for example, Frederik Shih- Chung Chen received a Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship for the European Region, Enrico Prodi and Andrew Stephenson were offered a Junior Research Fellowship at Christ Church College and Queen s College respectively, and Christopher Lyliblad was awarded the Peter J Braam Scholarship in International Development. POSTMASTER

8 NEWS MCR Three Merton students (Martin Lester, Steven Ramsay and Robin Neatherway) won the International Conference of Functional Programming Contest 2011 and were invited to Tokyo in September 2011 to receive their prize. Alkiviadis Ginalis contributed to the forthcoming Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity by Oxford University Press and is strongly involved in the coastal infrastructure of Roman and Byzantine Skiathos project as a scientific partner, and project and field director. This project has attracted the attention of the Greek Ministry of Culture and various newspapers. Finally, Christopher Gray, previous OUSU representative of the MCR, has been elected Vice-President for Graduates of the OUSU: the MCR wishes him the best of luck for this coming year. In sports, Kathryn Twyman made Merton proud by winning Silver in the lightweight women s single scull at the World Cup 2012 in Belgrade. Following her example, four Mertonians, three of whom are graduates, rowed with the University teams in Henley. Caitlin Goss rowed with the Women s Blues Boat, and Stephanie Jones and Catriona Dann rowed in Osiris. Other graduate students also received a Blues or Half Blue: Jessica Lam for volleyball, Victoria Ormerod for squash and real tennis, and Ben Stevens for orienteering. Many also ran in the Town and Gown 10km for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. Merton students also contribute strongly to music, arts and culture in Oxford. Last Michaelmas saw one MCR member, Lizzie Sandis, stage a play in ancient Greek at the Playhouse, the biggest theatre in Oxford. The production achieved a total audience of more than 3,300 people over seven performances. Heading up a large team of students, Lizzie was Executive Producer and took responsibility for upholding the tradition of the Oxford Greek Play (now over 130 years old) with a production entitled Clytemnestra (Aeschylus Choephori). Lizzie has just finished her stint as President of the University s Classical Drama Society (OUCDS). Musicology graduate Cayenna Ponchionne has made a point of becoming involved with the Merton College Music Society, working with the committee to provide a venue for all Merton community members to participate in music-making. Over the past three terms, she has performed with and conducted the Fidelio Orchestra including an all-college concert in the Merton Chapel involving the Kodaly Choir under the direction of another MCR member, Tristan E Franklinos. The Trinity Term concert included a work by Francois Poulenc, which was arranged for symphony orchestra by Merton music graduate Elizabeth Mowforth. Cayenna Ponchionne also conducts the Oxford University String Ensemble. While MCR members progress with their careers and reach new goals every year, both as individuals and as part of a small team, the MCR Committee continues to ensure a variety of activities that encourage all students to share and exchange their current and previous experiences. Merton s MCR is proud to host the University s best Freshers Week programme for graduates in Oxford. This welcome event for incoming students sees diverse social, cultural and welfare events take place every day over about ten days. In addition, Merton is one of the few colleges with strong ties between the different common rooms. High Table rights, Joint Dining over the summer vacation, MCR/JCR Second Desserts, College-wide cultural and academic events, and more ensure a great sense of community within Merton. The MCR President, Stephanie Jones, and her Committee did an fantastic job in welcoming all new graduate students in October 2011, and ensured the well-being of all students throughout the year. The new MCR Committee aims to maintain Merton s high standards, keeping Merton one of the most attractive colleges for graduates from all disciplines and from all over the world. The new committee includes: Christophe Snoeck (President), Pauline Souleau (Vice-President), Henry Hope (Treasurer), Anne Miles and Robert Machinek (Welfare Officers), Mary Boyle, Tristan Franklinos and Emily Lord- Kambitsch (Social Secretaries), Emma Loftus and Jessica Thorn (Environmental Representatives), Rosalind Holmes Duffy (Admiral of the Fleet), and Albert Sampson (Arts and Culture Representative). Christophe Snoeck MCR President POSTMASTER 2012

9 Merton Sport SPORT CROQUET NEWS MERTON CROQUET Despite a term of less than ideal weather for croquet, Mertonians were as ever undeterred from braving the conditions and hitting the lawns. Croquet in the College was as popular as ever with a particularly keen Fresher intake. Fifteen college teams of four took on the wider university in the Oxford-wide Cuppers competition, maintaining the College s position as one of the best represented in the university. Several teams put in strong performances reaching the latter stages of the competition, with particular credit going to the team captained by Martin Lester for making it to the quarter finals of the largest croquet tournament in the world. On a more local scale, but no less hotly contested, the College Cuppers tournament was won by Lee Collins and James Neuhaus. To conclude, I announce the passing of the heavy weight and honour of Merton s most esteemed position to Ben Challen for next year. Richard Millar (2008) MEN S ROWING Michaelmas Term began with great promise for the year with two eights of experienced rowers training side by side at Godstow. Coached by Ben Tipney, former international and previously head coach at Bishop Bavin School (SA), the whole squad made significant improvements in fitness and technique. With a respectable showing in the first of the season s Isis Winter League head races in 5th Week, including the best 2nd VIII time, things were looking promising. We planned to finish the term with a couple of entries in the Fairbairn Cup over on the Cam on Friday of 8th Week. Unfortunately, with a virus spreading its way through the squad, we only managed to field an under-strength and under-theweather 1st VIII and our time reflected the circumstances. The recruitment of novices was not as stellar as last year s showing of five VIIIs and reflected a broader apathy in the Fresher intake for college sport. We had two full VIIIs and a mixed VIII training under the coaching of senior rowers Alistair Hodgson, Michael Geeson, Felix Chow, Paul Fineran, and Tanya Goodchild. The enthusiasm and hard work of the novice crews paid off with one of the better results of recent years a place in the last eight for the Novice A crew in Christ Church Regatta. Over Christmas, much of the promise glimmering in the previous term was extinguished as half the rowers fell by the wayside due to illness, injury or academic commitments. To make matters worse, our head coach, Ben Tipney, was poached by a school with terms and conditions we cannot compete with. So we began Hilary Term without a coach and struggling to fill two VIIIs. Against this backdrop of disruption to the squad at the beginning of term, the 1st Torpid, despite a blistering first 500m, had their lack of base fitness exposed in the first half of the week and fell a couple of places. The week ended on a high, however, bumping back up on Keble to finish down one for the week. The 2nd Torpid fared better making the most of a big engine room to bump up for the first couple of days, before being caught on the last day. They finished up one. One source of success for the men s club this year has been the achievement of Ben Walpole (1st VIII 2011) who competed against Cambridge at Henley in March in the 7-seat of the Oxford lightweight crew. As President-elect of OULRC he will be leading the lightweight squad next year in their attempt at revenge for this year s loss. After a successful training camp week on the Isis in 0th Week, training in Trinity Term was beset by dangerous stream conditions. The first VIII managed trips to Dorney Lake and Henley on the weekends POSTMASTER

10 NEWS SPORT WOMEN S ROWING to get some water time but both crews had to forbear putting in the miles in the gym for weeks on end before more summery conditions returned in 4th Week. Eights Week itself brought glorious weather but not much luck on the water. The 1st Eight was caught on the finish line on the first day by a dogged Somerville crew. They rowed over comfortably for the next two days, making ground on Somerville in the first 500m and with plenty of water behind them. On Saturday, they found themselves being chased by a strong Oriel II boat full of 1st Torpid rowers pushed out of their 1st VIII by Blues. In an epic race with what the tannoy commentary described as innovative coxing that saw us not far off exploring the Cherwell cut, we held off Oriel II to row over. Unfortunately, a rogue umpire reported contact and without footage to refute this we had to accept the official verdict. The 2nd VIII had a similarly frustrating week spoiled by klaxons and penalty bumps (on other crews it should perhaps be stressed) meaning they spent the entire week chasing the one quick crew in their vicinity who had bumped them on the first day. This frustrating end to a frustrating year did not stop us celebrating the achievements of the women s side of the club at the Eights dinner. This was once again a great success held in Hall for the second year running, with the Warden and many of our alumni attending. After a couple of years of increasing numbers and improving results, the damage limitation theme of this year has been hard to swallow. However, I will be leaving the club in the capable hands of Anurag Aggarwal for the coming year, and I am sure the enthusiasm and hard work he has already shown will get us back on our feet next year. Joshua Monahan (2007) Men s Captain WOMEN S ROWING Merton College Women s Boat Club has had an exciting and productive year, achieving great levels of success in intercollegiate competition and in University-level representation. We started the year aiming to consolidate the successes of , while keeping up the atmosphere of fun and inclusiveness that makes MCWBC such a fantastic club to row with. I began my captaincy with a large development squad of 14 girls. These senior rowers trained throughout Michaelmas Term towards competing in Isis Winter League A and B. Their dedication and enthusiasm yielded fantastic results, with Merton women finishing the term second on the intercollegiate Isis Winter League Leaderboard. Meanwhile, another impressive recruitment allowed us to field two novice women s VIIIs for Christ Church and Nephthys Regattas, as well as a mixed 10 POSTMASTER 2012 VIII shared with the Men s Boat Club. All of these crews performed extremely well, and had a fun term in the process; notably, the 1st novice VIII came second overall in Nephthys, as well as making it through to the final day of Christ Church. Most importantly, almost all these novices enjoyed their first term so much that they decided to continue with us into Hilary. Following an impressive retention from Michaelmas, and an enormously productive training camp, we set about training three crews for Torpids. Despite icy river conditions thwarting our training time, MCWBC still performed extremely well in the bumps charts. Sadly, W3 narrowly missed out on qualifying, despite beating most other 3rd VIIIs and an impressive number of 2nd VIIIs in the time trial. Meanwhile, W2 managed to bump three times in four days, finishing two places higher overall. The 1st VIII also achieved great success, moving up three places to 5th in Division 2. This was a brilliant Torpids, and a great end to a term of hard training in freezing conditions! The Easter vacation saw Merton women heavily represented in the Henley Boat Races. It was with great pride that we watched Steph Jones and Kitty Dann race to a 3.5 length victory in the Reserve Boat, while Mary Foord-Weston and Caitlin Goss were narrowly defeated by the Light Blues in the Blue Boat. This level of participation is a testament to the quality of MCBC coaching, as well as the culture of hard work engendered by the College. We hope to continue Merton women s proud tradition of university level rowing in the future. The year s training culminated in Trinity Term with an exceptionally successful Summer Eights. After another high retention between terms and a great Spring Training Camp, we once again fielded three

11 SPORT WOMEN S ROWING NEWS crews for the competition. Our 3rd VIII performed amazingly well, bumping up five places across three days in Division 6, and rowing over on the final day. W2 achieved the amazing feat of bumping up into the third division, where they are now one of the highest placed 2nd VIIIs on the river. Lastly, the 1st VIII moved up two places in the charts to finish 10th on the river, cementing our place in Division 1 and reaching the highest position for Merton women since None of this would have been attainable without the constant efforts of the coaching team: Harriet Keane for W3, Connie Spoor for the novices and W2, and Jonny Smith- Willis as head coach whose enthusiasm and tireless hard work have spurred the girls on to great successes. I am unspeakably proud to have served as captain this year, and to have been a part of such a friendly, dedicated and successful club; I simply cannot imagine what my time at Merton would have been without it. I look forward to watching as Merton women continue to move up on the Bumps charts, further establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in ! Tanya Goodchild (2009) Women s Captain POSTMASTER

12 NEWS SPORT BLUES AND HALF BLUES Blues and Half Blues Alexander Bajjon Yachting Samuel Jauncy Target Shooting Richard Millar Athletics Courtney Bishop Athletics Vanessa Johnen Yachting Joe Northover Swimming Sonia Bracegirdle Jack Coward Rowing Gymnastics Stephanie Jones Will Kane Rowing Rugby Union Vicki Ormerod Real Tennis & Squash Catriona Dann Rowing Ishani Khazanchi Badminton Kathryn Twyman Athletics Mary Foord-Weston Rowing Masahiro Kotosaka Yachting Jessamy Tyrell Rugby Union Caitlin Goss Rowing Jessica Lam Volleyball Samuel Ward Fencing Frederick Hendry Athletics David Main Pistol Philip Young Pistol 12 POSTMASTER 2012

13 Clubs and Societies CLUBS & SOCIETIES NEAVE SOCIETY NEWS NEAVE SOCIETY The Neave Society has continued to be at the forefront of political debate in Merton this year with discussions often heated, but always enlightening and engaging. We have had many memorable evenings indulging in deliberation and the constitutional supply of port. The year began with a talk from Mertonian Basil Eastwood, the former British ambassador to Syria, on the Arab Spring. His thoughts on the situation in the Middle East were enlightening and his insights on the Assad regime and possibility of civil war illuminating. Equally intriguing were Basil s memories of his time in College and the boat club. It was an evening enjoyed by all and the whole of the Society was privileged to have such an eminent member of the College come back to impart his wisdom. As Michaelmas Term continued, so did Neave s programme of Monday night debates. There was a particularly interesting contest over the motion This house believes that European integration has failed. Despite the Society coming to the conclusion that integration had indeed failed, it seemed to be the mood that this was due to integration not going far enough and that with better institutions and closer ties between member states the European project may yet work. Hilary Term kicked off with a visit from another Mertonian, Denis MacShane MP. His relaxed style and witty conversation ensured that the evening in the MCR was a great Neave Society event. His anecdotes of his time in the Commons kept us entertained and, in keeping with what became the theme of Neave Society for the year, Europe, Denis shared his experiences as the Minister for Europe under Blair. The parliamentary theme continued through Hilary as the merits of reforming the House of Lords were debated, with the politics of representation coming to the fore. Later in the term in a reflective debate, the Society discussed whether higher education was indeed for everybody. It was at the end of this action-packed Hilary Term that I found myself elected to the lofty heights of Neave Society President, along with Katariina Kuitunen as Vice President and Katherine Crofts-Gibbons as Treasurer. The first debate that I had the pleasure to chair was on the trade-off between civil liberties and security. The issue was discussed with the usual vigour and passion that accompanies Neave debates and ended with the Society firmly deciding that we would not trade off liberty for security. Another debating highlight of Trinity Term was on regional disparities in wealth, with members voting down the motion This house believes that the South should not pay the North s benefits. Stirring passions, this debate delivered an interesting and at points highly entertaining discussion of regional inequalities and what should be done to alleviate them. The final Neave Society meeting for the year was held among the old beams of the MCR, providing a thought-provoking debate on consumerism and how it defines our identity. The evening was a fitting end to what has been a fantastic year for the Neave Society. I must thank Jackson Smith for his reign at the helm of our society, along with Karl Ljungström Kahn as Vice President and Josh Brown as Treasurer. They have organised an intriguing calendar of events and brought some brilliant speakers into College. In the year to come, the committee and I hope to build on their success by inviting many fascinating speakers from the world of politics and continuing the tradition of debating the most pressing issues of the day. Welcoming new Mertonians coming up, old Mertonians coming back and all members currently in residence, Katherine, Katariina and I hope that next year will be another for the Neave Society to remember. Christopher McCabe (2011) President POSTMASTER

14 NEWS CLUBS & SOCIETIES MCR VEGPATCH MCR VEGPATCH Michaelmas saw the beginning of something new at Merton: a sustainable vegetable garden run by the MCR. Encouraged by the popularity of the Edible Garden (a project that I have been running for Worcester College students since 2009), Henry Hope and I began plans for a Merton garden where graduates could learn to grow their own food. Our initial burst of Freshers Week enthusiasm rallied a core team of graduates who have carried the idea through to fruition quite literally. As I write, our first strawberries are ripening and we are looking forward to a celebratory MCR picnic in the garden next week (and hoping for some sunshine). Needless to say, we are probably the only students who saw a positive side to the wet weather 14 POSTMASTER 2012 this Trinity, as it minimised the need for watering! As did the square foot gardening method suggested by History Fellow Karl Gerth, which Henry masterminded with Teutonic precision and a great sense of humour: each section of the garden is assigned to an individual team of students with an amusing team name. On behalf of the entire VegPatch team, I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to everyone who has helped and encouraged us in the project so far: especially to Lucille Savin, Head Gardener at Merton, for her support and drilling lessons; to the members of the Student Support Committee for the very generous Master Grant which enabled us to purchase the necessary tools and materials for constructing the boxes, seeds, and our own little shed (and to Matt Cliffe for the use of his lovely car to collect said items); to Ruth Persian for sourcing additional seeds via the University s Plant Swap programme; to the Sustainability Team from the University Estates Directorate for lots of general encouragement; to the MCR for its financial support; and especially to the MCR Welfare Officers for refuelling us after our gardening sessions with numerous goodies at Welfare Tea on Sundays. More photos and information about both the projects are available on Facebook (listed under Edible Garden, Worcester College Oxford and Merton Veg Patch ). Lizzie Sandis (2011)

15 INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUPS BIOMEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES Interdisciplinary Groups BIOMEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES In Michaelmas Term an informal event was held to introduce the MBLS group to new graduate students. This provided an opportunity for students to meet each other, as well as for the Fellows to introduce themselves and their areas of research. In Hilary Term, we held our annual poster evening at which graduate students at Merton presented their current research to first-year graduates, supervisors, Merton Fellows and the Warden. In early Trinity Term we held a lunchtime discussion meeting entitled: Understanding variability: blastocysts, butterflies and bipolar. This varied and interdisciplinary talk was given by Dr Mike Bonsall from the University s Department of Zoology. His research concerning population biology and dynamics was illustrated with a variety of inter-disciplinary examples spanning from zoology to psychiatry. These ideas formed the basis for interesting and lively discussions over lunch with graduate students and led by Mertonian Fellows (Prof Guy Goodwin, Prof Emily Holmes, Prof Peter Holland, and Prof Tim Guildford). In the second half of Trinity Term the annual MBLS lecture was held in the T S Eliot theatre. Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, was invited to speak on his vision of biological and medical research, and he was followed by Prof Chas Bountra, Director of Oxford s Structural Genomics Consortium, who spoke on innovation within the biomedical and life sciences. The event was attended by a large number of College members, as NEWS well as invited guests from the University, including the Vice Chancellor. The two fascinating presentations were extremely well received, and were followed by intense and lively discussions between the speakers and graduate students and Fellows. The continuing expansion and strength of the biomedical and life sciences within the University ensures Merton is enriched with a large number of graduates and Fellows researching into all manner of living processes and medical interventions. This year I have been indebted to the College s Research Group Convener, Prof Emily Holmes, who has supported the MBLS group events with great enthusiasm and dedication. New members to the MBLS group are always welcome, as are suggestions for formats and topics of future meetings. Simon Draper GLOBAL DIRECTIONS The academic year was my first as the Dr Peter J Braam Junior Research Fellow in Global Wellbeing. Taking over as convenor of Global Directions from Dr Sarah Percy, who left Merton for a professorship in international relations at the University of Western Australia, proved a great way of getting involved in the academic life of the College. Global Directions started the year s events by exploring the 2011 London Riots. As a group dedicated to bringing together Fellows and students interested in pressing contemporary international challenges, we simply could not ignore what happened last summer, when outbreaks of mass violence and disorder put England at the top of the global news agenda. Our speaker was Dr Patricia Daley, a University Lecturer in Human Geography. A Fellow of Jesus College, she is one of few black British women to have risen through the state school system to complete her doctorate here at Oxford and she herself grew up in the very council estates worst affected by the riots. An article posted by her online at the height of the violence became widely quoted and discussed and her intelligence and insider knowledge, as well as her wit, made for an excellent and controversial speech. On Friday 24th February we invited Peter DeFazio, the longest serving Democrat in the US Congress, to speak with us on an informal basis. Congressman DeFazio has been frequently in the news recently for arguing for a so-called Tobin Tax, speaking out against the bail-out and commenting on the Occupy Wall Street movement. The meeting provided a fascinating insider s view of the Obama administration, and an outsider s perspective on our current Euro-crisis. The next event scheduled was precipitated by the initiative of one of Merton s DPhil students, Jessica Lam (Chemistry). As well as being an active Global Directions POSTMASTER

16 NEWS INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUPS HISTORY OF THE BOOK member, Jessica has recently launched a charity aimed at funding the undergraduate degrees of Afghan women at Oxford. Until recently Oxford had no female Afghan graduates and the opportunities that exist presently are for graduate degrees, favouring those from Diasporic or otherwise privileged backgrounds. Undergraduate opportunities for Afghan women to study abroad elsewhere focus mainly on professional degrees such as medicine, but it is Jessica s belief that the education of women for leadership positions is key to Afghan development. We took the opportunity of International Women s Day to celebrate the achievements of women at Merton and let Jessica tell us more about her project. The 28th-29th March saw our most ambitious event, a conference on the theme of Maritime Security: Crime and Conflict Prevention, which was organised in conjunction with the Naval Staff Strategy Unit and the Hudson Memorial Trust. Dr Percy, who has worked recently on issues of piracy, re-joined us for what was a great opportunity to bring together academics and practitioners from different fields with different contributions to make. These ranged from the perspective of a United Nations Development Programme peace mediator working in Somalia, eminent historians speaking on traditions of tribute as well as the more recent political influences that lay behind naval security threats, a young anthropologist recently returned from spending six months in Puntland and six months in Somaliland, officials countering drugs trans-shipment and terrorism, and charity sector representatives and academics concerned with marine protection. The recommendations that emerged, summarised in a report available from me by request, outline holistic understandings of maritime security challenges and will hopefully contribute to more effective policy making. On my return from Sierra Leone at the beginning of May, I was eager to share and discuss some of the practical challenges that country is facing. On 10th May we therefore hosted a showing of the award-winning documentary Fambul Tok (meaning family talk in the local language, Krio). The movie follows the work of a charity of the same name that seeks to reunite and reconcile former combatants with their home communities. It raised real questions about the human capacity for forgiveness and what constitutes effective and fair approaches to justice in an impoverished country attempting to deal with the legacy of a brutal civil war. Finally, on 11th June we hosted Dr Ann- Christin Raschdorf. Now a Visiting Fellow to the University of Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, Ann-Christin has sought to bridge academic understandings of peacebuilding with practice throughout her career in international institutions. She spoke of how the work of the eminent Mertonian and philosopher Theodor Adorno could be put into practice to affect genuinely transformative societal change in the interest of peace. Dr Julia Amos HISTORY OF THE BOOK GROUP If you attended a History of the Book Group event this year you might have seen medieval stampers in action or had a chance to compare 17th-century books using a Hailey s Comet, or examined what are probably the largest and the smallest books in the College library; perhaps Zuleika Dobson was an attraction or maybe you were just curious about the impressive volumes Prof Richard McCabe had been consulting in Mob Library. 16 POSTMASTER 2012 The Hailey s Comet is a portable optical collator devised by bibliographer Carter Hailey. This system of mirrors on angle-poise supports was demonstrated at the October meeting by Dr Sebastiaan Verweij (Lincoln College) who has been using this low-tech machine to examine Merton s copies of the printed editions of John Donne. When adjusted correctly the collator enables a researcher to look at a page from one copy with one eye and the same page from another copy with the other eye. The brain merges the two images into what appears to be a single page, but any typographical discrepancies shimmer with a 3D effect. Dr Verweij explained that this sort of close examination of early published editions of Donne s works is particularly important, as his autograph manuscripts do not survive. After the talk, attendees had a chance to try using the collator themselves. Stampers on the other hand cannot be used in a reading room or transported to Merton because they are in fact colossal

17 INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUPS HISTORY OF THE BOOK NEWS QUEEN ELIZABETH, DETAIL FROM WOODCUT TITLE PAGE OF HOLINSHED S CHRONICLE wooden hammers used in the medieval and early modern period to beat rag pulp for the manufacture of paper. French paper specialist Jacques Bréjoux described at the November meeting how he built stampers following historic descriptions in order to create linen rag paper of exceptional quality and strength strong because the long linen fibres are not broken in the process. In addition to his talk and a short film showing how the stampers operated, Bréjoux brought a wide variety of papers for the audience to handle and compare. An extra Michaelmas Term meeting marked the centenary (see the Librarian s Report) with a private view of the Beerbohm Room exhibition and a talk by Dr Sara Lodge (St Andrews) who challenged some of the traditional opinions about Beerbohm s novel and its femmefatale heroine. The presence of actual books, manuscripts or documents from Merton collections is one of the distinctive features of the History of the Book Group meetings. In Hilary Term the group had an opportunity to examine at first-hand one of the College s most beautiful medieval documents: the 1380 illuminated confirmation by Richard II of the College s ownership of Battes Inn (a property in the St Aldate s area of Oxford). Art historian Dr Jessica Berenbeim discussed the function of the unusual illustration of the Warden and Fellows receiving the document from the hand of the young king. World Book Day (1st March) was marked by a presentation by printer and publisher John Randle, founder of the Whittington Press. John discussed the production of recent Whittington Press books, which were displayed at the meeting. These included the monumental, in which some of the linocut illustrations extend more than three feet, and the miniature volume (only 2.5 x 1.75 inches). All the works on display have been donated to Merton s Jack Randle Collection, established by John in memory of his father Jack, who came to Merton to read law in He was killed at the battle of Kohima, in north-east India, in 1944 and was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. In the spring a lunch-time meeting was held at which Merton postgraduates and tutors shared information about recent publications relating to some aspect of book POSTMASTER

18 NEWS INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUPS HISTORY OF THE BOOK history and discussed how they use some of the many electronic databases and digital resources now available. The final meeting of the year was the now-traditional session at which Mertonians give short introductions to the work they have been doing with items in the Merton Library. A packed room heard Prof Richard McCabe on Holinshed s; Dr Madeleine Brook (2002) on Festival Books; Richard Rabone (2006) on Ravisius Textor s of 1520; and Tristan Franklinos (2011) on Palladius in the 12th-century MS 311. It was a great year and thanks are due to the speakers, the attendees, library staff who made these events possible, and to former convenor Dr Giles Bergel who provided support. History of the Book Group meetings are open to all Mertonians and those wishing to be on the notification list should contact the Librarian. Julia Walworth Research Fellow and Librarian JOHN RANDLE TALKS WITH MEETING ATTENDEES, WHILE OTHERS EXAMINE SAMPLES OF PRINTING FROM THE WHITTINGTON PRESS 18 POSTMASTER 2012

19 THE LIBRARY NEWS The Library No one in the library world could have failed to notice that last year was the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. But 2011 was also an important anniversary for another publication with Oxford and Merton connections: Max Beerbohm s novel, Zuleika Dobson. The Michaelmas Term library exhibition was dedicated to this unusual book and its inimitable heroine. The book will look nice: not like a beastly novel, more like a book of essays, self-respecting and sober and ample, Beerbohm wrote to his good friend, the artist Will Rothenstein when the novel was in production. The story relates how the beautiful Zuleika comes to Oxford to visit her grandfather, Warden of Judas College, wins the hearts of all the undergraduates, and inspires their mass-suicide in the Isis during Eights Week. Beerbohm had worked on the text for years, and he was anxious when the book finally appeared. The reviews that I have had lately are extremely good, and there is no doubt now of the book s success I mean of its proper recognition. (Beerbohm to his mother Eliza). The correspondence in the Merton Beerbohm Collection documents how Zuleika came to print (how much payment should Beerbohm expect from his publisher? should the novel be serialised?), and how the book was received both at the time of publication and in later decades. A letter in the Merton collection, thought to have been lost but only mis-attributed, reveals that fellow novelist, Arnold Bennett claimed to be disturbed by the tragi-comic nature of the book, Can a humorous work end tragically, with propriety? I doubt it. By which I mean that I know darned well it can t. (Bennett to Beerbohm, 8 Jan 1912). Although the first edition was completely without illustration or decoration, Beerbohm created a number of images of Zuleika over the years, including a wall painting in his home in Rapallo that is now in the Merton Beerbohm Room. Many, however, visualise Zuleika, the Duke of Dorset and other characters as they appear in Osbert Lancaster s often-reproduced paintings made for the ballroom of Oxford s Randolph Hotel. Upon receiving the commission, Lancaster wrote to Beerbohm, I need hardly say that any information or hints about any of the scenes that you can give me, I shall POSTMASTER

20 NEWS THE LIBRARY welcome with as much reverence and gratitude as Michaelangelo, one imagines, would have displayed on receiving any inside knowledge from his Creator on the disposition and appearance of the dramatis personae of the Last Judgement. (16th October 1952). In addition to these manifestations, the Beerbohm correspondence refers to projects that never took off. What would have resulted if Leonard Bernstein had written the musical version that he apparently contemplated in the 1950s? Zuleika s character continues to intrigue and inspire (Is she a new woman? An exotic femme-fatale? Beerbohm s answer to Wilde s Salome?). We haven t seen the end of her; Zuleika is a conjuror, after all. Mertonians can read the novel in the new edition by Robert Mighall (Merton 1995). The Zuleika anniversary serves as a reminder that although Merton s Upper Library, older collections and archives attract the majority of researchers and visitors, the modern collections are also significant and continue to grow. Additions to the 20th-century printed collections this year included works by the travel writer Robert Byron ( ), the Merton poet William Bell ( ), Revd Gerard Irvine ( ), Beerbohm and T S Eliot. Publications of the 19th and 20th centuries are also the focus of several current library projects. The last inventory of the Upper Library revealed that approximately 10,000 19th- and 20th-century items are not yet on the computer catalogue. The 19th century is in some respects the Cinderella of the library world. Pre-1815 imprints were the focus of cataloguing projects of the past two decades, while the most recent books 20 POSTMASTER 2012 ZULEIKA DOBSON FROM MAX BEERBOHM S WALL PAINTING (NOW IN THE MERTON BEERBOHM ROOM) are entered in the online catalogue as soon as they arrive. Although it is true that the majority of 19th- and early 20th-century publications are not as rare as earlier books, it can be very difficult to locate them in libraries. We are addressing this problem on several fronts. Beginning in January 2012, Cathy Lewis, the former Assistant Librarian, took up the part-time position of Resource Description Project Librarian. She will be re-cataloguing the post-1815 publications in the Upper Library. At the same time, Library Assistant Marten Krispijn continues to make progress with the 19th-century material in the OWL stack, while Assistant Librarian, Petra Hofmann, will be cataloguing the contents of boxes of offprints and pamphlets that include items such as the intriguingly titled, Some observations on the inconvenience of the Ten Commandments by George Hanmer Leycester, A.M. of Merton (1795). Petra joined the library staff formally in January 2012, having initially come to Merton from the Bodleian Library on a short-term basis. All library staff have worked hard this year to ensure that service to the College continued smoothly while the university migrated all the library and borrower information to a new library management system. Finally, it is pleasing to note that the ways in which the librarians, archivists and tutors at Merton have been introducing our students to working with original historic manuscripts and archival documents (see also the Archivist s Report in this issue) have been included in a new publication featuring different approaches to teaching undergraduates using special collections the Merton method has been christened Speed Dating with manuscripts and documents. Julia Walworth Research Fellow and Librarian

21 THE ARCHIVES NEWS The Archives The broadcasting this summer of Michael Wood s television series The Great British Story may have reminded Mertonians of another Michael Wood series, Story of England, shown in the autumn of 2010, which looked at English history through the experience of the Leicestershire town of Kibworth. As members may remember, Merton has been closely associated with Kibworth, and in particular the village of Kibworth Harcourt, since the 13th century, and the making of this series has served to strengthen those connections. In September 2011, members of the Kibworth Improvement Team visited the College and met with the Fellow Librarian and the Archivist, to discuss ways in which the College s rich archival sources could contribute to the promotion of Kibworth s history. The College has granted permission for the use of images of a series of estate maps from the 17th to 19th centuries on local information boards, and as resources in local history packs for use in schools. A subsequent visit by staff from a number of schools that serve the Kibworth catchment area was held to identify ways in which other sources could contribute to the teaching of history at primary and secondary levels. One of the results of this meeting was a visit in late June 2012 of nine A level history students from the Robert Smyth Academy, Market Harborough, with their teacher Mrs Tanya Willis. The morning was spent with Cressida Ryan, the College s Schools Liaison & Access Officer, beginning with a tour of the College, and discussion of applying to university, and to Oxford in particular. The afternoon was split into two practical sessions, the first at the Oxford Conservation Consortium, and the second in College. At the Consortium studio one of the conservators, Celia Withycombe, gave the students an introduction to the wide variety of documents and materials that conservators handle, before letting each student have a go at a basic cleaning and repair project. In College the students were introduced to the variety of material that it holds on Kibworth but, rather than the students simply being given a talk, they were given an opportunity to discover the documents for themselves. Split into four pairs and a singleton, the students rotated round five different stations, each one comprising a document or pair of related documents. Armed with a questionnaire, they had about nine minutes at each station attempting POSTMASTER

22 NEWS THE ARCHIVES to answer various questions, such as the material the document was made from, the language it was written in, whether it contained numbers as well as text, and whether the students could read any parts of the text, especially personal or place names. After their recent visit to the conservation studio they had no difficulty distinguishing paper from parchment, then, armed with an alphabet of Secretary hand and a crib of things to look out for, they entered into the exercise with initial trepidation. As the session progressed, however, and with the Librarian and Archivist at hand to give a little guidance, they grew in confidence and used knowledge gained from looking at one document to answer questions about the next one. The session ended by comparing notes as to what each document was and how the students came to those conclusions. Feedback received after the visit suggests that the students both enjoyed the day and found it worthwhile. We look forward to developing our relationship with the Robert Smyth Academy, and continue to investigate how we might cooperate with other schools in the Kibworth area. Meanwhile, as plans were being made for this visit, preparations were also under way for our summer exhibition in the Upper Library. This year has presented two obvious themes, suggested by the Queen s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. As autograph letters from Elizabeth I and Charles I featured in an exhibition two or three years ago, sport became the selfselecting subject of our exhibition. The exhibition space in the Upper Library is limited, yet we have been able to give an impression of the range of sports played by Mertonians over the centuries, from rowing, cricket and hockey, to swimming, ROBERT LAFFAN (SEATED RIGHT) 22 POSTMASTER 2012

23 LIBRARY & ARCHIVES DONATIONS NEWS horse racing and fives. The oldest, and most unusual, items are three balls for playing fives or hand-ball, possibly dating from the 17th century, which were discovered lodged in the stonework of the chapel during restoration. Members familiar with David Loggan s 1675 engraving of the College (a copy of which hangs in the Porters Lodge) will know that hand-ball was being played at the west end of the chapel, against the boundary wall with Corpus Christi, at that date. It was also impossible not to include a photograph of the 1908 hockey team showing, as it does, one of Merton s Olympians. John Yate Robinson, then Captain of both the Merton and University teams, represented England in the London Olympics in that year. England beat Ireland 8-1 to take the gold medal. Merton has a further connection with the 1908 Olympics, in the person of Robert Stuart de Courcy Laffan. Laffan came up to Merton in 1874, where he was a keen rower, and went on to take a First in Greats in He served successively as Headmaster of the King Edward VI School, Stratford-on-Avon, and Principal of Cheltenham College, and it was as representative of the Headmasters Conference that he addressed the Olympic Congress at Le Havre in Pierre de Coubertin later recorded the impact his speech had on the congress, and Laffan was invited to become a member of the International Olympic Committee. He was subsequently appointed honorary secretary of the British Olympic Association and, after Rome had to withdraw as host of the 1908 Olympics, Laffan committed himself to ensuring the success of London as the alternative venue. De Coubertin gave the oration at his funeral in 1927, when he described Laffan as, one of the most zealous protagonists of the Olympic idea... none has taken so great a part in all our struggles. Finally, the Archivist would like to ask the help of old members in identifying the pennant illustrated. It lived for many years in the sacristy before being transferred to the archives four years ago. While it may date from the late 19th or early 20th century we know nothing of its history. If any reader recognises it and remembers what it was for or where it may have hung, the Archivist would be very pleased to hear from them: julian.reid@merton.ox.ac.uk Julian Reid Archivist Donations to the Library and Archives It is a pleasure to record the following particularly noteworthy donations to library and archive collections: Autograph letter from Charles Dickens to Mr Thomas P Bath? [Booth?] dated 11th January 1862, thanking him for sending a poem written on the occasion of the death of Prince Albert (Peter Truesdale,1976) Autograph letter from Max Beerbohm (September 1952) thanking the Merton Junior Common Room for their birthday wishes (Kelvin White, 1950) Additional records of B.H. Blackwell and associated companies (Julian Blackwell, Honorary Fellow) Officina brevium, select and approved forms of judicial writs, and other process: with their returns and entries in the Court of common pleas, collected by several eminent clerks of the said court (London, 1679) and 1910 Methuen facsimile of Mr. William Shakespeare s comedies, histories, and tragedies: faithfully reproduced in facsimile from the edition of 1623 (John Isherwood, 1956) Papers relating to Cyril Ransome ( ) including scholarship examination papers, battels, printed college tariff, letters of congratulations on achieving a First in mathematics (Geoffrey Lupton, 1949) The seven golden odes of pagan Arabia (London: Chiswick Press, 1903) (Jack Dixon, 1949) Two black and white photographs of Merton swimming team Cuppers winners 1958 and 1959 (Anthony Wood, 1957) Merton College cricket team photographs 1957, 1958, 1960, and football (Alan Reeder, 1956) Merton College dance cards, summer and Christmas 1949 (Ms Ginny Rottenburg) Colour print of watercolour of buildings formerly standing on the north side of Broad Street, on the site of the New Bodleian Library (Rita Ricketts) POSTMASTER

24 NEWS LIBRARY & ARCHIVES DONATIONS Grateful thanks for gifts and support are extended to: Kevin J Alban; Thomas Barrett (2007); Michael Bimmler (2009); the family of Frank Brenchley (Hon. Fellow); Blackwells Bookshops; Jason Borbora (2006); Ulises Carrillo Cabrera (2002); John Costella, father of Anthony Costella (1993); Monica Coueslant Hornyansky; Revd Nicholas Cranfield (1974); Graham Davies (1963); Andrew Dillon (2008); Jack Dixon (1949); Michael Dunnill (Emeritus Fellow); Anthony Fletcher (1959); Susan Garrod; Karl Gerth (Fellow); Mark Hackforth-Jones; John Hare; Jochen Hemmleb; Volker Heuchert (Ashmolean Museum); J. R. L. Highfield (Emeritus Fellow); Luuk Huitink (JRF); John Isherwood (1956); Donata Kulviecaite; Graham Lane (1963); Ruth McCurry; Richard Matthews (1966); Thibaut Maus de Rolley; Chris Miller (1973); Chris Nicholls; The Oxford Foundation for Theoretical Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence; The University of Oxford; Oxford University Press; C D Preston; Stanley and Munro Price; Lady Quinlan; Dame Jessica Rawson; Julian Reid (Archivist); Dinah Reynolds; Rita Ricketts; Judith Roberts; Roger Rosewell; Verlag Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg; Frank Schwalba-Hoth; Henry Shue (Emeritus Fellow); Pauline Souleau (2010); Julie Summers; Jonathan Thacker (Fellow); Emanuel Viebahn (2008); Julia Walworth (Fellow Librarian); Jurei Yada (2009); the Yang Family. We also thank Mertonians who have given us copies of their publications: Ash, Rhiannon (Fellow), editor, Tacitus (Oxford: OUP, 2012) Bailey, Anthony (1952), Velazquez and the Surrender of Breda (New York: Henry Holt and Co, 2011) Bowers, John M (1973), An Introduction to the Gawain Poet (Gainsville FL: University Press of Florida, 2012) Bostock, David (Emeritus Fellow), Russell s Logical Atomism (Oxford: OUP, 2012) Buckley, Richard A (1965), Illegality and Public Policy (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2002) and The Law of Negligence and Nuisance (London: LexisNexis, 2011) Chen-Wishart, Mindy (Fellow), Contract Law, 4th ed. (Oxford: OUP, 2012) Finch, Charles (2003), The Fleet Street Murders and A Stranger in Mayfair (New York: Minotaur Books, 2009 and 2010) Grimley, Daniel M (Fellow), Jean Sibelius and his World (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011) Gunn, Steven (Fellow), contributor, The Anglo-Florentine Renaissance (New Haven CT: Yale University Press, 2012) Holland, Peter (Fellow), The Animal Kingdom (Oxford: OUP, 2011) Holmes, Emily (Fellow), co-author, Oxford Guide to Imagery in Cognitive Therapy (Oxford: OUP, 2011) Irwin, Robert (1964), Mamlūks and Crusaders (Farnham: Ashgate, 2010) and Visions of the Jinn (London: The Arcadian Library, in association with Oxford University Press, 2010) Karlin, Daniel (1978), co-editor, The Poems of Robert Browning, volume four (Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd, 2012) Kizilov, Mikhail (2004), contributor, Russkoe Prisutstvie v Britanii (Moscow: Sovremennaia Ekonomika i Pravo, 2009); Russians in Oxford: a short history (typescript); The Tsar in the Queen s Room. The Visit of Russian Emperor Alexander I to Oxford in 1814 (typescript) Latham, A J H (1959), The Evolving Structure of the East Asian Economic System since 1700 (Abingdon: Routledge, 2011) McClune, Kate (Fitzjames Research Fellow ), co-editor, Arthurian Literature 28 (Woodbridge: D S Brewer, 2011) McFaul, Tom (Fellow), co-editor, Tottel s Miscellany (London: Penguin, 2011) McKnight, Rebecca (2001), co-author, Psychiatry (Oxford: OUP, 2012) Matthews, Richard (1966), editor, Classical New Zealand Poetry Based on Greek and Latin Models (Otago: University of Otago, 1985); Der Epitaphios Adonidos, Doctoral dissertation, University of Bern, 1991) and supplement volume; Lingue antiche e lingue modern: due pedagogie a confronto (typescript), 1995; Greek and Latin Language Acquisition (Bigorio, Switzerland, 1997) Miller, Chris (1973), contributor, Religion and Rights edited by Wes Williams (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011 Moody, Michael F (1952), Structural Biology (London: Elsevier, 2011) Nayyar, Dhiraj (1999), co-editor, Surviving the Storm (New Delhi: Penguin Portfolio, 2010) Norbrook, David (Fellow), co-editor, The Works of Lucy Hutchinson (Oxford: OUP, 2011) Preest, David (1956), transl. The Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker (Woodbridge; Boydell, 2012) Rastall, Paul (1970), co-editor, Axiomatic Functionalism (Bern: Peter Lang, 2011) Roberts, Michael (1962), Fire and Storm (Colombo: Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2010) Smith, Tyler Jo (1990), Komast Dancers in Archaic Greek Art (Oxford: OUP, 2010) Tappin, Michael (1987), co-author, The Modern Law of Copyright and Designs (London, LexisNexis, 2011) Tobin, Robert (1999), The Minority Voice (Oxford: OUP, 2012) Walworth, Julia (Fellow and Librarian), contributor, Past or Portal? Enhancing Undergraduate Learning through Special Collections and Archives eds, E Mitchell et al. (Chicago: ACRL, American Library Association, 2012). Note on the Reynolds portrait for Postmaster Observant Mertonians visiting College will have noticed that a new portrait has joined those in the Hall. The fine picture of Warden Edward Reynolds ( , Warden of Merton ) was painted in 1669, and was given to the College by Mrs Dinah Reynolds of Oxford. Bishop of Norwich in his later years, Edward Reynolds was a Postmaster and Fellow of Merton. He was known for his preaching and for his moderate stance during the turbulent years of the Civil War. This generous gift was facilitated by Dr Roger Highfield, who wrote about Reynolds and the portrait in Postmaster POSTMASTER 2012

25 THE CHAPEL NEWS The Chapel This is my tenth report for Postmaster. Reflecting over the past decade, it s encouraging to see the way in which the life of the Chapel has developed. Most obviously, the Choral Foundation has transformed our worship in a way that I could never have imagined when I was appointed. But the Chapel has also developed in other ways. At a time when we re used to hearing about declining church attendances, the Chapel continues to attract healthy congregations. The higher standard of music is certainly responsible for the larger number of visitors joining us at sung services, but the worship that is offered day by day is, first and foremost, for the College community and supported by the College community, and I remain grateful to all those who make this possible. This year we have benefitted from the hard work and commitment of a wonderful team of students who have served as Chapel Wardens, Sacristans and Chapel Clerk. In particular I would like to pay tribute to Kristine Merriman and Alice Brooke, who have served the Chapel in various capacities for a number of years. We have been pleased to welcome three Pastoral Assistants (one from each of Oxford s Anglican theological colleges) who have participated in the Chapel s activities and worship in different ways. I have also greatly appreciated the support of two ordained colleagues, the Revd Peter Anthony (a graduate student and Junior Dean at St Stephen s House) and the Revd Mark Stafford. Mark is the curate of St Barnabas, Jericho, and spends 15% of his time at Merton. During his first year he has set up a new discussion group, Signs and Wonderings, which has proved to be very popular, and has led to a number of students becoming involved in a variety of volunteering projects in the local community. The Sunday evening service of Choral Evensong or Sung Eucharist continues to be the principal act of worship each week. Preachers this year have included the Anglican Bishops of Birmingham and Ebbsfleet, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham. The Rt POSTMASTER

26 NEWS THE CHAPEL Hon David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, preached at a service to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen s Accession, and in April we were delighted to welcome Lord Winston, Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College, London. In May Bishop Lindsay Urwin OGS baptised and confirmed Anne Miles, and confirmed Katherine Crofts-Gibbons and Allison Kroll. I have already mentioned the College Choir, and want to pay tribute to its members, as well as the Directors of Music and Organ Scholar. I am delighted to report that the College has appointed Benjamin Nicholas to a full-time position from 1st September This will comprise two principal elements, one relating to the Chapel (as Reed Rubin Organist and Director of Music) and the other to the wider College community. Those of you who have heard the College Choir, or read the reviews of its first CD, will know that Ben and Peter Phillips have already achieved so much in a relatively short period of time. Ben s full-time appointment allows us to move to three sung services a week from Michaelmas 2012: 5.45pm on Sundays and 6.15pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Old members are always welcome to join us. These evenings coincide with the College s Guest Nights, providing an opportunity for you to dine with us afterwards (see the website for further details). As many of you will know, the College has signed a contract with Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa, USA, to build a new organ for the Chapel. It is hoped that it will be installed in time for the College s 750th anniversary, and played publicly for the first time at next year s Advent Carol Services. This is a very 26 POSTMASTER 2012 exciting project. Those who are interested can see pictures of the organ s construction on the Dobson website ( com). It s always good to hear from Mertonians who wish to marry in the Chapel. This August sees six College weddings: Eric So (2003) to Sarah Roberts (2004), Thomas Ravenscroft (2004) to Charlotte Gardiner (2003), Chin-Zhe Tan to Claire Chee (2002), Karl Huber (2001) to Elspeth Tate, Emanuel Viebahn (2008) to Mai Schumacher, and Andrew Beacham (2002) to Hannah Dolman (2003). Two memorial services took place in the Michaelmas Term. Large congregations gathered to remember Eric Newsholme on 15th October, and Frank Brenchley on 19th November. PATRONAGE The Revd Deborah Larkey, Team Vicar in the Vale of Pewsey Benefice, has been appointed Team Rector in the same Benefice (Diocese of Salisbury). The Revd Jennifer Totney, Assistant Curate in the Benefice of the White Horse, has been appointed Team Vicar in the Vale of Pewsey Benefice (Diocese of Salisbury). The Revd Jeremy Blunden, Vicar of Holy Spirit, Clapham, has been appointed Team Rector of the Warlingham Team Ministry (Diocese of Southwark). The Revd Victoria Fleming, Team Vicar in the Stratton Benefice, has been appointed Team Rector in the same Benefice (Diocese of Bristol). The Revd Scott Edwards, Vicar of St Andrew, Frimley Green, has been appointed Vicar of St Mary, Chessington (Diocese of Guildford). WELFARE AND STUDENT SUPPORT The welfare team (Chaplain, Nurse and Welfare Dean) seeks to support all members of the College community. As with most other colleges, Merton s welfare provision has focused historically on undergraduates. To reflect the fact that graduates now make up half of the student body, we have appointed an additional Junior Dean (Kyle Martin, one of our own graduates) to be part of the College s welfare and discipline teams, working alongside the Welfare Dean and Deputy Principal of Postmasters. Anna Camilleri s term as Welfare Dean comes to an end this year. She has made a very significant contribution to the life of the College. The College Nurse and I have very much enjoyed working with her, and look forward to welcoming her successor, Anna Cairns, who comes to us in September from Mansfield College. The Student Support Committee continues to administer much-needed grants to undergraduate and graduate students to enable them to achieve their academic potential whatever their financial background. During the course of this academic year we have awarded grants and loans totalling around 71,000. We remain enormously grateful to those old members whose generosity enables us to support our students in this way. Simon Jones, Chaplain

27 THE CHOIR NEWS The Choir The first major event of the academic year was the broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3 from the College Chapel, which took place on 26th October. For our broadcast debut, we chose music by Victoria, Howells and Vaughan Williams, and Anna Steppler, our Organ Scholar, closed the service with an excellent performance of Bach s Kyrie, Gott Heiliger Geist BWV 671. The occasion also marked the official launch of the choir s CD In the beginning. The reviews have been enthusiastic, and we were proud that Gramophone magazine described the College Choir as one of the UK s finest choral ensembles when they named the CD as one of the Critics Choices of In November it was exciting to combine with the choirs of Queen s and Worcester Colleges for a three choirs event. This took the form of a service celebrating Creation and the highpoint was the combined performance of Howells Te Deum (Collegium Regale). Following our Advent and Christmas services, the College Choir returned to Merton on 13th December to give a concert for Oxford University Press, which was celebrating 50 years since the publication of the first volume of Carols for Choirs. The concert and subsequent reception was a splendid occasion, and we were thrilled that Sir David Willcocks, John Rutter, Bob Chilcott and many other composers were present to hear the choir. Passiontide at Merton attracted a large number of people who came to concerts by the College Choir (Bach s Jesu, meine Freude and St John Passion), Sospiri (settings of The Lamentations of Jeremiah) and William Whitehead (playing organ works by Bach, John Caldwell and Gabriel Jackson). We were particularly thrilled that Reed Rubin was able to join us for the festival. Preparations for the Merton Choirbook continue, and many of today s major composers have agreed to contribute to what will be a comprehensive collection of 21st-century choral music. Settings of the seven Magnifi cat Antiphons were premiered on 4th May during a concert given to a capacity crowd in the College POSTMASTER

28 NEWS THE CHOIR Chapel. The choir is grateful to the Chaplain for commissioning these exciting new pieces from Howard Skempton, John Tavener, Rihards Dubra, Gabriel Jackson, Cecilia McDowall, Matthew Martin and Eriks Esenvalds. We have recorded these settings, and other music for Advent, on our second CD for Delphian Records. This will be released during the autumn. Performances away from Merton have included a service at St Martin s Church, Barcheston and a concert at St Andrew s Church, Headington and in the summer we look forward to our residency at St Paul s Cathedral and a concert in the Edinburgh Fringe. We value the opportunity to sing at the Merton Society Evensong and the Gaudy Evensongs when we meet Mertonians who have sung in the choir in times past. The Friends of the Choir continue to offer support for all our activities and we remain grateful for their generosity. Benjamin Nicholas Reed Rubin Organist and Director of Music Press reviews of In the beginning outstanding Guardian, October 2011 the new Merton College Choir has leap-frogged its way almost to the top of the collegiate choral pile BBC, September 2011 a choir to keep an eye and ear on BBC, September POSTMASTER 2012

29 THE GARDENS NEWS The Gardens We are no match for the Caribbean s Windward Islands, known for their wet and warm climate, with temperatures only ever above 20 Celsius. However, we have tried to give you a sense of them in the new Warden s Garden. Being volcanic islands, granite water features are a regular occurrence and we have imitated this with Chameleon Onyx. Heleconia, your stereotypical Caribbean flower used by humming birds, require not only warmth but long daylight hours. We have substituted these for Ginger Lily s Hedychium and Cautlea, both from Asia, for their similar spike-like racemes of complex colourful flowers coming from bold bracts and sepals. Variegation and the appearance of coloured zones on the leaves is common from the better light intensity. White markings are not rich on chlorophyll required for photosynthesis and, if put in a shady location, the plants will struggle or revert to pure green foliage. 27 genus of palms originate from the Caribbean so we have tried to mimic this using Trachycarpus fortunei, hardy to -20 C from areas of high altitude in China and Burma. Termed living fossils, the appearance of palms has little changed since the early Mesozoic era. Illegal plant trade has caused a fast decline in palms in the wild and many are now considered endangered. They provide us with crops such as oil, dates, coconuts and fibres made into raffia. We have planted two spectacular tree ferns reminiscent of palm trees with their impressive architectural foliage. Dicksonia antarctica is generally considered to be the most hardy. The most challenging aspect to their cultivation here is keeping the caudex moist throughout summer as they hail from the understorey of temperate rainforest. We water from the top so the water can run down and soak in. So far, so good. Many flowers show the nyctinastic trait of opening in sunlight and closing in the dark. This can be to protect themselves against nocturnal insects or night-time chill. If we could just get some sunshine, all will be well. Lucille Savin Head Gardener POSTMASTER

30 NEWS SCHOOLS LIAISON & ACCESS Schools Liaison & Access A year ago the post of Schools Liaison and Access Officer became full-time at Merton, just before Ashley left the post. Despite the hiatus, since my arrival in December it has been clear that the space of a fulltime position allows College to develop its schools liaison work in great ways. We have been involved in over 100 events this year. Around 90 were organised by College. The rest have involved engaging in the broader events and schemes run by groups of colleges and departments, including working with students from Years on targeted programmes and participating in Higher Education fairs. Sharing best practice, training, and working together with outside organisations allows us to maintain the fine balance between competition and collaboration in order to make the most of our positions. The regional links are beginning to bear fruit as I have the chance to build sustained relationships with schools in Dorset, Wiltshire and the London Borough of Merton. I have visited or been visited by a quarter of the schools in those areas, and I look forward to getting to know more of them soon. We are starting to run coherent series of visits, be it alongside the applications process for sixth formers, or developing a skills course for Year 10, and the close proximity of our regions makes it easy for me to visit them regularly. Regionalisation has also helped to improve collaboration with Cambridge. Our areas are covered by three Cambridge colleges, leading to some good relationship building and an understanding of where we can work together to improve access to Higher Education and raise aspirations, and where the differences between the universities need to be flagged up. Regionalisation is not, however, completely restrictive and we have still been able to work with other schools, particularly those where alumni work, or with whom we had pre-existing relationships. A major project has been the creation of seven short films showcasing different aspects of College life. Around a quarter of College members had some kind of role in the filming, from passing shots to full interviews or even composing the soundtrack. The videos can be found through They have been well received, and we hope provide a good advertisement for College. We continue to work with groups beyond individual school units. In June we ran an information day for teachers advising students interested in Law. It is not a subject taught at most schools, so the guidance for advisors is vital in order to explain what it entails at university, and why Merton is a good place to consider it. Teachers went away inspired by subject talks and impressed at how friendly and wellresourced College was, vowing to send students in our direction when they might previously have been reluctant to do so. We also began a project with the Kingsway International Christian Church to support students from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. This launched in March with a conference Breaking Educational Barriers, which drew over 500 participants and generated a great amount of interest in Oxbridge from this highly aspirational but 30 POSTMASTER 2012

31 SCHOOLS LIAISON & ACCESS NEWS under-represented community. We have broken this group into smaller units in order to offer follow-up sessions in both Oxford and London, and hope that this will inspire students to make competitive applications to the university. We re tackling some of the core issues surrounding subject choice and finances, and hope to break down some of the myths and prejudices about Oxbridge, meeting some of the criticism that has been levelled at us. With the new finance regime starting this autumn, and university applications in general over 8% down this year, we re all aware of how important it is to offer appropriate information, advice and guidance. The cuts in AimHigher, gifted and talented schemes and other similar groups make the role of the university ever more important in access work, and the move to a full-time post at Merton is timely indeed. Many thanks must go to the students and staff. I have been welcomed warmly and found the College an extremely friendly and supportive place to work. The JCR Access rep, Will Bennett, has been helpful in organising student helpers. The MCR has been supportive during the holidays, and staff have been brilliant on every occasion, be it setting up high table in Hall, or lending umbrellas in a downpour. For next year we hope to start up a student ambassadors scheme, formalising some of the excellent work JCR members do with schools. We will continue to develop our Open Day programme, and are looking at a range of schemes with various groups of schools. Cressida Ryan Schools Liaison & Access Offi cer PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS TACKLE AN ACADEMIC TASTER SESSION RUN BY MATT KIMBERLEY FROM THE CLAY SANSKRIT LIBRARY POSTMASTER

32 NEWS DEVELOPMENT Development With just over two years until the start of the College s 750th Anniversary year (2014) and with 20.4 million already raised towards the Anniversary Campaign target of 30 million, these are exciting times for Development and Alumni Relations at Merton. Plans for the 750th Anniversary have progressed considerably during the year. Our aim for 2014 is to provide many opportunities for all past and present members of Merton alumni, students, fellowship and staff to get together in Oxford and across the globe to celebrate this amazing anniversary of the remarkable community of learning to which we all belong. As announced in the Newsletter, the Birthday Weekend will take place on the actual anniversary of the founding of the 32 POSTMASTER 2012 College, which is 12th-14th September It will give attendees the opportunity to experience both the College s intellectual diversity, as well as a birthday concert with fireworks, the Founder s Anniversary Service and a special Family Day on the Sunday. The 750th Anniversary Ball will be on 28th June 2014, the date usually set aside for the Merton Society weekend. Dates are about to be fixed for the Warden s Merton Conversations, which will take place through the year in Oxford, London, New York and the Far East. They will feature pairs of well-known speakers, who will debate contemporary issues of global importance. As you would expect, music will play a significant part in our Anniversary Celebrations, with Merton s own choir singing during the year all the pieces from the Merton Choirbook, newly written for the Choir by some of this generation s most innovative composers. Merton Treasures, a book highlighting some 50 of the College s fascinating treasures, will be launched in late Mertonians will be invited to subscribe to it and pre-order a copy at a discounted price. 750, a project to create a physical and online archive celebrating the College at 750 years, is being prepared and will be announced in due course to all alumni. A special programme of all events in 2014 will also be published and sent to all Mertonians in the summer of It will include information about a range of Anniversary memorabilia, which, along with Merton Treasures, will act as a souvenir of this extraordinary year in Merton s history.

33 DEVELOPMENT NEWS But the focus this year has not only been on planning the 750th Anniversary! In conjunction with the Merton Society, the Merton College Charitable Corporation in North America, the Merton Lawyers Association, the Merton in the City Association, Merton in Manhattan, Mertonians in Hong Kong, and the Boat Club, we have arranged and hosted some 23 Merton alumni events, across three different continents. They have attracted approximately 924 different Mertonians, or a total of 1,219 Merton attendees. As ever, we are extremely grateful to all those Mertonians or groups of Mertonians who have helped us organise, host or sponsor them, at their companies or at private venues. Without your help, the events would not have been possible. It has also been a very great privilege to work with so many Mertonians, Fellows and friends of the College and reach 20.4 million by the end of July It is wonderful to see so many results of this generosity around the College. For example: in some 695,000 of Student Support/Graduate Scholarships were given out; the T S Eliot Theatre is proving to be a most valuable resource for the College, and has already more than doubled the College s annual conference income; the Chapel and Upper Library are greatly enhanced by their new sound systems and lighting respectively; the Dr Peter J Braam Junior Research Fellow and Scholar in Global Wellbeing are doing vital work that stands to ameliorate living standards in Third World countries affected by civil war; the outstanding Merton Choir goes from strength to strength and has produced its second CD. All this has been achieved, as well as the endowment of key existing Fellowships and much more, thanks to the support of Mertonians from across the globe. As part of the 750th Anniversary Campaign total, the Annual Fund (gifts under 25,000) account for some 19% of the total monies raised since August 2007, a signal that lots of smaller donations really do add up. Although large single donations are an absolutely vital part of the fundraising effort, it is mass participation that is the strongest signal of Merton s long-term fundraising health. This year, the annual participation rate, or the proportion of Mertonians giving to the College, has increased substantially: from 19.5% in to 24% in This represents an additional 280 donors, and all helps towards our target of a 30% participation rate by the end of 2014 (Exeter College just hit 36%!). We are extremely grateful, not only because such participation signals the broad support of the alumni base for what the College is seeking to achieve, but also because Major Donors, as well as Trusts, Foundations and Companies, are always keen to see how much the participation rate is increasing. In addition 239 Mertonians have chosen to join the 1264 Society this year, giving a gift of at least 1,264 (young alumni and recent donors have lower entry levels to the Society). The first 1264 Society event will take place this autumn. We are particularly grateful to the 2012 leaving undergraduate class, who have successfully launched the first Merton Leavers Gift and have achieved a participation rate of 34%! All this is against a backcloth of the difficult economic climate into which they are launching their careers. But there is still much more to be done. We need to raise a further 9.6 million in the next two or three years, and further increase the participation rate by at least 6% in order to be able to achieve our goals. This will be a significant challenge. POSTMASTER

34 NEWS DEVELOPMENT We are working on endowing Fellowships in History, English, Philosophy, Chemistry and Economics, so that the College can guarantee these positions into the future. Merton is fortunate in that the Fellowships in Philosophy and English are eligible for matched funding from the University s Teaching Fund, but only if we reach our target of 1.2 million for each one. Lead donations and some major donations have been gratefully received, but substantial further work is to be done if we are to use this matched giving opportunity and secure these positions into the future. Securing financial resources to support and attract the very best students and scholars is key for the College and the University, and 5 million more needs to be raised in the 750th Campaign towards our target of 8 million for student support/graduate scholarships. The College, and indeed all Oxford colleges are being challenged to raise funds for undergraduates bursaries/fee waivers via the largest philanthropic gift in European history the Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman donation. A new matched fund for Graduate Scholarships is also due to be launched by the University this autumn, which will work in a similar way to the Teaching Fund. We shall be delighted to work with Mertonians to achieve this matched funding, which is so vital towards ensuring needs-blind admission at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. All these projects are targeted at ensuring that Merton sustains excellence beyond its 750th Anniversary in We cannot thank enough all those who have supported the College in any way this year, as well as our Fundraising Committees/Boards, our Year Representatives and all those who have lent support with Merton events. We look forward to welcoming you back to Merton soon, and to celebrating with you, in 2014, the College s 750th Anniversary. Christine Taylor Fellow and Director of Development MERTON CONVERSATIONS WILL TAKE PLACE IN HONG KONG, NEW YORK AND LONDON 34 POSTMASTER 2012

35 HAILS DR JULIA AMOS FELLOWS Hail to New Fellows DR JULIA AMOS On my appointment as the Dr Peter J Braam Junior Research Fellow in Global Wellbeing in Michaelmas Term 2011, I was delighted to discover just what a receptive and energising academic environment Merton provides. Taking over from Sarah Percy as the convenor of Global Directions, a College research group made up of Fellows and students at Merton College interested in pressing contemporary international challenges, I had the opportunity to host a number of events and talks. As a group we have spoken informally with the longest serving Democrat in the US Congress and engaged with excellent speakers on topics ranging from the 2011 London Riots, international maritime security through a conference co-funded by the Naval Staff Strategy Unit and the Hudson Trust, and practical post-conflict community reconciliation. Outside my term-time activities I have been able to pursue the fieldwork component of my research. Thanks in part to the funding generously granted by the College I was able to spend all of April interviewing war-affected people in Sierra Leone. This was a crucial time for the country, and I spent the day of the announcement of the war crimes trial verdict on Charles Taylor renewing my contacts with the hierarchy of the former rebel group, allowing me a very different perspective from that of my office in the Oxford Department of International Development. In the past academic year I also had the privilege of taking part in some of the College new admissions outreach activities. Meeting the enthusiastic would-be Mertonians, some of them very young, who came to our event at Hackney City Academy, was a highlight. I have been genuinely impressed by the students at Merton, both undergraduates and graduates, as well as the Fellows for whom it is their academic home. They share certain qualities, their quick intellects matched by a general curiosity and enjoyment of learning that I believe must stem from an open-mindedness that is essentially humble. It is this refreshing attitude that allows the members of Merton College to animate as well as honour its great traditions and that makes it such an opportunity to be a Fellow here. DR AISLING BYRNE I came to Merton last October as Fitzjames Research Fellow in Old and Middle English. I am a native of Dublin and studied English as an undergraduate at University College Dublin from 2004 to I came to England to study for my Master s and doctorate at St John s College, Cambridge, completing my PhD in My primary research interest is the literature of medieval England. My doctoral thesis explored depictions of supernatural realms in medieval writing and I am currently revising this study with a view to publication. I am particularly interested in medieval romance and have published on the transmission and translation of texts in this genre and on themes such as identity, feasting, chivalry and territorial politics. Much of my work seeks to situate writing from medieval England within the broader insular context of Britain and Ireland. My next large project is a full-length study of how Scotland, Wales and Ireland are imagined by English writers at the end of the Middle Ages. In the first year of my fellowship I have also been working on a series of smaller projects. These include several articles on the circulation and translation of texts of English origin in Ireland an area that has been largely neglected before now. My particular focus in these articles has been on the transmission and reception of romance narratives and on the works of the 12th-century writer Gerald of Wales. I have enjoyed my first year at the College immensely. From the day I arrived I was struck by Merton s warm and welcoming atmosphere. It is a real privilege to be part of such a vibrant and friendly academic community. POSTMASTER

36 FELLOWS HAILS DR MICHELE CERIOTTI DR MICHELE CERIOTTI I joined Merton in October 2011 as a Junior Research Fellow in Chemistry. I had already been in Oxford since early 2011 working in the Department of Chemistry as a Royal Society Newton International Fellow. Being a member of the College truly transforms the experience of doing research in Oxford, as one is constantly exposed to a stimulating academic environment that has both broader scope and more informal feel than what one experiences in any other research institution. Prior to coming to Oxford I completed my PhD in Physics at ETH Zürich. My research deals primarily with performing molecular dynamics simulations, which endeavour to model the behaviour of materials and chemical compounds by reproducing on a computer the motion of individual atoms under the influence of inter-atomic forces. Since I moved to Oxford and I joined Merton, I have been focusing primarily on two aspects: the simulation of nuclear quantum effects and the automated analysis of structurally-complex materials. The first research line strives to simplify the task of modelling the behaviour of light atoms such as hydrogen, which exhibit properties (e.g. tunnelling or zero-point energy) which can t be explained without resorting to a quantum mechanical description of the system. These effects are important in accurately modelling water, enzymes and materials of interest for hydrogen storage, but involve a huge computational effort when described using conventional techniques. The second topic deals with the problem of obtaining a simplified and therefore easier to understand description of compounds such as proteins or amorphous materials, whose properties depend critically on the precise yet complicated arrangement of thousands of atoms. By using a computer, one can automatically construct a map of the different conformations of the system, which visualises clearly the relationships between them and aids the interpretation of both simulations and experiments. PROFESSOR EMILY HOLMES I joined the Merton Fellowship last October as Research Convenor and have had the great pleasure of working across the Merton research groups in generating ideas and our Research Groups Meetings Bulletin. I am a Professor in Clinical Psychology based in the Department of Psychiatry, and a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, running research in experimental psychopathology. I hope to have brought this tendency towards interdisciplinary thinking to my role at Merton. My research centres around a curiosity about mental imagery. Vivid mental images can spring to mind unbidden, bringing with them high levels of emotion. Involuntary images know as flashbacks occur in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and, as we have begun to discover, as flash-forwards in bipolar disorder. We have demonstrated that mental imagery has a more profound impact on emotion than verbal ideas. Current work, with Prof Guy Goodwin, is exploring the theory that overactive mental imagery can lead to mood fluctuations in bipolar disorder. My group has suggested that we should seek to develop cognitive vaccines for improved mental health, for example after a trauma (also with Lali Iyadurai, DPhil, Merton). We are intrigued by the possibility that the therapy of the future will include computerised innovations. Thus the overarching aim is to develop scientifically-driven clinical innovations to improve mental health; see our webpage: A year at Merton has sped by. I will move to the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge in autumn It has been a huge pleasure to be part of the Merton fellowship, and I am most grateful to the Warden and other colleagues, and most sad to leave. Thank you in particular to Simon Draper, Julia Walworth, Julia Amos and Simon Hooker for much research-group plotting and scheming. I am also grateful for the College s openness, e.g. allowing my three-year old into the SCR at the weekend. My abiding vivid and (most positive) mental images of Merton will include at times getting lost in various corridors but always discovering delightful views as a consequence, such as over Chestnut Lawn. 36 POSTMASTER 2012

37 HAILS DR NICHOLAS JONES FELLOWS DR NICHOLAS JONES I joined Merton in October 2011, as a Fitzjames Research Fellow in Philosophy. Before that, I spent one year as Jacobsen Research Fellow at King s College London and the Institute of Philosophy, following four years as a doctoral student at Birkbeck, University of London. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year at Merton; it is a pleasure to belong to such an open and diverse academic community. My research lies in the analytic philosophical tradition. This tradition has been deeply influenced by the development of powerful formal and logical techniques in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the philosophy of mathematics provided the initial motivation for developing these techniques, they now pervade all areas of philosophical discourse. My research attempts to understand this phenomenon, focusing on the intersection of metaphysics with the philosophies of language and logic. One aspect of this is an attempt to understand the application of formal tools to philosophical problems, and how such applications should be interpreted. Another aspect is an attempt to understand the ways in which formal methods have shaped (and sometimes mis-shaped) contemporary philosophical thought. To take one example, my doctoral thesis argued that a particular problem in the metaphysics of ordinary material objects the Problem of the Many results from overemphasising a formal system known as mereology. This system was originally developed by philosopherlogicians who did not believe in mathematical objects, to serve as an alternative foundation for mathematics. The goal was a theory of material reality that embedded as much mathematical structure as is compatible with the objects of the theory really being material objects (as opposed to mathematical objects, like numbers or sets). Mereology has since been divorced from this initial motivation; it now forms a supposedly theory-neutral framework in which metaphysical debates are often formulated. However, mereology inherits certain structural features from its mathematical origin, which preclude a satisfying and natural response to the Problem of the Many. My doctoral thesis developed this response and a complementary non-mereological conception of material objects. While at Merton, I intend to develop this approach further and to investigate other cases where formulating a debate within a particular formal framework, or adopting a particular attitude towards such a framework, has led us astray. PROFESSOR MINHYONG KIM I started at Merton in January this year as a tutor in mathematics in tandem with a research professorship in number theory at the Mathematical Institute. I grew up in Seoul, Korea, where I also received my undergraduate education. After finishing a PhD at Yale University, I worked at four different universities in the US before moving to University College London, and then to Oxford and Merton. My research area is called arithmetical algebraic geometry. It deals with properties of numbers, characteristics of space, and the interaction between them. I am ashamed to admit it, but I have a persistent tendency towards academic dilettantism. But as a result, the environment at Merton is almost ideal for me. It is wonderful to be surrounded by so many knowledgeable people working on all sorts of interesting ideas, and I seem to learn something new almost every mealtime. (I suspect it s a bit annoying for my colleagues.) POSTMASTER

38 FELLOWS HAILS DR PATRICK LANTSCHNER DR PATRICK LANTSCHNER I have greatly enjoyed my first year as part of such an exciting intellectual community. Before this I was an undergraduate and graduate at St John s and Christ Church respectively, and I also spent a year as a visiting student at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa. My research focuses on the political and legal systems of societies in which the state is but one of a number of players. This has brought me to study cities in the late Middle Ages, a subject that I have been pursuing along two strands. Firstly, I am writing a monograph, arising from my doctoral thesis, on the high levels of conflict and revolt in late medieval European cities. Historians have frequently seen this period as characterised by the formation of modern states and correspondingly greater levels of political order. Cities, however, witnessed numerous shifting patterns of political interaction of which conflict was almost always an intrinsic part: while some cities were characterised by high levels of revolt, others witnessed only low-level forms of protest. These different political systems were not primarily conditioned by the state, but by the particular configuration of the multiple other political institutions inside and outside cities (guilds, parishes, outside powers). My other research project, on which I have only just embarked, is a comparative study of the diverse power structures in cities of premodern Europe and the Middle East. Although cities in these two regions have often been seen in nearly diametrically opposed terms, I am interested in investigating whether cities on either side of the Mediterranean were characterised by similar degrees of fragmentation around multiple topographical, professional and ecclesiastical substructures, and how these may have given rise to similar political patterns centred on political conflict and revolt. This story may have ended for European cities some time ago, but the Arab Spring may, in fact, be a long-term echo of the fragmented constitutions of cities and the traditions of protest they fostered. Cities can, therefore, be seen as political systems that crystallised around the negotiation of conflict, and this profoundly affected the nature of the political order in societies in the late Middle Ages and afterwards. TOM MACFAUL I came back to Merton in 2011 as Fellow and Departmental Lecturer in English, having previously been a DPhil student ( ) and a lecturer at the College ( ). In the interim, I ve taught at several other Oxford colleges (such as Oriel and Corpus). My research is on Renaissance literature, particularly Shakespeare, Spenser and Elizabethan/Jacobean poetry and drama. I have published books on Male Friendship in Shakespeare and his Contemporaries (2007), and Poetry and Paternity in Renaissance England (2010), and an edition of Tottel s Miscellany (2011), the first major print anthology of English poetry. My next book (out this year) is Problem Fathers in Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama. I am now planning work on literature and the visual/decorative arts in the English Renaissance. I teach English literature from 1509 to I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year as a Fellow: the students are intelligent and hard-working, with a real sense of purpose and passion for the subject. 38 POSTMASTER 2012

39 HAILS DR CATHERINE PAXTON FELLOWS DR CATHERINE PAXTON Readers who retain Postmaster for reference may spot that this is my second Hail. I appeared in the 2004 volume as a refugee from the National Health Service who had succeeded in persuading the College that she was a credible candidate for the newly-created post of full-time Senior Tutor. My CV looked more convincing the second time I applied for the post in 2011, as I could claim five years actual service in the role. In the period that I was away from Merton, I gained a university perspective to complement my college experience, working at Wellington Square on a range of projects including the opportunities presented by Web 2.0; the University s response to the Browne Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance; and the Registrar s Review of Personnel Services. I learned to decode a lot more acronyms, but fear that the rate of generation will always exceed my memory s capacity. I had my first character-building exposure to the open-plan office and am profoundly grateful to be back in splendid isolation in Fellows Quad. In the year immediately before my return, my family spent an invigorating sabbatical year in Massachusetts where my husband was a Visiting Professor at Boston University, my daughters immersed themselves in the excellent Brookline public education system, and I took a belated gap year. I will carry with me henceforth a much deeper insight into what it means to work or study in another country, a useful attribute in such an international university. BRIDGET PENMAN I came to Merton as a Junior Research Fellow last October. I have studied in Oxford since I completed an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at St Hugh s, then a DPhil at Green Templeton College, so I have gradually been making my way towards the centre of town! I am very grateful to everyone at Merton for being so welcoming; this has been a wonderful first year. My research focuses on the genetics of infectious disease resistance. I am trying to understand how infectious diseases have shaped human evolution, and how an individual s genes can make the difference between mild and severe infection. Most of my work is theoretical: I use population genetic and epidemiological models to explore how host-pathogen systems evolve. In the Zoology Department I work closely with my former DPhil supervisor Professor Sunetra Gupta, who was also a JRF at Merton between 1993 and I am especially interested in malaria and the malaria protective haemoglobin mutations (haemoglobinopathies). A well-known example of a malaria protective haemoglobinopathy is that responsible for sickle cell anaemia; others include the alpha and beta thalassaemias and haemoglobins C and E. Populations living in different malarious regions display different suites of haemoglobinopathies. I am trying to understand why different populations should have evolved different solutions to the problem of malaria, and what this can teach us about the relationship between the malaria parasite and the red blood cell. Next year, in addition to my theoretical studies, I hope to begin laboratory experiments that specifically address how red blood cells with particular combinations of abnormalities behave when infected. This year, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know people working across a wide range of disciplines. I have learned about some fascinating research, and started to see some of the questions I am interested in from a different perspective. It is a privilege to be part of the Merton community, and I am looking forward to the rest of my time here. POSTMASTER

40 FEATURES VIEW FROM THE TOP PETER PHILLIPS A View From the Top: Peter Phillips OUR SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH MERTONIANS AT THE TOP OF THEIR PROFESSIONS CONTINUES WITH PETER PHILLIPS (1981). HAVING WORKED FOR THE BBC AND OFCOM, PETER IS NOW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLISHING OVER 45,000 TITLES A YEAR. 40 POSTMASTER 2012 Is there any rivalry between the two university presses? Cambridge University Press is proud of being older than OUP it s the world s oldest publisher though OUP is larger. The truth is the Oxford and Cambridge presses have a huge amount in common with each other, given their commitment to advancing knowledge, learning and research. One recent example is the current UK debate about open access making research articles free at the point of consumption. Both Presses are emphasising the needs of the research community of

41 VIEW FROM THE TOP PETER PHILLIPS FEATURES which our universities are part rather than pure commercial concerns. And for the first time ever, there s a Cambridge graduate running OUP and someone from Oxford running Cambridge University Press. You hadn t worked in publishing before. What attracted you to the job? I was reading the Press s Letters of Samuel Beckett when I was approached about the job it was funny, inspiring and significant, and summed up for me something that I wanted to be part of. I ve always loved the academic world and had everything in place to stay at Merton to do my DPhil in Mathematics before deciding I d take a year out to work before I came back to mathematics. That year out has turned into 28 but you never know! I ve been lucky enough to work in a number of organisations which have combined public purposes and the need to think commercially, and for me that blend represents the most important and interesting kind of challenge. There are a lot of similarities between the Press and the BBC: digital transformation; intelligent colleagues passionate about what they do; and organisations widely respected around the globe. At a time when almost every country sees knowledge, education and research as the only route to an attractive future, there are fabulous opportunities for a press with a top brand that exports 85% of its products, and whose fastest growing markets are in Latin America, India and China. Publishing has changed dramatically as multimedia formats and the web progress. What are the major challenges ahead for CUP? This is the greatest time of change in publishing since Gutenberg, so we face lots of challenges: some organisations are providing free access to educational material and academic research; much larger commercial publishers are investing heavily; and big West Coast players are looking for new educational markets. The world economy isn t exactly robust either. But it s also a time of huge opportunity. There s a real hunger for high quality material in the rapidly developing parts of the world. Cambridge s name has terrific resonance. If we are prepared to invest and take risks, we have great prospects. What vision do you have for CUP going forward? I want the Press to be the 21st century s most respected academic and educational publisher, providing authoritative knowledge and learning for the world. That means maintaining our quality, being focused on things we can do better than other organisations, reinvesting in the future and being responsive to a fastchanging and uncertain world. Does the increasing impact of the Kindle and other e-readers mean that publishing projects have to be looked at very differently from the outset now? Many readers and users want our content to be available on whatever platform suits them when and where they want to read it. Often the same customer will want the same book available on their PC, their tablet and as a physical book. So when we commission a book we think about how much to invest and the timetable for it to come out in an integrated way with all those platforms in mind. Those platforms and the ability to print books one at a time mean books can keep selling for much longer too. In academic publishing, our back catalogue is more than two-thirds of our sales. A key concern for CUP, and one that you will have first-hand experience of from your time at Ofcom, is that of illegal file sharing. How can the publishing industry tackle this problem? Piracy of content isn t a new problem for publishers like us. In Bangladesh for example we estimate that 95% of the use of our content is through photocopying factories. Digital piracy introduces new issues but I don t think that trying to devise ever more annoying means to restrict users is the right answer. The music industry didn t make available the content people wanted easily and early enough and it s still paying the price. We need to concentrate on making valuable products available in the forms people want, while at the same time pursuing industry-wide action against major pirates. Cooperation from internet service providers is an important element of making that work. What impact did the increase in available media platforms have on Ofcom s work? New platforms have transformed Ofcom s work. They ve changed content regulation hugely, made the release of new wireless spectrum a national priority and brought into play a host of new issues, in privacy and piracy. In the first decades of radio and television, UK governments wanted strict content regulation: impartiality, taste and decency and they were able to achieve it because they controlled access to the airwaves for POSTMASTER

42 FEATURES VIEW FROM THE TOP PETER PHILLIPS broadcasters. By and large audiences liked restrictions, for example that programmes unsuitable for children couldn t be broadcast before 21:00. Governments can t control media like the internet in the same way even with the armies of censors we see in China, and it certainly hasn t been what web users want. It s only extreme examples like child pornography where internet regulation has been in force. Yet you can now receive identical content simultaneously on the same internet-connected TV screen via different routes with different regulatory regimes. That creates a new set of issues to grapple with. Everyone s desire for high quality digital services whenever and wherever they happen to be has made the release of new wireless spectrum for mobile broadband a huge priority. That s been the driver for digital switchover in television as analogue television took up massive amounts of the airwaves. That s virtually complete and provided the legal blocking by mobile operators doesn t continue huge amounts of new spectrum for high-speed mobile broadband should be auctioned later this year. New platforms have brought new concerns though. The privacy issues involved with people living their lives online are now raising huge concerns, and finding the right means for digital content owners to be able to police the illegal sharing of their material has proved a massive challenge for politicians and regulators around the world. What were your greatest challenges while at Ofcom? It s always tricky to regulate in a transparent, analytically rigorous and proportional way. But increasingly, virtually everything 42 POSTMASTER 2012

43 VIEW FROM THE TOP PETER PHILLIPS FEATURES an economic regulator does is legally challenged by someone with a vested interest, even when there s clear benefit for the nation, which slows everything down. The airwaves to enable high-speed mobile broadband for the UK could have been auctioned three years earlier to the nation s benefit, but legal jockeying for commercial advantage between mobile operators has delayed that for three years. That s pretty frustrating to say the least. You had a number of roles at the BBC. Which gave you the most satisfaction? I loved being involved in the launch of BBC News Online. It s easy to forget that in 1997 the BBC was being criticised including by its own journalists for putting money into a service they said no one would use. I believed passionately that it was the right thing to do. It s now the world s greatest news site. I feel proud of that to this day. Most, if not all, of your work has related to strategic planning, guiding a business s future. What do you feel are the key qualities to be able to tackle such vital and wide-ranging projects? None of us can foresee the future, particularly at a time of such uncertainty and change. Strategic planning is not a science but an art informed by analysis. For me the keys to doing it well are: intellectual curiosity and honesty, especially in understanding what customers need; humility to know others may have better answers than you do; and the ability to translate grand ideas into compelling reasons why people want to change. What has been your greatest achievement in your career so far? I m not sure I m ready for a valedictory question like that just yet! What influence did your time at Merton have on your career? Without the academic success Merton gave me, my career would not have started at Bain which was a fabulous place to work where I learned loads and made a lot of friends. I m very grateful to Dominic Welsh for that. And Merton s a wonderful source of authors for the Press, not least my friends and contemporaries Peter Kronheimer (1981) and Armand D Angour (1979). You are a trustee of numerous charities and special interest groups, as well as a Fellow of Wolfson College and a father of three how do you find the time? I really envy one of my friends who is happy to sleep for only two or three hours a night, can read a whole book every day and have two simultaneous careers. Sadly I do need my sleep but I can usually find time to do things I really care about. My children are growing up fast and I treasure the time I have with them (mostly!). I ve been lucky in my life in all kinds of ways and it s great to be able to give things back through the work I have done pro bono with the arts, medicine and freedom of expression. What do you do to unwind when the opportunity arises? I play the piano rather badly but love to hammer away at Bach and Mozart. Most summers we camp with Pippa Shirley (1983), Giles Clifford (1982) and their boys on the Isles of Scilly, which is just about the most beautiful place in Britain and feels light years away from work. Cliched question: What books are you currently reading? That s a difficult question when we re publishing 50 books every week! I m just starting Hilary Mantel s Bring Up the Bodies as part of my holiday reading. POSTMASTER

44 FEATURES ESSAYS CLIMATE EMERGENCY? Climate Emergency? A conceptual breakthrough by Oxford and Potsdam atmospheric scientists not, as political philosophers like me who tend to consider ourselves the keepers of the conceptual economy might have expected, by political philosophers has helped to transform our understanding of the nature of our obligations to future generations with regard to rapid human-induced climate change. Everyone understands that as we burn fossil fuels (coal, gas and petrol) the carbon at their base is transformed into carbon dioxide [CO 2 ]. CO 2 may be a gas, but a gas is not nothing, and the CO 2 has to go somewhere. The places into which the CO 2 goes which include the oceans, vegetation and the atmosphere are often referred to as carbon sinks. So much CO 2 has been released by human activities driven by the burning of fossil fuels since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution that the entire planet s carbon sinks are being injected full of more CO 2 than they can handle without adjustments being made elsewhere. These adjustments elsewhere centrally include what for humans is climate change, deviations from the surface conditions to which our species, and its food production, is adapted: surprisingly rapid melting of Arctic ice, rising global sea-levels, increasing volatility and extremity of weather, shifting of the seasons, and the rest. CO 2 is not the only greenhouse gas, but it is the most important. Since the CO 2 emitted from any particular point on the surface of the earth mixes generally with the CO 2 from everywhere else, carbon emissions are a global phenomenon in the most literal sense. Accordingly, it has been clear for some time that carbon emissions are spatially zero-sum: one nation s reductions are in effect cancelled out by any other nation s increases. If one thinks in terms of sink space, if the sink space is filled, it is filled. If a sink space is filled by the United States or China, it is no longer available for the UK or Germany. Restraint in one place is undermined by excess elsewhere. And the adjustments the climate change come willy-nilly in accord with overall planetary dynamics without regard to which places were the origins of the emissions to be dealt with. From a moral point of view, climate change raises unavoidable issues of international distributive justice: who ought to bear which share of the necessary restraint in emissions, and who ought to bear which share of adjusting to the adjustments, that is, adapting to the climate change that is not prevented. The international negotiations have centred on brawling over these allocations of the inevitable pain. But Mother Nature has to dispose of the total mess, irrespective of which of the children made which share of it. For the planetary dynamics, it is the absolute total of emissions that counts. Now, however, two dramatic realisations have transformatively enlarged our understanding of the moral stakes. The first is the persistence of CO 2 in the 44 POSTMASTER 2012

45 ESSAYS CLIMATE EMERGENCY? FEATURES atmosphere. When I began to work on issues about climate change in the early 1990s, the received wisdom was that the emitted CO 2 lingered in the atmosphere for approximately a century, which already seemed a long time. Some of the best recent science suggests, however, that most molecules of CO 2 persist in the atmosphere for several centuries and about 25% of the molecules last a millennium. From a practical human perspective of generations or even a century, it is essentially the case that what CO 2 goes up into the atmosphere does not come down. The remarkable persistence of atmospheric CO 2 lies behind the other dramatic realisation that I am suggesting is an important conceptual breakthrough. One group of scientists led from Potsdam and another led from Oxford have converged on a single conclusion: that for any given increase in global average temperature beyond the pre-industrial temperature level, there is a cumulative amount of emissions of CO 2 that will more than likely produce that temperature, starting the calculation of the cumulative total from around the year 1750 before so much CO 2 began to be extracted from fossil fuels by humans. Increase the total cumulative emissions of CO 2 built up in the atmosphere since 1750 and the temperature will have a calculable probability of rising by a specific additional amount. Take an example with lots of nice round numbers: in order to have a 50/50 chance that the average global temperature will not rise more than 2 Centigrade beyond the temperature around 1750, our cumulative emissions of CO 2 after 1750 must not exceed one trillion tons. In mid-june 2012 we had already emitted more than 558 billion tons [558 Gt], and we would at current rates emit the trillionth ton in August 2043 less than 32 years from now! Those who are 25 years old now will be no more than 57 when emissions go through the planetary ceiling if political action continues to be as weak as it has been so far during their lives; and their children will be roughly their own current age, with most of POSTMASTER

46 FEATURES ESSAYS CLIMATE EMERGENCY? their life in front of them. For a better than even chance of not exceeding a temperature rise of 2 C, cumulative emissions would naturally need to be still lower. For a three in four chance of remaining below a 2 C rise in temperature, emissions must stop at 750 billion tons of carbon. What matters here are not particular numbers, which are artificially precise computer projections and are constantly being refined, but the general idea, which is the conceptual breakthrough. The breakthrough is the realisation that the best way to conceive of the situation is as the planet s having a cumulative carbon budget for any particular probability of any specific amount of temperature rise. More emissions yield a calculably higher probability of a higher temperature. Humans (largely) determine the cumulative emissions, the dynamics of the planet in response determine the temperature rise. We can choose the level of emissions we aim at, but we cannot choose the most likely temperature rise that will accompany whatever level of emissions we actually produce. Mother Nature chooses the resulting temperature. And the result will be determined by the total emissions the cumulative total. Why do I keep emphasising cumulative? Because the understanding that there is a cumulative carbon budget means that carbon emissions are not only zero-sum spatially but also zero-sum temporally. Not only is any sink capacity filled by the US unavailable for any other country, but any sink capacity filled by current emissions is unavailable for future emissions. We are competing with our own children and grandchildren and everyone else s children and grandchildren for the use 46 POSTMASTER 2012 of a single total of sink capacity. When the sink capacity compatible with an even chance of a temperature rise of 2 C has been exhausted, further emissions mean the probability of further rises in temperature. The lawyer Gavin Stevens in William Faulkner s Nobel-Prize-awarded Requiem for a Nun observes: The past is never dead. It s not even past. Of nothing is this truer than carbon emissions. Carbon emissions are the excess that keeps on hurting. From a moral point of view this means that the continuation of the energy businessas-usual is not a mere refusal to come to the aid of future generations it is the active deprivation of future generations, who are completely vulnerable to our choices and utterly at our mercy. We are using up the carbon sink capacity that they could otherwise have had available to use without a likely temperature rise of more than 2 C. If the calculations cited above from www. trillionthtonne.org are roughly accurate, business-as-usual emissions until August 2043 accompanied by failure to replace carbon-based energy with non-carbonbased energy would mean that all the carbon emissions after that month would raise the odds against a temperature rise of no more than 2 C. We would have left our children and grandchildren in a situation in which they could only, with regard to climate, cut their own throats. Simply by living then in a manner that now passes for normal, they will progressively undermine the ecological conditions of the human economy, especially adequate agricultural production. We would have used up on ourselves the remaining cushion inside the cumulative carbon budget for an even chance of no more than a 2 C temperature rise. It would be unconscionable to inflict our current self-destructive energy regime on generations to come. I learned long ago not to speak lightly of emergency because an emergency calls for extreme measures, and people usually get hurt when extreme measures are taken. But future generations will be incapable of avoiding hurting themselves badly if they have to try to live with the carbonbased energy regime we now have. I can only believe that if emergency has not already arrived, it is near. The CO 2 from the Industrial Revolution of the last quarter of a millennium threatens to undermine some of the conditions that made possible the Agricultural Revolution of ten millennia ago. The Industrial Revolution is looking increasingly like a Faustian bargain, and we now need a third great revolution, an Energy Revolution. Undoubtedly the time for complacency and hesitation is gone, and the time for vigorous, imaginative and innovative action is here. We must break the political and economic dominance of the fossil-fuel energy regime and move aggressively to escape to a sustainable energy regime in which future generations will have some chance to live secure flourishing lives within ecological conditions to which they can adapt. Henry Shue Senior Research Fellow Emeritus

47 Mertonians in Education MERTONIANS IN EDUCATION FEATURES MERTON S REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE FINEST ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IS UNQUESTIONABLE. FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, UNDERGRADUATES HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE RIGOROUS TUTORIAL SYSTEM. SO, IT SEEMS ONLY FITTING THAT SOME OF MERTON S ALUMNI SHOULD SEEK TO PASS ON THAT PASSION FOR EDUCATION. IN FACT, 34% OF MERTONIANS WORK IN EDUCATION. POSTMASTER INVITED A FEW CONTEMPORARY MERTON EDUCATORS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS AND VIEWS ON LIFE IN TEACHING. ANDREW CORRIE (1982) At the end of 2003, I quit full-time work as a solution to the what do we do with the children? question faced by many parents. To avoid going utterly bonkers at home, I needed an outlet with hours to suit and school holidays off. Back in the early 1990s, I d done three years of supervisions (tutorials) at Cambridge, which had been rather enjoyable: listening to the excuses, dealing with the breakdowns and sparring with the übergeeks. So, armed only with my prejudices and next-to-zero knowledge regarding contemporary secondary education, I launched myself as that courtesan of the academic demimonde a private tutor. Since then I have coached perhaps 60 pupils, all bar a few being teenagers looking to improve their grades in public exams. In the majority of cases there is a real or perceived sense that the youngster concerned is currently, or is in danger of, not fulfilling his or her potential. Why is a potential Oxbridge candidate bumbling along with B grades? Why is my child in danger of failing altogether? Why do I never see my child doing any homework? Why doesn t the school understand my child s unique set of psychological impediments? It is certainly not the job of the tutor to asperse the schools or teachers from which pupils have come, but simply to try to identify and make good the deficiencies wherever they may lie. The rather intimate setting of the tutorial makes for honest endeavour. Sometimes, it really is only a question of confidence and actually sitting down and having a go. Often, mastering ANDREW CORRIE OVERSEES A-LEVEL CHEMISTRY REVISION, ALONG WITH DELILAH THE TORTOISE one thing can have a catalytic effect: all of a sudden everything seems to make sense. Sometimes, it is not being afraid to admit you don t understand something, which can be difficult in an intimidating classroom setting. In the best cases, the tutorial goes well beyond the confines of the syllabus: Tell me something really difficult about Chemistry was one challenging request from an 18-year old. Concerning the education of Commodus, Gibbon wrote: the power of instruction is seldom of much efficacy except in those happy dispositions where it is almost superfluous. His arch aphorism constituted POSTMASTER

48 FEATURES MERTONIANS IN EDUCATION one of my prejudices, but happily it is not true. Of course, there are heart-sink moments such as when a sixth former still has to be reminded how to divide fractions. But these are more than offset by the joyous moments of having contributed in some small way to someone s getting their grades, a place at university, or even, in one instance, making it to Merton itself. ANNA SMITH (1991) I spent most of my degree loudly insisting that I would never be a teacher, so it came as no shock to anyone when I spent my post-degree gap year doing various teaching and youth work roles, and then training as a secondary teacher in Cambridge in My first job was at a sixth form college in Cambridge. Having been told that it was career suicide to spend too long in sixth form, I resolved to stay for just a few years. The trouble was that teaching there turned out to be a real pleasure. For one thing, I got the chance to teach subjects I love (Early Modern History, Classics, Archaeology, and even Latin) to a really rewarding group of students. For another, the college offered me a fantastic range of opportunities to develop outside the classroom. I took on the role of IT Champion, which involved in-house, national and international stafftraining in the effective use of technology in encouraging student learning. I led the development of the Early Modern History courses, set up and managed the Extended Project (a mini-university-style thesis that students undertook alongside their A-Level studies), mentored students and newly-qualified teachers, and, perhaps the most exciting challenge, took on the role of Head of the Tutorial Programme. This 48 POSTMASTER 2012 was a brand-new position, created after we entirely re-designed our pastoral system, and was an opportunity to manage change to equal anything in the commercial sector. As a result of all this, I stayed for 13 years, only leaving to take on a terrific opportunity to join the senior team of a vibrant local federation of secondary schools, at the moment when they had been granted permission to establish a new sixth form. Moving to a secondary school gave me a different insight into teaching (including the dubious, but essential, delights of break duties and corridor patrols) and has filled me with awe for the huge variety of skills that are needed by teachers to inspire classes of exuberant 13-year-olds, which may include a wide range of abilities and attitudes to learning. While there, I have taken responsibility for data analysis and the whole-school curriculum but, in particular, I have had the amazing opportunity to lead on the development of a new sixth form. It has been a whirlwind three years, encompassing inspections from the International Baccalaureate Organisation; selecting and managing staff, balancing budgets; recruiting and advising new students; writing prospectuses, devising new schemes for learning, resources and structures, and, all the while, ensuring that my own teaching continues to model best practice. But, looking back as our new Year 12 students finish their first year, I feel a huge sense of pride at the sixth form that the students and the sixth form team have created. Teaching is not an easy job. Anyone who comes into the profession assuming long holidays, short days and lots of free periods gets a rude awakening, and it can be galling to turn on Newsnight after another extremely long and intensive day to hear politicians and others listing all the things that the profession is doing wrong. But it is a truly worthwhile experience. On a daily basis I not only get to deal with all the same challenges as any other senior manager, but also get to work with a highly rewarding group of students and young people, and hopefully to help them develop at a crucial time in their lives. JOHN NEWTON (1984) I am the Headmaster of Taunton School. It is coeducational, has 1,100 pupils from the age of two to 18, has 400 boarders and is independent. Little did I think when I started my career in 1989 that by 2012 I would have to understand UK visa requirements, library square metrages, planning permission, pension schemes, gang mowers, analysis of local traffic flow and balance sheets. Often I find myself as a non-expert battling to grasp the essence of an issue as it is explained by some besuited and besotted zealot. A dilettante mind is a crucial asset day by day. I am sure that this was not always the case. Heads used to handle the curricular and the non-curricular sides to school life. Bursars used to deal with the vulgar stuff like budgets and building regulations. Then came the 1992 recession and those three dreaded letters began to drop their cold dead hands onto our job descriptions: CEO. I confess that when asked what I do, I am still adamant that I am a headmaster, but one with many guises. Your staff want you to be Gordon of Khartoum, your governors prefer you to act like Gordon Ramsey. We think Gordon of Khartoum is an old boy. I am pretty sure Gordon Ramsey isn t, or he would have better manners.

49 MERTONIANS IN EDUCATION FEATURES DR JOHN NEWTON WITH TAUNTON SCHOOL STUDENTS We are already seeing the next iteration of headship the American model of being totally given over to fundraising and alumni work, wowing audiences across the globe with tales of school success in order to rake in the shekel. Flash Gordon, too, then. My wife always makes the same comment when we leave the Heads conference What a truly pleasant, humorous, stimulating bunch of people they are. One of the joys of long lazy meals at such conferences is the chance to talk to heads about their other lives, the things that feed the soul, shore up the defences against the tedium and provide the escape. We are ultimately, as we tell our pupils to be, rounded individuals with spiritual, physical, cultural and social needs. We are a whole collection of principles that get us through; we are armed with touchstones and bons mots that we refer to or quote when the chips are down. Mine come mainly from The Godfather: Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer, is just one of many memorable phrases. And what books sit on the bedside table? At a recent meeting of heads, we opened proceedings with a word from everyone about what they had read over the previous vacation. It was a moment of sanity. Good heads, heads that stay the course, who can still inspire in the twilight years, heads who can care for their wayward charges even when their own parent is ill or a personal issue is niggling such folk are not made, but born. MARTIN ROBERTS (1960) School teaching was no more favoured a career choice for Oxbridge graduates in the 1960s than it is now. People I knew well entered academia or the media or the Civil Service. Teaching though was in my genes. I had had a superb education at Christ s Hospital, at least equalled by Merton, and I hoped that teaching would prove absorbingly interesting and socially valuable. POSTMASTER

50 FEATURES MERTONIANS IN EDUCATION Ralph Davis, Roger Highfield and John Roberts were my teachers, a varied and brilliant trio, and I kept in touch with them over the coming decades. Ralph was an indefatigable writer of references and we worked together in the Historical Association; at one time he was President and I chaired its Secondary Committee. I last met John Roberts when he came in a wheelchair near the end of his life to a conference I was organising and gave an eloquent and mellow reflection on why history matters to teachers from across the country. One of the great pleasures of the last few months was celebrating Roger s 90th birthday in the Chapel. My first teaching post was at Leeds Grammar School after which I went comprehensive, ending up as head teacher of The Cherwell School in Summertown for two decades. Like so many of my generation, I was and remain an enthusiast for state education in general and comprehensive education in particular. We believed that it was essential if the greater social mobility Britain so urgently needed was to be achieved. It is a matter of some personal sadness that, if anything, social mobility is less now than 50 years ago. I applaud the efforts Merton and other colleges are making to widen access and hope that slowly and surely they will bear fruit. PHILIPPA BAKER (1983) I graduated from Merton with a law degree in I signed a contract with a London firm of solicitors who helped fund my Law finals and I worked as an Articled Clerk for two years and then as a solicitor for another four. 50 POSTMASTER 2012 One day, walking through the City, it hit me that day by day I saw no one younger than 20 (or so it seemed). My mother had been a primary school teacher and I had grown up helping in her classroom and had always felt that it was in teaching that my real passion lay. I gave up my job and sought to enroll on a postgraduate course (PGCE) that would enable me to teach 4- to 7- year-olds. As my degree wasn t in a foundation curriculum subject, in order to further my application, I worked in a local primary school as a volunteer for a year and was then accepted on the one-year course. A few weeks after finishing the course I began an intensive period of further training by having the first of our four sons. Although I did some supply work, I put pursuing a teaching career on hold again. When my youngest was three and at a local nursery, the Head approached me and said that she had been observing me working with the children as a volunteer and she would like me to consider joining the staff. I have been working there now for six years with children aged 2-4. Some aspects (helping with wellies, mopping up, wiping noses) are mundane but every day is different and it is a privilege to watch the development in these early years. Three years on from joining the nursery staff part time, I was also helping out as a parent in my son s reception class in our local state school. I was lucky enough to find that my son s teacher was really supportive of my growing desire to start using my teaching qualification again and, after all the necessary checks and approvals within the school, I observed her practice for a day a week over a year to build my classroom experience. I was then offered a post at the school for half a day a week covering a Year 1 teacher s non-contact time. In September last year I accepted the additional part-time post of Classroom teacher in Year 1 for a day a week. I have had to learn, or relearn, a lot in this post and all by being in the classroom with 30 children and finding out what works and what doesn t. My colleagues have provided great support but there is no substitute for being at the front and doing it. The greatest thrill is to read a story and have utter silence with 30 pairs of enrapt eyes watching you, children caught in the moment. Magic. RALPH ASHTON (1976) Although my career has had its fair share of twists and turns in education since starting out as a comprehensive school history. teacher in 1980, for the past 18 years I have worked in Local Authority management of special educational needs. During that time I ve had the pleasure of seeing how much learning opportunities have widened and of hearing of individual achievements that were probably unimaginable for a previous generation. Training and support for staff have come on leaps and bounds and there are other very tangible signs of advancement in buildings and accommodation, equipment and resources. Moreover, successive governments have regularly reviewed and tried to improve the current system whose principal architect over 30 years ago was Baroness Mary Warnock. The current government has unveiled its proposals for a radical overhaul of that system, promising a new legislative framework before the end of its term of office, preceded by fundamental changes to the funding of the

51 MERTONIANS IN EDUCATION FEATURES special educational needs part of school and college budgets from next April. What have been the most striking changes I ve experienced? From previously being well versed in most of the terminology, this has now burgeoned to encyclopaedic proportions bringing with it a bewildering collection of acronyms. Whether in itself this trend is a reliable indicator that special educational needs as a whole have increased, or there has been improved identification and assessment of such needs, for me, is an intriguing question! Another change has been the dramatic increase in multiagency working with certain children and their families and the marked organisational shift from Local Education Authority to Children s Services Authority, to one that embraces education, social care and health, including the private, independent and voluntary sector. Eighteen years ago state schools had only recently acquired the flexibilities of local management and the responsibilities of financial delegation. Now if they choose academy status they are virtually autonomous and in the vast majority of all schools that I work with the quality of the support given to learners on a day-to-day basis depends almost entirely on what happens in that school rather than my office. What hasn t changed? Some parents want their child to be educated in a mainstream school just as passionately as others who want a special school. Some insist on it being the local school just as passionately as others will pursue a residential school. Overall decisions still have to be made in a resource-constrained system where the legal obligation is to meet needs and not necessarily make optimal provision; to balance the needs of an individual with those of everyone else; and to arrive at a fair and reasonable allocation of resources. Put like that it almost sounds straightforward, but an individual s needs and circumstances can change suddenly and unpredictably and inevitably some placements begin to falter and break down, for which it takes time to find an alternative. TIM ELTON (2001) My working life since Merton has contained just over a year in an actuarial consultancy, ten (delightful!) months in Merton s Development Office and five years and counting in education. It was my sixth form pure maths teacher, Dave Lynch, who planted the idea of being a maths teacher in my mind. He seemed very much to be enjoying it, which helped to make him excellent. The thought that I might enjoy this too remained in the back of my mind at first; the increasingly strong feeling that it would suit me better than becoming a pensions actuary took a little while. Now I m pretty sure I was right. I taught at Wellington College, Berkshire for three years and now teach at Magdalen College School. These are two schools vastly different from each other, and from my state comprehensive upbringing, and I find it sociologically fascinating. Among the pupils, there are adolescent similarities. However, there are also different attitudes towards experiences such as learning, academic success, respect for others academic success, boys singing, ambition, which sport is most important, and so on. The main reason I enjoy my job is that I get to spend most of the day being excited about maths. I m fortunate to work at a school where the mathematical ability of TIM ELTON the pupils is very high, so the potential to enrich, to go off piste and to learn more myself is seemingly boundless. This I find fun. It s also rather wonderful to witness and to aid the pupils series of mathematical conceptual breakthroughs. I think that maths education faces a big challenge in the near future in terms of motivation from the learner s point of view. The increasing availability of technology like the Wolfram Alpha mobile app (which can solve equations, sketch graphs, and do all manner of other useful things far beyond the usable scope of the most up-to-date traditional calculator, all with an attractive simple interface) will need to be embraced and skilfully negotiated. POSTMASTER

52 FEATURES MERTON CITIES MUNICH Merton Cities: Munich MERTONIANS HAVE MADE MANY OF THE FINEST CITIES IN THE WORLD THEIR HOME. TO TAP INTO THIS PRIVILEGED MINE OF INFORMATION, POSTMASTER TALKS TO RICHARD (1997) AND LOUISA KEANE (1998) TO UNCOVER MUNICH S BEST KEPT SECRETS. Where is the best place to eat/drink? Munich is a great city for eating out. For traditional, hearty Bavarian food, and beer brewed by the monks of Kloster Andechs, try the tiny Andechser Am Dom, in the shadow of the iconic Frauenkirche. Further afield, Gasthof Obermaier, in the suburb of Trudering, offers a constantly changing menu of Bavarian specialities, with meat from their on-site butcher. Vegetarians should head to Prinz Myshkin, which serves imaginative Asian-fusion style vegetarian and vegan dishes. Munich s food scene is very seasonal; April and May is Spargelzeit, when fat tips of white asparagus are on offer everywhere (but we recommend the Augustiner Am Dom). Summer is time for locally-grown strawberries and ice cream (perhaps the best ice cream in the city is sold by Ballabeni on Theresienstrasse). In the build-up to Lent, bakeries around the city start baking special doughnuts, or Krapfen. Some of the best are sold by the Rischart bakery. Lent also heralds the start of the Biergarten season. Try the Paulaner am Nockherberg, or, outside the city, Forsthaus Kasten, which has lots to keep children entertained. The standard of food in Biergartens is usually high (we recommend trying Obazda or Steckerlfisch), but you could also bring your own picnic to accompany your beer. For provisions, explore the many stalls in the Viktualenmarkt, Munich s food market for hundreds of years. We have to mention Oktoberfest; for two and a half weeks in September, Munich is home to perhaps the world s most famous beer festival. Each brewery has its own tent, some vast and noisy, others smaller and offering a rather more refined atmosphere. Don t expect much variety in the beer though; each brewery serves one type only. In Advent, the Christkindlmarkt offers more opportunities for eating and drinking. Sipping a warming mug of Glühwein as the mercury drops below zero is an experience not to be missed. For something a bit different, blueberry or cherry Glühwein is highly recommended. Other foods to try include Reiberdatschi (deep-fried potato cakes) with apple sauce, roasted almonds, glacé fruits, Lebkuchen, and the ubiquitous Rostbratwürstl sausages. Or if you are feeling empty, try Dampfnudel enormous yeast buns, served swimming in vanilla sauce. What is the best way to spend a morning? The banks of the Isar are an ideal place to cycle or stroll. Start at either the Maximiliansbrücke or the Reichen- 52 POSTMASTER 2012

53 MERTON CITIES MUNICH FEATURES bachbrücke and head south: the zoo, or the Biergarten zum Flaucher, are good destinations to aim for. Another option is the Englischer Garten, one of the world s largest urban parks. There is plenty to do, quite apart from wandering through its vast expanse of green spaces. There is a boating lake, several Biergartens and, somewhat surprisingly, an opportunity to watch expert surfers ride the artificial wave on the Eisbach river. an afternoon? Depending on your interests and inclinations you could visit the Residenz or Schloss Nymphenburg (both highly-impressive former palaces of the rulers of Bavaria), explore some of the many churches within the Altstadt (the iconic Frauenkirche is a well-known symbol of the city, but we would also recommend the tiny but highlydecorated Asamkirche), or admire the huge collections of European art on show at the Alte Pinakotek, Neue Pinakotek and Pinakotek der Moderne. an evening? Munich is home to the highly-regarded Bavarian state opera, state orchestra and state ballet, as well as the Gasteig, which hosts a variety of cultural events on a daily basis. However, for something a little out of the ordinary, try the Long Night of the Museums, which takes place every October. A single ticket grants access to around 90 museums and galleries, which put on special exhibitions throughout the night as well as public transport between them. In a similar vein is the Long Night of Music: this takes place in the spring, so that there is only ever six months to wait for the next event. For sports fans, the Allianz Arena is home to both of Munich s top-level football clubs; European matches are a regular occurrence on weekday evenings. What is Munich s best-kept secret? Everyone knows about Oktoberfest, but there are many more festivals throughout the year. If Oktoberfest is too tame for you, then the Starkbierfest is well worth a try. Although the stark refers to the nutritional content of the beer, it is nevertheless even stronger than the Oktoberfest beer, and is served only in one-litre measures. The atmosphere is unsurprisingly even more intense, and the event takes place at various beer gardens throughout the city rather than at a single place. What is the one place you simply must visit? As a scientist, I would have to say the Deutsches Museum, which is Munich s equivalent of the Science Museum in London. On our first visit, we entered what we thought would be a mildly interesting mining exhibit, just to get things started, and it turned out to be a full reconstruction of a working mine, filled with original mining equipment from various periods. We did not have much time for anything else after this so we ve been back many times and there is always something new to see. Highlights include historical musical instruments (as well as much more modern ones, which are a must-see for me next time), a physics section that brought back nostalgic memories of the Oxford practical course, and a large children s section where you can build lego houses big enough to crawl into. There is a good mixture of rare historical exhibits and informative handson demonstrations throughout the museum. What is the best view in Munich? This is probably from the towers of the iconic Frauenkirche: by law, no building within the city limits can be higher than their 100 metres. However, these have been closed for rebuilding ever since we have been here, and so for the purposes of this article we undertook to ascend the Rathaus tower (85m) right in the centre of the city and this provides a fine substitute. The panorama of the city really is quite fascinating, and even the mountains can be made out in the far distance. It is worth taking tram 19 into the city just for some of the views along the way. Travelling from Max-Weber-Platz, it takes in the Maximilianeum (the Bavarian parliament), a view along the Isar from the Maximiliansbrücke, and many of Munich s most exclusive shops concentrated along Maximilianstrasse. What do you love most about living in Munich? Having lived in a small town for five years, one of the best things about Munich for us was the convenience of the public transport system. I even get annoyed now when the bus is a few minutes late! It is also a great place to bring up a young family: there are numerous playgrounds throughout the city (even in most of the beer gardens) and plenty of attractions that can keep a range of ages entertained. It is generally a friendly place, with the cosmopolitan buzz of a major international city well balanced by the conservative nature of the established population. Indeed, if you are British, it is a great introduction to living abroad, as it is different enough to be interesting, but one never feels too far from home. POSTMASTER

54 FEATURES EDUCATION IN SOUTH SUDAN Education in South Sudan Across the flat, tree-less swamps of central South Sudan and past the young boys spearing fish, you stumble across the slightly higher lands that host the wet season cattle camps of these pastoralist communities. Often containing thousands of long-horned cattle and filled with cow-dung smoke, these camps remain as iconic as the days of Evans-Pritchard s anthropological explorations in the early 20th century. Small children run between their cows as the girls gather the milk that gives the dwellers of the cattle camp the richest diet. Yet, 50 years of civil war in South Sudan have left the cattle camps among the most dangerous places to dwell. Armed raids at dawn to take the cattle often force the digging of fresh graves and, even post-disarmament, AK47s remain prevalent among the cattle keepers. The young men of the cattle camp take responsibility for its defence and protection. With this responsibility comes the high risk of violent fatality. Having gained its independence on 9th July 2011, South Sudan is best known for the long civil war that preceded this independence. With this war between northern Sudan and the South eventually ending in 2005, South Sudan achieved its independence six and a half years later. However, just as defining of the last 50 years in South Sudan was the repetitive and deadly South-South violence. As Southern leaders competed for authority in or against the SPLA (the main Southern military movement), they often returned to their region of origin to gain support. Recognising the strategic knowledge and ability of the cattle-keeping youth, these young men were targeted for mobilisation into a civilian, armed force. Propagating a 54 POSTMASTER 2012

55 EDUCATION IN SOUTH SUDAN FEATURES narrative of an ethnicised political market, political leaders emphasised boundaries between groups and militarised the group that gave them support. Within a few years, the majority of the cattle-keeping youth were armed. With the guardians and raiders of the villages having the new power of the gun, raiding, fatalities and displacement exponentially increased. An unending blood feud emerged between various groups. These blood feuds continue to shape the attacks on the cattle camp in the new state of South Sudan. Since December 2011, in the Jonglei region of South Sudan alone, nearly a thousand people have died in such conflicts. With children witnessing this destruction, such feuds and battles threaten to continue into the future. When asked about their aspirations, young boys repeatedly answer, I want to be a cattle raider. If you follow the red, dusty track away from the grass-hut market and beyond the policeman s tree, you turn left just before the airstrip where the UN drops food in times of famine. Nearly two hours walk beneath the baking South Sudanese sun, with occasional rests beneath scatterings of shade, and you find your way to a rare school in Gogrial East County (northern South Sudan). When the sun is just over the trees, the compound starts to swarm POSTMASTER

56 FEATURES EDUCATION IN SOUTH SUDAN with children dressed in their bright blue uniforms. Having been born beneath the sound of bombs and the screams of the helicopter gunships, less than 5% of South Sudanese have completed their primary education. Marol Academy was created to offer education to the children of rural South Sudan. In the long term, exposure to alternative aspirations will be key in offering realistic substitutes for raiding. Started in 2008 beneath the trees, Marol Academy now boasts five brick school buildings including a library. In just four years, pupil numbers have swelled to over 800. Some pupils walk up to six hours a day to be part of the Academy. Most of the older male pupils have served either as child soldiers or the armed cattle guards. With 56 POSTMASTER 2012 no previous exposure to education, they squeeze onto wooden seats with boys a quarter of their age to start their education. Yet, they are still proud to be part of the Academy. No other such facility is available among the 90,000 people in Gogrial East County. Alongside a few international volunteers, the majority of the teachers at Marol Academy are returning refugees, educated in the renowned Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. At the height of the South- South violence at the end of the 1990s, famine killed tens of thousands of people near Marol. Teachers remember seeing people collapse dead on the roadside on their way to the market, too weak to make the last kilometres. This famine and the growing violence brought a new wave of humanitarian support and UN intervention. For many families this opened the opportunity for their sons to go to refugee camps to be educated. Now returning, these educated young men are attempting to reestablish themselves. More aware of the narratives of the nation-state than many of the people who remained in the village, they are the link of the government for the people in the huts and among the cattle. Not only do they teach children the academic curriculum, but they also introduce them to broader ideas of nationhood and aspirations beyond cattle raiding. As South Sudan celebrated its first anniversary, new peace talks were necessary with the North after renewed ground offensives and bombings since May Having switched off the oil pipeline that transported oil from the South for sale through the North, the South has now lost over 90% of its income. The world is watching to see when the money will run out and what will happen when it does. Yet, the real stories of South Sudan are played out in the villages and the cattle camps across this large land. If the lack of government money and salaries for soldiers divides old enemies, the cattle camps could again become the battleground. Education offers small snippets of hope amongst the vacuum of alternatives. Naomi Pendle has been working and researching in South Sudan since Initially working on the Marol Academy project on behalf of HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust), she has also done work for the UN, AECOM and various NGOs. She is currently researching for her PhD which focuses on local justice and the socio-political dynamics surrounding the conflicts at the cattle camps.

57 Serendipity On many mornings, as I drive to work, a man on a motorbike in a natty suit pulls up alongside my car, his handlebar-mounted boom box pounding so loudly that my steering wheel vibrates. We exchange glances, but he s serenely unfazed; after all, it s not rap music blasting from his radio, but the news. Egypt has turned into a nation of newshounds, glued to their radios; fixated by the ubiquitous and never-ending chatshows; and blogging and tweeting. It s a remarkable change since I last visited in the mid-1990s. Much of the reportage is gossipy, and some downright misleading, but still wonderfully different from the state-authored pap that used to be the staple of this country s electronic and print media. As I write, Egypt s first elected civilian president has just been sworn into office. A huge burden seems to have been lifted from the nation s chest. The once ubiquitous portraits of President Mubarak are gone, leaving pale outlines on the walls of cafes and offices; refreshingly, the new president has said he does not want to see his own image everywhere. President Morsi s own election posters, and those of his erstwhile rivals, are coming down all over town. The president s early speeches and pronouncements have been encouraging; he s reached out to all parts of society, and has set his government some ambitious social and economic targets. But unlike his predecessor, he faces a vocal and overtly sceptical audience: activists have set up a Morsi-meter, against which they can measure the accomplishments of his first 100 days in office against 64 promises they calculate he made. Moreover, he lacks the sweeping powers of earlier presidents. In the absence of a constitution and a parliament, Morsi s presidential powers are still undefined, and a modus vivendi between the military council and his civilian administration has still to be established. A bracing but apt newspaper headline this morning reads Morsi s first day in office, endless problems to solve. SERENDIPITY FEATURES The economy will be his chief headache. More investment is urgently needed; subsidies are a heavy budgetary burden; and the vital tourist sector has yet to recover. None of these problems can be fixed overnight, and the expectations of many of the revolution s backers are likely to be frustrated. The country s Copts are nervous about the likely direction of their new leadership, but so are many others. I recall meeting two veiled women leaving a downtown polling station, proudly showing off their ink-stained index fingers, and telling me they didn t especially want an Islamist government, just a good POSTMASTER

58 FEATURES SERENDIPITY government. Egyptians have already grown accustomed to their new-found freedom to comment, to debate and to criticise, and deeply appreciate the fact that they have a president of their own choosing. Now, they will have to get used to the exaggerated claims, the rhetoric, and the general untidiness of democratic give and take. I first came to Cairo on my way to Merton, in 1982, to practise some colloquial Arabic. In those days, before satellite television introduced the wider Arab audience to the modern standard dialect, the classical language I d learned in Melbourne was 58 POSTMASTER 2012 of no use in everyday life. I remember tramping through crowded laneways to the bakery where my then teacher lived. Over the years, I ve been back regularly, often staying in the city centre s shabby-genteel hotels. They re still here, as are the vintage tiled cafes with Nubian waiters, the hibiscus juice sellers with enormous spouted teapots and communal glasses, and the dusty bookshops in the lee of Tahrir Square. It s undeniable that, all around these little temples of memory, the city has changed almost beyond recognition. A once beautiful green belt of arable land has shrunk, its palm trees and fields sold off for development by Mubarak s cronies. Along the trafficchoked freeways, unfinished apartment blocks sprout like concrete weeds. The vast new outer suburbs, vanguards of relentless urbanisation, are moonscapes of bricks and scaffolding. Beyond them is a shimmer of heat and sand. Yet it all seems to function. Taxis and buses manage to ooch their way through crowded laneways. Almost all houses have water and electricity. Jacarandas, frangipanis and flame trees flower stubbornly in the concrete canyons. Everyday frustrations

59 SERENDIPITY FEATURES are mitigated by the locals noisy goodwill and the sense of community that binds Cairenes together, and by the ingenuity of the informal sector. In a tall building overlooking the Nile, against the backdrop of overlaying calls to prayer, my colleagues and I in the embassy do what our colleagues around the world do. We provide consular assistance to Australian travellers and residents; arrange programmes with and for visiting ministers, businesspeople, and specialists of different stripes; promote Australia and its government s policies; and try to interpret developments in our host country for a home audience. But that s selling the job indecently short. As I look out over the dusty apartment roofs at the minarets and domes the architectural palimpsest of Old Cairo I know I m lucky to be in this place at this particular juncture of its history. Egyptians have an unshakeable sense of self, of living in a country that s ancient, Nile-blessed and enduring; and it s that collective sense of identity that will guide them through times that are as challenging as they are exciting. Ralph King (1982) Dr Ralph King is Australia s Ambassador to Egypt. He matriculated in 1982, and gained an MPhil in International Relations. He previously served as ambassador to Kuwait, and has had postings in Hanoi, Beirut and Damascus. POSTMASTER

60 FEATURES MERTON AND CHINA Merton and China Merton was founded at Malden in Surrey in 1264 and moved wholly to Oxford in And it was precisely during that ten-year period, in 1271, that Marco Polo set out from his home in Venice upon the journey that would take him to the court of Kublai Khan. His account of what he found there influenced the Western perception of China for many centuries. For me, it really puts things in perspective to remember that Merton stretches back to the Yuen dynasty. While they were building Merton in Oxford in the 1270s and 80s, Kublai Khan was building the inner city at Peking. Mertonians did not have to wait long to discover what was happening on the other side of the world. In the first half of the 14th century (probably in the 1330s) one of the colleagues of Thomas Bradwardine, a Fellow of Merton who became Archbishop of Canterbury, gave to the library a copy of a Latin translation of Marco Polo s Descriptio orbis terrarum and bound with it was another manuscript in the same hand (Flos Historiarum Terrae Orientalis) describing the even earlier journey of Hayton [Hethum], King of Armenia, to the court of Mangu (Möngke) Khan, at Karakorum in Mongolia. That manuscript contains one of the earliest accounts of Buddhism to reach the west. So the Merton Library of the 14th century put the College very much at the cutting edge of the expansion of medieval world views as it also was in other subjects most notably mathematics, with the Merton calculators, and medicine. But the donation of these two texts dealing with China seems to indicate a particular interest in the orient. In due course, at the end of the 16th century it was a Fellow of Merton, Sir Thomas Bodley, who made a range of Chinese books available to the wider academic community when he effectively re-founded the then ruinous University Library. He did so by instructing his agents to purchase whatever Chinese texts they could find that had been brought back to Amsterdam by the merchants of the Dutch East India Company. The earliest to arrive, in 1604, was part of a popular edition of a Confucian work known as The Four Books. During the 17th century the Bodleian received many similar bequests notably from such persons as Archbishop Laud and the celebrated scholar, John Selden. When Shen Fuzong, the first Chinese visitor, came to Oxford in 1687, Bodley s Librarian, Thomas Hyde, took advantage of this rare event by asking him to catalogue the library s Chinese holdings. Shen, by the way, was a fascinating person. Born in Nanking to parents who had converted to Catholicism, he came to Europe in the company of some French Jesuits and met Louis XIV, the Pope, and James II. The latter was so taken with him that he commissioned Godfrey Kneller to paint his portrait. It can be seen today in the National Portrait Gallery in London. It depicts Shen in traditional Chinese costume holding a crucifix. There was much for Shen to do in Oxford: it is estimated that the Bodleian Library now holds a quarter of all the extant Chinese books that are known to have arrived in Europe in the 17th century. 60 POSTMASTER 2012

61 MERTON AND CHINA FEATURES The Ashmolean has one of the finest collections of Chinese art in Europe. I dwell upon such holdings because they provided the basis for Chinese study at Oxford, and both the College and University collections were progressively enriched over the 18th and 19th centuries. In the Victorian period the University s formal commitment to Chinese Studies began with the appointment of James Legge as the first Professor of Chinese in His translations of the Confucian scriptures and other classic texts are still used as standard references today. But it was Sir Aurel Stein, a man with strong Mertonian associations through his friendship with Percy Allen, who investigated the Silk Road (inspired, as he admitted, by Marco Polo s writings) and brought back to the West from the Cave of the Thousand Buddhas at Dun Huang a great cache of ancient Chinese texts including the oldest printed book known, The Diamond Sutra. One of Stein s principal monographs, The Ruins of Desert Cathay (1912), was reputedly written in the Summer House [now the Music Room] in the Fellows Garden. A full undergraduate degree in Chinese was introduced at Oxford in 1939; the Institute of Chinese Studies was established in 1994 and, most recently, the China Centre was founded in The last 15 years have witnessed an extraordinary expansion of student and staff numbers in Chinese and one of the major forces, in fact a hurricane force, behind that expansion was that other great Mertonian, Dame Jessica Rawson. Thanks to her we now have at Merton two tutorial fellows, Tia Thornton and Karl Gerth, specialising in Chinese politics and history. The changing attitude of Oxford, and the West in general, towards China is perhaps wittily summed up in the title of Karl Gerth s most recent monograph, As China Goes, So Goes the World. This article is adapted from a talk given to Hong Kong-based alumni in January Richard McCabe Tutor in English POSTMASTER

62 FEATURES DIAMOND JUBILEE Diamond Jubilee I rowed in the Diamond Jubilee pageant. Gosh, how exciting. A historic occasion. Must have been exhausting. Pity about the weather. The weather was actually good till 4pm: the forecast rain held off, and the easterly wind was less than feared. Had the Thames Barrier not been closed though, the turbulence caused by wind against stream would have made the flotilla s pace quite unpredictable. The 250-boat manpowered section of the flotilla was a feat of organisation by Thames Alive: 13 weekly newsletters, a comprehensive illustrated briefing pack, face-to-face briefing including a motivational address from the Marquess of Salisbury, and helpful marshals at the launch site. Many more crews had applied than were accepted: my trump cards were that my Thames double skiff Marjorie was by Mark Edwards who also built Gloriana and dozens of other boats in the pageant including all the livery cutters, and my long-distance rowing credentials including a London-to-Paris race. We launched above Chiswick Bridge at 11am and were back on land in Bermondsey at 5.30pm. We were sternly briefed about seemly evacuation of bodily fluids, but abstinence from liquids, perspiration and will-power made the issue nugatory. The key point of the PLA (Port of London Authority) briefing had been that we must keep no more than one boat-length behind, in front of and laterally separated from our surrounding boats, and maintain an average speed of 4 knots over the water for at least 1½ hours. This was a challenge, as it ruled out crew changes for loss of momentum. The support for boats in the manpowered section was unforgettable and very moving both from the river (the moored Dunkirk little ships between which we passed before the start, and the avenue of sailing ships after the finish); and from the flagwaving thousands lining the banks for almost 10 miles from Hammersmith Bridge onwards. The good-natured roar less partisan and more sustained than Eights Week even drowned the commands for our royal salute (tossing oars) as we passed the Royal barge, so that was regrettably ragged. In the event we had no difficulty keeping the pace, and had to ease off frequently to avoid collisions. But after Tower Bridge when the rain started, we broke formation and headed swiftly for home, urged on by a shivering cox. Our celebration as we locked off the Thames beyond Greenland Pier owed more to the Merton College cognac in my hip-flask than the very chilled champagne in our bows. And public transport got us home to south-west London (among steaming hordes of spectators) in barely an hour which bode well for the Olympics. We are left with great memories and good photographs, the best on the Classic FM website, where the Myrmidon tie round my neck and the 2nd VIII tie round my boater are clearly identifiable. After a day s rest, we rowed Marjorie back to Richmond along the Regent s and Grand Union canals a slice through London in a biblical deluge; but that was another story. Tom Millest (1975) 62 POSTMASTER 2012

63 LOST MERTON 9 Lost, Little Known and Unbuilt Merton 9 The restoration of the Chapel by William Butterfield, William Butterfield ( ) (Plate 1) was only 34 years old when in 1848, he was invited to visit the College with a view to giving his advice as to the restoration of the College Chapel. 1 He was to be retained by the College for the following 15 years. However, at the time of his appointment, he had only completed one substantial architectural commission, St Augustine s College, Canterbury ( ). But he had gained a growing reputation for High Church design through his membership of the Cambridge Camden Society (later the Ecclesiastical Society). Their periodical, the Ecclesiologist, was to be the arbiter of architectural taste and practice for the Oxford Tractarian Movement s mission to return the Anglican Church to its ancient roots. Between 1844 and 1848, Butterfield had prepared for publication Instrumenta Ecclesiastica, which offered the practical superintendence of ecclesiastical furniture from designs approved by the Society. 2 Such a reputation clearly commended itself to the High Church Fellows of Merton, of which James Hope-Scott ( ) 3 (Plate 2) and J Hungerford Pollen ( ) were leaders. A wave of pietas may be detected in the College at this time. At the instigation of Hope-Scott, it was resolved in May 1847 that the Founder s tomb in Rochester Cathedral be restored. Hope-Scott had been a friend of Gladstone at Christ Church and was in due course, to be legal adviser to (Cardinals) Newman and Manning, the former a Vice-Principal of St Alban Hall, the latter a Fellow of the College. Indeed in 1851, Hope-Scott was, with Manning, to be received into the Roman church. J H Pollen was to paint the ceiling of Butterfield s restored Merton Chapel. He was later to become Newman s Professor of Fine Art in Dublin and eventually Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. According to Sir George Gilbert Scott writing in 1879, the period at which the most perfect ecclesiastical architecture is to be found (in Europe) is When Butterfield came in 1848 to restore Merton choir, which had been built at the peak of Gothic perfection the challenge was to remove the 15thcentury Perpendicular work (the ceiling) and the pagan, classical aberrations of the 17th century (the screen and stalls), which had sullied the original Decorated work of the 13th century. The College had started to cleanse the temple of classical furniture in October 1842 when it was resolved that the woodwork in the choir of the chapel above the stalls be taken down. 4 Butterfield seems to have started his work with the roof, replacing Warden Fitzjames s work of the 1490s with a great ribbed, boarded ceiling, inspired by the chancel roof of Trumpington Church at Cambridge, where he was also working in One particular advantage of this lofty design was that it avoided clipping off the moulding at the top of the east window (Plates 3a and Plate 1 William Butterfield, drawing by Lady Coleridge FEATURES POSTMASTER

64 FEATURES LOST MERTON 9 Plate 2 James Hope-Scott, drawing by George Richmond (SCR) Plate 3 Merton College Chapel: a. In 1813, before restoration (Ackermann); b. In 1862, after restoration (Joseph Nash) b). By 1851, J H Pollen had decorated the ceiling with delicate angel medallions, the whole set among tendrils of oak, vine and ivy. Asserting the Tractarian credentials for the work, the portraits above the wallplate included Dr Pusey as Jeremiah the Prophet of the Captivity, Manning as Daniel the Prophet of Doctrine and Warden Bullock Marsham as St Gregory the Great. 5 In 1877, Pollen returned to extend his painted decorations to the upper part of the walls. But these, having suffered from damp damage, were painted out in Butterfield, implementing Tractarian principles, raised the altar by several steps and surmounted the picture of the Crucifixion, after Tintoretto, with a large Gothic pinnacle-flanked tympanum. 6 He 64 POSTMASTER 2012 removed the fine monuments to Savile and Bodley to the ante-chapel, where they remain, splendidly displayed. He replaced the original piscina and sedilia at the southeast end with an accurate, but mechanical, enhanced replica of the original. 7 In May 1851, the first phase of the restoration being completed, the Governing Body recorded: Mr Butterfield having exhibited plans and estimates for the work remaining to be done in the Chapel: stall work (including carving) 1060; pavements (including encaustic tiles) 67.10; font (with cover and crane) 110; screen, stone with iron gates ( 150) plus warming with hot water, masonry work; total It was resolved, the College being satisfied therewith, orders be given for their execution. 8 Butterfield espoused gaiety of colour in his buildings (he was later to design Keble College in holy zebra style). In the floor of Merton Chapel, he re-used some of the black and white marble slabs from the 17th-century building, interspersing them with new, bright red, encaustic tiles. The restoration was concluded in June 1852, when it was agreed that the proposed hangings for the east, north and south walls of the Chapel be proceeded with under Mr Butterfield s direction (Plate 3b). 9 In the chapel today, there thus remains substantial evidence of the great works of : the floor, ceiling, sedilia, font and the magnificent stalls. Alan Bott (1953) Bodley Fellow

65 LOST MERTON 9 FEATURES Plate 4 Doorway, sedilia, piscina and aumbry, 1851 Plate 6 Font and cover, 1851 Plate 5 Stalls, 1851 Notes: 1. Reg. Ann., 26 October Paul Thompson, William Butterfi eld, 1971, Originally, he was called James Hope, but assumed the additional name Scott on marrying Sir Walter Scott s grand-daughter and becoming possessor of Abbotsford. He was to devote five years of his stipend as a Fellow to the project. 4. Reg. Ann., 192. In 1847, the College agreed that Mr Sewell, Postmaster and founder of Radley College, be given the oaken panelling, taken down from the Chapel walls for the fitting of a chapel... at Radley (p.231). The panelling still remains in the Library there. 5. Mark Everitt, Merton Chapel in the Nineteenth Century, Oxoniensia, xlii, 1977, 249. It is not known how much the Warden relished his portrait! 6. This was removed in Sir Ninian Comper s reordering of the east end, It is said that the tympanum, which had been in store, was sacrificed to an undergraduate bonfire celebration on 5th November, thanks to the connivance of Bursar E W B Gill, c It is worth comparing this with the original carving (Plate 3a) and also the beautiful, surviving early 14th-century piscina in the south transept. 8. Reg. Ann., 285. At that fateful meeting in the Sacristy, only five Fellows, apart from the Warden, were present. They included the sub-warden, Edmund Hobhouse (later to be the first Bishop of Nelson, New Zealand) and J Hungerford Pollen (later to paint the ceiling). The screen, stone with iron gates, later castigated as the low garden wall was banished to the college living of Elham, Kent. It has since disappeared. The fine Wren screen, which it had replaced, was partially re-instated, to the west, in ibid., 293. The hangings were to be replaced throughout the chapel with linen fold panelling by Comper (note 6). POSTMASTER

66 FEATURES HENRY ABYNDON Henry Abyndon STP Warden of Merton College Monumental brass half-effigy at West Monkton church, Somerset 1438 In July 2011 I read the Postmaster article on Robert Gilbert, Warden of Merton from 1417 to 1421, and was struck by the comment that so far there were only six known pictorial representations of our medieval Wardens. I had, after all, just then found a seventh. While helping to assemble an exhibition of Church Treasures for the Bishop of Bath & Wells, I came across a half-effigy of a cleric in West Monkton church in Somerset. It could only be Henry of Abingdon, listed in the church as Rector in 1437 and at Merton College as Warden from 1421 to With Roger Highfield s guidance, my brother (another Old Mertonian) and I researched the background. My brother then produced a paper with our findings and this article. Michael Sackett (1955) Provenance: The brass effigy is on the north chancel wall of a church that has a typical tall Somerset tower and lovely barrel vault ceiling, to which Henry Abyndon retired for his last two years. AB Connor tells us he found it in the West Monkton church safe in He dated it to 1440, ascribed it to Henry Abyndon STP, but did not develop the Merton College connection. While the head of the effigy is broken from the body, the enamel infill is perished and there is no inscription, the date 66 POSTMASTER 2012 MONUMENTAL BRASS EFFIGY OF HENRY ABYNDON, WEST MONKTON CHURCH. COURTESY: JOHN WEBB and dress are appropriate. The style of our brass has the characteristics of the London E series. 2 This E series includes two effigies for contemporary doctors at New College 3 and was produced between 1420 and 1452: dates that neatly span the date for Henry s death. Henry Abyndon was Canon of Bath & Wells, and STP or Professor of Sacred Theology, a senior academic. The effigy is wearing, over an undergarment with tight sleeves at the wrist: a long fur lined gown or cappa clausa with two slits for the arms; 4 a fur collar with short rounded tabs in front, which, Connor writes, is either an almuce or a hood with shortened fur pendants; and a pileus or skull-cap. The colour infill for the pileus was probably black, as suits a Doctor of Divinity, and the fur white, representing either miniver or ermine. Connor suggests a comparison with the Warden of New College in the Thomas Chaundler manuscript This figure, dressed in similar fur collar with two front tabs, is described as an STP wearing an almuce, with no hood apparent, and a pileus on his head. Neither Abyndon nor Chaundler wear the rich almuce worn by high dignitaries, 6 which extends below the shoulder with two visible front waistline pendants, but rather the almuce worn by canons. 7 Academic hoods were usually combined with a shoulder piece, which is

67 HENRY ABYNDON HISTORY ST AUGUSTINE S CHURCH, WEST MONKTON, SOMERSET not on our effigy, but is on John Killingworth MA 1445, Merton Chapel. Hoods typically have one pendant on the back Henry de Mannesfield in the Merton Chapel windows while the ecclesiastical almuce has two at the front. Though these two front tabs impress with authority, there is no evidence of separate contemporary neckwear of this kind. Foreshortened pendants, stopping above the hands, are pictorially effective. Finally the pileus alone, although missing its tab and taller than most, signifies Doctor or Professor of Divinity or of Law. Warden Henry Abyndon was entitled to an almuce both as Canon and STP. Is this an attempt at a portrait? Very unlikely. But it is tempting to think otherwise: the features are kindly but firm, and the forehead noble. As individual eyebrow hairs are only seen on continental brasses during this period, the idea of bushy eyebrows teases with the attractive thought of portrayal. However, Robin Emmerson 8 describes the E series workshop as small, idiosyncratic and unrestricted by convention; its faces were distinctive. It is a beautiful object. Finally, no expert has suggested that the figure is any other than Henry Abyndon; there is no other qualified local candidate. We can do away with ascribed to and welcome Henry Abyndon back to Merton. BIOGRAPHY The DNB and Merton College histories describe him as Henry (of) Abingdon and it was presumed he was from Abingdon town. The Abbot of Glastonbury, however, gave him his first appointment as Vicar of Sowy in 1403 and his last as Rector of West Monkton in 1436; and he was Canon of Bath & Wells from With a known association of over 36 years, this at least raises the possibility that he was a Somerset man. His name in Somerset Registers 9 was regularly spelt Abyndon or Abendon (both Somerset names) and always Abendon at the Councils of Constance and Basel. The earliest record of him as a Fellow 10, including his election as Warden and most contemporary college records 11 use Abyndon, which is also inscribed on the 1675 re-cast Merton chapel bells that he donated 12. Shortly after appointment as Warden it was Abyndon, in 1422, who gave the opening homily at Convocation 13. No significant document includes the letter g (as in the Anglo-Saxon velar nasal ng in Abingdon town), and we have found no early basis for of Abingdon. We salute Henry Abyndon: one of us Somerset folk; though perhaps our accent prefers Abendon. It is curious that the stained glass portrait of Warden Robert Gilbert should be described first in the Merton Postmaster 2011 only to be followed immediately by the Abyndon brass when their similar but contrasting careers had overlapped so closely. Gilbert, ten years younger, took a harder line on Wyclif s ideas on church doctrine that, ahead of his time, were seen as heretical and to undermine church authority. Gilbert attracted attention and with it came benefices. Appointed first as Warden in 1417, he ended a successful career as Bishop of London. Abyndon, senior academic, also opposed Wyclif, but supported pastoral care and church reform at convocation and council. Elected as Warden in 1421 he remained in that role. Both died at about the age of 65. Henry Abyndon s patrons were the Abbot of Glastonbury and successive Bishops of Bath & Wells. 14 Nicholas Bubwith, Lord Treasurer of England for Henry IV, Bishop from 1408 appointed Abendon as POSTMASTER

68 FEATURES HENRY ABYNDON Canon in 1410 and later to the court trial of the Bristol 8 Lollards (Wycliffites) in All the Lollards purged themselves and were released. A protracted process, with Henry Abyndon in a supporting role, clearly common sense prevailed. It is worth noting that two Kibworth men, both representatives to Merton, were hanged for Lollardy in In 1430 Bishop Stafford granted a small toft of land adjoining his canonical house in Wells, and he also confirmed West Monkton in COUNCILS OF CONSTANCE & BASEL In 1413, Emperor Sigismund called for a new Council at Constance to deal with papal schism and church reform. Christopher Crowder 16 describes Henry Abendon as a senior academic figure within a large delegation sent to the Council by crown, clergy and university; and Bubwith supported him as a diocesan delegate. Abendon is particularly known for a sermon Sitis repleti fructu justitie that he preached on church reform on 27th October Christopher Crowder comments: Abendon is balanced and moderate in his opinions and the sermon displays a quality of penetrating but simple illustration a common quality of Oxford Masters of the period. His emphasis is on pastoral care and the revocation of exemptions as they undermine church authority. 17 By February 1416 the English delegation had dwindled but Henry Abendon remained as one of three university delegates. He took an oath on the Narbonne bible pro universitate oxoniensi and as a university proctor was incorporated within an enlarged Canterbury delegation. In the same year the Bohemian heretic Hus was MERTON COLLEGE CHAPEL. THE INSCRIPTION SHOWN HERE ON THE SECOND BELL (6.5 CWT), INCLUDES HEN. ABYNDON - TOP LINE, AND CHRISTOPHER (HODSON) BELOW. COURTESY ALAN BOTT. burned, but Bubwith, with Henry Abendon present, first tried to persuade Hus to recant. The English had financial difficulties while away in Europe so the Council authorised income from their benefices while not resident : a note tells us Abendon received an honorarium of 2. In 1417 Hallam, Bishop of Salisbury, leader of the English delegation, died in a dysentery epidemic as did many others in the course of the summer. Most English left at that time. In July 1422 Henry Abyndon preached before Convocation of Canterbury at St Paul s Cathedral whose main business was the forthcoming Council of Pavia. Preaching against exemptions before many who are likely to have gained from them cannot have been without courage. He returned to conciliar activity at Basel 18 in 1432 (representing the English clergy, diocese and university), pressing for church reform despite political wrangling (sometimes Euro-comic) including the Lancastrian claim to the throne of France. It is hardly surprising that he died not long after returning to Somerset. MERTON COLLEGE By 1390, when Abyndon first joined as Fellow, Merton College was an established resource for educated men entering ecclesiastical and royal institution. 19 With substantial estates it had Warden, Sub Warden, probably two Assistant Bursars but less than its full complement of 45 Fellows. The core of the College was in place: hall, library already installed in Mob Quad, a chapel with chancel, south transept and early form of tower. A powerful, wellconnected and growing body; exciting to join. From a largely theological base it was developing strong scientific disciplines including mathematics, astronomy and astrology, and so far as the outside world was concerned untainted by Wyclif heresy, even if divided views remained within. Abyndon was conservative, but as Warden he had copies of Wyclif s works in his library. In 1423 he must have been party to the 68 POSTMASTER 2012

69 HENRY ABYNDON FEATURES agreement with Kibworth representatives who negotiated wages for work done out of bondagio into ad voluntatem. 20 Merton was his base for 47 years; one trace remains of his early disputations 21 and we know that he was Master of Wyliot s Foundation. By the time that he was elected Warden, aged around 49, he had already been to Constance, and he held the dual roles of Warden and Canon (with licence to study) for 16 years until his death; he was away once again for three or four years at the Council of Basel before his final two years at West Monkton. His election was not without its moments: two rival groups of fellows produced competitive lists of three candidates both including Abyndon s name the first in late 1421 and a larger group in early 1422 for authorisation by Archbishop Chichele (no record). From which we assume that 1421 was taken as the effective date. 22 He inherited a chapel building programme that had started in 1416 and included the construction of the north transept with matching windows in the south transept. Its completion and the rededication of the Chapel was perhaps the occasion of Archbishop Chichele s unwelcome visitation in 1425, when he castigated the College for being below complement. 23 The tower was not built until 1448 for which Abyndon had donated the sum of 20 for the cost of the bells. His inscription appears on the 28 cwt great tenor bell in D which in the 17th century Anthony Wood described in Life & Times as the finest bell in England. Plate 3 shows the second bell with similar inscription. Unfortunately, the ring of five bells was recast unsuccessfully into eight as an octave in 1656 but then recast by Christopher Hodson in A History of Merton College tells us that he lent 15 volumes to John Hanham, Fellow and Bursar. One of them seems to have been a copy of what is now a rare work of John Wyclif s Dominio Civili, which escaped the holocaust of his books in Only one book is recorded as given by Warden Abyndon to the library. This was Merton College MS 154, which contains the commentary of Hugh de St Caro on Ecclesiasticus and a treatise on confession and absolution. It was, according to the DNB, chained in the library for the use of scholars. Abyndon, Fellow of Merton in 1390, Professor in Sacred Theology, and later Warden, contributed internationally to ecclesiastical reform representing university, church and diocese. He was ahead of others in seeking reform while upholding church authority; he preached before Convocation and Council. He died as Rector of West Monkton not long after returning from Basel in After a life of dedicated service it seems fitting that Henry Abyndon, an intelligent moderate Mertonian, should be remembered in a quiet and lovely Somerset church where his image watches us serenely from the chancel wall. Perhaps he can now also be so remembered at Merton? We may have few facts, but it is the decisions he took in the circumstances of the time, that make the story. 25 Robert Sackett (1950) Notes: 1. Transactions of the Monumental Brass Society, Dec 1944, Vol VIII Part II. 2 Malcolm Norris: Monumental Brasses: the Memorials, 1977; p Prof John Lowthe 1427 & Dr William Hargryves Fr. J Bertram Mon. Brasses in New College, 2011 (N. Van Loo, Librarian New College). 4 Dr Hargreaves-Mawdsley Academic Dress in Europe,1963, Chap 3. John Bloxham STB 1387 in Alan Bott Monuments of Merton Chapel. 5 The Chaundler mss edited by MR James 1916: English Academical Costume Prof. E C Clark LLD, Archaeological Journal 1893 pp 73,137, Dr Barworth, Vice-Chancellor, 1511, Newington. 7 As can be seen on Canons William Langeton Exeter 1415, and Richard Malford 1403, New College chapel. 8 Robin Emmerson: Monumental Brasses London Design c ; Journal for the British Archaeological Association Somerset Records Society: Bishops Bowett, Bubwith & Stafford Registers. 10 Catalogus Vetus. 11 Emden Biographical Record of the University of Oxford. 12 Oxfordshire Records Society 1951, Frederick Sharpe, The Church Bells of Oxfordshire, p Registrum Henrici Chichele. 14 Somerset Records Society: Registers of Bishops Bubwith & Stafford. 15 Michael Wood, The Story of England, 2010, p Christopher Crowder: English Delegation to the Councils of Constance & Basel (Bodleian Library). 17 Julia Walworth, Fellow and Librarian, and Julian Reid, College Archivist, have been of great assistance to us throughout. 18 First & Second Delegations to the Council of Basel, A N E D Schofield, Journal of Eccles. Hist Vol XII. 19 G H Martin & J R L Highfield: A History of Merton College, 1997, Chap. 5 & Michael Wood: The Story of England, 2010, p Corpus Christi College, Oxford, MS 280, fol. 123v, a reply to him. 22 Merton College Records: 1782 letter to Archbishop Chichele. 23 G H Martin & J R L Highfield: A History of Merton College, 1997, p Frederick Sharpe, The Church Bells of Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire Records Society,1951, p Acknowledgments to Steven Gunn, Fellow of Merton College for kindly vetting the text. POSTMASTER

70 BOOK REVIEWS ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGONS MICHAEL COLLINS ST GEORGE AND THE DRAGONS: THE MAKING OF ENGLISH IDENTITY BY MICHAEL COLLINS (CREATESPACE, 2012) St George has enjoyed a modest revival of late, inspired by the devolution of the UK and the recovery of a specifically English (as opposed to British) national identity. Old Mertonian Michael Collins has written a book examining the origins of St George, his adoption by the English as their patron, and the ramifications of this patronage today. Mr Collins has been active in the patriotic Royal Society of St George (the book bears a foreword by a former branch president), so it comes as no surprise that his view of the saint, and England itself, is fundamentally positive. St George and the Dragons contains a wealth of information 70 POSTMASTER 2012 for anyone seeking to know more about this enigmatic figure. St George s origins lie in the 4th-century Middle East. All that is known about him comes from later texts, which are stereotypical (and rather lurid) accounts of his martyrdom. There is certainly no record of him ever visiting England, and his major shrine was at Lydda in Palestine. How then did he become English? His cult was known in Anglo-Saxon England, but it was the crusades that really made him popular and inspired the chivalric tale of his killing a dragon. Edward III s foundation of Order of the Garter during the early stages of the Hundred Years War (which proclaimed, essentially, We re more chivalrous than the French ) gave the saint a permanent institutional place in the kingdom, and Henry V s use of the saint (or at least Shakespeare s account of it) during the highly successful Agincourt campaign further increased his prestige. George survived the Reformation to become a constant in English culture, appearing in poems, plays, art, and music; lending his name to pubs, a typeface and even a mushroom; and being exported around the world throughout the British Empire as a place name or church dedication. His coat of arms, the plain red cross on white, has been used and reused to signify things English, and he has been used as an inspiration for such groups as the British Expeditionary Force and the Boy Scouts. The book ends with a call for the revival of St George s Day (23rd April), and an affirmation of the saint s place in a postmodern, multicultural England. This reviewer is entirely in sympathy with such ideas. Too often is a measured pride in one s own heritage understood as essentially synonymous with racism and xenophobia, especially if one is a member of a dominant social group. However, while this book is clearly a labour of love by a dedicated amateur historian, it is not without problems. Needed is a fuller explanation of just how the English admiration for St George managed to survive the Reformation, and some acknowledgement of Ronald Hutton s refutation of theories of pagan holdover as an explanation of the saint s popularity or customs associated with him. (A consistent and uniform citation protocol would also have been helpful.) The book s organisation into 27 thematic chapters makes for easy navigation, but it does play havoc with chronology. Finally, parts of the book read like a catalogue. But there is much to explore, and the many colour illustrations are a particular treat. It stands as an excellent introduction to a fascinating and wide-ranging topic. St George and the Dragons is recommended for all lovers of England. Jonathan Good Associate Professor of History Reinhardt University

71 AMERICAN PANORAMA MICHAEL H COLLINS BOOK REVIEWS THE WAR ON HERESY: FAITH AND POWER IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE BY R I MOORE (PROFILE BOOKS, 2012) For centuries medieval Europe waged a war on heresy, seeking out and punishing those who failed to comply with true religion. But was the bloodshed unnecessary? Was the dark shadow of heresy a mere figment of imagination? The War on Heresy seeks to determine how real the threat of heresy was in medieval Europe and what drove the ferocity of persecution, a subject that still resonates strongly to this day. AMERICAN PANORAMA BY MICHAEL H COLLINS (OUTSKIRTS PRESS, 2012) American Panorama provides a detailed guide to American culture. The book tackles, in an encyclopaedic but readerfriendly style, every aspect of life in the US and the progression that has brought it to its current state. Population patterns, crime, politics, literature; it is all covered. There is also a thought-provoking Questions for reflection and discussion section at the back that aids the reader in challenging their preconceptions of American life and evaluating where history may take the country next. LOST FARMS OF BRINSCALL MOORS BY DAVID CLAYTON (PALATINE BOOKS, 2011) Lost Farms of Brinscall Moors is a fascinating insight into a forgotten period of Lancashire history that can be enjoyed by the reader from the comfort of their armchair or used as a guide on the Lancashire hills themselves. A small area of Lancashire countryside had been teeming with farming life, but is now a ghostly collection of crumbled ruins and scarred hillsides. This book seeks to determine what happened to this spirited community and why it vanished so quickly and so completely. POSTMASTER

72 RECORDS MERTON COLLEGE THE VISITOR Records Merton College THE VISITOR The Most Reverend and Right Honourable the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury WARDEN Sir Martin Taylor, MA, (PhD Lond) FRS FELLOWS James Jeffrey Binney, MA, DPhil, (MA Camb) FRS Professor of Physics Suzanne Romaine, MA, (AB Bryn Mawr; MLitt Edin; PhD Birm) Merton Professor of English Language Steven John Gunn, MA, DPhil Tutor in History, Sub-Warden Paul Francis John Chamberlain, MA, (BA, MD Dublin) FRCS(C), FACOG Official Fellow, University Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clifford Ronald Webb, MA, (MLitt Edin) Finance Bursar, Computer Officer Timothy Peter Softley, MA, (PhD S ton) Professor of Chemical Physics and Tutor in Physical Chemistry Ulrike Luise Tillmann, MA, (BA Brandeis, PhD Stanford, Habil Bonn) FRS Professor of Mathematics Richard Anthony McCabe, MA, FBA, (MA Dublin; MA, PhD Camb) Professor of English Language and Literature and Tutor in English Chih-Hao Luke Ong, MA, (MA Camb; PhD Lond) Professor and Tutor in Computer Science David James Paterson, MA, DPhil, (MSc, DSc Western Australia), FIBiol Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology and Tutor in Preclinical Medicine Mindy Chen-Wishart, MA, (BA (Hons), LLB, LLM, Otago) Tutor in Law Guy Manning Goodwin, BM, BCh, MA, DPhil, FRCPsych, FMedSci WA Handley Professor of Psychiatry Timothy Charles Guilford, MA, DPhil Professor of Animal Behaviour and Tutor in Zoology Judith Patricia Armitage, MA, (BSc, PhD Lond) Professor of Biochemistry Véronique Gouverneur, MA, (Licence en Sciences Chimiques, PhD Louvain) Professor of Chemistry and Tutor in Organic Chemistry, Dean of Graduates Jennifer Payne, MA, (MA Camb) Professor of Corporate Finance Law, Tutor in Law and Travers Smith University Lecturer in Corporate Finance Law Boris Zilber, MA, (MSc, CandSc Novosibirsk; DSc Leningrad) Professor of Mathematical Logic Artur Konrad Ekert, MA, DPhil (MSc Cracow) Professor of Physics Alan David Morrison, MA, DPhil (MSc Lond) Professor of Finance and Tutor in Management Studies John Stuart Gjers Gloag, MA, MRICS Fellow, Land Agent & Estates Bursar Julia Caroline Walworth, MA, (BA Swarthmore; MA, PhD Yale) Research Fellow and Librarian Jonathan William Thacker, MA, (BA Lond; PhD Camb) Tutor in Spanish, Secretary of the Harmsworth Trust David Gordon Ellis Norbrook, MA, DPhil, (MA Aberd) Merton Professor of English Literature The Revd Simon Matthew Jones, MA, DPhil, (BA, MA Durh; PhD Camb) Research Fellow and Chaplain, Steward of Common Room Peter William Harold Holland, MA, (PhD Lond; DSc Reading), FRS Linacre Professor of Zoology Kathryn Lee Blackmon, MA, (BS Clemson; MBA, PhD North Carolina) Tutor in Management Studies Simon Martin Hooker, MA, DPhil Professor of Atomic & Laser Physics and Tutor in Physics, Senior Treasurer of the JCR Irene Stavros Lemos, MA, DPhil Professor of Classical Archaeology David Rueda, MA, (MSc Lond; MA, PhD Cornell) Professor of Comparative Politics and Tutor in Politics Alexander David Scott, (BA, PhD Camb) Professor and Tutor in Mathematics Jonathan Ralph Warburg Prag, MA, (PhD Lond) Tutor in Ancient History, Senior Treasurer of the Amalgamated Clubs Michael Hilton Whitworth, MA, DPhil Tutor in English James Peter Neary, DPhil, (MA NUI) FBA Professor of Economics Ian Maclachlan, MA, DPhil Tutor in French, Principal of the Postmasters Jane Christine Holmes Taylor, MA (BA Hons Bris) Development Director Simon Wren-Lewis, (MA Camb; MSc Lond) Professor and Tutor in Economics Douglas John Bamber, MA, MIH Domestic Bursar Béla Novák, (MSc, PhD, Dr Habil, DSc TU Budapest; CSc DSc 72 POSTMASTER 2012

73 MERTON COLLEGE EMERITUS FELLOWS RECORDS Hungarian Academy of Science) Professor of Integrative Systems Biology Alan James Barr, (BA, MSci, PhD Camb) Tutor in Physics Jonathan Flint, BA, BM, BCh, MRCPsych, CCST Michael Davys Professor of Neuroscience Karl Gerth, (BA Grinnell, PhD Harvard) Jessica Rawson Fellow in Modern Asian History, Tutor in History Rhiannon Ash, MA, DPhil, (MA Toronto) Tutor in Classics Gail Fine, MA, (BA Michigan; MA, PhD Harvard) Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy Patricia Thornton, (BA Swarthmore; MA Washington; PhD Berkeley) Tutor in the Politics of China Matthew Grimley, MA, DPhil Mark Reynolds Fellow, Tutor in History Christopher Thomas Rodgers, MChem, DPhil Junior Research Fellow in Chemistry Alison Parkin, MChem, DPhil Junior Research Fellow in Chemistry Alexander Schekochihin, (BSci MIPT; MA, PhD Princeton) Tutor in Physics Michael Keith, BA, DPhil, Research Fellow in Anthropology Daniel Grimley, (BA, MPhil, PhD Camb) Tutor in Music Luuk Huitink, DPhil, MSt, (MA Amsterdam) Leventis Research Fellow in Ancient Greek Robert Metcalfe, (BA, MSc Swansea; MSc Lond; PhD Imp Lond) Fitzjames Research Fellow in the Economics of the Environment Kirstin Gwyer, BA(Hons), MSt, DPhil Junior Research Fellow in Modern Languages Sir Andrew Wiles, MA, DSc (PhD Camb) FRS Professor of Mathematics Katherine Willis, MA (BSc S ton; PhD Camb) Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity Sydney Penner, (BA Yale; MA, PhD Cornell) Junior Research Fellow in Philosophy Péter-Dániel Szántó, (Diploma Budapest) Junior Research Fellow in Oriental Studies Martins Paparinskis, MA, MPhil, MJur, DPhil (LLB Latvia) Junior Research Fellow in Law David Al-Attar, MSc Junior Research Fellow in Geology Ian Abel, DPhil, (BA Camb) Culham Junior Research Fellow in Physics Minhyong Kim, (BS Seoul; PhD Yale) Professor of Number Theory and Tutor in Mathematics Thomas MacFaul, DPhil, (BA Camb) Offi cial Fellow, Departmental Lecturer in English Emily Holmes, (BA Hons, MA Uppsala; DClinPsych Lond: PhD Camb) Research Fellow in Psychiatry, Research Convener Nicholas Jones, (BA, MA Leeds: PhD Lond) Fitzjames Research Fellow in Philosophy Aisling Byrne, (BA Dub; MPhil, PhD Camb) Fitzjames Research Fellow in Old and Middle English Julia Amos, MPhil, DPhil Peter J Braam Junior Research Fellow in Global Wellbeing Michele Ceriotti, (BSc, MSc Milano-Bicocca; PhD ETH Zurich) Junior Research Fellow in Chemistry Patrick Lantschner, BA, MSt, DPhil Junior Research Fellow in History Bridget Penman, BA, DPhil Junior Research Fellow in Biology EMERITUS FELLOWS John Roger Loxdale Highfield, MA, DPhil, FSA Henry John Franklin Jones, MA Courtenay Stanley Goss Phillips, MA, DSc Robert Basil Champneys Hodgson, MA Michael Simpson Dunnill, MA, (MD Bris), FRCP, FRCPath John Randolph Lucas, MA, FBA Michael Graham Gelder, MA, DM, FRCP, FRCPsych, FMedSci John Michael Baker, MA, DPhil David Charles Witt, MA Christopher John Hamilton Watson, MA, DPhil John Carey, MA, DPhil, FBA, FRSL Robert McCredie May, Lord May of Oxford, OM, AC, Kt, MA, (BSc, PhD Sydney), FRS The Revd Mark Everitt, MA Sir Gyorgy Karoly Radda, CBE, MA, DPhil, FRS Dame Olwen Hufton, DBE, MA, (BA, MA Harvard; PhD Lond), DLitt, FRHistS, FBA David Bostock, BPhil, MA Nicholas James Richardson, BPhil, MA, DPhil, FSA Donald Edward Olleson, MA, DPhil John James Coulton, MA, (MA, PhD Camb) James Anthony Dominic Welsh, MA, DPhil Michael George Bowler, MA, (BSc, PhD Bris) Henry Shue, (AB Davidson College; MA, PhD Princeton) Vijay Ramchandra Joshi, MA Philip John Waller, MA POSTMASTER

74 RECORDS MERTON COLLEGE HONORARY FELLOWS HONORARY FELLOWS Sir John Boardman, MA, (MA Camb) FBA, Hon RA, FSA Sir Maurice Arthur Eric Hodgson, MA, BSc, FEng, FIChemE, CChem, FRSC Sir Rex Edward Richards, MA, DPhil, DSc, FRS, FBA, FRSC, FRIC Sir Christopher John Ball, MA, Hon DLitt, (CNAA) Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE, MA, MSc, DM, FRCP The Rt Hon Sir Arthur Michael Palliser, GCMG, PC, MA Lord Wright of Richmond, Patrick Richard Henry Wright, GCMG, MA Robert Joseph Paton Williams, MBE, MA, DPhil, FRS Sir Peter Hannay Bailey Tapsell, MA, MP HIH Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, Hon DCL Sir Alec John Jeffreys, MA, DPhil, (DUniv Open), FRS Vassos Karageorghis, DLitt, (PhD Lond), FSA, FBA The Rt Hon Sir Martin John Gilbert, CBE, MA, DLitt, FRSL The Hon Sir Jack Beatson, DCL, (LLD Camb), FBA Richard Charles Levin, LittB, Hon DCL, (BA Stanford; PhD Yale) William Peter Cooke, CBE, MA Laszlo Istvan Heltay, MLitt, (MA Budapest) David Robert Holmes, BA Hons, MA, Hon DCL Robert Owen Paxton, MA, (PhD Harvard) Sir Howard Stringer, MA David Francis Kerr Finlay, OBE, CFA Stuart Henry McPhail Hall, MA, DPhil Jonathan Alan Hodgkin, MA, (MA, PhD Camb), FRS Sir James Clarke Holt, MA, DPhil, FSA, FBA The Hon Sir Brian Henry Leveson, MA, (LLD Liv) Sir Howard John Davies, MA (MS Stanford) Sir Charles Antony Richard Hoare, MA, FRS Sir Anthony James Leggett, MA, DPhil, FRS Sir Richard Hughes Trainor, MA, DPhil, FRHistS The Rt Revd Nicholas Thomas Wright, MA, DPhil, DD Sir Robert Andrew, MA, FRSA Sir Jeremy Isaacs, MA, FRSA Sir Ian Kershaw, DPhil, Hon DLitt, FRHistS, FBA Martin Peter Read, DPhil Mark John Thompson, BA, FRTS, FRSA The Hon Sir John Wallace QC, MA Adam John Hart-Davis, BA, (DPhil York), FRSA James Wyndham John Hughes-Hallett, BA, FCA Sir Callum McCarthy, BA, (PhD Stir; MS Stanford) Guy Howard Weston, BA Peter Warry, MA, (LLB Lond; PhD Rdg) FREng Martha Piper, (BSc Michigan; MA Connecticut; PhD McGill) DSc (Hons), LLD (Hons) Timothy Dewe Phillips, CBE, MA Christopher Martin Dobson, DPhil, ScD, FRS, FMedSci Julian Blackwell, DL Anastasios Leventis, CBE, OFR Dame Jessica Mary Rawson, DBE, MA, DLitt, (MA, LittD, Camb) FBA BODLEY FELLOWS Richard Bellerby Allan, MA, FCA Alan John Bott, OBE, MA, FSA Prosser Gifford, MA, (BA, PhD Yale; LLB Harvard) Robert Gould McKelvey, MA, (BA Wesleyan) David William Swarbrick, MA John Samuel Christopher Eidinow, MA, (Dip Law City Univ; Barrister Middle Temple) Dean David Harvey, MA, DPhil Reed Rubin, BA Robert MacLaren, MB, ChB, DPhil, FRCOphth, FRCS Adrian Vickers, MA Peter Phillips, Reed Rubin Director of Music Christopher Ramsey, MA, DPhil SUPERNUMERARY FELLOWS Vincenzo Cerundolo, MA, MD, PhD, FRCPath, FMedSci Andrew John King, MA Status, (BSc, PhD Lond), FMedSci Julian Knight, MA, MBChB, DPhil, FRCP Francis Platt, MA Status, (BSc Lond; PhD Bath), FMedSci Andrea Cavalleri, (Laurea, PhD Pavia) Simon Draper, MBioch, DPhil Kieran Clarke MA, (BSc Flinders, PhD Queensland) Garden Master Giles Bergel, (BA Newc; MA PhD Lond) WYLIOT FELLOWS Charles Manby, MA, (MBA Insead), FRS John Booth, MA Peter Braam, MA, DPhil (BSc, MSc Utrecht) 74 POSTMASTER 2012

75 MERTON COLLEGE VISITING RESEARCH FELLOWS RECORDS VISITING RESEARCH FELLOWS DURING THE YEAR Professor Stephen Jackson, University of Wyoming, Hilary Term 2012 Professor Linda Robertson, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Trinity Term 2012 ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS To an Official Fellowship as a Tutor in Philosophy with effect from 1 October 2012 Dr Ralph Bader, BA Hons (MLitt, PhD St Andrews) To a Fitzjames Research Fellowship in Physical Chemistry with effect from 1 October 2012 Dr Andrew Baldwin, (MA, MSci Hons, PhD Camb) To a Peter Moores Research Fellowship in Chinese Archaeology with effect from 1 October 2012 Mr Yijie Zhuang (BA Northwest; MA Peking) To Junior Research Fellowships with effect from 1 October 2012 Ms Emily Guerry (BA North Carolina; MPhil Camb) Mr Matthias Lenz (Diplom FU Berlin; Masters Paris) Mr Jesse Wall, BCL, MPhil, (BA, LLB Otago) To an Emeritus Fellowship with effect from 1 October 2012 Dr Paul Chamberlain, MA (BA, MD Dublin), FRCS(C), FACOG To a Supernumerary Fellowship with effect from 1 October 2012 Dr Christopher Rodgers, MChem, DPhil To Visiting Research Fellowships Professor Timothy Horbury, Imperial College London, Michaelmas Term 2012 Professor Heather Lewandowski, University of Colorado, Michaelmas Term 2012 Professor Benjamin Chandran, University of New Hampshire, Hilary Term 2013 Professor Gregory Hammett, Princeton University, Trinity Term 2013 Professor Terry Kaan, National University of Singapore, Trinity Term 2013 Dr Alan Barr has been appointed to the Particle Physics Grants Panel and the Science in Society Advisory Panel at the Science and Technology Facilities Council, as well as the Steering Group for the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, Durham. Dr Steven Gunn has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Historical Association. Professor Emily Holmes was made a Fellow of the Association of Psychological Science (USA). She also received the award of Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK) and the Comenius Award from the European Federation of Psychologists Association. Emily has also become Associate Editor at Clinical Psychological Science, Co Editor of Clinical Psychology Review and is on the Editorial Board for Psychological Science (Association for Psychological Science, APS, USA). Professor Minhyong Kim was awarded the Ho-Am Science prize 2012 from the Samsung Foundation. Professor Irene Lemos has been awarded the Kress Lectureship for 2013/14 by the Archaeological Institute of America. Dr Alison Parkin received the 2012 Federation of European Biochemical Societies Young Scientist Award and also a Biochemical Society Early Career Research Award. Professor David Paterson has been appointed as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Physiology. Professor Ulrike Tillmann is the chair of an international evaluation committee for Research in Mathematics in Norwegian Universities. FELLOWS HONOURS & APPOINTMENTS Professor Michael Baker has been elected as a Fellow of the International EPR/ESR Society in recognition of his significant contribution to the field of EPR (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance) over nearly six decades. POSTMASTER

76 RECORDS 76 POSTMASTER 2012 NEW STUDENTS UNDERGRADUATES New Students 2011 Undergraduates ANCIENT & MODERN HISTORY Miss EEM Moyse, Wellington College BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Mr B Hopkins, Stanwell School, Miss R Hudson, Archbishop Ilsley School, Mr J Kempton, St Olave s Grammar School, Mr J Laverick, Hereford Sixth Form College CHEMISTRY Mr DMH Ascough, Hills Road Sixth Form College, Miss KR Fisher, Westcliff High School for Girls, Miss M Isobe, St Paul s Girls School, Mr K Kohara, King s College School, Wimbledon, Miss M Maciejewska, Ridgeway School, Miss T Pankratova, Twycross House School, Mr W Paritmongkol, Cambridge Tutors CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY & ANCIENT HISTORY Miss S Yon, Richard Huish College CLASSICS Miss J Chan, St Catherine s School, Mr J Dean, St Albans School, Mr TJ Foot, Magdalen College School, Mr OJY-T Koo, Eton College ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT Mr A Aggarwal, Reading School, Miss X Chen, Norre Gymnasium, Miss A Fox, Merchant Taylors Girls School, Miss EA Pearson, Nelson Thomlinson School, Mr HY Wong, French International School ENGLISH Miss C Doyle, Hanover High School, Mr TB Forshaw, Cardinal Newman College, Mr A Grafen, King s College School, Wimbledon, Miss S Jones, Omagh Academy, Miss L Pinching, North London Collegiate School, Miss CE Scott, George Watson s College, Miss SCV Witherden, British School in the Netherlands ENGLISH & MODERN LANGUAGES Miss K Tamblyn, Altrincham Girls Grammar School HISTORY Mr FG Blagburn, St Mary Redcliffe & Temple School, Mr C Bradbury-Sparvell, Bexley Grammar School, Miss T Dickinson, Kimbolton School, Miss CR Lusher, Arnold School, Mr JA Morel- Paulo, Tonbridge School, Mr HJA Reeve, Reading School HISTORY & ECONOMICS Mr SP Ward, Becket School HISTORY & ENGLISH Miss J Doyle, St Michael s Catholic School, Miss M Sajjad, Lahore Grammar School HISTORY & MODERN LANGUAGES Miss NK Davies, Warwickshire College HISTORY & POLITICS Mr LA Cowling, Durham Johnston School, Miss KG Crofts-Gibbons, Alton College, Miss T Mehta, Dhirubhai Ambani International School LAW Miss CC Auckland, Colyton Grammar School, Mr SB Sandtorv, Akademiet VGS Bergen, Miss HL Smith, Sir Thomas Wharton Community College LAW with LAW STUDIES IN EUROPE Miss R Davies, Stourport High School, Mr PM Herbst, Reading School, Mr GB Rouillon, Lymm High School MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE Mr M Balog, Gymnazium Grosslingova, Mr J Brazier, Ampleforth College, Mr R Gossiaux, Middlesex County Academy MATHEMATICS & PHILOSOPHY Mr DMH Bregman, Whitgift School MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS Miss J Liu, Dunman High School, Singapore MATHEMATICS Mr MP Booth, Hanham High School, Mr JS Flannery, Arden School, Solihull, Mr R Mathers, Forest School, Mr MLR van Loon, Gertrudiscollege MEDICINE Mr T Buckley, Adams Grammar School, Miss IL Duncan, Stroud High School, Mr JJ Hutchinson, Oundle School, Mr E Majdabadi- Farahani, Cirencester College, Miss HY Tang, Brighton & Hove High School

77 NEW STUDENTS GRADUATES RECORDS MODERN LANGUAGES Miss I Davidson, Ockbrook School, Miss F Kisiel, Chipping Campden School, Mr N Lyons, English Martyrs School, Miss A Sharp, Caistor Grammar School, Miss J Smith, Sir Roger Manwoods School, Miss HS Tindall, Alton College MUSIC Miss C Evans, Wymondham College, Mr SJ Hyde, Chethams School of Music PHYSICS Mr M Adamer, Paulinum Schwaz, Mr J Devine, Kings School, Mr G Farquhar, Leeds Grammar School, Mr SRW Gillespie, Parmiters School, Miss CL Hale, Esher College, Mr TC Smith, Richard Huish College, Mr CM Staines, St Patrick s Grammar School, Mr DMH Tsang, Herschel Grammar School PPE Mr SGL Dickinson, Mackie Academy, Miss KW Kuitunen, Helsingin Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu, Mr CM McCabe, Gower College, Swansea, Mr JAF Mueller-Gastell, Gymnasium Eltville, Mr NCR Ng, Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, Mr A Paine, Sevenoaks School, Mr RJL Price, St John s College, Miss NE Sparkes, Newstead Wood School Graduates DPHIL Ms Y-C Kim, Seoul National/Merton, Oxford, (Ancient History), Ms LRJ Raijmakers, Groningen, (Archaeological Science), Mr C Snoeck, Universite Libre de Bruxelles/Merton, Oxford, (Archaeological Science), Mr B Chen, Capital Normal/Glasgow, (Archaeology), Mr JL Sanders, Pembroke, Cambridge, (Astrophysics), Mr JW Cowley, Imperial, (Atomic & Laser Physics), Ms JL Meinecke, Moorpark College, USA/UCLA, (Atomic & Laser Physics), Mr MO Nguyen, Stanford, (Biochemistry), Mr SML Thomas, Wales, Aberystwyth, (Biochemistry), Mrs MM Bissell (née Gedicke), Humboldt/Cont Ed, Oxford, (Cardiovascular Medicine), Mr NL Gunn, Merton, Oxford, (Chemical Biology), Mr K Vukovic, Zadar, (Classical Langs & Lit), Ms K Al-Hourani, Merton, Oxford, (Clinical Medicine), Ms Y Kong, Nankai, (Clinical Medicine), Ms A Cramer, Ben Gurion/Merton, Oxford, (Clinical Neurosciences), Ms MK Backens, New Hall, Cambridge, (Computer Science), Mr K-H Cheung, Imperial/Darwin, Cambridge, (Computer Science), Ms EA Sandis, Worcester, Oxford, (English), Mr A Williams, Royal Holloway/Bedford New College/ Durham, (English), Ms A Mehta, Gonville & Caius, Cambridge/LSE, (History), Mr MJ Cliffe, Clare, Cambridge, (Inorganic Chemistry), Mr CM Lilyblad, Washington/Exeter, Oxford, (International Development), Ms CE Goss, Queensland/Merton, Oxford, (Law), Mr MA Bentley, Newcastle upon Tyne/Leeds, (Life Sciences Interface), Mr N Dogra, Gonville & Caius, Cambridge, (Mathematics), Mr SU Efem, Istanbul Bilgi/Sanaci, (Mathematics), Mr J Haydon, UCL, (Mathematics), Mr JD Allen, West Indies, (Medieval & Modern Languages), Ms R Holmes Duffy, Bard College, NY/Worcester, Oxford, (Medieval & Modern Languages), Ms YA Richardson, Open/Kellogg, Oxford, (Medieval & Modern Languages), Mr DG Hickey, Auckland, (Ophthalmology), Mr RJS Armstrong, Pembroke, Cambridge, (Organic Chemistry), Ms BL Elbert, Selwyn, Cambridge, (Organic Chemistry), Mr GJ McSweeney, University College, Cork, (Organic Chemistry), Ms S De Munari, Padova, Italy, (Organic Chemistry), Ms ML O Duill, Merton, Oxford, (Organic Chemistry), Ms EO Uduehi, Indiana, (Organic Chemistry), Ms JK Behr, Munich/ Merton, Oxford, (Particle Physics), Mr EFL Moeller, Copenhagen/ Wolfson, Cambridge/Copenhagen, (Philosophy), Mr AN Salam, Harvard/Merton, Oxford, (Philosophy), Ms N Bart, New South Wales, (Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics), Mr AAN Bruyneel, Ghent, (Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics), Mr M Kalla, King s, London/ Cardiff, (Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics), Ms IM Large, Christ Church, Oxford, (Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics), Ms L Iyadurai, New College, Oxford/Manchester, (Psychiatry), Mr SR Puntis, Manchester, (Psychiatry), Mr MJ Plank, Vienna, (Systems Biology), Mr RN Lasenby, St John s, Cambridge, (Theoretical Physics), Ms YN Liu, Melbourne, (Theoretical Physics), Mr C Chen, St Anne s, Oxford, (Zoology), Ms MJ Jansen van Rensburg, Cape Town, (Zoology), Ms A Prohaska, Zagreb/Green Templeton, Oxford, (Zoology), Ms PSA Quah, Trinity, Cambridge, (Zoology), Ms MJ Sanders, Witwatersrand/Johannesburg/Green Templeton, Oxford, (Zoology), POSTMASTER

78 RECORDS NEW STUDENTS GRADUATES Ms A Shoji, Rakuno Gakuen/Ottawa, (Zoology), Mr E Topham, Fitzwilliam, Cambridge/Imperial, (Zoology), Ms JPR Thorn, Cape Town/St Catherine s, Oxford, (Zoology), Ms ER Watkins, Balliol, Oxford, (Zoology) MSC Mr AM Hassanali, Nairobi/Kenya School of Law/Merton, Oxford, (African Studies), Mr Y Song, Peking, (Archaeological Science), Mr HK Ng, Hughes Hall, Cambridge, (Biochemistry), Ms LM Linek, York, (Economics for Development), Ms AS Vellore, Southern California, (Economic & Social History), Mr HR Barmeier, Princeton/Merton, Oxford, (Education), Ms R Chen, Nanjing, (Financial Economics), Ms Q Dong, Fudan, (Financial Economics), Ms X Duan, Beijing Foreign Studies, (Financial Economics), Mr TN Dyankov, American University in Bulgaria, (Financial Economics), Ms S Li, Renmin, (Financial Economics), Mr C Subramanian, Anna, Chennai/Indian Inst of Tech, (Financial Economics), Ms SM-C Lee, Sydney/UCL/Harvard, (Law & Finance), Mr T Min, Tsinghua, (Law & Finance), Mr AH Sakaluk, Georgetown, (Major Programmes Management), Mr KJ Scully, Salford/Kingston/Cranfield, (Major Programmes Management), Ms JR Reimer, Manitoba, (Mathematics), Mr KAU Cohn-Gordon, Jesus, Cambridge, (Maths & Foundations of Computer Science), Ms I Marusic, Zagreb, (Maths & Foundations of Computer Science), Mr SP Shorkey Jr, North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (Neuroscience) MST Ms EC Lord-Kambitsch, UC, Santa Barbara, (Classics), Mr TG Sherwin, Merton, Oxford, (Classics), Mr GFK Amo, Wheaton College/Merton, Oxford, (Economic & Social History), Mr ND Allsopp, Merton, Oxford, (English), Mr MJ Richardson, Durham, (English), Mr J Beavers, Manchester, (Greek &/or Roman History), Mr S Muthukumaran, UCL, (Greek &/or Roman History), Ms MR Boyle, King s, London, (Medieval Studies), Mr BM Feltham, Merton, Oxford, (Medieval Studies), Ms MP Quinlan, McMaster, (Medieval Studies), Mr JW Bryan, Durham, (Modern Languages), Mr MRK Rabone, Merton, Oxford, (Modern Languages), Mr AGM Sampson, Merton, Oxford, (Modern Languages), Ms CR Ponchione, Alaska/ Ithaca, (Music), Ms K Woods, Hull, (Music), Mr RP Zhang, Wellesley College, (Oriental Studies) MPHIL Ms EJ Loftus, Cape Town, (Archaeology), Mr TE Franklinos, St Andrew s, (Classics), Mr MZ Jia, Princeton, (Comparative Government Politics), Mr D Byrne, University College, Dublin, (Economics), Ms R Persian, Eberhard Karls, (Economics), Mr BP Gerasimov, Pennsylvania, (European Politics & Society), Mr RJ Heuwieser, Passau, (European Politics & Society), Ms AL Baumgartner, Yale, (Latin American Studies), Ms AL Irving, Otago/ Merton, Oxford, (Law), Ms KL Molyneux, Melbourne/New York, (Modern Chinese Studies), Ms A Sato, Hawaii at Manoa/Merton, Oxford, (Modern Japanese Studies), Ms E Mowforth, Victoria University of Manchester/Merton, Oxford, (Music) MBA Mr V Bowatte, Ohio Wesleyan EMBA Mr BA Woods, Newcastle, Australia BCL Mr TO Boncey, Worcester, Oxford, Mr MI Forster, Otago, Ms J Rajakumar, Downing, Cambridge PGCE Mr AJ Baragwanath, Durham, (Physics) VISITING STUDENTS Mr G Chevaleyre, École Normale Supérieure, (Modern Languages), Ms S Pellet, École Normale Supérieure, (Modern Languages), Ms V Schenzinger, Maximiliaeneum, (Physics) 78 POSTMASTER 2012

79 PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS SCHOOLS RESULTS Public Examination Results & Prizes Schools Results 2012 RECORDS ANCIENT & MODERN HISTORY Class II: Ms E Biggs (i) BIOCHEMISTRY PTII Class II: Ms M-Y Tseu (ii) BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Class II: Ms Z Brzosko (i), Mr T Bucknall (i), Ms S Groh (i) CHEMISTRY Class I: Mr L Collins, Mr P Kaufman, Ms J Neuhaus Class II: Ms T Boltersdorf (i) CLASSICS & ENGLISH Class II: Ms F Austin (i) COMPUTER SCIENCE (3) Class III: Mr T Marsh COMPUTER SCIENCE (4) Class I: Mr S Wylezol ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT Class II: Mr J Athawes (i), Mr J Burgin (i), Ms H Grewal (i), Ms C Leung (i) ENGLISH Class I: Class II: Ms G Khuri, Mr J Warriner Ms S Abasolo (i), Ms M Bartlett (i), Ms R Bashir (i), Mr B Luck (i) ENGLISH & MODERN LANGUAGES Class II: Mr A Hodgson (i) (French), Ms E Simmons (i) (French) HISTORY Class I: Class II: Ms E Sands Ms C Brown (i), Mr O Haste (i), Ms E Hindes (i), Mr M Lee (i), Mr T Moorthy (i), Ms D Sheen (i), Mr D Tidey (i) HISTORY & MODERN LANGUAGES Class II: Ms S Robinson-Caturla (i) (Spanish) HISTORY & POLITICS Class I: Mr A Learoyd Class II: Mr M Bimmler (i), Mr J Hinder (i) LAW Class I: Class II: Mr A Turnbull, Ms S Wood Ms E Graham (i), Mr E Parry-Smith (i), Ms A Subramaniam LAW WITH LAW STUDIES IN EUROPE Class II: Ms E Drabkin-Reiter (i) LITERAE HUMANIORES I Class I: Mr A Artley Class II: Mr M LeDoux (i), Mr P Parameshwar (i), Ms L Serocold (i) MATHEMATICS (4) Class I: Mr B Green, Mr X Meng, Mr J Sharman Class II: Mr J White (i) MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE (3) Class I: Mr L Bosko MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE (4) Class I: Mr M Raymond MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS (3) Class II: Ms G Tiao (i) MEDICAL SCIENCES Class I: Mr L Freeman-Mills, Mr A Malik Class II: Ms E Carter (i), Mr D Casey (i), Ms J Johnson MODERN LANGUAGES Class II: Mr N Lunn (i) (French & Spanish) Ms C Parker (i) (French & Spanish) Ms K Tiller (i) (French & Italian) POSTMASTER

80 RECORDS UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS & PRIZES COLLEGE AWARDS & PROMOTIONS MODERN LANGUAGES & LINGUISTICS Class I: Ms D Sainsbury (French) Class II: Mr D Harries (i) (French) MUSIC Class I: Class II: PPE Class I: Class II: Mr E Smith Ms E Meredith (i), Ms S Potterton (i) Mr J Bridges Mr T Coleman (i), Mr A Dillon (i), Mr B Lynch (i), Mr J Northover (i), Ms V Powell (i), Mr L Wallrich (i) PHYSICS (3) Class I: Class II: Class III: PHYSICS (4) Class I: Class II: Mr S Sanmugarajah Mr G Dawes (i), Mr D Mihaylov (ii) Mr D Howlett Mr M Fox, Mr R Jeffrey, Mr R Millar, Mr P Watts Ms W C Fu (i), Mr J Smith (i) Undergraduate Awards & Prizes College Awards and Promotions The following award-holders had their awards renewed at the beginning of the academic year: Postmaster for a third year: Mr A Artley (Classics) Postmaster for a second year: Mr L Collins (Chemistry) Mr M Fox (Physics) Mr L Freeman-Mills (Medicine) Mr B Green (Mathematics) Mr R Jeffrey (Physics) Mr P Kaufman (Chemistry) Mr M LeDoux (Classics) Mr A Malik (Medicine) Mr X Meng (Mathematics) Mr J Neuhaus (Chemistry) Mr M Raymond (Mathematics & Computer Science) Mr J Sharman (Mathematics) Mr S Sanmugarajah (Physics) Mr J Warriner (English) 80 POSTMASTER 2012 Exhibitioner for a third year: Ms E Drabkin-Reiter (Law with LSE) Ms W C Fu (Physics) Ms C Parker (Modern Languages) Ms D Sainsbury (Modern Languages & Linguistics) Exhibitioner for a second year: Mr L Bosko (Mathematics & Computer Science) Mr J Gibson (Physics) Ms T Goodchild (Mathematics & Philosophy) Mr C Grant (Mathematics & Philosophy) Ms H Guggiari (Mathematics) Mr S Hall (Classics) Mr R Knight (Modern Languages) Mr A Learoyd (History & Politics) Mr M Lee (History) Mr C Lester (Mathematics) Ms K Light (Modern Languages & Linguistics) Mr O Lloyd (Law with LSE) Mr D Main (Chemistry) Mr F McIntosh (Classics) Ms C Meehan (Modern Languages)

81 UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS & PRIZES COLLEGE PRIZES RECORDS Ms E Tann (Mathematics) Mr L Wallrich (PPE) Mr B Walpole (Mathematics & Philosophy) Ms S Wood (Law) The following promotions were approved during the year: To Exhibitioner: Ms C Auckland (Law) Ms F Austin (Classics & English) Mr A Bajjon (Chemistry) Ms Z Brzosko (Biological Sciences) Miss E Biggs (Ancient & Modern History) Mr J Burr (Physics) Mr T Codrington (Mathematics & Philosophy) Mr J Coward (Chemistry) Mr D Crowe (History) Ms R Davies (Law with European Law) Mr K Davis (Chemistry) Ms N Dockray (Modern Languages) Mr R Fern (Physics) Mr M Geeson (Chemistry) Mr A Geraldini (Physics) Mr P Gerrard (Computer Science) Ms D Gudmunsen (Modern Languages) Mr D Harper (Mathematics) Mr J Harrison (Physics) Ms S Harrison (Biological Sciences) Mr P Herbst (Law with German Law) Ms C Livingstone (English) Mr P Mahony (Mathematics) Mr M Marowka (Mathematics & Statistics) Mr L McClymont (Physics) Mr A Oulsnam (History) Ms L Paris (Biological Sciences) Ms H Polonsky (Classics) Ms S Potterton (Music) Ms L Simmons (Philosophy & Modern Languages) Mr E Smith (Music) Ms A Steppler (Music) Mr J Sumner (PPE) Ms R Tye (English) Ms L Zhou (Modern Languages) To Postmaster: Mr B Challen (Chemistry) Mr T Khotavivattana (Chemistry) Mr S Kolli (Mathematics & Philosophy) Mr F Lang (Physics) Mr R Millar (Physics) Mr O Mason (Chemistry) Mr C Parker (Mathematics & Philosophy) Ms S Robinson-Caturla (History & Modern Languages) Mr C Sandford (Chemistry) Ms E Sands (History) Ms Z Zhou (Chemistry) There were in all 26 Postmasters and 58 Exhibitioners at the end of the year. College Prizes Members of the College who achieved First Classes in Schools or Mods, or Distinctions in Prelims, Law Moderations or the First BM, were given College book prizes. Members of the College who had been awarded University prizes were given College book prizes. Fowler Prizes for good work in Collections were awarded to: Michael Adamer (1) Anurag Aggarwal (3) Alfred Artley (2) David Ascough (4) Cressida Auckland (2) Finola Austin (1) Alexander Bajjon (4) Matej Balog (4) Elizabeth Biggs (2) Nicholas Black (2) Francis Blagburn (1) Matt Booth (1) Joshua Brown (1) Daniel Bregman (1) Thomas Buckley (4) Ben Challen (1) Xiao Chen (3) Thomas Codrington (1) Matthew Constable (1) John Coward (1) Daniel Crowe (1) Iona Davidson (2) Natalia Davies (2) Rebecca Davies (2) Khalil Davis (3) Samuel Dickinson (1) Clio Doyle (2) Julia Doyle (1) Esther Drabkin-Reiter (2) Gregory Farquhar (4) Richard Fern (3) Timothy Foot (1) Timothy Forshaw (1) Jessica Furness (2) Alessandro Geraldini (2) Peter Gerrard (2) POSTMASTER

82 RECORDS UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS & PRIZES UNIVERSITY PRIZES Tanya Goodchild (1) Ryan Gossiaux (2) Emma Graham (3) Alexander Grafen (1) Selina Groh (1) Catherine Hale (4) Samuel Hall (2) David Harper (2) Sarah Harrison (1) Philip Herbst (1) Gregor Hogan (4) Benjamin Hopkins (1) Penelope Hudson (2) Catriona Hull (1) Stephen Hyde (2) Jessica Johnson (1) Mao Isobe (1) Juhana Kaikkonen (2) James Kempton (1) Tanatorn Khotavivattana (4) Danielle King (1) Keishi Kohara (2) Oliver Koo (3) Petra Koulia (1) Katariina Kuitunen (1) Charles Lake (2) Franz Lang (3) Jack Laverick (1) Milo Le Doux (1) Jin Liu (1) Catriona Livingstone (3) Karl Ljungstrom Kahn (2) Catrin Lloyd (1) Owen Lloyd (5) Samantha Love (1) Barnaby Lynch (1) Peter Mahony (2) Maciej Marowka (2) Owen Mason (2) Richard Mathers (1) Christopher McCabe (1) Fergus McIntosh (1) 82 POSTMASTER 2012 Ruth Mitchell (1) Tarun Moorthy (1) Jonas Mueller-Gastell (1) Ryan Ng (1) Prakash Parameshwar (1) Lydia Paris (1) Watcharaphol Paritmongkol (4) Caity Parker (1) Lucy Pinching (1) Sally Potterton (1) Henry Reeve (1) Georges Rouillon (1) Ben Sampson (1) Christopher Sandford (4) Eleanor Sands (1) Lucy Serocold (1) Pip Schuijt (1) Laura Simmons (1) Toby Smith (2) Nicole Sparkes (3) Christopher Staines (4) Anna Steppler (1) Joseph Sumner (2) Andrew Turnbull (2) Rebecca Tye (1) Jessamy Tyrrell (1) Mark van Loon (2) Lukas Wallrich (1) John Wilson (1) Stephanie Wood (1) Alex Woolley (2) Sasha Yon (1) Zhewei Zhou (4) Other College prizes were awarded as follows: Ms C Auckland, Norton Rose Prize for the best performance in Law Mods by a Merton student Mr D Casey, William Harvey Anatomy Prize in Year 3 Anatomy (joint award) Ms R Davies, F E Smith Memorial Mooting Prize (1st) Ms J Johnson, William Harvey Anatomy prize in Year 3 Anatomy (joint award) Mr T Khotavivattana, Phillips Prize for best performance in Chemistry Part IB at Merton Mr A Learoyd, Conrad Russell Prize in History Mr O Lloyd, Allen & Overy Prize Mr J Mueller-Gastell, Sam McNaughton Prize in Philosophy Prelims Mr G Rouillon, F E Smith Memorial Mooting Prize (2nd) Ms H Polonsky, Professor Passmore Edwards Prize in Classics Mr A Malik, Wilder Penfield Prize in Medicine and Biology Mr D Ascough, Phillips Prize for best performance in Chemistry Prelims at Merton University Prizes Mr D Ascough, Bruker Prize: 1st Prize for performance in Chemistry Prelims Mr A Bajjon, Eisai Prize: 5th Prize for performance in Chemistry Part IA Mr J Burr, Commendation for Practical Work in Physics Part A Mr J Devine, Commendation for Practical Work in Physics Prelims Mr P Gerrard, IBM Prize for Best Project 2012 (Computer Science) Mr S Gillespie, Commendation for Practical Work in Physics Prelims Ms C Hale, Commendation for Practical Work in Physics Prelims Mr F Lang, Commendation for Practical Work in Physics Part B Mr X Meng, IMA Prize for performance in Mathematics Part C Mr D Mihaylov, Commendation for Practical Work in Physics Part B Mr W Paritmongkol, Bruker Prize: 3rd Prize for performance in Chemistry Prelims Mr C Staines, Commendation for Practical Work in Physics Prelims Mr A Turnbull, Slaughter and May Prize in Contract Law Ms S Wood, Norton Rose Prize in Company Law Ms S Wood, Wronker Prize for Administrative Law

83 GRADUATE DEGREES, AWARDS & PRIZES Graduate Degrees, Awards and Prizes RECORDS The following graduates completed during the year : DPHIL Mr S Agarwal (Physics: Condensed Matter), Mr S Bajlekov (Physics: Atomic & Laser), Mrs C A Bishop (Medicine: Clinical), Miss S Bracegirdle (Chemistry: Organic), Mr L Brandt (Physics: Atomic & Laser), Mr S P Buckley (Mathematics), Mr E K Campbell (Chemistry), Mr J D Caycedo Casallas (Mathematics), Mr H B Coldenstrodt-Ronge (Physics: Atomic & Laser), Mr O M Cotton- Barratt (Mathematics), Miss C A-M Couto (Biochemistry), Mr J J Davies (Chemistry: Organic), Ms J Dill (International Relations), Miss C Doglioni (Physics: Particle), Mrs K Falk (Physics: Atomic & Laser), Miss E R Feingold (History), Miss P Freire (Biochemistry), Miss A Georgiou (Archaeology), Mr M Hirschfeld (Modern Languages), Mrs A C Hoon (Medicine: Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics), Mr M N Hopkinson (Chemistry: Organic), Mr T Idema (Politics), Mr W C Ladwig (Politics), Mr G Loomer (Law), Mr T Murphy (Zoology), Mr S Nadathur (Physics: Theoretical), Mr S Priewe (Archaeology), Mr N C Rabinowitz (Medicine: Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics), Mr A W Razzi (English), Mr B E Sherlock (Physics: Atomic & Laser), Mr G Spence (Chemistry: Inorganic), Miss S L A Stokes (History), Mr J J Suttie (Medicine: Clinical), Mr R M I Taylor (Medicine: Clinical), Mr M J Tipping (Biochemistry), Mrs L I Vallius (Medical: Clinical), Miss A F Wait (Chemistry: Inorganic), Mr M S Warden (Physics: Particle), Miss C L Wilkinson (Classics), Mr Z Xie (Materials Science) MBA Mr A W Rivers, Mr N Smith, Mr H B Thorbergsson (Distinction) EMBA Mr P H Garatt (Distinction), Mr P J Gilford (Distinction) BPHIL Ms A Roxburgh, Mr M Dascal, Mr R Duda MPHIL Ms E Bauer (Oriental Studies: Modern Chinese Studies Distinction), Ms A Brandt (Development Studies), Mr A Brassil (Economics Distinction), Ms C Dann (Modern Languages Distinction), Ms C Goss (Law - Distinction), Mr C Gray (History: Modern British and European Distinction), Mr W Kane (Oriental Studies: Modern Chinese Studies), Mr P Lofquist (Economics Distinction), Ms A Miles (International Relations), Mr J Monahan (Economics), Ms E Mowforth (Music: Composition), Ms A Sato (Oriental Studies: Modern Japanese Studies), Mr C M Wai (Economics) MPHIL QUALIFYING EXAMINATION Ms A Baumgartner (Latin American Studies), Mr D Byrne (Economics), Mr B Gerasimov (Politics: European Politics & Society), Mr R Heuwieser (Politics: European Politics & Society), Mr M Jia (Politics: Comparative Government), Ms E Loftus (Archaeology Distinction), Ms K Molyneux (Oriental Studies: Modern Chinese Studies), Ms R Persian (Economics) MSC Mr D R Fessey (Major Programme Management), Mr A Hassanali (African Studies), Ms P Kritsiligkou (Biochemistry), Ms S Lee (Law & Finance), Ms L Linek (Economics for Development) MST Mr N Allsopp (English ( ) Distinction), Mr J Beavers (Ancient History: Greek &/or Roman History), Ms M Boyle (History: Medieval Studies), Mr J Bryan (Modern Languages Distinction), Ms E Lord-Kambitsch (Classics: Greek &/or Latin Langs & Lit), Mr S Muthukumaran (Ancient History: Greek &/or Roman History Distinction), Ms C Ponchione (Music: Musicology Distinction), Ms M Quinlan (History: Medieval Studies Distinction), Mr M Rabone (Modern Languages Distinction), Mr M Richardson (English ( )), Mr A Sampson (Modern Languages), Mr T Sherwin (Classics: Greek &/or Latin Langs & Lit Distinction), Ms K Woods (Music: Musicology Distinction) 2ND BM Mr P Chater-Lea, Mr C Colgate, Ms H Leadbetter, Mr A Sachdev (Distinction), Ms M Thake (Distinction) POSTMASTER

84 RECORDS GRADUATE DEGREES, AWARDS & PRIZES BCL Mr T Boncey (Distinction), Mr M Forster (Distinction), Ms J Rajakumar (Distinction) PGCE Mr A Baragwanath (Physics) Mr M Forster, Law Faculty Prize in Law in Society Mr M Forster, Law Faculty Prize in Regulation Other College Prizes were awarded as follows: Ms A Mehta, Rajiv Kapur Prize for graduate research in History Graduate members of the College who were awarded University Prizes were as follows: Mr M Forster, Vinerian Scholarship Prixime Accessit Mr M Forster, Allen and Overy Prize in Corporate Finance Law 84 POSTMASTER 2012

85 College Staff Name Position First Appointed Mr MD Jeffs Surveyor 12/02/1979 Mrs RM Butler Chef de Partie 08/05/1981 Mr SL Richards Lodge Porter 07/10/1985 Miss JM Durkin Housekeeper 02/06/1986 Mr RJ Wiggins Decorator 16/03/1987 Mr DA Hedges Bar Manager 12/10/1987 Mrs LS Walsh Sub Warden s Secretary 16/11/1987 Mr CR Hedges Maintenance Assistant 11/04/1988 Mr DJ Grainger Head Butler 31/08/1988 Mr JS Lisle Groundsman 17/10/1988 Mr PJ Goodhall Scout 24/11/1988 Miss J Kirby Fellows Secretary 06/08/1990 Mr JP McVeigh Hallman/Storeman 15/10/1990 Mrs J Gerhardi Admissions Officer 02/01/1991 Mr KB Keogh Head Porter 21/08/1992 Miss J Morley Senior SCR & Hall Supervisor 14/03/1994 Mrs AM Donnelly Scout 22/07/1996 Mrs C Hume Chef de Partie 01/08/1996 Mrs NK Lisle Pavilion Catering Assistant 01/10/1996 Mr JE Tomkins Assistant Groundsman 11/08/1997 Mrs SA Allen Hall Assistant 07/07/1998 Mrs LJ Pullen Scout 19/10/1998 Mr D Dobson General Support Assistant 04/01/1999 Mr M Wender Head Chef 20/09/1999 Mr SG Barber Second Chef 01/11/1999 Mrs CL Turner Cleaner 27/03/2000 Mr S Williams IT Manager 17/07/2000 Mrs CP Morton Estates Secretary 18/09/2000 Ms L Bond Assistant Warden s Secretary 03/10/2000 Mr DS Brundell Chef de Partie 13/11/2000 Mrs Z Clark Hall Assistant 13/11/2000 Mrs N S Mahmood Cleaner 23/04/2001 Mrs MN Harris Bursary Clerk 16/05/2001 Mr DN Haines Kitchen Porter 20/08/2001 COLLEGE STAFF RECORDS Name Position First Appointed Miss SL Bird Chef de Partie 08/10/2001 Miss L Reveley Bursary Clerk 11/02/2002 Mrs A S Mahmood Cleaner 30/04/2002 Mrs C Lewis Project Librarian 07/05/2002 Mr CD Joyce Kitchen Porter 29/07/2002 Mrs HJ Kingsley Alumni Relations Manager 09/09/2002 Miss L Savin Head Gardener 07/10/2002 Mr J A Reid Archivist 02/12/2002 Mr CE Shackell Accountant 20/01/2003 Mrs HL Young Bursary Clerk 02/06/2003 Miss L Lawrence Warden s Secretary 01/09/2003 Mr C Bridgman Chef de Partie 29/09/2003 Mr G M Krispijn Library Assistant 22/10/2003 Miss J Baker Cleaner 02/01/2004 Mrs H D Arcy Cleaner 13/04/2004 Mr A J Richardson Deputy Head Porter 04/01/2005 Mrs M Skalik Steward 10/08/2005 Mr J Pawlowski Caretaker (Holywell Lodge) 24/10/2005 Mr E Hamdi Hall Supervisor 27/01/2006 Mr A Doman College Plumber 27/02/2006 Mrs K Stepien Cleaner 02/10/2006 Mr D Brown Third Chef 02/01/2007 Mr M Furse Senior Gardener 02/01/2007 Miss A Miech Housekeeping Supervisor 01/02/2007 Mrs J Ashford Administrative Assistant 26/02/2007 Mrs G Norridge Payroll/ Personnel Administrator 25/06/2007 Miss N Harrison Estates Administrator 23/07/2007 Mr A Kessler Catering Assistant 15/10/2007 Mr P Macallister Demi Chef de Partie 22/10/2007 Mrs M Ponting Catering Assistant 29/10/2007 Mrs K Adamczyk Housekeeping Supervisor 01/11/2007 Mr MR Bowdler Publications & Web Officer 02/01/2008 Mr R Williams Lodge Porter 31/03/2008 POSTMASTER

86 RECORDS COLLEGE STAFF Name Position First Appointed Name Position First Appointed Miss M Miesiac Cleaner 01/05/2008 Miss MK Panasewicz SCR Assistant 15/09/2008 Mr R Kendall Lodge Porter 24/11/2008 Ms C Massey Conference Manager 05/01/2009 Mr WJ Carr Asst Accommodation & Conference Porter 14/01/2009 Ms ST Hague Accommodation Manager 02/02/2009 Mr I Knight Accommodation & Conference Porter 13/07/2009 Miss M Cwyl Cleaner 01/12/2009 Miss I Gaweda Cleaner 01/12/2009 Miss E Wesolowska Cleaner 15/01/2010 Mr D W Tyrrell Gardener 01/02/2010 Mr I R Walker Lodge Porter 19/07/2010 Miss R Bryant Domestic Bursar s Secretary 13/09/2010 Mrs C Haines College Nurse 27/09/2010 Miss H Bednarczyk Lodge Porter 04/01/2011 Mrs A Jas Cleaner 04/01/2011 Mr M dos Santos de Oliveira Cleaner 05/01/2011 Mrs K Wolinska Cleaner 10/01/2011 Mrs R da Silva Cleaner 11/01/2011 Dr P Hoffman Library Assistant 14/01/2011 Mr O Pele SCR & Hall Supervisor 24/01/2011 Mr G da Assumpcao SCR Assistant 07/03/2011 Miss S Hood Development Assistant 21/03/2011 Miss G Hanson Gardener 28/03/2011 Mr S Bowdery Deputy IT Manager 01/04/2011 Mr J Parkinson Lodge Porter 18/04/2011 Mr M Weavers Lodge Porter 09/08/2011 Miss R Fright Chapel Administrator 30/08/2011 Miss I Dziadosz SCR & Hall Assistant 01/09/2011 Miss A Ksiazek SCR & Hall Assistant 21/09/2011 Ms L Featherstone Academic Administrator 01/10/2011 Ms L Kendall Major Gifts Officer 17/10/2011 Mrs K Bertelsen Cleaner 31/10/2011 Mr T Cortes Rodrigues Cleaner 31/10/ POSTMASTER 2012 Mr A Dias Araujo Cleaner 31/10/2011 Miss I Naruseviciute Cleaner 31/10/2011 Mrs S Rai Cleaner 31/10/2011 Mrs E Westphal Cleaner 31/10/2011 Ms H Moore Housekeeper to the Warden 14/11/2011 Dr C Ryan Schools Liaison & Access Officer 01/12/2011 Mrs L Wu Annual Fund Officer 01/01/2012 Mrs N Almeida Cleaner 03/01/2012 Mrs J Rusaitiene Cleaner 16/01/2012 Miss M Kowalska Cleaner 30/01/2012 Mr D Sadzewicz Commis Chef 20/02/2012 Miss F Nedey Cleaner 10/04/2012 Mrs C Smith Information & Research Officer 04/05/2012 Mr L Zagyi Cleaner 21/05/2012 Miss E Torrequebrada Gago Lecture Theatre Assistant 28/05/2012 DEREK DOBSON (RIGHT), WHO LEFT THIS SUMMER

87 Publications Fellows Schaller, GE, S-H Shiu, & JP Armitage (2011) Two- Component Systems and their co-option for eukaryotic signal transduction Curr Biol 21: R Wilkinson, DA, SJ Chacko, C Venien-Bryan, GH Wadhams GH & JP Armitage (2011) The role of FliA and FlgM in regulating flagella number and biofilm formation in Rhodobacter sphaeroides J Bacteriol 193: Hall, BA, JP Armitage & MSP Sansom (2011) Transmembrane helix dynamics of bacterial chemoreceptors supports a piston model of signalling PLoS Comp Biol 7: e Brown, MT, BC Steel, C Silvestrin, DA Wilkinson, NJ Delalez, CN Lumb, B Obara, JP Armitage, & RM Berry (2012) AviTag engineering reveals that a compliant hook capable of acting as a universal joint is essential for bundle formation and swimming in Escherichia coli J Bacteriol 194 (13) Roberts, MAJ, K Hadfield, S Tickner, GH Wadhams, & JP Armitage (2012) A ParA-like protein uses non-specific chromosomal DNA binding to partition protein complexes PNAS 109: Ash, R (2011) Pliny the Elder s Attitute to Warfare, Pliny the Elder: Themes and Contexts, (eds) RK Gibson & R Morello (Leiden, Brill) Ash, R (2012) Women in Imperial Roman Literature, Blackwell Companion to Women in the Ancient World (eds) S Dillon & S James (Oxford, Blackwell) Ash, R (ed) (2012) Oxford Readings in Tacitus (Oxford, Oxford University Press) ATLAS Collaboration, AJ Barr (ed) (2011) Search for new phenomena in final states with large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum using sqrt(s) = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector, J High Energy Phys 1111, 099 Allanach, BC, AJ Barr, A Dafinca & C Gwenlan (2011) Discovery reach for generic supersymmetry at the LHC: MT2 versus missing transverse momentum selections for pmssm searches, J High Energy Phys 1107:104 Barr, AJ, B Gripaios & CG Lester (2012) Re-weighing the FELLOWS PUBLICATIONS evidence for a Higgs boson in dileptonic W-boson decays, Phys Rev Lett 108, Barr, AJ, ST French, JA Frost & CG Lester (2011) Speedy Higgs boson discovery in decays to tau lepton pairs, J High Energy Phys 1110, 080 Fine, G (2011), Concepts and Inquiry: Sextus and the Epicureans, Episteme, Etc (eds), B Morison & K Ierodiakonou (Oxford University Press), Grimley, DM, (ed), (2011) Jean Sibelius and his World (Princeton: Princeton University Press) Grimley, M (2012) Thatcherism, Morality and Religion Making Thatcher s Britain (eds) B Jackson & R Saunders (Cambridge University Press) Holland, PWH (2011) The Animal Kingdom: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press) Paps, J, PWH Holland & SM Shimeld (2012) A genome-wide view of transcription factor gene diversity in chordate evolution: less gene loss in amphioxus? Briefi ngs Funct Genomics 11: SI, Zhong, ZF & PWH Holland (2011) HomeoDB2: functional expansion of a comparative homeobox gene database for evolutionary developmental biology Evol Devel 13: Dasmaahapatra, KK, PWH Holland et al (2012) Butterfly genome reveals promiscuous exchange of mimicry adaptations among species Nature 487: Bonsall, M B, SMA Wallace-Hadrill, JR Geddes, GM Goodwin, & EA Holmes (2012) Non-linear time series approaches in characterising mood stability and mood instability in bipolar disorder Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1730), Lang, TJ, SE Blackwell, CJ Harmer, P Davison & EA Holmes (2012) Cognitive bias modification using mental imagery for depression: developing a novel computerized intervention European Journal of Personality, 26(2), doi: / per855 MacLeod, C, & EA Holmes (2012) Cognitive Bias Modification: An intervention approach worth attending to The American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(2) doi: / appiajp Hales, S A, C Deeprose, GM Goodwin & EA Holmes (2011) Cognitions in bipolar affective disorder versus unipolar depression: Imaging suicide Bipolar Disorders 13(7-8), POSTMASTER

88 PUBLICATIONS FELLOWS Holmes, E A, C Deeprose, CG Fairburn, SMA Wallace-Hadrill, MB Bonsall, JR Geddes & GM Goodwin (2011) Mood stability versus mood instability in bipolar disorder: a possible role for emotional mental imagery Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(10), Doi: /jbrat Liu, LZ, K O Keeffe, & SM Hooker (2012) Optical Rotation Quasi-Phase-Matching for Circularly Polarized High Harmonic Generation, Optics Letters O Keeffe, K, T Robinson & SM Hooker (2012) Quasi-phasematching high harmonic generation using trains of pulses produced using an array of birefringent plates, Optics Express Liu, LZ, K O Keeffe & SM Hooker (2012) Quasi-phase-matching of high-order-harmonic generation using polarization beating in optical waveguides, Physical Review A Bajlekov, SI, WM Fawley, CB Schroeder, R Bartolini & SM Hooker, (2011) Simulation of free-electron lasers seeded with broadband radiation, Physical Review STAB Kim, M (2012) A remark on fundamental groups and effective Diophantine methods for hyperbolic curves Number Theory, Analysis, and Geometry, in memory of Serge Lang D Goldfeld et al (ed), Springer-Verlag Kim, M (2012) Tangential localization for Selmer varieties, Duke Math J Volume 161, Number 2, Kim, M (2011) Diophantine geometry and Galois theory Nonabelian Fundamental Groups and Iwasawa Theory, (eds) J Coates, M Kim, F Pop, M Saidi & P Schneider (eds), Cambridge University Press Holton, A & T MacFaul (2011) Tottel s Miscellany: Songs and Sonnets of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, Sir Thomas Wyatt and Others (Penguin) Paparinskis, M (2012) Basic Documents on International Investment Protection (Hart Publishing) Paparinskis, M (2012) Investment Law of/for/before the 21st Century 25 Leiden Journal of International Law 225 Paparinskis, M (2012) Sources of Law and Arbitral Interpretations of Pari Materia Investment Protection Rules The Practice of International and National Courts and the (De-)Fragmentation of International Law (eds) OK Fauchald & A Nollkaemper (Hart Publishing) Paparinskis, M (2011) Investment Treaty Interpretation and Customary Investment Law: Preliminary Remarks Evolution in Investment Treaty Law and Arbitration (eds) C Brown & K Miles (Cambridge University Press) Paparinskis, M (2011) MFN Clauses in International Dispute Settlement: Moving beyond Mffezini and Plama? 26 ICSID Review - Foreign Investment Law Journal 14 Stevenson, GP, C-Y Lee, GF Kennedy, A Parkin, RE Baker, K Gillow, FA Armstrong, DJ Gavaghan & AM Bond (In press) Analysis of the two-electron transfer reaction involving surfaceconfined cytochrome c peroxidase using large-amplitude fourier transformed AC voltammetry Langmuir Foster, CE, T Krämer, AF Wait, A Parkin, DP Jennings, T Happe, JE McGrady & FA Armstrong (2012) Inhibition of [FeFe]-hydrogenases by Formaldehyde and Wider Mechanistic Implications for Biohydrogen Activation JACS 134: Parkin, A & F Sargent (2012) The Hows and Whys of Aerobic H 2 metabolism Curr Op Chem Biol 16:26-34 Volbeda, A, P Amara, C Darnault, J-M Mouesca, A Parkin, MM Roessler, FA Armstrong & JC Fontecilla-Camps (2012) X-ray crystallographic and computational studies of the O 2 -tolerant [NiFe]-hydrogenase 1 from Escherichia coli PNAS 109: Parkin, A, L Bowman, MM Roessler, RA Davies, T Palmer, FA Armstrong & F Sargent (2012) How Salmonella oxidises H 2 under aerobic conditions FEBS Lett 586: Li, D, CW Lee, K Buckler, A Parekh, N Herring & DJ Paterson (2012) Abnormal Intracellular Calcium Homeostasis in Sympathetic Neurons From Young Prehypertensive Rats Hypertension 59(3):642-9 Herring, N, J Cranley, MN Lokale, D Li, J Shanks, EN Alston, BM Girard, E Carter, RL Parsons, BA Habecker & DJ Paterson (2012) The cardiac sympathetic co-transmitter galanin reduces acetylcholine release and vagal bradycardia: Implications for neural control of cardiac excitability J Mol Cell Cardiol 52(3): Bradley, CP, RH Clayton, MP Nash, A Mourad, M Hayward, DJ Paterson & P Taggart (2011) Human ventricular fibrillation during global ischemia and reperfusion: paradoxical changes in activation rate and wavefront complexity Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology 4(5): Tao, T, DJ Paterson & NP Smith (2011) A model of cellular 88 POSTMASTER 2012

89 FELLOWS PUBLICATIONS cardiac-neural coupling capturing the sympathetic control of sinoatrial node excitability in normotensive and hypertensive rats Biophysical J 101(3): Basnayake, SD, JA Hyam, EA Pereira, PM Schweder, J-S Brittain, TZ Aziz, AL Green & DJ Paterson (2011) Identifying cardiovascular neurocircuity involved in the exercise pressor reflex in humans using functional neurosurgery J Appl Physiol 110: Payne, J (2011) Private Equity and its Regulation in Europe, European Business Organization Law Review Prag JRW (2011) Kinship diplomacy between Sicily and Rome, Alleanze e parentele: Le affi nità elettive nella storiografia sulla Sicilia antica, (eds) D Bonanno, C Bonnet, N Cusumano & S Péré-Noguès (Salvatore Sciascia editore) Prag, JRW (2011) Provincial governors and auxiliary soldiers, Les gouverners et les provinciaux sous la République romaine, (eds) N Barrandon & F Kirbihler (Presses Universitaires de Rennes) Prag, JRW (2011) Provincia Sicilia: between Roman and local in the third century BC, De Fronteras a provincias Interacción e integración en Occidente (ssiii-i ac), (ed) E García Riaza (Ediciones Universitat de les Illes Balears) Prag, JRW (2011) Troops and commanders: auxilia externa under the Roman Republic, Truppe e Comandanti nel mondo antico, (eds) D Bonanno, R Marino & D Motta (University of Palermo) Prag, JRW (2011) Siculo-Punic Coinage and Siculo-Punic Interactions, Meetings between Cultures in the Ancient Mediterranean Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Classical Archaeology, Rome Sept 2008, (ed) M Della Riva (Bollettino di Archeologia online, I, 2010, Volume speciale A/A2 /2) Rawson, J (2011) Ancestors and Eternity, Essays on Chinese Archaeology and Art, (in Chinese Zuxian yu yongheng) Beijing: Sanlian chubanshe Rawson, J (2012) The Han Empire and its Northern Neighbours: the Fascination of the Exotic, The Search for Immortality, Tomb Treasures of Han China, (ed) James Lin, pp (New Haven and London, Yale University Press) Romaine, S (2011) Language ecology and language death, Language Contact and Language Decay Socio-political and Linguistic Perspectives (Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori di Pavia) Romaine, S (2011) Revitalized languages as invented languages, From Elvish to Klingon: Exploring Invented Languages (Oxford University Press) Romaine, S (2011) Policy and planning for protecting linguistic diversity, The Architectures of Babel Creation, Extinctions and Intercessions in the Languages of the Global World (Leo S Olschki) Barnes, M, FI Parra, and AA Schekochihin (2011) Critically balanced ion temperature gradient turbulence in fusion plasmas, Physical Review Letters 107, Zocco, A, & AA Schekochihin (2011) Reduced fluid-kinetic equations for low-frequency dynamics, magnetic reconnection and electron heating in low-beta plasmas, Physics of Plasmas 18, Heinemann, T, JC McWilliams & AA Schekochihin (2011) Largescale magnetic field generation by randomly forced shearing waves, Physical Review Letters 107, Parra, FI, MFF Nave, AA Schekochihin, C Giroud, JS de Grassie, JHF Severo, P de Vries & K-D Zastrow (2012) Scaling of spontaneous rotation with temperature and plasma current in tokamaks, Physical Review Letters 108, Schekochihin, AA, SV Nazarenko & TA Yousef (2012) Weak Alfvén-wave turbulence revisited, Physical Review E 85, Benevides, F, T Łuczak, AD Scott, J Skokan & M White (2012) Monochromatic cycles in 2-coloured graphs, Combinatorics, Probability and Computing 21, Brandt, F, M Chudnovsky, I Kim, G Liu, S Norin, AD Scott, P Seymour & S Thomassé (2012), A counterexample to a conjecture of Schwartz, Social Choice and Welfare, to appear Meeks, K, & AD Scott (2012), Spanning trees and the complexity of flood-filling games, FUN 2012, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 7288, Meeks, K & AD Scott (2012) The complexity of flood-filling games on graphs, Discrete Applied Mathematics 160, Scott, AD & B Sudakov (2011) A bound for the cops and robbers problem, SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics 25, Shue, H (2012) Preemptive War, The Encyclopedia of War (ed) Gordon Martel (Oxford: Blackwell) Shue, H (2012) Proportionality in War, The Encyclopedia of War (ed) Gordon Martel (Oxford: Blackwell) Shue, H, & D Luban (2012) Mental Torture: A Critique of Erasures in US Law, Georgetown Law Journal, 100:3, POSTMASTER

90 PUBLICATIONS GRADUATES Thacker, J (2012) Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca and Tirso de Molina: Spain s Golden Age Drama and its Legacy, A History of Theatre in Spain, (eds) MM Delgado & DT Gies (Cambridge University Press), Walworth, J (2012) Speed-dating in Special Collections: A Case Study, Past or Portal? Enhancing Undergraduate Learning through Special Collections and Archives (eds) E Mitchell et al (ACRL, American Library Association) Whitworth, MH (2012) Woolf, Context, and Contradiction in Contradictory Woolf: Selected Papers from the Twenty-First Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf eds D Ryan and S Bolaki (Clemson, SC: Clemson Digital) Whitworth, MH (2012) Strange Synthetic Perfumes : Investigating Scientific Diction in Twentieth-Century Poetry Science in Modern Poetry: New Directions ed John Holmes (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press) Kirsanova, T & S Wren-Lewis (2012) Optimal Fiscal Feedback on Debt in an Economy with Nominal Rigidities, Economic Journal, Vol 122, pp Calmforms, L & S Wren-Lewis (2011) What Should Fiscal Councils Do Economic Policy 26(68), pp Wren-Lewis, S (2011) Internal Consistency, Nominal Inertia and the Microfoundation of Macroeconomics, Journal of Economic Methodology, 18(2) pp Wren-Lewis, S (2011) Lessons from failure: fiscal policy, indulgence and ideology National Institute Economic Review 217(1) R31-R46 Graduates Brooke, A (2011) El mejor mozo? The representation of the future Catholic monarchs in Lope de Vega s El mejor mozo de Espana Bulletin of the Comediantes 63.2 Cliffe, MJ et al. (2012) Accelerated aging: a low energy, solventfree alternative to solvothermal and mechanochemical synthesis of metal organic materials Chem. Sci. DOI: /C2SC20344H Disanto, G et al. (2012) Month of birth, vitamin D and risk of immune mediated disease: a case control study BMC Medicine Disanto, G et al., (2012) Epstein-Barr virus, latitude and multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis Journal Disanto, G et al. (2012) Multiple sclerosis and co-morbid autoimmune disease: the final nail in the coffin? Multiple Sclerosis Journal Disanto, G et al. (2012) On the sex ratio of multiple sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis Journal Pakpoor J, G Disanto et al. (2012) Breastfeeding and multiple sclerosis relapses: a meta-analysis J Neurol Disanto, G et al. (2012) Vitamin D receptor binding, chromatin states and association with multiple sclerosis Hum Mol Genet Disanto, G et al. (2012) Multiple sclerosis: risk factors and their interactions CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets Disanto, G et al. (2012) Seasonal distribution of psychiatric births in England PLoS One, 7, e34866 Disanto, G et al. (2012) Genomic regions associated to multiple sclerosis are active in B cells PLoS One Disanto, G et al. (2012) The evidence for a role of B cells in multiple sclerosis Neurology Disanto, G et al. (2011) Vitamin D: a link between Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis development? Expert Rev Neurother. 11(9): Disanto, G et al. (2011) Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis hospital admissions in Scotland QJM; 104(11): Ferreira, VM et al. (2012) Non-contrast T1-mapping detects acute myocardial edema with high diagnostic accuracy: a comparison to T2-weighted cardiovascular magnetic resonance Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, 14:42, doi: / x Flack, A et al. (2012) What are leaders made of? The role of individual experience in determining leader follower relations in homing pigeons Animal Behaviour, 83, Waldstein, SM, D Hickey et al. (2012) Two-wavelength fundus autofluorescence and macular pigment optical density imaging in diabetic macular odema Eye. doi: /eye Ginalis, A (2012) A comparison of maritime traditions in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, in: Arabia, Greece and Byzantium Cultural. Contacts in Ancient and Medieval Times. Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Historical 90 POSTMASTER 2012

91 GRADUATES PUBLICATIONS Relations between Arabia the Greek and Byzantine World (5th century BC 10th century AD), Riyadh, 6 10 December, 2010, A Al-Helabi, M Al-Moraekhi, D Letsios, A Abduljabbar (eds) Riyadh, Ginalis, A (2012) The impact of the political and economic history of the Byzantine Empire on the Mediterranean seafaring from the 4th to the 15th century AD (Forthcoming at the Festschrift in honour of Marlia Mango) Hartrich, E (2012) Urban identity and political rebellion: London and Henry of Lancaster s Revolt, , in Fourteenth Century England VII, (ed) W M Ormrod (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer), Huang, CJ et al. (2012) Nudge ethics: Just a game of billiards? American Journal of Bioethics, 12(2), Huang, CJ et al. (in press) Malicious meddling or transparent tracking? Telecare as a logical extension of modern communications technology American Journal of Bioethics Buch, ER, VM Johnen et al. (2011) Non-invasive associative plasticity induction in a cortico-cortical pathway of the human brain Journal of Neuroscience, 31(48): Summerfield, C, V Wyart, VM Johnen et al. (2011) Human scalp electroencephalography reveals that repetition expression varies with expectation Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 5: 67 Johnson, D et al. (2012) Studies of the decays D0 -> KS K- Pi+ and D0 -> KS K+ Pi- Physical Review D, 85 (9) Johnson, KM et al. (2012) A new family of cinchona-derived bifunctional asymmetric phase-transfer catalysts: application to the enantio- and diastereoselective nitro-mannich reaction of amidosulfones Org. Lett., 14 (10): Frandsen, MT, F Kahlhoefer et al. (2012) Resolving astrophysical uncertainties in dark matter direct detection JCAP 1201, 024 Li, Y et al. (2011) Patterns of co-morbidity with anxiety disorders in Chinese women with recurrent major depression Psychological Medicine, 1-9 Lim, DSW et al. (2011) One-step preparation of functionalized (E)-vinylsilanes from aldehydes Org. Lett. 13: Lim, DSW et al. (2012) Synthesis of vinylsilanes Synthesis, 7, Loftus, E et al. (2012) Technical note: Interpreting stable carbon isotopes in human tooth enamel: An examination of tissue spacings from South Africa American Journal of Physical Anthropology 147, doi: /ajpa Adlam, D, N Hering, CJ Lu et al Regulation of β-adrenergic control of heart rate by GTP-cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) and tetrahydrobiopterin Cardiovasc Res. 93(4), Marletto, C et al. (2012) How to counteract systematic errors in quantum state transfer Quantum Information & Computation, 12 (7&8) Meeks, K et al. (2012) Spanning trees and the complexity of floodfilling games In: Kranakis, Evangelos, Krizanc, Danny, Luccio, Flaminia (Eds.), FUN 2012, LNCS 7288, , Springer Meeks, K et al. (2012) The complexity of flood-filling games on graphs Discrete Applied Mathematics, 160, 7-8, , ISSN X, /j.dam Wright, JD, T Lancaster, JS Moeller et al. (2012) Gradual destruction of magnetism in the superconducting family NaFe 1-x Co x As Physical Review B, 85, ARTN Sengupta, S (2012) Climate change and India s national strategy, in (eds) K Venkatshamy and P George, India s National Security Strategy: 2020 Perspectives, Pentagon Press, New Delhi Hurrell, A, and S Sengupta (2012) Emerging powers, North- South relations and global climate politics International Affairs, 88 (3) Sengupta, S (2012) Managing the environment: a growing problem for a growing power, in India: The Next Superpower?, A Special Report of LSE International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy (IDEAS), London School of Economics, Sengupta, S (2012) Lessons from the Durban Conference Lead op-ed in The Hindu, 14 Shih-Chung Chen, F (2012) Buddhist passports to the other world: a study of modern and early-medieval Chinese Buddhist mortuary documents, in Buddhist Funeral Cultures of Southeast Asia and China (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) Stephenson, A (2011) Kant on non-veridical perception Kant Yearbook, 3, 1-22 Stephenson, A (2012) Review of Arthur Melnick s Kant s Theory of the Self European Journal of Philosophy 20:1, Tiao, G et al. (2012) Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys Nature Communications 3:660. doi: /ncomms1645 Vukovic, K et al. (2011) Rudra-Shiva and Silvanus-Faunus: Savage and Propitious Journal of Indo-European Studies 39,1-2 POSTMASTER

92 PUBLICATIONS GRADUATES Vukovic, K et al. Web Journal. Postmodern Philosophy and the Impact of the Other in Jim Jarmusch s Films Sic 2 Olteanu, D & J Závodný (2012) Factorised representations of query results: size bounds and readability, in Int Conf on Database Theory (ICDT), Berlin Bakibayev, N, D Olteanu & J Závodný (2012) FDB: A query engine for factorised relational databases, in Very Large Data Bases (PVLDB), 5(12), Istanbul Bakibayev, N, D Olteanu & J Závodný (2012) FDB: Demonstration of the FDB query engine for factorised databases, in Very Large Data Bases (PVLDB), 5(12), Istanbul 92 POSTMASTER 2012

93 The Merton Society The year started with the now customary informal drinks in London this year in slightly less challenging weather conditions than previously and a relaxed, sociable time was enjoyed by all. The annual London dinner was held in the splendid surroundings of the Middle Temple Hall, thanks to our President, Sir Brian Leveson. Around 140 Mertonians enjoyed the ambience, reminiscent of Merton s Hall, although on a somewhat larger scale. The Warden attended and gave early news of the College s plans to mark its 750th anniversary. He also noted that the hacking scandal had put Mertonians in the limelight with Sir Brian s enquiry enjoying daily coverage and the appointment of Bernard Hogan- Howe (1988) as the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. The main speaker of the evening was Michael Wood who talked about his series The Story of England as told through the history of the village of Kibworth in Leicestershire. Merton is the landlord and the archives contain an unparalleled record of village life through the centuries. In May, we held the London Lecture. We are very grateful to Professor John Carey for stepping into the breach at short notice as Sir Martin Gilbert was taken ill. Professor Carey s talk on Charles Dickens and Murder was enthusiastically received. The society s weekend at the end of June was only slightly affected by the wet weather that has characterised 2012, as Mertonians are a hardy breed. The Upper Library exhibitions and the newly MERTON SOCIETY MERTONIANS refurbished Beerbohm Room proved popular draws before we were fortified by strawberries in advance of tours of the city, garden and Castle. All tours drew rave reviews with people enjoying hearing about Oxford and the College from different perspectives. At dinner in Hall, Michael Ridpath (1979) spoke about his progression from the City to a full-time writer and in particular the challenges of Icelandic pronunciation (Michael s main character is an Icelandic detective). It was an inspiring talk, encouraging anyone with a passion or talent to follow it. On Sunday morning, after the Society AGM, nimbly chaired by our President, we had a series of three talks from Mertonians in medicine. Simon Draper spoke about his group s advances in the development of malaria vaccines; Kieran Clarke talked about work to develop a new food group designed to sustain physical endurance over long periods (British rowers being the prime research subjects) and Robert Macfarlane showed us the fascinating new techniques, both genetic and electronic, that are leading to a revolution in the treatment of blindness. All three gave fascinating insights into the processes of medical research and the steps from the lab to therapeutic use. Looking ahead, we are planning a London Drinks Party on 11th October and then on 2nd November, the London dinner will be held at the Travellers Club and we are delighted that Sir Jack Beatson has agreed to be our guest speaker. The POSTMASTER

94 MERTONIANS MERTON SOCIETY Development Office will keep you fully informed and the College website and the new LinkedIn and Facebook groups are regularly updated with news of upcoming events. We are pleased that so many of you support our events and we are always open to comments and suggestions for future events, venues or speakers. In March, I took over the chairmanship from Simon Tross Youle, as he was relocated by his company to Japan. I d like to thank Simon for his work for the Society. He deserves our lasting appreciation, not just for his chairmanship but also many years of council membership. I d like to thank Robert Peberdy, Society Secretary, for his support in my first months in the role. We owe a massive debt of gratitude to those who help run the Society s events NICK ALLARD (1974) AND LOTTIE MCINTYRE AT THIS YEAR S BOAT CLUB DINNER and I would like to thank particularly Christine Taylor, Helen Kingsley and all those in the Development Office; Clifford Webb, our Treasurer, who will be retiring in the autumn, as well as Sir Brian Leveson, our President, and all the Council members. I m very grateful to the Warden, Governing Body and all the College staff who welcome us into the College, make the facilities available to us and look after us so well whenever we have an event. I would like to remind everyone of the Society s Compassionate Fund, which exists to offer support to Mertonians or close relatives who find themselves in difficult circumstances. Please do contact the Development Office if you would like further information Jo Woods (1985) Merton Society Council President Sir Brian Leveson (1967) Vice Presidents RB Allan (1959) Dame Jessica Rawson (1994) Mrs Judith Roberts AM Vickers (1958) Chairman HJ Woods (1985) Secretary RB Peberdy (1975) Treasurer CR Webb (1967), Bursar Past Presidents Sir Michael Jenkins OBE (1951) Sir Jeremy Isaacs (1951) Sir Robert Scott (1963) Lord Wright of Richmond GCMG (1951) WP Cooke CBE (1952) DW Swarbrick (1945) Sir Maurice Hodgson (1938) Elected Council Members NW Allard (1974), AJ Barr (2007, Fellow), JDS Booth (1976), AJ Bott (1953), RTF Crothers (1993), LA Davies (2005), MPH Davison (1978), AJ Haggerty (2007), CL Jolly (1998), The Revd Dr S Jones, GBS Lim (2006), RG McKelvey (1959), RMA Medill (1952), RO Miles (1956), PJ Parsons (1958), AL Smith (1991), SAL Tross Youle (1974), Prof BN Winston (1960) 94 POSTMASTER 2012

95 MC3 MC3 returned to New York City for its annual meeting, to coincide with the University s bi-annual gathering in the Big Apple. The highlight of the weekend was a visit to the almost completed Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island in New York s East River. The Memorial is a Louis I Kahn design, which is only now being realized decades after his death. We were inspired to make the visit by a happy coincidence of events: Bob McKelvey (1959) can see the building site of the Four Freedoms Park from his New York apartment window; Ambassador William vanden Heuvel, who heads up the fundraising efforts for the memorial is an old friend of mine; and most importantly, Reed (1957) and Jane Rubin have been major supporters of the Memorial since its inception. Ambassador vanden Heuvel, the Rubins and the project s executive director MC3 MERTONIANS led us on a wonderful tour of the site, giving Mertonians a preview of what the world will see at the official opening now scheduled for 17th October In addition to the Rubins help with the Four Freedoms Park, other Mertonians contributed to a great weekend. Charles Scudder (1971) placed the overseas Merton party at the Yale Club. Pross Gifford (1951) and Francis Finlay (1962) sponsored us at the Century Association, a notable New JOHN KIRBY (1962), SUSAN CULLMAN AND BOB McKELVEY (1959) POSTMASTER

96 MERTONIANS MC3 FRANCIS FINLAY (1962) AND THE WARDEN pledges with outreach to capital prospects continuing through the efforts of the Americas Capital Campaign Committee. In addition, he noted that Bob McKelvey would conduct annual fund solicitations each year with the remaining Mertonians in the Americas to add to the MC3 gift total. As of the meeting, the overall Merton campaign stood at 19 million raised of the 30 million goal. MC3 was happy to welcome Sir Martin and Lady Taylor to New York to continue the relationship, which began in Philadelphia last year. With much enthusiasm, the meeting broke up with plans to reconvene in Boston in April John J Kirby (1962) York landmark, for a roof-top cocktail reception in sight of the illuminated Chrysler Building and a splendid dinner in the Club s dining room. My former law firm graciously provided space for the Annual Meeting. The weekend concluded with the now traditional New York brunch at our apartment. This meeting also marked the opening of the Merton College Capital Campaign in the Americas. At the annual meeting itself, the assembled members noted the passing of Rod Richards (1965), who with former Warden, John Roberts, were the founding fathers of MC3. The resolution noted that they had initiated Merton s first capital campaign in 1989: How prescient both of them were about the needs of higher education in the UK. Bob McKelvey, in his Development Report, noted that since its inception MC3 had provided funds directly to Merton of 96 POSTMASTER 2012 $756,000 for permanent programs such as the Americas Scholar and $7.5 million for a wide range of special projects from the Library to fellowships. Other substantial gifts from the Americas have gone to Merton through other sources such as the American Trust for Oxford and directly to the College. These gifts include the eponymous Finlay Building and the Choral Foundation, a special project of Reed and Jane Rubin. David Harvey (1957), Chairman of the Americas portion of the Capital Campaign, reported on the College s 2014 capital campaign effort entitled Sustaining Excellence. The College s total campaign goal is 30 million (approximately $45 million). MC3 has agreed to raise $9 million of this amount. David Harvey reported that as of the meeting date, MC3 had raised over two-thirds of its amount, or approximately $6.1 million in gifts and THE BARCLAYS CAPITAL BUILDING, WHERE THE 2011 MERTON IN MANHATTAN EVENT WAS HELD

97 Merton Golf Society GOLF SOCIETY MERTONIANS RICHARD SEDDON (ORIEL), PAUL CHAMBERLAIN (MERTON) AND JIM CADWALLADER (KEBLE) AT THE INTER-COLLEGIATE TOURNAMENT The Spring meeting on 16th March again at Frilford Heath was well attended although several late cancellations reduced numbers on the day to 16. The course was in good shape, given the warm early spring weather, although the greens were still recovering from having recently been tined and sanded. However, this did not stop two birdies being recorded and some generally creditable scoring! Tallying this was challenging for a new organiser with four players registering 31 points and a serious count-back looming, before one and then another came in with 32 points. Finally a clear winning card emerged with David Holmes (1966) on 34 points, from Tim Phillips (1960) as runner-up on count-back from Roger Gould (1959). The winner s engraved jug and second placed tankard were presented at lunch. The usual afternoon greensomes were not played as the Society took the opportunity of being together to discuss the results of a recent survey, kindly masterminded by Helen in the Development Office, of views on how to move forward and to secure what Tom Hennessy had achieved. There was a good response to the survey and from these and the subsequent discussion it was agreed that the Society should continue to meet in the Spring and Autumn. However, the Spring meeting might move from Frilford, initially perhaps towards London, in order to see if this might attract more players. There was also debate around the possibility of other matches, the importance or not of dining in the College, and a modest annual sub. Bill Ford (1975) agreed to act as Captain and organiser of the Society with the guidance of a small consultative group, to rule on these weighty matters, of Mark Price (1964) and Stanley Williams (1963) moderated by Adrian Vickers (1958) as President of the Society. The final event of the year was the Inter- Collegiate competition the week after our Spring meeting. We were able to field a full team of ten for the Inter-Collegiate POSTMASTER

98 MERTONIANS GOLF SOCIETY Hennessy Cup (named after Tom Hennessy, who sadly passed away in January) with four of our six winning scorers from 2011 returning to defend our title against 15 other colleges. In benign conditions the overall competition scoring was very high and the competition was eventually won by Christ Church, who last won in 2004, with 211 points from their best six scoring players. For those non golfers reading this, 36 stableford points per player would represent playing to handicap which does not happen very often and this winning score is, I think, the highest cumulative total ever achieved. St Edmund Hall finished second on 205 and Merton were third on 200, slightly behind our 2011 winning score of 205 but nevertheless a valiant effort. The six scorers were Bill Ford who finished as the individual runner-up on the Red course, stalwarts from 2011 John Mitchell (1955) and Paul Chamberlain (Fellow), Simon Constantine (1977), Chris Mercer (1969) and with particular thanks for stepping up at short notice and with a steady round to ensure that we had six in with 30 points or more Michael Jenkins (1953). It was a most enjoyable and well organised event and with 150+ at lunch as always a very sociable day. The prize-giving dinner this year was hosted by Balliol. My thanks go to all who have supported the Society this year, and to the Development Office for their support. It has been good to see some returners as well as the regular faces and I hope that we can continue to offer a golfing programme to entice new members to come and join us. Bill Ford (1975) Chairman, Merton Golfi ng Society 98 POSTMASTER 2012

99 News of Old Members Up to 1948 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: MICHAEL MILLARD 35 Armorial Road, Coventry, Warwickshire, CV3 6GH Tel: Many of the replies I receive express appreciation of the College. Most are cheerful but, inevitably at our age, a few express sadness. A letter from Rachel Shelley tells me that John Shelley (1944) died painlessly and peacefully in February at the age of 86. Dr Isabelle Rocchesani writes to say that her father Peter Lerrigo (1942) died on 2nd December Mats Ageburg writes from Malm to say that his father Hans Andersson (1947) died at his breakfast table on 23rd March at the age of 93. Sadly also Derek Stubbs (1948) writes that his wife died last January. However he finds his family a great support. In a closing quip he reminds me that when I began as year correspondent in 2000 he had passed on some sound advice: never volunteer; it s the early worm that gets the bird. On a lighter note I had a brief conversation in the Lodge in which I mentioned the word rowers. Nigel Sanders (1948) and John Shore (1953) asserted firmly that they had been oarsmen. More seriously, my wife and I recently attended the Golden Wedding celebrations of Brenda and Brian Chapple (1944). Brian is becoming resigned to a quiet life. After 24 years on Solihull Council he is now a First Alderman of Solihull. When Ken Poole (1947) wrote in July last year, he had just undergone the strains of filling in his tax forms and was then anticipating his Golden Wedding celebration. When he wrote again in April he was able to report that Brian Campbell (1947) and his wife had attended that celebration. Ron Charlwood (1944) and Lionel Lewis (1946) had encouraged him to attend this year s Gaudy but like many of our age he is not at ease in crowds. Lionel Lewis, writing in May, reminisces on his trip, in 1948, from Rose Lane to breakfast carrying a plate with his butter ration on it. He looks forward to a meeting with Ken Poole and Geoffrey Kidson (1946) in June. Geoffrey Kidson writes briefly that he is in touch with Lionel Lewis and has for 14 years been an active member of the Oxford U3A. Brian Campbell still plays his trumpet and has recently enjoyed NEWS UP TO 1948 OLD MEMBERS being taken to Wilton s Music Hall, the oldest in the world. A spell in hospital does not seem to have dampened his ardour. Leonard Allinson (1944) marvels, at the age of 86, at our Queen s and Prince s ability to stand around and do walkabouts. He and his wife celebrated their Diamond Wedding last November. Michael Hinton (1945) was there amongst other survivors of their wedding. There have been no major calamities. Their Army grandson has returned safely from a second term in Helmand: their intrepid daughter has survived a bungee jump in New Zealand. Michael Hinton, like many of our age, has suffered health problems but is still fairly active. His contacts with Leonard Allinson included joyful attendance at the Golden Wedding of Leonard and his wife Peggy. He refrained from writing about post-war Oxford save to recall writing, in the winter of 1947, an essay on St Francis of Assisi in Franciscan conditions. Another Diamond Wedding was that of Michael Woods (1944) and his wife, which was celebrated in August at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. He comments on the magnificent behaviour of the hotel staff during the August riots. Several letters include comments on post-war Oxford. Trevor Fletcher (1940) remembers fire-watching under Edmund Blunden; later, in the winter of 1947, the libraries were freezing. He concludes by writing to Merton I owe an incalculable debt. Alan Elliot (1942) also recalls fire-watching and although firstly a golfer he used to open the innings with Edmund Blunden (1933). For some years he was on the local committee for the open championship at St Andrews. He still assists in the production of the R&A Golfer s Handbook. He and his wife have two children; one near Fort William and one in Spain. His father was at Jesus College; his son, who lives in Spain, was at Pembroke. Sadly, trips to Catalonia are no longer possible as he is not sufficiently mobile. James Midwood (1947) agrees with the dictum that the purpose of a good education is to prevent boredom and adds his belief that the avoidance of boredom is the secret of happy ageing. With four children to provide grandchildren for teenage-sitting, he and his wife are kept busy and, in addition, his local parish church allows him to look after the finances. He recalls happy winter days when his scout told him that the ice in the washbasin was now broken: and then there was the walk through the snow to the loo which was only partially enclosed against the elements. POSTMASTER

100 OLD MEMBERS NEWS UP TO 1948 Michael Keating Hill (1940) in a long and interesting letter says that he is still in touch with Maurice Hodgson (1938), David Swarbrick,(1945) and Judith Roberts, widow of Warden Roberts. He records his regret at the deaths of two close friends, Robert Smyth (1945) and Ronald Wilkinson (1939). He finishes with a brief account of his first Don Rag in which Deane Jones introduced him to the Warden with an indirect reference to his having been progged for drinking in the Randolph. Gerald Winzer (1947) writes of his memories of pupils of Robert Levens including Reginald Waite (1939), Paul Ledger (1947) and Brian Campbell. Later, when working for military intelligence in the Far East, he met James Heslop (1942). Many of us have quiet years in which either nothing seems to happen or we continue to do what we have mentioned in previous years. So Charles Hennessy (1947) says little about himself but is fulsome in praise of his late brother Tom (1953) and his rare talent for making friends. Michael Franks (1946) regrets missing the funeral of David Hay (1950) but is in contact with Robert Hardy (1952). John Sassoon (1947) describes his year as more static than usual. James Firth (1948) writes from the Barbican that they have no news apart from a pleasurable retirement in an agreeable place. John McComie (1943) comments on increasing infirmities but is thankful to be alive. His three children are happily married. Tom Shiner (1943) restricts himself to (unenthusiastic) comments about accountancy and admits that taxation is at least interesting. John Rhodes (1946) is in good health though dependent on friends for transportation. Roger Highfield (1948) celebrated his 90th birthday on St Valentine s Day at a College drinks party. Anthony Curtis (1944) sees Hilary Rubinstein (1944) and John Jones (1942) from time to time; he also hears news of Michael Briggs (1944). Ian Bucklow (1943) has discovered that a woman s bike is easier to ride than a man s. Starting and stopping require much less effort especially in negotiating hoards of idiot visitors in Cambridge who, holding their cameras in the air, step backwards into the road for a better shot. Derek Richards (1948) is in occasional contact with Michael Yates (1948) and presently runs two theatrical companies: a Music Hall company and one to perform at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Also he and his wife act as volunteer wardens at Talbot House, Poperinge, Belgium. Guy Harris (1948) with whom I travelled to this year s Gaudy, describes that meeting as both memorable and uplifting a confirmation, were it needed, of the great privileges we enjoyed and still enjoy. He has not been idle. He has recently published, in aid of local charities, a small booklet entitled A History of Shipston Medicine: a contribution to Shipston medical history. Manek Kirpalani (1947) reminds us that his father was a Mertonian: he comments that his memories of Merton are very special; and he is encouraging his granddaughter to consider applying. His most recent achievement is his 21st book entitled A Handbook of Research on Born Globals (2012). Bruce Killeen (1943) writes as follows: My first wife Angela was a studio-potter and mother of our three vigorous children. My second wife Julia was a painter. She ran a thriving painting school on the Isle of Mull. After her recent death I moved to the South of France where I continue to paint inconveniently large paintings and write conveniently small poems. Ralph Feltham (1940) writes: I am winding down but, as an old Saudi hand, am consoled by the discovery of the English language Arab News on line; an enlightening and educative primary source. Rudolph Klein (1948) reports keeping dementia at bay by producing the odd (his expression) academic article. Politics, Health and Healthcare will be published in July. His first wife having died 15 years ago, he is now married to a Dutch lady. Many of us have overseas connections, some flimsy, some firm. John Byrt (1947) in a typically friendly letter tells how he visits family in Australia. When there, he met Peter Henderson (1947). Peter and his wife are reasonably healthy. David Calder (1947), a South African by birth, came up as a Rhodes Scholar. After 14 years in South Africa he returned to Surrey where he practised as a solicitor. His second wife has South African connections so they frequently return to see grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Martin Reynolds (1948) wrote an interesting and newsy letter last November. He helps his son with his agricultural and viticulture business. The production of an excellent table wine finds people very interested in purchase but less inclined toward payment. One grandchild is presently at Cambridge and two more are hoping for university places. Martin finds the Algarve a pleasant part of the world and because of good travel facilities it is not remote from orchestral, operatic and ballet productions. In a more recent letter he reports a correspondence with Lionel Stevens (1948) in which they agree that the game of rugby union has gone down the drain as a spectacle in the Six Nations competition. 100 POSTMASTER 2012

101 NEWS 1949 OLD MEMBERS Robert Figures (1947) worked in West Africa with the Methodist Missionary Society but came home with ill health. Since then he has had the leading of several Methodist Churches. He remarks that although he has had a bus pass for quite a time the adoption of a denture has confirmed his entry to the ranks of old codgers. Patrick Boston (1943) in retirement has been able to pursue his interest in butterflies. Having been a teacher at Budo in Uganda he gained permission to do a butterfly project in the Budango forest and now has a butterfly reference collection in the OU Natural History Museum. After a few comments on US presidents and appreciation of classical music in Austin (Texas), Christopher Middleton (1948) lets slip that, following a new book of poems Just Look at the Dancers, he is to receive the Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Grounds for congratulation surely. Claver Toalster (1948), who has accepted my apology for misspelling his name in last year s Postmaster, reports the visit of our Vice Chancellor to Frankfurt. At a reception, including a buffet supper, Claver met among others, two professors, one a German scholar, the other a German Scholar. The latter discussed with Claver a certain Herbert-Karl Frahm, who, after the Gestapo came after him, became Willy Brandt. After the Gaudy he visited Duncan Cloud (1948). He says that apart from a slight difficulty in descending stairs he is well, and ready to attend the next Gaudy. Two letters in particular look, partly, to the future. Gerald Dearden (1941) has not had a good year but a serious back operation has been successful and he is, after a long time, able to walk and drive without pain. He comments that three of his four grandchildren are at university and will ultimately be heavily in debt. He also refers to the beautifully produced Merton Calendar. David Hopkinson (1944) and his wife are now great-grandparents. They are involved with both St Anne s and Somerville. The Development Trust keeps them in the picture very well. His final question: can Oxford go independent of Government? David Morris Marsham (1948) comments that despite his family having had Merton connections over two centuries, his daughters were uninterested. I have no prospect of generating such a long connection but I wonder how Jessica Millard (born January 2012) will react to the knowledge that her mother (2001), her grandfather (1972) and her great-grandfather (1948) were all Mertonians YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: ALASTAIR PORTER 4 Savill Road, Lindfield, West Sussex, RH16 2NX Tel: arw.porter@btinternet.com I regret that once more I must begin my annual report with the news of the death of one of our number: Claud Claudet. Claud was a Postmaster and read Greats, but had wide interests outside the lecture theatre. He played tennis squash, rugby and the cello. After Merton, he had two separate careers, firstly as managing director of an export company, and then as head of classics at Holmwood House School, near Tunbridge Wells. He carried on with his sporting activities as an enthusiastic and successful member of the Veterans Squash Rackets Club of Great Britain. His widow Ann wrote to me to tell me of his death, just in time for me to pass on the sad news to those of our year who attended the Gaudy in March. The Gaudy was open to all who had matriculated up to and including 1956, and the 49ers were well represented by nine of our year: Colin Baker, Nils Bierrum, Geoffrey Frowde, Geoffrey Lupton, Hal Miller, Hugh Podger, Ian Skeet, Jeremy Webster and myself. It is good to be able to report that all were in good form and enjoyed the occasion. We acquired second-hand news of an active Stanley Richardson and, through the presence of his brother-in-law Jim Midwood (1948), of Jim Green, still living in Newfoundland surrounded by his large family. Of those who could not be with us for reasons of distance, Ian Macpherson, as ever, sends interesting news from Hong Kong. In his own words: There was a Merton Dinner here at the Foreign Correspondents Club in January. There was a good turnout of about 30, mostly incredibly attractive and lively Merton boys and girls, from Hong Kong or mainland China plus a few ancient folks such as yours truly. The youngsters were agog to learn from us seniors about what Merton was like in the forties and fifties and the hardships we underwent. Jack Dixon, another regular correspondent, writes from Canada to say that all is well with him, and Gerald Johnson reports that, for family reasons, he has moved from Eugene, Oregon to the delightfully named Gig Harbor, WA. Difficult to pin down geographically, Hugh Sackett found time to send an en route from Boston to Athens and East Crete, which is his work station for five months of the year. He writes that, following excavations over the years , he and his POSTMASTER

102 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1952 colleagues have much to publish and are on the fifth of seven volumes at this point. He hopes very much to be able to make an appearance for the 750th celebrations. On this side of the pond, Julian Lipton admits to anno domini leading to poor health and lack of mobility and we wish him improved health in the coming year. Robert Andrew, on the other hand, having been an unlikely absentee from both the London Dinner and the Gaudy, has been extremely active and discovering that conflicts of appointments still occur. He has, however, found time to follow the favourite pastime of many 49ers by enjoying a cruise. As for myself, I was delighted that my small piece in last year s Postmaster about the two Merton VCs featured in the Ashcroft Gallery of the Imperial War Museum (Jack Randle and Leonard Cheshire) resulted in the discovery of two others. Geoffrey Vickers won the VC in France in 1915 a fact to which I was alerted by his Mertonian son and Lorne MacLaine Campbell (a former President of the JCR and a Myrmidon) was awarded the Victoria Cross in Tunisia in My mini-file containing this information has been lodged with the College Archivist YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: ROGER MEDILL 4 The Lennards, South Cerney, Cirencester, GL7 5UX Tel: Tony Bailey has very kindly sent me a copy of his latest book, his 24th, I believe. It is entitled: Velazquez and the Surrender of Breda, in its New York form, his London editor resisting publication with a wry comment on his insularity: Sorry, too many foreign names, Tony. It opens with a brilliant subterfuge reminiscent of the Iliad, a turf ship supposedly bringing fuel, but with its hold full of armed men, resulting in the fall of the city. A comment in Ray Quinlan s letter may strike a chord with others when he says: I am a track and field man, and I lost interest in the Olympics about the time they introduced synchronised swimming. However, the huge demand for beach volleyball tickets on the hallowed ground where the Trooping of the Colour takes place shows that a little frivolity is permissible. Ray has just written a play about Oskar Schindler, and a reading of the script by professional actors with a theatre critic in attendance has taken place. We await the outcome with interest. A letter full of memories and current news arrived from David Gray, a fellow English undergraduate with me. He keeps in touch with Brian Swinton and Ronald Singleton, also of our group. David was a pupil at Bootham School with Thomas Braun, Dean at Merton for many years; his last visit to Merton was for Braun s memorial service, which he found a memorable occasion. He and his wife are living in a Rowntree sheltered housing scheme in York. They are members of a large, active community, one-third of them Quakers. They are kept busy by four children, eight grandchildren and their bee-keeping. John Race is a former Greats person which could, perhaps, be deduced from the following passage, including his final remark about Aristotle, the 4th-century polymath whose 22 surviving treatises include logic, physics, astronomy, biology, psychology, ethics, politics and literary criticism. John now hails him as the father of computer science. While in the Broad s Museum of the History of Science in August 2011, trying to discover whether it was true that medieval Chinese sailors could determine the longitude, John Race mentioned to the curator he had been inspired, as an undergraduate, by the museum s Logical Piano (and also by John Lucas comment that Descartes had asked if a machine could outplay its designer) to make an electric propositional logic device and an optical syllogism tester. As a consequence John s devices were exhibited, under a suitable pseudonym, on the museum s Fourth Plinth displaying ancient oddities: details at ox.ac.uk/home-made-logic-machines. He adds: you may be glad to know that (Professor Sir) Tony Hoare has put a girdle round the earth to meet demand for his lectures on software engineering, the field in which he is perhaps the leading UK figure. He spoke at Wolfson College recently and, to my pleasure, confirmed what everyone should know that computer science is mostly Aristotle plus a few scraps of silicon. I don t get about much now, but I did greatly enjoy a day in the London galleries recently: David Hockney s huge, colourful glorification of the English countryside at the Royal Academy not often you see a painting 15 yards by 10. Lucian Freud s brilliant use of impasto for the intense scrutiny of his friends at the National Portrait Gallery, and finally four impressive sculptures by Ron Mueck, in a Savile Row gallery. One of these was a five-timeslarger-than-reality plucked chicken, brilliantly carved, suspended from the ceiling by its feet. I found it a moving reminder of mankind s measureless debt to the creatures daily slaughtered in their millions to keep us alive. 102 POSTMASTER 2012

103 NEWS 1954 OLD MEMBERS 1954 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: DICK LLOYD 2 Brook Cottages, Sherford, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2AX Tel: Fax: a.lloyd33@virgin.net 2011 was much saddened by the death of John Parr on 3rd December. It was not unexpected, as John had been battling very courageously against prostate cancer for some time. A Memorial Service was held in London for him on 2nd March, which was well supported by a number of Mertonian friends, and I was very sad that I could not be among them because of an unalterable prior commitment. However, I had an excellent account of it from Gerard Green, and it was a memorable and uplifting tribute to a man with numerous friends. I was also very glad that I had arranged a small gathering of a number of John s close friends in London on 4th June, which John himself clearly much enjoyed, despite the fact that he was, by then, not at all well. An Obituary appears in this edition of Postmaster. I have not had many contributions for this year s report, probably due to my own mistake in misdating the outgoing letter 2011, and they mostly treat of literary activity. However, it was good to catch up with several of you at the March Gaudy. Henry Mayr-Harting wrote a lengthy paper on 12th-century English mothers in a Festschrift for Henrietta Leper. For his 75th birthday, a symposium was organised at St Peter s College with eight papers all by former St Peter s pupils, accompanied by a buffet lunch in glorious April weather. He also found time, as he puts it breaking into his normally humdrum existence, to visit several wonderful forts in Rajasthan. Ted Mullins is still living partially in Provence, and complaining about the astronomic rise in prices. He is working on yet another book. Mike Rines, the publication of whose book Sown with Corn I reported last year, has been invited to lecture about it at the University of Bonn. The book has now been taken on by Pen & Sword, a major publisher of history books, and Colin Richmond, Emeritus Professor of History at Keele University and a leading authority on German/Jewish relations, says that the importance of the book cannot be over-stressed. Peter Westwood has sent me another hilarious anecdote from his days as a Colonial Officer in Fiji. In September 1958, a new Governor, a rather nervous introspective character, arrived to take over from his bluff and hearty predecessor. He was invited to open a Provincial Council Meeting. The councillors, formally dressed in jackets and ties, all sat cross-legged on the floor. Chairs in Fijean villages were hard to find, and it was a motley collection that had been assembled for the visiting dignitaries. The one reserved for the Governor was, supposedly, the most superior, consisting of a wooden frame with arms supporting a canvas back and seat. Sadly, for the unfortunate Governor, the seat was rotten and he subsided bottom first and suddenly on to the floor. To add to his embarrassment a chicken had chosen to fall asleep under the chair, only to be rudely awakened by the unexpected arrival of the gubernatorial posterior on its head. It managed to extricate itself and flew off with loud squawks. Peter thought momentarily that these were emitted by His Excellency himself, but he comments that the Governor took it like a man, and the councillors sat quite impassively throughout. This leaves me, Dick Lloyd, to acquaint you with some information about my second literary effort, which is to have published a book entitled: Re-incarnated a Boarding School Boy. It is an account of my family background and education at boarding schools from the tender age of 7. At the last of these establishments, Felsted School in Essex, I made friends with a boy who believed in re-incarnation and we had long discussions on the subject. This led to my attending lectures in London by an old gentleman called Arthur Wyeth, and the second half of the book is devoted to an account of what he taught. The book has been endorsed by another old Mertonian, Peter Stanford, who is a well-known biographer, broadcaster and journalist, who specialises in religious affairs. Peter kindly agreed that I could publish his comments on the cover: I have known and treasured Dick Lloyd for half a lifetime. His curiosity and fearlessness in exploring difficult and controversial territory have been enduring hallmarks. This book bottles those qualities part memoir, part spiritual journey, part history of his generation, all told with good humour and clarity. It will entertain and enlighten his readers. The book costs 9.75, and I can supply signed copies to anyone who sends a cheque for that amount made out to R.J. Lloyd to me at 2 Brook Cottages, Sherford, Kingsbridge TQ7 2AX. Alternatively it can be ordered from any bookshop. Farthings Publishing ISBN POSTMASTER

104 OLD MEMBERS NEWS YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: JOHN MITCHELL OBE The Hedges, Church Road, Fernhurst, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 3HZ Tel: was the year of a Gaudy to which our year was invited. It was a great pleasure for me to dine with Lionel Jebb, Martin Redfern and David Marsh, meet others, and to hear reports of some of those unable to attend. The best implicit excuse for non-attendance was that of John Adams, of Sydney, who had however asked me to give his What- Ho! s [or was it G day s?] to quite a few: I managed some, though I did not by any means meet all he wished to greet. Dermot Killingly was there. He is still very busy. The activity catching my eye most was his writing and direction of a Nativity play that was performed in the streets of Newcastle in December, However, he also continues as an editor of the journal Religions of South Asia and as chairman of the SY Killingly Trust which gives grants to part-time students, a Trust founded in memory of his late wife. Michael Sackett, who adorns the Merton Hockey Club photo in my downstairs loo, has hit upon a new piece of Merton history. For 12 years, he has been recording the internal furnishings of Somerset churches for the V&A et al, during the course of which he came across pieces connected to Henry Abyndon, successor to Robert Gilbert, the sixth medieval Warden of Merton. He then persuaded his elder brother, also a Mertonian, to join with him in researching and preparing an article on Henry Abyndon, the seventh medieval Warden, which appears in this Postmaster. Henry Abyndon s monumental brass will be in the exhibition of church treasures, May to November, 2012, at the Bishop s Palace in Wells, an exhibition with which Michael is much involved. It could be worth a trip to Wells Bob Lowrie has long forsaken chemistry, preferring to concentrate on music, gardening and socialising. He has completed over 40 years as conductor of the church choir of St Barnabas, Jericho, having also had a tenor lay Clerkship to New College for 25 years. He recently produced and performed in Amahl and the Night Visitors, by Menotti, playing an elderly, dotty and deaf King, which was seen by some as a nice bit of casting. He still sings a lot and claims to be able to reach all the right notes, though not necessarily in the right order. He hopes music making may be a secret of long life. Jean Holder has not given up work. He chairs the regional airline, LIAT, sits on several Boards in the private services sector in the Caribbean, and still finds time to write the odd book. These include one on The Case for Owning Airlines, a standard text in Tourism and Air transport courses, and another, just finished, on Caribbean Tourism dating back to the 1830s. He says he is still pretty fit, which is just as well! I fear I may have wiped or lost some contributions, to the authors of which I apologise. So I will proceed to my own very brief bits. I golf lots, raise money for our village sports club, play bridge, like theatre, cinema, wine and travel. My bad news is that my grandson cannot follow his mother and me into Merton, because the College no longer has places for Geographers so he is going up to The House, in September; what a shame YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: RICHARD KENYON Four Winds, Dalehouse Lane, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2JZ Tel: delaroche37@gmail.com This year we graduated to the Gaudy all before group and so had our second dinner at the College within three years. Some 40% of those of us living in Great Britain attended. An interesting challenge was to try to name all the faces on the matriculation photograph. There were several differences of opinion, but we were all sure of Ronnie Bulgin (1954) who had gatecrashed the front row. Subsequently there was yet more discussion and disagreement by . Several contemporaries recalled that they were not present including one, who shall be nameless, who wrote again the next day to say that when he had asked his wife if there was anyone in the photo she recognised, she had picked him out immediately. In February, in Wellington, New Zealand, I again had coffee with Kees Weststrate (1955). We thought back to our days at Merton and recalled walking in the garden and encountering a rather formidable, as we thought, Warden Mure and a chatty Hugo Dyson; the latter was exercising his dog with squash racket and ball. Michael Baker, on the other hand, recalls a much more approachable Warden, who liked to take a good part in recruiting commoners who would be good college men. They did not have to be sportsmen (oarsmen) 104 POSTMASTER 2012

105 NEWS 1957 OLD MEMBERS but could be expected to make a constructive contribution to the life of the College and to the satisfaction of its undergraduates. In those days graduates were few and far between. He had a clear memory of the Warden looking wistfully over a field of corn during a progress and commenting that Homer had described such a sight. Two of our year who have not previously been in touch with the College have come out of the woodwork. David Bethell in Wiltshire retired early from academic teaching at Dauntseys but kept up the hockey coaching. He still umpires although he is on a sabbatical following pinhole surgery to both knees; he hopes also to return to the cricket field. Charles Hobday is also retired but in Shropshire where he helps out in the local Citizens Advice Bureau, most often advising those having difficulty handling their debts. Our year s foremost mathematician, Michael Eastham, is still active and close to completing his fifth book; this book on periodic differential equations will supersede one he wrote in Truman Schwartz in the USA recalls the highlights of his time at Merton being tutorials with Courteney Philips, and he was delighted that a chemistry fellowship was to be created in Courteney s honour. Truman still has a slight scar on his right eyelid, a souvenir of the High, said by some to be the most beautiful street in Europe. He and Derick Cullen (1955) were rushing to a theatrical performance when on stepping into the road he looked left, the American way, and had an encounter with a delivery van. He hopes to attend some of the 750th celebrations in There were too many contributors to the photograph saga to mention them individually. From around the world we had news that all was well with Ian Mugridge in Vancouver who was at cross-purposes with me for some time until we realised we were looking at different matriculation photographs, Michael Kaye in Hawaii who as a child had sat in my father-in-law s dental chair, Friedl Posch in Austria who still plays the recorder and sent me photos of himself playing in a group when he was ambassador in Manila, and Jay Keyser in USA whose recently published book, I Married a Travel Junkie, has received complimentary reviews. Last year I attended a Merton Open Day with my grandson. We were both impressed by the College s approach. At the end of the opening address the point was made, Once a member of the Merton family, always a member. I was glad to be able to stand up and say that as a Mertonian of 55 years standing, I could confirm that sentiment. Quite recently at a club meeting in Kenilworth I met a young lady who surprised me by saying that she was coming to Merton this September. She was Tanya Pankratova (2012). She was then even more surprised when I replied that there were two Mertonians also in the room, Tony Wynn-Evans and myself YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: GRAHAM BYRNE HILL 26 Lawn Crescent, Kew Gardens, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3NS g.byrnehill@googl .com 1958 YEAR REPRESENTATIVES: BRYAN LEWIS 2 Bell Close, Ratby, Leicestershire, LE6 0NU Tel: kb.lewis@tazam.com and PETER PARSONS Ashton House, Downside Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 5LT Tel: parsonswin@ntlworld.com It was pleasing to renew acquaintances at the 2011 Gaudy. We all felt distinctly senior I suspect when the Warden observed in his after-dinner address that 1961 (the Gaudy embraced those who had matriculated ) was almost certainly an important year in the lives of those who had come up then. It was for him, too, he said: It was the year I started primary school. It s those who are still working, it seems, who have found the time to or, more likely, those in retirement feel that comments on grandparent duties and the like are of no interest. Roderick Abbott wrote from Italy where he has a branch office to his HQ which is still in Brussels. You would expect me to say that I am still working and I am! But I can now admit to a much reduced commitment. I divide my time between an excellent think-tank specialising in trade policy...and a consultancy (the third to have my affiliation since 2007). Consultancy can lead into obscure byways. I am currently deep into the study of the differences between Crown Dependencies overseas territories, former colonies, dependent territories, assorted bits of Empire and so on and so forth. I have discovered it is possible to be outside the United Kingdom in a constitutional sense, and yet belong at least partially to the EU POSTMASTER

106 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1959 via the UK s Act of Accession. Bizarre. (Accession was as long ago as 1973 an awfully long time to be standing in the doorway (with opt-outs) without making up your mind to go right in or get out completely.) The Brussels branch of the Merton Society is still in embryo. I have only come across one or two Mertonians here: one was Sir Michael Palliser (1940), one-time UK Ambassador to the EC. Ceri Peach writes that after returning from sabbatical leave at the Office of Population Research at Princeton in 2007, I retired from my position as Oxford University Professor of Social Geography and became Emeritus Professor at the University and Emeritus Fellow at St Catherine s where I have been a tutorial Fellow since In 2007 I was offered the five-year post as Visiting Professor in the Institute for Social Change at Manchester University. I have now retired for the second time but remain research-active, I have a continuing interest in ethnic and ethno-religious geography; but, out of character, also in the river, which has been the case ever since I taught the young Dan Topolski when his New College tutor was on sabbatical leave...among the select group of Merton geographers whom I taught are Michael Keith (1978), Professor and Director of the ESRC Centre on Migration Policy and Professorial Fellow of Merton and Peter Smith (1963) a long-standing Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. I would be pleased to hear from any of my former pupils at ceri.peach@geog.ox.ac.uk. Jim Gunton wrote from Lehigh University in south-east Pennsylvania. Things go more or less normally here, with some health issues interspersed. I had quadruple bypass surgery 18 months ago and seem to be doing fine, although I now take many pills that probably do vile things to my biochemistry. Lehigh just extended my endowed chair for several more years which was touching but somewhat overly optimistic about the state of my body! His wife is a keen golfer, but not Jim albeit he enjoys walking the courses. Forget the damned golf ball which has a life of its own and whose trajectory is never congruent with my intentions. Three children and five grandchildren are a joy but Jim is pessimistic about the bonkers irrational politicians in the USA. (His comments on the Republican Party are withering.) His concluded: I must now turn my attention to teaching my Physics for Poets course to non-science majors...bright, fun students. My research has gone well this past year, with one of our articles featured on the cover of Biophysical Journal late last fall. By the way, I have a website if you want to see how I now look. Oliver Ford Davies played Bishop Lancelot Andrewes in the RSC production of Written on the Heart by David Edgar. The production transferred from Stratford to the Duchess Theatre in London where a number of Oliver s Mertonian supporters club were able to attend a Saturday matinee Peter Parsons with Jane, Brian Laventure with Daphne, Robert Harvey, Bryan Lewis and Peter Hayward (1959). Our admiration for Oliver s stamina (an evening performance was to follow) was all the more when we learned that he was recovering from a debilitating bout of shingles. Sir Henry Saville (Warden 1585) was featured in the play; his wife complained that if she was a book, he would pay her more respect YEAR REPRESENTATIVES: ROGER GOULD 4 The Park, Grasscroft, Oldham, Lancashire, OL4 4ES Tel: jrbgould@btopenworld.com and DAVID SHIPP Higher Dale Cottage, 6 Dale Lane, Delph, Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5HY Tel: david@shipp.org 27 of us attended the September 2011 Gaudy: Richard Allan, Niall Campbell, Alan Drinkwater, Antony Ellman, David Elworthy, Malcolm Faber, Nick Fiennes, David Forsyth, Roger Gould, Hume Hargreave, Martin Hawkins, Peter Hayward, John Howe, John Latham, David Marler, Joe McDonald, Bob Moore, Peter Moyes, Richard Nelson, John Oliver, David Shipp, Frank Usher, Graham Vincent Smith, Sam Walters, John Watson, Jim White and Bill Woods. Since then, the following have been in contact. Richard Allan wrote: I remain busy with a mixture of Pen Shop, Chance to Shine and other voluntary activities. In addition I have particularly enjoyed being a member of the panel responsible for recruiting Cliff Webb s successor a good insight into the professionalism of Merton at work. I also completed my Munros north of the Great Glen by default, since my final summit was downgraded last summer! My golf goes steadily downhill. However, now Diana has retired, I suspect I shall become a more zealous workhorse in her Islington garden. Peter Hayward wrote: I was [in China] strictly on holiday with Ann and some old friends. Did the usual tourist sights and it was 106 POSTMASTER 2012

107 NEWS 1959 OLD MEMBERS a good trip. We had lived in Hong Kong in the 1970s but, in those days, travel across the border was extremely limited and, apart from a weekend in Canton just before we left, we were unable to do anything. I have been to Beijing on a few business trips, but nowhere else, so this was a great opportunity to see more. And it was very successful and most enjoyable. Of course, part of the stimulus was being able to go on some of Jessica s guided tours of Chinese collections in various museums including some in the US when we lived there. Otherwise life goes on. I had thought I had retired last summer but, since then, I have been quite busy with trips to Indonesia, Switzerland, Mongolia etc. I m off tomorrow for yet another visit to Kosovo and then to Dubai for a week. Further visits to Indonesia and Mongolia are in the pipeline. Fourth granddaughter has arrived but still no grandsons! Bob Krueger wrote: In spite of restrictions on wandering at leisure through the College gardens and looking out over the old city wall, I still have only golden memories of my years at Oxford. Even while I was there, I thought, I don t know how in the world I got here, but I am awfully glad I did. Probably almost everyone feels that way, but I felt especially fortunate that an ancient institution that celebrated its 700th anniversary while I was there was willing to take a small-town boy from Texas and then to charge me only five pounds per term to have my doctoral thesis directed by Dame Helen Gardner. In that regard, I am happy that a corporate business board of which I am a member will match any annual contribution that I might now give, to the university of my choice, which allows me to appear twice as generous to Merton as I actually am. But I am pleased that Merton has followed American habits in one respect: expecting alumni who have benefited from their college experience to offer that institution financial help. Having begun my life after Oxford by teaching English Literature at Duke University, I returned home to Texas to serve as US Congressman, Senator and, on three occasions, Ambassador. My ambassadorial service ended when the Republicans took office and, instead of teaching Shakespeare, while living in New Braunfels I have been a visiting professor in various Texas universities, teaching government to undergraduates. In that connection, this year I used one of Martin Gilbert s books on Churchill, and students have almost as often asked me to talk about Oxford as to talk about the US Congress, which I do, knowing that being a member of Merton means as much to me as being a US Senator did. Having waited a generation longer than most to marry and have children, I had my first daughter at age 53, second at 55, and stopped with a son born when I was 60. All this means that I have to stay around for a while and therefore will eagerly anticipate returning to Oxford with some of my children in the next few years. We were fortunate to have six months in Oxford in 2000, courtesy of a visiting research position at Merton, and we will return at some point, with my memories going back to 1959, when 60 first-year students were admitted for the great privilege of being Mertonians. Joe McDonald wrote: My U3A Latin group continues to thrive and has even grown. We had a Roman orgy to celebrate the end of our second year but, as they are all older than I, it wasn t quite what it might have been in I have finished my role as local U3A talks organiser. We ended with John Bercow, who was brilliant: witty, eloquent, visionary, quite different from his strait-jacketed role in PMQs. I organised a Festival Weekend in honour of Conan Doyle in Haslemere, Surrey, his home town for 10 years, and was relieved that a belated first venture into festival-running ended up as well as it did. People actually came and we didn t make a loss! I even became versed in Twitter at last, persuaded by a 10-year-old grandson that this was the way to advertise the festival. For Olympic year I applied to act as a volunteer and, at the time of writing, am scheduled to ferry VIPs from London hotels into the Olympic Park, mildly apprehensive of the opprobrium of Londoners as they see their traffic lanes monopolised by 4,000 imported BMWs. Next year requires a visit to Philadelphia to marry off son Mark (Merton 1999) to his American fiancée. Peter Moyes wrote: My only news is that John Mills (1958) (Angus when at Merton) has recently written a pamphlet published by Civitas, entitled A Price That Matters, in which he puts the case for devaluing the pound as the means of getting the economy moving (ISBN ). He has a book on the subject due out in the autumn. I think this is his sixth book on economics topics. Also it has been pleasure to contact our former Economics Fellow and tutor John Black, who lives in the next village to me. He discovered we lived fairly close from leafing through an old copy of Postmaster. Small world! Bill Woods wrote: Normally, all I have to report is a diet of walking on the borders and fishing, with trips into Wales and Norfolk, enlivened by the annual get-together with Dave Shipp and Frank Usher. This year has been noticeably different. In the spring POSTMASTER

108 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1960 I went with my brother to Ypres. We visited its very impressive museum, located the various members of our families on the Menin Gate and made our way to the cemetery where a great-uncle is buried. In September Jane and I, together with Amy our youngest, had a week in Istanbul. The sites were quite outstanding and Haya Sofia was unbelievable, the visit being one of the occasions when the reality exceeded expectations. And if all that wasn t enough, just before Christmas we became grandparents for the first time when Sarah, the eldest, produced a son. And finally, your Year Reps report (briefly) as follows: Roger Gould: I am now a frequent visitor to my original home town, as a governor of both my old school and University of Bolton. I have had to re-learn pension matters, having been reappointed, after a gap of a few years, a trustee of a couple of pension schemes (nobody else wanted to do it). Otherwise, church and charity affairs, grandchildren and golf keep me out of serious mischief. Another former Boltonian, Roger Morgan, turned up unexpectedly on my doorstep recently. Having retired to Wells from his hectic life as a vicar in Leicester city centre, he is now conducting missions in various parts of the country and was discussing possibilities in a nearby town when he visited me. His retirement appears to be purely nominal. David Shipp: I keep my brain active with my work at Oldham CAB, and trying to keep up my French, and (more recently) German. The spur for this is that our younger son has a German fiancée, and they plan to marry next year in Germany. I keep my body active with regular local walking with our Wednesday Walkers group (I am now the Chairman), and long-distance walking, currently on the South West Coast. We also walked parts of the Lycian Way in Turkey this year YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: KEITH PICKERING 24 Woodfield Road, Ealing, London, W5 1SH Tel: oldpick@aol.com Your Year Representative would like to thank all those 1960 matriculates who found the time to reply to his . At our age no news is almost as reassuring as good news and I am happy to report the following have recorded that they are alive and well but with nothing significant to report to Postmaster : Keith Aspinall, Peter Fattorini, Bruce Gilbert, Francis Glassborow, John Hartnett, Arthur Hepher, Jasper Holmes, David Howe, Paul Jennings, Chuck Lister, Richard Mulgan, Julian Perry-Robinson, Tim Phillips, David Price, Richard Thompson, Nick Silk, Glynne Stackhouse, Nigel Stenhouse, Christopher Taylor and Brian Winston. Brian Astle is retired and living in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. A bit late to find out what has happened to him since he left Merton but would hope to put that right next year. Stuart Blume was sad to miss the Courtenay Phillips Dinner. He is still researching and writing but other than that is leading a quiet life. Geoffrey Copland unfortunately had to miss the Gaudy, having been acting as carer for his wife recovering from a knee operation. He continues to consult on various projects relating to higher education and acts as an independent assessor in University disciplinary and grievance cases. He is currently looking at the structure of university governance in the UK for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education with a view to determining how it might have to change in the new climate of funding and liberalisation. He serves on two governing bodies of higher education institutions, has been involved in some high level appointment panels, is a Trustee of five charities, Chair of two, and when adding all that to a garden, an allotment and a granddaughter finds no time to be bored. John Crossley has been in touch with Alan Henderson (Merton ) but otherwise has nothing to report John Davies had four papers published in 2011: On State formation in Early Iron Age Greece; Hegesippos: an underrated politician; The well-balanced polis: Ephesos; and Frank William Walbank , this last as a British Academy memoir. He also wrote a short preface to an Italian book on the construction procedures of the Parthenon and was joint editor, along with two colleagues, of The Economies of Hellenistic Societies, third to first centuries BC (OUP). He has given lectures and conference papers in Rome, Durham and Lampeter, walked north-south across Crete accompanied by Nicholas Richardson to raise funds for the British School of Archaeology in Athens and took part in the habilitation process to assess the suitability of a French colleague as a candidate for appointment to a University chair at Rheims. Ian Donaldson published his Life of Ben Jonson (OUP) last year and the seven-volume Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson, which he has been editing with David Bevington and Martin Butler, will be published by Cambridge University Press in 108 POSTMASTER 2012

109 NEWS 1960 OLD MEMBERS July, with an electronic edition of four times that capacity appearing early next year. The British Academy is marking the publication of the Life and the Works with a celebratory seminar on 30th April. Ian is once again living in Melbourne after half a century s absence from the city of his birth but usually visits the UK for a few weeks each year. Leslie Epstein published his 11th book of fiction Liebestod: Opera Buffa with Leib Goldkorn. It is the third of what turns out to be the Goldkorn trilogy. He expects to be in Chicago now that his son, Theo, has become president of baseball operations for the Cubs. Philip Hawkes continues in partnership with his wife, Patricia, as they have done for the past 36 years, dealing in secondhand, French chateaux. After so long travelling the country, his knowledge of French architecture and country houses is probably unrivalled. In 1979, to demonstrate belief in their product, they bought their own 18th-century chateau, the Château de Missery, which can be viewed on Chateaudemissery.com. Such a property is in constant need of kindly treatment, which Philip and Patricia carry out via family house parties and celebrations, dry-wall-building and room-painting projects etc. Holidaymakers are welcome as their website explains. Stephen Hazell continues to work in such diverse places as Ealing and Sri Lanka and is expecting four more grandchildren this year. Mike Hind was delighted to meet Keith Pickering and Steve Hazell at Professor Carey s memorable and entertaining Merton London lecture in May, and looks forward to attending further College events in the coming year. He intends to ease back on his work with international students in the autumn, leaving him free to catch up with friends and family. Alan Heppenstall has become a member of the Institute of Tourist Guiding Language Committee (responsible for setting exams for English mothertongue candidates wishing to guide visitors in foreign languages, and also non-english mother-tongue candidates wishing to guide visitors in English), so his background and qualification in Modern Languages are still being put to good effect. While visiting his daughter in Christchurch, New Zealand, last year he experienced at first hand the 5.8 earthquake which shook the city on 23rd December and subsequently encountered aftershocks throughout the rest of his time there. Alan Hopkinson undertook his CPE compliance during the year, along with the reporting of his six professional licences and memberships that became synchronously due a perfect storm that happens every six years. Professional life is demanding, currently requiring him to cross legal swords with an opponent who is not only an IT expert, but who has been medically diagnosed as a psychopath. He remains a digital immigrant but is set on going native. Domestically, he notes that two of his step-grandsons will be deploying to Afghanistan later this year at about the time he and Anne are hoping to visit his old Merton companion, David Fletcher, in Hudson, Canada. Alan Keat reports having read one of Brian Winston s books, but compared with that the rest of his year has been MARTIN SCOTT NAVIGATING THE L ETAPE DU TOUR an empty vessel. Roger Laughton has just completed a four-year stint as Chair of the UK Screen Heritage Programme a fouryear project to ensure Britain s public screen archives are fit for purpose in the digital age. He has taken on the role of Chair of the Arts University College of Bournemouth and apart from grandparenting and a few broadcasts opining on media matters he spends his time watching cricket at home and abroad. Keith Pickering continues to recover from spinal surgery and along with Sandy was delighted to spend time with John and Kate Wood in their Wymondham hideaway, later catching up as noted above with Mike Hind, Stephen Hazell and Tim Phillips at the Merton Lecture. He was also pleased to join with David and Sue Price in helping Tim celebrate his milestone birthday earlier this year. Martin Scott continues to be involved with the Alpine Club and the Travellers Club. He celebrated his 70th birthday by POSTMASTER

110 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1961 riding l Etape du Tour, a big event open to 10,000 cyclists to ride the most mountainous stage of the Tour de France before the professionals, with 10,000 feet of up. He was relieved and pleased to complete the route before the cut-off time, as about a quarter of the riders gave up before the finish. Jim Trefil has settled into the comfortable routine of a senior professor: writing two books a year (including a textbook going into its 7th edition), lecturing to judges on science and the law and to academics on scientific literacy. He has no plans for retirement, but says that if he can figure out something to do in retirement that he s not doing now, he will think about it. Bruce Walter helped his brother-in-law plant over 5,000 trees on the slopes of the Sugarloaf, under the Âetter Woods for Wales scheme their contribution to the Jubilee celebrations and the fight against global warming. He lives in Athens and notes that things are dire in Greece; looking at the empty shops in the average high street, one might think that half the population had packed up and moved to another planet. Philip Webb has translated Jacques Bainville s important essay on the outcome of the Versailles Conference, not previously in English. He has begun to translate the Gospels and may do the rest of the NT. Both translations with notes can be found on his Internet site His work on the NT is accompanied by daily e-discussions with Bernard Robinson who read Mods and Oriental Languages at Merton and who helps Philip to fill in his ignorance of Hebrew, Aramaic, the early Christians and other commentators thereon. Mike Williams appreciated the opportunity to visit Merton twice recently (the Anniversary Lunch and the Gaudy) and hopes to be able to make it to a free TV licence next year. Jonathan Wright coedited with Steven Casey a collection of essays, published as Mental Maps in the Early Cold War Era, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), consisting of studies of the major political leaders of the period, to which he contributed the chapter on Konrad Adenauer. He finds semi-retirement has its compensations in that he has the time to read whole books YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: BOB MACHIN 125 West Bay Road, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 4EQ Tel: bob@marciamachin.plus.com 2011 marked half a century since we matriculated and 19 of us attended a celebratory Gaudy. Confusion on my part meant that not all received an invitation to an informal liquid lunch at The Turf. Nor did all 19 make it for an exclusive 1961 afternoon tea in College. There were three long-distance attenders: John Sandercock from Switzerland, Wallace Kaufman from Oregon, and Stephen Keating from Florida. As I recall our conversation, Stephen said that on arrival in the USA, he found that there was not much demand for geographers (even with an Oxford degree); but was told that America was the land of the fee, so he took a law degree and has never regretted it. Another attendee who has not appeared in these reports before is Ian Packington, now of York, where he has recently retired from teaching science in a preparatory school and now works (unpaid) as an adviser to the National Pure Water Association and (paid by the 12-hour day) as a Traffic Enumeration Officer a few times each month. Otherwise it s all music, both singing and playing the trombone. Yorkshire absentees from the Gaudy were Tony Ridge and Peter Richmond, but I can report that they were fit and well when they invited me to join them for a pub dinner at Chideock on the last night of their penultimate stage of walking the SW Coastal Path. I look forward to hearing about their next self-imposed challenge when we meet in another Dorset pub before the final stage starting in mid-august this year. My knees do not permit me to join them. Peter Cope has moved all of 15 miles from Craven Arms to Knighton. After four years gestation, Engaging Mission: the lasting value of Industrial Mission for Today (co-authored with Mike West) was published in Sales at Waterstones are slow but steady possibly a consequence of not starting with a book signing? Attentive readers may have noticed that there was no report in 2011, because I was diagnosed with prostate cancer early in the year and radiotherapy made me more exhausted than usual. But I now radiate good health, as does Peter Lee, who underwent surgery for the same problem and reports that he has since travelled to America to visit his daughter and twin boys (and the bears in Yellowstone Park) as well as Jim Doty (1962 but really one of the 1961 crew). If it has escaped your notice, prostate cancer is one of the top cancer killers for us chaps. If you haven t had a medical check-up 110 POSTMASTER 2012

111 NEWS 1962 OLD MEMBERS recently, GET ONE. It s not onerous and it could prolong your life, enabling you to aggravate your nearest and dearest for years to come YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: TIM ARCHER High Chimneys, Petches Bridge, Great Bardfield, Essex, CM7 4QN Tel: tarcher@reedsmith.com This year we are holding a lunch in College on 20th October to celebrate the fact that it is 50 years since we matriculated. Next year we can all gather together again at the Gaudy on 28th September In 2014 there are the 750th celebrations! John Keane reports that he is alive and, as far as he knows, well. Remaining loyal to the Liberal Democrats, he is still involved in local affairs with the Town Council. Three granddaughters keep life interesting and with two living in Munich there is the added interest of visits to the family over there. Just as at Merton, John has a go at many sports and is currently trying golf; improvement is proving easy in view of the very low starting point. Brian Mastin reports that during the past three years he has been engaged in editing, with two University Lecturers in Divinity at Cambridge, a Festschrift for Professor Graham Davies (Merton 1963) entitled On Stone and Scroll: Essays in Honour of Graham Ivor Davies, published by W de Gruyter in This volume of 575 pages contains 38 articles on topics related to the Old Testament by scholars from nine countries. The Festschrift was presented to Graham at a lunch held in Merton in July 2011, at which Professor John Carey, representing the Warden, was welcomed. Brian has also been taking some services at Little St Mary s Church, Cambridge, which has a 15-month interregnum. It is very good that John Palmer has made contact this year. In June he moved from Chicago to the University of Columbia, Vancouver so that his wife, a Guyanese anthropologist, can teach and research indigenous and community forestry. The Dean of the Faculty wants to start a new MSc taught course in international forestry and feels that John s mostly tropical experience would be useful in running it. As a result, John is unable to come to the lunch in October as he and his wife expect to be neck deep or worse in new lectures and student supervision YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: PETER SMITH 62 Old Park Road, Roundhay, Leeds, LS8 1JB Tel: peterrsmith@ukgateway.net Gearing up for the Gaudy dinner and the 50th-anniversary-of matriculation lunch, both on Saturday, 28th September 2013, there has been a slightly fuller response than usual, though still mostly from the regular third of the cohort. Some of this may be due to subtle blackmail, the threat being that knowledge of changing your underwear only once a term (if at all) may still reflect badly after all these years, even if it was allegedly for a bet. Or is it that retirement might mean more time for reflection? Although most of us are 68 years old or thereabouts, we present to the world some good examples of the working retired, in contrast to the unemployed retired and the never-wanting-to-work-again retired. Stan Williams, as well as being a magistrate, stays fit playing squash and golf, winning the Merton Society Golf event, and is now on the committee. He keeps in touch with John Bamfield, Stuart Cropper and Andrew Kasriel. Roger Garfitt continues to run his Poetry Masterclasses and has been able to build on the successful publication of his memoir, The Horseman s Word, with a paperback version. He was invited to teach at an International Conference on Life-Writing at the University of Rioja, in Spain. He awaits invitations to the University of Glenmorangie. Richard James has been writing to the Archbishop of Canterbury to provoke him into distinguishing between appearance and reality, as one clergyman to another. If you see a lively walker on the Ridgeway it may well be Ron Bullock, who also keeps active canoeing in sections down the Thames. After a boat-building course in Lyme Regis, Ron is building a Greenland kayak for his eldest daughter, and in his other spare time still teaches about publications and media at Oxford Brookes University. He has another book forthcoming. Despite easy access to wonderful skiing in the nearby Pyrenees, local opportunities to hike, paint, eat and drink, Graham Lane thinks he may downsize and move towards the Marseille area where one of his sons and family live. The big excitement in his village is that the Tour de France will pass through this year. As well as running a high-quality scientific instruments business, and keeping Wilton s Music Hall in London alive and thriving ( 1 million POSTMASTER

112 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1964 successful fundraising campaign), David Pennock has been to see what is happening in the now more politically relaxed Burma. The European Union s withdrawal of sanctions there is coincidental, according to David. Derek Hughes retired in 2011 from his chair at the University of Aberdeen and now lives in Cambridge, where his wife continues as President of Lucy Cavendish College. He is still active as a researcher, and is gambling on living long enough to complete a large project on Wagner. Charles Tongue has now sold the boat that took him across the Atlantic during and has also downsized to a house in Salisbury. He has a son in Canada and a daughter in the USA, the latter having acted, he says, with Dick Durden- Smith. Charles supports Manchester United, because I used to live there. Wrong team this year. He was surprised to pull a leg muscle while skiing. Chris Pogson has lived in Cirencester for over 30 years, latterly travelling widely working in materials/electronics and the automotive industry. Now he helps with local charity work and as an adviser to the Citizens Advice Bureau, as well as running a small property management company. An active sporting career is now gradually reduced to much-enjoyed local walking. The Year of the Knife in 2011 has proved successful for Bob Scott, walking at least four miles a day with his two new porcelain hips and steel-boosted back. John Sturgeon claims to have been doing not much, but concealing an active life sailing and competing in the Comet Class Nationals at Weymouth (site of the 2012 Olympics competition), as well as regretting taking up skiing so late. He has this year now successfully negotiated black runs, encouraged by a petite, attractive Italian instructress, whom it was a pleasure to follow. Alan Malcolm was Chief Executive of the Institute of Biology from 1998 until retirement, since when he seems to have unretired. He has been a member of the Government s Food Advisory Committee for seven years, and subsequently a member of the Advisory Committee for Novel Foods and Processes. He has been an Expert Adviser to Select Committees in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and was a non-executive Director of Assured Food Standards (Red Tractor) from 2002 until recently. He is currently Chair of the Advisory Board of Cesagen an ESRC funded team researching public attitudes to advances in genetics, as well as Chair of the Trustees of the British Nutrition Foundation. As if not enough, he is also to become editor of Science in Parliament. Getting close to his best before and sell by dates, Peter Smith has become a Vice President of the Royal Geographical Society. He met up with George Whitfield, in Devon, where George is happily active in sailing and in country pursuits, as well as maintaining his splendid garden. George has visited a fellow sailor, Guy English, at Falmouth, where Guy continues as the Commodore of Flushing Sailing Club, and has an ambition this year, in the World Championship pilot gig races in Scilly, of Survival with Honour, i.e. not to be last, though easily the oldest team. In re-commissioning his boats, Guy says he has now started to use white rather than blue anti-fouling paint as it doesn t show when it s in my hair. Rick Allen admits to becoming more intellectually active again, lured out of somnolence by the Dickens bicentennial, having produced papers for two conferences and a review for The Dickensian. As the next Dickensian milestone is 2020, the 150th anniversary of the author s death, he intends to slip back until then into the idleness of railway trips to Italy, cricket at Edgbaston and Lord s and missives to The Guardian to correct journalists bad grammar. John Wormald has been steadily letting his automotive consulting business run down, spending more time as a volunteer in his local St Wilfrid s Hospice. A new mountain bike allows for fun on the Downs, and having done a beginners course in clock making, he has produced an escapement that ticks. What next? With all his other spare time he is learning to paint, and has visited family in Australia. Academe continues to keep Gordon Whatley busy at City University New York, with annual trips to major European libraries to study medieval manuscripts about worthy and arcane saints. His Lancashire roots still optimistically support Blackburn Rovers, until this year in the Premiership, but a bad season for the former captain of soccer YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: RICHARD BURNS 31 Saxe Coburg Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5BP rburns@saxecoburg.demon.co.uk News has been received this year from a number of long-silent old members. David Rogers has had a varied medical career, beginning as a paediatrician in London and Jamaica, moving on to 112 POSTMASTER 2012

113 NEWS 1965 OLD MEMBERS clinical research at the Wellcome Research Laboratories followed by a spell at the Medicines Control Agency and finishing up with Pharmacia (now Pfizer) in his wife s home city of Milan where he is now enjoying his retirement. Another retiree, though not in as exotic a location, is Nick Ansell in York, where he helps run the Holgate Windmill, one of the city s lesser known tourist attractions (but well worth a visit ). Russell Ecob has lived in Glasgow since 1985, where he worked for the Medical Research Council as a statistician till 1999, and then part time for the NHS and also with his own statistical consulting business. In semi-retirement playing music is a major interest, including in an orchestra which meets annually in Kythera, off the south coast of the Peloponnese. He has recently acquired a small property near Chania in Crete, which will shortly be available for rent to any Mertonian who s interested (contact russell@ecobconsulting.com) Colin Tyrrell has retired as a planning inspector but his main news is of his daughter Jessamy who is reading PPE at Merton and won a Blue for women s rugby (she is also an exponent of martial arts, being President of the OU Shorinji Kempo Society). Things have certainly changed since Peter Scott has left the University of Kingston, where he was vice chancellor, and is now Chair of the Council of the University of Gloucestershire, appending his signature to open letters to HMG, as well being a Professor at the Institute of Education in London. On the honours front, Richard Stokes has been awarded the Verdientskreuz (Order of Merit) of the Federal Republic of Germany for services to German culture and Manu Bheenick has become a Grand Officer of the Star and the Key for meritorious service in the economic, political and social field (quite a wide one) in Mauritius. He was also awarded the title of Central Bank Governor of the Year (Africa) by The Banker magazine. Finally, at least one Mertonian has taken up Eric Colvin s invitation to visit Vanuatu. Steve James stopped in there after attending the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, where he stayed with John Baird (1966), who laid on a great programme, most notably in the wine consumption department. As a Welshman Steve was less disappointed with the tournament than many of us, though when he visited the Altitude bar in Queenstown there was not a dwarf to be seen, which was a slight let down. Eric and Julia Colvin meanwhile are desperate to receive more visits from Mertonians in their tropical paradise. Steve says they have a great place on the water YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: PETER ROBINSON Vallecito, 5 Fir Tree Close, Coppenhall Stafford, ST 18 9BZ Tel: peteredwinrobinson@gmail.com John Dryden reports from his home in Paris that, following treatment during the first two-thirds of last year, he has now recovered from a second cancer, and, now that the weather has warmed up, he is contemplating resuming his cycling marathons through France s more gastronomically and viticulturally favoured regions. John is now three years into retirement, and keeping busy. He is still in regular contact with Dave Stirzaker, as well as Teng Teng Xu (2002), and Lena Schipper (2005), the two students for whom he arranged internships at the OECD in Paris before he retired. John mentioned how much he appreciates the many and various communications he receives from the College. Paul Everson writes that he and his family are well and active, and growing in the next generation with three grandsons born in the last year. He continues with academic research and writing. The year has seen an unusual number of publications completed: notably, archaeological contributions to the revised edition of the Pevsner (Buildings of England) volume for Cheshire, a large monograph study of the medieval abbey of Barlings in Lincolnshire, and contributions to the final, summary volume on internationallyrenowned investigations over a period of 40 years at the deserted settlement of Wharram Percy in the Yorkshire Wolds a visitable site in the care of English Heritage. Bill McGrew reports that he retired in September 2011 as Professor of Evolutionary Primatology at Cambridge, but will continue as Director of Studies for Archaeology and Anthropology at his college, Corpus Christi. Meanwhile, the Leverhulme Trust has given Bill an Emeritus Fellowship to finish off writing projects. Research grants from the European Research Council and Leverhulme keep him chasing wild chimpanzees again, on a parttime basis. Dave Mumford reports that he is still at Brechin, as Dean of the Brechin Diocese, and Rector of Brechin and Tarfside. POSTMASTER

114 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1966 Peter Robinson keeps in touch with Mike Perrin and Paul Everson. We were all saddened to learn of the untimely death of our fellow-classicist Roddy Richards. We remember him with great affection, and an obituary appears elsewhere in this edition of Postmaster. Besides Mike and Paul, Peter also keeps in touch with Roger Mitton and Brian Rossiter. Peter still works part-time as an HR Consultant, with occasional input to a local charity on English language and job-search skills. Jonathan Zamet writes that he retired several years ago from a surprisingly long career in human resources with an insurance company that was Equitable when he began and AXA when he finished. Jonathan reports that he married rather late and, besides his wife Patricia, has three teenage children, a dog and a rabbit. The eldest child, Samuel, is a freshman at Allegheny College and, whilst taking a course on the French Revolution, found himself assigned to read John Roberts volume of documents on the subject. John, of course, was Jonathan s tutor at Merton. The other two children, Alec and Margot, are still in high school. All three are quite good athletes which must be attributed to their mother who once played basketball for the University of Notre Dame. Retirement seems to be a very busy occupation, he says enjoying gardening (badly), playing golf (worse) and making pottery (reasonably well). He is also active in several local arts organisations his own version of the Dibley Parish Council. Jonathan is in contact with Andrew Massey and very occasionally with Paul Woodruff. Once in a while he goes to the Merton in Manhattan meetings. Last year they came to meet the new Warden. The only person there that he knew from Merton days was Patrick Worsnip. Jonathan would be happy to hear from anyone from Merton who wishes to be in touch either by or via Facebook. Also anyone who is interested can see his pottery at YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: DAVID HOLMES 29 Goodby Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8NJ Tel: dholmes20@blueyonder.co.uk John Baird writes: Recent highlight was being in the winning team (with Marge, my wife, and another couple) at the NZ Wine Options Competition a rigorous afternoon with 12 Old World and New World wines and 59 other competing teams. Obviously a week s wine tramp in Burgundy in May assisted, along with a warm-up dinner pre-tramp at Steve and Ann James and some non- Merton Oxonians. John s new address is johnsbaird@xtra. co.nz. Ian Kershaw s latest book The End: Germany was published by Penguin in It was awarded the Leipzig Prize for European Understanding in March 2012, and Ian received an honorary doctorate from Leeds University in July John Kimpton married Maureen Holden at York Registry Office on 16th June Congratulations. Rt Hon Dr Denis MacShane MP continues to be one of the Commons leading MPs speaking on European and global security affairs. His latest book Why Kosovo Still Matters was published in October There are now six Merton MPs in the Commons (five Conservatives, Sir Peter Tapsell, Ed Vaizey, Jesse Norman, Jonathan Lord and Elizabeth Truss and one Labour, Denis MacShane). They hosted a dinner for the Warden early in Patrick Worsnip retired from Reuters (now Thomson Reuters) at the end of February 2012, after a 40-year career with the news agency, during which he reported from a total of 87 countries and had postings in Rome, Moscow, Warsaw, Tehran, Beirut, London, Washington and, finally, as Chief Correspondent at the United Nations in New York. Stories he covered directly included the election of Polish Pope John Paul II, the Iran-Iraq war, the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Achille Lauro ship hijack, and the collapse of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe. He is now dividing his time between London and Umbria, Italy, as he considers his next move. In June 2012, he dusted off his knowledge of ancient Greek for the first time since doing Mods in 1968 to read original extracts from Plato and Marcus Aurelius at a memorial service for his friend the television journalist David Walter (Trinity, 1966) at St Bride s Church, Fleet Street YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: RORY KHILKOFF-BOULDING Beggars Well, Baker s Lane, Dallington, East Sussex, TN21 9JU Tel: rory@kbc-law.com 114 POSTMASTER 2012

115 NEWS 1968 OLD MEMBERS 1968 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: IAN MCBRAYNE 44 Parkland Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 9AP Tel: Many who joined Merton in 1968 have reached the stage in life where we are preparing for, resisting or embracing two major developments, retirement and grandchildren. We are also seizing the opportunity afforded by greater leisure to enjoy some exotic travel before arthritis and senility set in. Tim Cole, for example, discovered on reaching the age of 65 that thanks to recent changes in legislation he was no longer obliged to retire. Instead, he is funded to continue working half-time for three more years. His statistical work still involves measuring how children grow, including how they grow fat, and in the past year he has been giving expert advice in Australian courts about the likely age of Indonesian fishermen accused of people smuggling. He and his wife continue to bring up their seven-year-old granddaughter, who is a delight, and to find their nine grandsons delightful too. Alastair Henderson, on the other hand, finds that a quieter life is beginning to beckon to his 70-plus years, and has decided to take his second retirement at the end of this year. When he retired from heading the English Department at Stellenbosch University in 2004, he was immediately recalled to start a postgraduate studies KIT HEASMAN AT MACHU PICCHU office for the Arts and Social Sciences faculty and has been doing that ever since. Now he and his wife are planning to move from Stellenbosch to a more sybaritic life by the sea. Also on the move are George Daly and his wife, who will be based in Brittany from September, where they enjoy hosting visitors and showing them around. At present, George is still an associate professor at the College of Law in London and still doing plenty of theatre, including acting in two plays later this year. Lou Henderson claims to have little to report, beyond the fact that he is still alive and still a Victoria Line wage slave, thinking about retirement. Nicol Webster too is on the threshold, now semi-retired but working occasionally on interesting projects on a freelance basis. The most interesting of these is as consultant for a forthcoming television drama series, of which he hopes to tell us more next year. Another man embarked on a new project which he hesitates to describe in detail yet lest it fail to mature, in his case in the field of classical translation, is Nicholas Richardson. A project which did come off was his sponsored walk across Crete, mentioned as about to happen in last year s Postmaster. He reports that it went extremely well and was most enjoyable, and that the participants collectively raised around 47,000 for the British School at Athens. This will be used to restore and improve the facilities of the Stratigraphical Museum at Cnossos, where the British finds of the past 100 years are stored. Nicholas would like to thank again all who sponsored him on the walk. Alan Taylor is still living in Hong Kong, and has recently been working in Thailand and Bangladesh. He offers by far the scariest news of the year, having survived a perforated ulcer at 6,300 metres on the north side of Everest. It was, understandably, easily the most painful and wretched experience of his life, but happily he has now fully recovered. Kit Heasman too has been among the mountains, ever since he joined the climbing club at Oxford. He has since climbed in all parts of Britain, including Cornish sea cliffs and Lundy Island as well as the Lakes and North Wales. More recently he has graduated to easy mountaineering (his phrase) in the Alps, and this year has organised and led climbs of some 4,000-metre peaks in the Zermatt region. He has also done some long-distance trekking, including a trip across the mountains of Corsica which afforded the chance to improve his French. This year s mountaineering trip to the Dolomites is intended also to be an Italian lesson. Kit and his wife POSTMASTER

116 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1969 have a house near Cherbourg which they enormously enjoy, visiting almost every month for the last 10 years; he has even cycled there several times. They have also travelled further afield, including Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China. Robert Dunn admits to a self-indulgent voyage over Christmas and New Year to and around the islands of Hawaii aboard the Cunard liner Queen Victoria. No icebergs in sight, but lots of volcanoes, active and extinct. Robert was pleased to observe that the state flag of Hawai i still retains the Union Jack in its upper left quadrant. He strongly recommends a tour of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu for the true and rather sad history of that once independent kingdom. This has been a green year for Scirard Lancelyn Green and his family. After renewing one and a half tons of lead on their dining room roof, which had served for 170 years, and insulating it, they installed three photovoltaic systems and finally commissioned a new wood pellet boiler. The boiler should qualify for the tariff under the Government s Renewable Heat Incentive, though accreditation to receive it has taken five months and counting. Scirard also reports good skiing, on and off piste, but says that his son, who has an instructor qualification, has now caught him up. So he fears it is downhill from now on. Stewart Morgan has just completed a one-year programme in mindfulness, a meditative and psychological practice that sits at the heart of many spiritual approaches, notably Buddhism, but does not of itself require any spiritual belief. He is intending to follow this up by embarking on a compassion programme after a short retreat on Holy Isle in Scotland. He continues to enjoy travelling, visiting Peru, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands at the end of last year. The highlight was waking in the Amazon rainforest to the incredible sounds of its exotic birds and insects. Nick Bicât has been composing longer-form pieces of music for live performance. Last year The Way the Wind Blows was performed at a public event on the shore of Rutland Water, with a choir of 250 and two local 45-piece orchestras housed in enormous tents, one of which nearly blew away at the dress rehearsal with the brass band wrapped inside it. He has also written a piece for a choir of 1,000 to be performed at Worcester cricket ground as part of the Olympic torch procession, and is writing songs for the Caucus Race in Merton Field, highlight of the Alice 150th anniversary celebrations. Nick s song cycle Songs from Grimm, with lyrics by Philip Ridley, is to be performed and released in But his main task is to complete a dramatic cantata for performance in Christ Church Cathedral on St Cecilia s Day. Based on the memoir of the first female Christian martyr, Vibia Perpetua, it is set in 3rd century Carthage and sung in English, Latin and Greek. It is always good to hear from contemporaries even if they have no news to share. This year David Allen falls in that category, so thanks to him, as of course to all others who wrote to me. From his address, I deduce that David is one of those still in gainful employment. As for me, Ian McBrayne, I continue to enjoy retirement enormously in much the same ways as I reported last year, and my wife and I now have the pleasure of a first grandson to make life even better YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: CHARLES GRIFFITH La Commanderie, Malmort, Bléré, France Tel: Charles.griffith@wanadoo.fr 1970 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: NICK SKINNER Copthorne, The Close, Lancing BN15 8EE. Tel: nhskinner@sky.com Many thanks once again to all my respondents, both for the warmth of greetings and the quality of content. It was particularly rewarding this year to receive news from some erstwhile silent colleagues perhaps more will emerge next year? As I compose this year s report I can hear strains of the Queen s Diamond Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving in the background, and it reminds me that nearly all of us have now completed our own 60-year celebrations mutual congratulations all round! As foreshadowed last year, Peter Moizer, Laurence Campbell, Geoff Ellis and their wives chose to celebrate their birthdays in the austerity of the Black Sails Youth Hostel in Lakeland. Peter s news winged its way from Barcelona during a pause in an MBA Conference. Peter continues as the Dean of Leeds University Business School. Even further afield, in the Americas, news arrived from David Ganz, Adrian Segar and John Crabtree. David Ganz is Visiting 116 POSTMASTER 2012

117 NEWS 1973 OLD MEMBERS Professor of Palaeography at the University of Notre Dame Indiana this semester, and reports how with the aid of the local Professor of Nuclear Physics he was able to analyse the composition of the inks used on a 15th-century Book of Hours, using a $6 million particle accelerator. Adrian Segar writes from Vermont that he has never been busier, presenting, organising and championing participantdriven and participation-rich events. His book Conferences That Work: Creating Events That People Love continues to sell well, and his next book, working title The Power of Participation, will be published this year. John Crabtree sends greetings from South America where he is spending a year out in Bolivia and Peru, returning to Oxford in He is writing a book on Bolivian politics, to be published by Zed Press, and will be lecturing in various Peruvian universities during the last few months of Roy Davies (Lecturer in Physics at Merton during ) reports that his book Computer and Machine Vision: Theory, Algorithms, Practicalities (900 pages) has just been published by Academic Press in a fourth edition. Over the past 20 years (the first edition was published in 1990) it has been used worldwide by both academics and practitioners in industry and elsewhere, and has had over 1,250 citations in the literature. A very welcome and newsy response from Roger Powell, who appears to be enjoying life, and is currently working with students on the autistic spectrum, mostly with Asperger s Syndrome, in a small independent school with 17 pupils. Roger finds the work interesting and challenging, and does not miss the cells and the security involved in his previous role with young serious offenders. Roger s daughter Victoria is in the midst of her PPE finals at Merton, and his son is at Queen s Belfast working on mass spectrometry. Others of our cohort are beginning to move away from work and into personal projects. David Gilchrist has decided to retire early, settling near Dover. A second grandson is on the way. Mick Polley continues to enjoy his busy retirement as do I, Nick Skinner YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: GARY BACKLER 23 Baronsfield Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 2QT Tel: ggbackler@hotmail.co.uk It was with great sadness that we heard the news that Peter McCarthy died on 30th April 2012, after a long struggle with cancer. After retiring as a Senior Civil Servant from the Department for Transport, Peter had in recent years enjoyed his role as Chair of Motability. His last days were spent surrounded by close family and friends. William Alden was nominated as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for a year with effect from April Graham Andrews reports that the maths and medic group (Bill Souster, David Melville, John Myatt, Roger Urwin, Rob Lewis and himself) continue in good form and working. There was a full turnout, including wives, for their dinner in London before Christmas. This year Rob celebrates 35 years of working for Shell. After postings to the Netherlands, Greece and Chile, he returned to England in He has renewed his long-dormant relationship with mathematics (his own words!) by enrolling on the Open University Maths MSc programme as a part-time student. He reports that he has really enjoyed the experience, including even the adrenaline rush of the final exams. John M Bowers published his sixth book, An Introduction to the Gawain Poet, and contributed the chapter The naughty bits to The Medieval Python honouring Monty Python s Terry Jones on his 70th birthday. He is also continuing work on a new novel. However, teaching is still his bread and butter: he continues to offer a course on J. R. R. Tolkien and even published his first article in Tolkien Studies. He was also honoured with his university s Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award. Gary Backler s transport consultancy business has had a busy year. He has also become a trustee of a local environmental and educational charity. He has spent much of the year dealing with the fall-out from a massive raw-sewage spillage by Thames Water that wiped out the entire fish stocks in 14 km of the River Crane a sedimental education, perhaps, but not quite the education for which the charity was set up! 1974 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: MIKE HAWKINS 908 Hunting Ridge Road, Martinsville, VA 24112, USA POSTMASTER

118 OLD MEMBERS NEWS YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: ROBERT PEBERDY 38 Randolph Street, Oxford, OX4 1XZ Tel: Media vita in morte sumus. The last year has seen, so far as is known, the first death of a 1975 Mertonian. Dr Grant Bates, a former postgraduate, died in Oxford in September Originally from Australia, he became a distinguished ENT surgeon. He was also involved in numerous athletic activities running, diving, skiing, sailing, and playing real tennis. In College days he became known to undergraduates (e.g. Chris Mann) through rugby. Many of us enjoyed his company as recently as March 2010 at the spring Gaudy. A longer tribute appears in the In Memoriam section. It is also disconcerting to note that 1975 undergraduates have started to retire, though usually because of the difficult economic situation rather than age. Chris Lewis lost his position as Editor of the Victoria County History for Sussex in 2009 and was awarded a retirement settlement, though he has since been employed on a medieval research project. Dorian Gerhold voluntarily retired from the Department of Chamber and Committee Services at the House of Commons in March He generously gave a leaving party for over 100 guests in the state rooms of the Speaker s House. During a speech in his honour, a colleague mentioned the golden generation of clerks recruited from Merton in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Of these, only Crispin Poyser now remains in post. Mertonians are strongly advised to install new bookcases to accommodate the prospective increase in Gerholdian historical publications. Brian Bramson (former JRF) has for a while exemplified the creative possibilities of retirement. Like Newton in rural Lincolnshire, he has been enlarging the theoretical understanding of physics from deepest Worcestershire, and has lately proposed that gravity might be repulsive at very short range. John Claughton, in the big city of Birmingham, has produced a new translation of Clouds by Aristophanes for the series Cambridge Translations from Greek Drama. His other recent publication, Herodotus and the Persian Wars (CUP, 2008), which was dedicated to Tom Braun, has sold more than 1,000 copies. Champion athlete Alan Dolton has won the 800m and 1500m races in Surrey in the over-55 category. William Ford has become Captain of the Merton Golf Society, which includes the pleasure of working with Adrian Vickers (1958) and Helen Kingsley. His steel company has appreciated the resources and long-term perspective that come with being Tataowned. Musician Stephen Gardiner, by contrast, celebrated his 55th birthday by sitting on a desert ridge in Egypt and contemplating the pyramids. In summer 2012 he gave a lunchtime concert. John Harrison continues to teach art history and history at Eton College but otherwise abstains from newsworthy activities. In May 2012 physicist Nick Hitchon, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, appeared in 56 Up, the latest instalment in the Up series of TV programmes. Starting from 1964 it has followed the lives of 14 children/adults with programmes at seven-yearly intervals and is regarded as one of the greatest series of documentary programmes made by British television. The Revd Dr Gordon Jeanes briefly left parochial duties in March 2012 to lecture on Tudor Prayer Books at a British Academy conference marking the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The event was supported by the Prayer Book Society, which is chaired by the Mertonian Prudence Dailey (1984). Thespian Chris Mann starred as Ali s mother in Ali Baba and the Naughty Thieves, the 2012 Congleton pantomime. He is wondering if he bears some responsibility for the 2008 economic crash. When he taught at the prestigious independent Nottingham High School in the 1980s his pupils included one Eddie Balls, later to be economic adviser and Treasury minister under Chancellor Gordon Brown. Despite his best efforts, Chris Mann failed to turn Master Balls into a top mathematician at O Level. Ed Martley remains ubiquitous in the Thames Valley, managing finance at Stokenchurch for RedPrairie, chairing a branch of management accountants, and playing golf for Merton. Professor Nicholas Mays, from his base at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, continues to lead the evaluation of innovations in the Health Service, social care and public health. He has published several analyses of the Coalition Government s reforms of the English NHS. Tom Millest has been travelling to prisons from Devon to North Yorkshire for the Parole Board, increasingly dealing with more complex cases. He is much involved with rowing. In 2011 his skiff club in Teddington won an inter-club trophy for the first time in 20 years (six months after he stepped down as Captain), and on 3rd June 2012 he skippered the double skiff Marjorie in the Queen s Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant (see page 62). 118 POSTMASTER 2012

119 NEWS 1976 OLD MEMBERS Rupert Milner, once of Taynton parish in rural Oxfordshire, is reported to be deeply enmeshed in village life in Sussex, serving as Vice-Chair of his parish council and Chairman of the Footpaths and Amenities Committees. Ed Myers reports from Tallahassee that state support of higher education in Florida continues to weaken. However, thanks to federal grant support he still maintains research in ultra-high precision atomic mass measurement. Professor Stephen Oppenheimer, based in Baltimore, has become involved in the application of neurophysiological techniques to patients undergoing neurosurgery and orthopaedic procedures to predict and pre-empt damage to vital nervous system structures. This involves using a remote monitoring model in which signals are conveyed out of the operating theatre and viewed remotely in visual real time. Professor Oppenheimer has also been invited to lecture in Tblisi, Georgia, and in China. Crispin Poyser is also active in foreign parts, as Clerk of the Overseas Office at the House of Commons. He lately visited the Maldives to help strengthen democracy, only for a coup d état to happen soon afterwards. Malcolm Price enjoyed ten seconds of fame in spring 2012 when he appeared on BBC TV s The One Show. He was interviewed about wood carvings that had appeared alongside a Yorkshire river. Neil Smith remains employed in development work for Thales Underwater Systems, though this happens mainly above ground and includes activity with tanks and helicopters. In March 2012, when the prime minister was forced to reveal the people who had dined at his private flat in Downing Street, his list was found to include Ian Taylor, head of oil-dealing company Vitol. According to a political commentator, he has supported the Conservatives under David Cameron with donations totalling almost half a million pounds. Our JCR President also now helps to topple world leaders: in 2011 he supplied petrol to the anti-qadhafi rebels in Libya and sold their crude oil. During the 2012 Cheltenham Racing Festival, news broke that the Archbishop of Canterbury and Visitor of Merton, Dr Rowan Williams, had resigned from the Church of England to seek refuge in the Fens. On sport radio, discussion immediately switched from betting on horses to betting on bishops. The BBC s veteran racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght revealed that three years earlier, at a dinner, someone had advised him to bet on a particular bishop to win the next Canterbury Gold Cup. This purple-clad stallion, with form on the ecclesiastical jumps, turned out to be a 1975 Mertonian: the Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham. Fortunately for bookmakers, though not for Merton in 2014, Dr Wright left episcopal office in Instead of going south to an archiepiscopal throne, he went north to a Scottish chair at the golfing primatial see of St Andrews YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: JOHN GARDNER The Orchard House, Witherslack, Cumbria LA11 6RS Tel: j.gardner@zen.co.uk 1977 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: EDMUND WRIGHT Cedar Cottage, Graham Road, Cookham, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 9JQ edmund_wright@btopenworld.com After leaving Merton, Mark Hopkins spent ten years in international shipping banking with Bank of America based in London, with a little restructuring mixed in for good measure during the shipping doldrums of the mid-1980s. From his last position there, as Head of Global Shipping Finance, he headed west to the Big Apple, where he became a partner of Ernst & Young in its restructuring and reorganisation practice. After 14 years at E&Y, and post Sarbanes- Oxley, Mark moved to an independent investment banking boutique to carry on his restructuring interests as a Senior Managing Director of the CDG Group. There he remains to this day, working alongside a number of his former partners from E&Y. Married to Nancy from Westchester County in 1993 (on a yacht underneath the Brooklyn Bridge), they, with their son Claude (11), continue to enjoy as much travelling as possible, participating in a wide range of sports, and fine food and wine (which can be attributed to Mark having run the Merton bar as JCR Steward in !). They are frequent visitors to the UK, spending their summers in their house on the East Anglian coast at Thorpeness, Suffolk. For Eric Kemball, 2012 is a year of significant anniversaries. He and his wife, Lucy, celebrate their silver wedding, and Eric the 15th anniversary of his ordination as a Roman Catholic priest; and he has attended a reunion dinner to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the foundation of his old school (Wolverhampton Grammar POSTMASTER

120 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1978 School). Eric hits 55 this year and still has six dependent children. Simon Saville is still with Shell, but has moved jobs back to the UK. He is based at Shell Centre in London and luxuriates under the title of Vice President Communications, which, he assures us, sounds grander than it is. Simon has recently met up with Mike Colledge, William Finch, Adam McMahon and Kevin Turner. And finally for this year, Matthew Lonsdale calls our attention to something he forgot to mention last time: he has been a JP for some years. He thinks that might raise a few smiles 1978 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: MARK DAVISON 37 Connaught Square, London, W2 2HL Tel: mark@haydavison.co.uk I have been reminded over the past year at two wonderful Merton events what luminaries such a small college as ours has produced. At the Merton Society dinner last November in Middle Temple Hall it became clear that Merton was doing rather well out of the phone-hacking scandal, as Lord Justice Leveson presided over proceedings and Bernard Hogan-Howe, the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, joined him on High Table. More recently it was my pleasure to host at work the latest Merton in the City event where we were joined by the Warden and some 80 guests to hear eminent Mertonian and ex-chairman of the FSA, Sir Callum McCarthy, give a thoughtful speech on The Financial Crisis: where did it all go wrong and have we now got it right?. Unfortunately it was pretty clear that we haven t yet got it right but we were given some clear pointers on where we ought to be heading. My own life is filled with rather less eminent activity such as holding down my job as an investment banker and acting as family chauffeur at the weekend, particularly shepherding my daughters who are keen middle-distance runners to cross-country and athletics events around the country and my son to St Margaret s Westminster, where he is a chorister. You continue to keep me updated with your news, for which many thanks. From Martin Jones: During the last year I have become a volunteer tour guide at Bletchley Park. The history is fascinating, even more so when one considers the relevance to modern technology. I had remembered that my tutor, Philip Watson, was there and it is satisfying to see his name in the Roll of Honour. Details of his involvement are sketchy but I think he worked with Max Newman at the Newmanry, in which case he might also have worked with Colossus, the first ever semi-programmable computer, which was developed from the ideas of Alan Turing. It was good to hear from Nick Comninos: I ve been scrambling in my memory for news about myself, and yesterday asked Mum for some help Her comment (or should we call it a quip?) was that I ve spent the past year in aeroplanes, which definitely has a ring of truth to it. If anyone is interested, I have all the details, but warn you that it is a paint-dryingly boring series. Far better off reading Ridpath! In other news I ve recently ventured onto my first ever social networking site LinkedIn and would be very happy to link in with any Merton students, both past and present. In business news we have entered the offshore wind-farm area via the subsector of workboat catamarans which occupy themselves with crew and supplies transfer to turbines under both construction and maintenance, but also with guard duty in (temporary) place of warning lights for navigation, and sea-mammal and bird observation duty (to ensure new wind-farms conform to environmental and wildlife protection requirements). This represents a diversification from the main shipping business. For another diversification move, we are also researching the LNG sector for intelligent entry points. We are due to hold our second shipping-based internship for postgraduate students in Piraeus during July for which, due to last year s success, we are doubling the numbers participating to eight. It is an ambitious programme and is thought to have helped at least two of last year s intake obtain their first jobs. Concerning family and where they are now, we have two working in the shipping industry, one in the Far East, the other in London. There are two still at university, one completing Finals in History at King s College, London and the other a second-year student reading Economics at Nottingham University (in the 1st XI football squad there), and two still at school. A broad age range, though it seemed quite a lot narrower before they started leaving home. Victor Mallet reports that having been the FT s Madrid bureau chief for the past four years, he is now moving to New Delhi to cover south Asia. It promises to be fascinating: India alone has about three times as many inhabitants as the whole of Europe. 120 POSTMASTER 2012

121 NEWS 1979 OLD MEMBERS ARMAND D ANGOUR ENJOYING BORIS JOHNSON S READING OF HIS OLYMPIC POEM Paul Curtis Hayward tells me: Apart from seeing you walking down towards Cannon St station in a trilby, not much has changed in my life YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: NOEL PRIVETT Litchen House, 27 London Street, Whitchurch, Hampshire, RG28 7LH Tel: noelprivett@yahoo.co.uk Lives of great men all remind us/ We can make our lives sublime, / And, departing, leave behind us/ Footprints on the sands of time... When I first encountered this drivelsome doggerel it formed part of a Hawkwind lyric I was rather young so imagine my surprise when I saw the same words featuring prominently in the stained glass window at my secondary school. It turned out they were part of Longfellow s The Psalm of Life and it must have been at that point that I decided they were even more drivelsome in the hands of the poet than Dave Brock. (Although it must have been close: Brock continues with Of hewn stones the sacred circle/where the wizard sages sat where Longfellow prefers Footprints, that perhaps another,/ Sailing o er life s solemn main,/ A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,/ Seeing, shall take heart again ). This preamble is by way of introducing the various activities of 1979 Mertonians over the past year and to suggest that perhaps these words meant nothing to the rest of our number either or that we have been taking time off from footprinting, apart from one or two notable exceptions. I have, however, decided not to introduce a footprint grading system (five prints for clodhopping Einstein-like boots; just one for barely registering an imprint, that sort of thing), and have chosen instead to record everyone s entries in random order. David King has being managing medical research funding since finishing his PhD in cancer research in He currently works for the National Institute of Health Research (the research arm of the NHS), which spends 1 billion per year to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. He lives in Harrow, Middlesex with his wife Kate and children Alice (16) and Tom (13), neither of whom have any desire to become scientists. Michael Ridpath is still writing detective novels set in Iceland. This year he took his family there to see the bleak landscape and the northern lights. It rained. Roger Pearse has finally got his edition and translation of Eusebius of Caesarea: Gospel Problems and Solutions out of the door, with much relief. It has attracted a couple of positive reviews so far, and thankfully it is selling reasonably well. He is now trying to find some energy to do the same for Origen s homilies on Ezekiel. Much of the last year was spent in the humdrum task of earning a living as an IT contractor well-paid, but, he feels, ultimately sterile. After spending much of the last 15 years living in hotels, he s considering whether to look for some other way to earn a living! This year he has been on holiday to Iceland and Israel. Armand D Angour, now Classics tutor at Jesus Oxford, having previously composed a Greek Ode in the style of the fifth-century BC poet Pindar for the 2004 Athens Olympics, was commissioned by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to do something similar for the London Olympics. The result was a six-stanza Ode in Greek alcaic metre, replete with puns ( Bolt etc.) and with English translation This new Olympic flame behold / which once burned bright in Greece of old It was composed for delivery by the Mayor himself at the Opening Gala for the International Olympic Committee on 23rd July, and preserved for posterity on a bronze plaque in the Olympic Park. Toby Bishop is 10 months into a 20-month relocation from Chicago to Minneapolis, where his spouse Revd Kevin Downer is serving as interim pastor of All God s Children Metropolitan Community Church. Toby has a new hobby repainting the church. POSTMASTER

122 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1980 Winter this year was thankfully mild by Minnesota s notorious standards. Edward Paine helps run a small chamber orchestra in Bicester ( and still plays the trumpet. Last Frontiers, the specialist Latin America tour operator he started on his return from Brazil, has just celebrated 20 years. Mike Ryan reports that life in Lancaster goes on pretty much as before with the exception that his elder son, Jamie, is now away at university. His brother, Duncan, is about to head for South Africa for a school rugby tour. Mike is nearing the end of the MA in education and one day might even get around to picking up his MA from Oxford. And Frank Dean notes that it has been a fine year without notable incident as yet. As for me, Noel Privett? I reported last year that I had grown and eaten a tiny carrot and that I was working in the third sector, as chief communications officer for Sue Ryder. Alas, the carrot remains eaten and my job has disappeared, leaving me looking for a new one (carrot as well as job) YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: NATALIE MILLER 15 Lesley Avenue, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3LF Tel: nataliejmiller@me.com Dave Harvey still lives on the Gower, but moved with his family 18 months ago into a house as old as Merton College itself, and sends an open invitation to anyone visiting the Gower, to get in touch. He still runs Medical Connections, his imaging software company, which continues to grow despite the recession. He also reports that he met David Stevens in Cardiff and they wondered if they were the only Mertonians living in Wales. Tony Creswell reports that he was back in Merton briefly last December as his twin sons were both applying to read Physics at the college, but the boys have ended up in New York State, one at Columbia and the other at Cornell. He continues to manage an IT team at American Airlines and whilst the bankruptcy filing late in 2011 caused great changes, as long as the airplanes fly he believes he will still be needed. David Fergusson continues his life as Professor of Divinity and Principal of New College, Edinburgh University and Richard Jones has been appointed EU Ambassador to Switzerland. Christopher Clayton reports that he had the pleasure of meeting up with Hermit Singh Randhawa for the first time in 30 years. Also that the closure of Shell s Thornton Fuel and Lubricants Research Centre will be the third UK research centre I have worked in during my career (ICI Corporate Laboratory, BP Chemicals in South Wales, and now Shell) which has been closed. He wonders for the prospects of future Mertonians. At the time of writing I have just seen the fantastic BBC programme The Fall of Singapore: The Great Betrayal filmed by cameraman Chris Vile, and Sally Mears has conducted a concert of Elizabethan music to celebrate the Queen s Diamond Jubilee which included a world premiere of a piece composed by Roger Teichmann. Two years ago I failed to convey the news that Paul Dauncey had married Anne Skeldon (1983) in Alison Blake got married in 2011 to Peter Henry, a retired US Army colonel and after years of long-distance dating, we now seem to be doing long-distance marriage because I arrived in Pakistan last October to be British Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pete has visited but is not yet based here. I have also kept my own name since after 50 years, I can t imagine answering to anything else. It confuses everyone here massively, but since I am clearly Alison Blake, professionally and socially, Pete is resigned to living with all invitations and communications being addressed to him as Mr. Blake. She reports that it is a fantastic job, very busy and some fairly major challenges, not least running the FCO s largest overseas mission. She finished You are never far from another Mertonian, as we discovered when Cyril Almeida (Merton Jurisprudence 2004) and I met the other week, first at a dinner and then again at a party given by different mutual friends. Marriages have unfortunately ended for David Kirk and Colin Findlay, who has now been in Vienna for 10 years and the long distance commuting finally took its toll. He is trying to stay slim whilst subjected to a diet of Wiener Schnitzel and Goulash, and considers himself very boring just doing the job he has, rather than chasing the next big thing. With a son studying in Scotland and with two daughters in Germany, I suspect it s anything but. As for me, Natalie Miller, I put an end to the long-distance aspect of my marriage, by moving to Canterbury last autumn. My daughter having done a year s Mandarin at SOAS, is now in Beijing for a year, whilst my son works on his portfolio for Art College. I ve just signed up for a 400km charity bike ride across Cuba for Women v Cancer and am planning a Home Restaurant in Canterbury to help raise the sponsorship money. 122 POSTMASTER 2012

123 NEWS 1981 OLD MEMBERS 1981 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: GRAHAM DWYER 115 Lake Cook Drive, Alexandria, VA 22304, USA Tel: I was delighted to hear from several Mertonians from the class of 1981 during the past year. But it has been slightly tougher getting information during this third year as year representative. So please don t hesitate to send me your news at any time for future issues of Postmaster. Since his update for Postmaster two years ago, Mike Guyote has left Boeing for MITRE, a federally funded research and development center where he has continued his work on sensors for the Missile Defense Agency as a Joint Analysis Team Lead for system ground testing. He is still based in Colorado and continues to pursue his love of keyboards, recently quitting his fifth band. Mertonians are always welcome to visit us here in Colorado, he writes. Warning, we live in the woods at 7,200 feet, so bring oxygen. At Parliament, Jonathan Lord was the first MP of the 2010 intake to get a Bill onto the Statute Book. His successful Private Member s Bill improved safety at sports grounds in time for the London Olympics. He works closely with another 1981 Mertonian MP, Jesse Norman, on a number of issues, including their mutual preference for a reformed rather than a wholly elected House of Lords. Jonathan and Jesse also recently entertained the Warden to dinner in Parliament, organised by Dr Denis MacShane, an old Mertonian Labour MP and former Foreign Office Minister, and also attended by fellow Mertonian Conservative MPs Sir Peter Tapsell, Ed Vaizey, and Liz Truss. The occasion also drew the question as to when the last time was, if ever, that Merton had VALENTINA DUFAU-JOEL AND JASPER POSTMASTER

124 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1982 six serving MPs? One for the House of Commons Library or an enterprising College historian to investigate, perhaps? Over in Rome, David Clapp is now happily running the Science Programme at St George s School, teaching Physics, enjoying the Italian dolce vita, and coping with his teenage children. But he says a family move back to the UK is likely in Valentina Dufau-Joel (née Hopewell) has been working since 1988 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, in Grenoble, France, as PA to the Head of Finance. Valya finds it an exciting place to work, being at the cutting edge of world science in its domain creating and using synchrotron radiation for a wide variety of experiments. She is married to a Frenchman and has two children daughter Natacha (19) and son Max (16). The whole family enjoys the sporty climate of Grenoble, including skiing, windsurfing, horse riding (see photo), mountain climbing, tennis, cycling, walking. So, what with busy jobs, teenage children to field, and weekends away in the Alps with friends too, our lives are just rushing by, like a mountain torrent! she writes. Last year, I relayed the news that Peter Phillips had joined Cambridge University Press. I am happy to report that he has recently been appointed its Chief Executive and a Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge (see page 40). Meanwhile, Professor John Roe is finishing his sixth and final year as head of the Mathematics Department at Penn State University, USA. He is pleased to record that during his tenure, the National Research Council ranked the department as one of the top 10 in the USA. He is looking forward to a break from administration and a return to regular academic life. Outside mathematics, his interests include rock-climbing, theology, guitar, cooking, and the philosophy and practice of sustainability. He is a fellow of GreenFaith, an interfaith organisation focused on environmental stewardship. As for myself, I have passed a uniquely eventful year at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, where I was recently promoted to Senior External Relations Officer. I continue to live in Alexandria, Virginia, with my wife Sharon and two children, John (12) and Maria (9) YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: NICK WELLER 12 North Ash, Hawthorn Close, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 2BW Tel: nickweller7@aol.com Thank you to everyone who s been in touch. I really appreciate hearing from you. David Brown left New Zealand in 2009, uprooting his family to a new country for a second time. David is now at the University of Adelaide, enjoying living in the Adelaide Hills, near to some of Australia s (and thus the world s!) best vineyard regions, and never too far from the sea. He is still teaching and researching corporate, insolvency, property law, and is organising an international conference in February next year. David is also very active as a presenter to legal and financial audiences throughout Australia, and is a consultant to the NZ and Australian governments. He has just returned from a four-month sabbatical teaching and writing at the University of Toronto. He was able to visit New York during his sabbatical period and wondered why it had taken him almost 50 years to get there. If any Mertonians are passing through Adelaide or visiting the university, David would love to know and assist. David gets back to the UK once a year or so, and still has family near Oxford. He has two children, who are now 17 and 12. They debate (everything!) and will probably end up as lawyers like their parents. Paul Collier feels happily settled as Priest-in-Charge (soon to be Vicar) of Copleston Centre Church, a united Church of England and United Reformed Church in Peckham. The church has a very busy Community Centre providing activities for all and sundry, with a focus on mental health. David Holden would be very glad to hear from his old friends from the 1982 and 1983 intake. David married Carole on St Valentine s Day 2012, 19 years to the day after they first met. They live in Abingdon in a somewhat empty house since Carole s daughters left. David is a self-employed software developer and quality consultant, and has been since 2003 when he left Harwell, having worked on computer science research there for 17 years. David plays softball in the Oxfordshire league, and goes running he has participated in the new Oxford Half Marathon. 124 POSTMASTER 2012

125 NEWS 1983 OLD MEMBERS Jatindra Nayak was invited to participate in the Jaipur Literature Festival in January 2012 and took part in a discussion there on Translating India along with Gillian Wright and Arsia Sattar. He also moderated a discussion on epic fictions. Jatindra has also edited a volume titled A World Elsewhere: Images of Kolkata in Oriya Autobiographies, which was published by the Department of English Utkal University. Ben Slocock switched from working for the European Commission to the European Parliament a year ago. Ben is working on the secretariat of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, which is quite a good standpoint to watch the euro drama unfold. Otherwise Ben reports he s in contented middle age with the children growing up and a new border terrier. Warren Smith is considering future plans as a result of recent changes in circumstances. James Thickett has been spotted on the lunchtime news, discussing how our use of technology has changed our behaviour in the past decade, in the light of the recent findings that we are now texting much more than speaking directly to others. Chris Villiers is a senior partner at Tile House Surgery, Brentwood, with next year marking his 20th year as partner. Chris has become actively involved in the last two years in the teaching of GP Registrars and he continues regularly to host medical students from Barts and the London. Chris has also become a keen road cyclist and recently completed a 100-mile ride raising money for the Orchid testicular cancer charity. Susanna Curtis is still working as a choreographer. She produced a dance theatre version of Chekov s Three Sisters, called Prosorov Park with her own company, Curtis & Co, last winter. Susanna has also just choreographed the musical My Fair Lady and a musical for children for an outdoor summer season in a castle near Koblenz, which meant spending two months on the romantic Rhine. She continues her very rewarding work as a hospital clown, making weekly visits to a children s hospital in Nuremberg and two old people s homes. Susanna s children, Oscar (14) and Milo (10) are growing up and Horst (her husband) is very involved with the technical side of getting Europe s biggest Dürer exhibition in 40 years ready. And my professional future is slightly unclear at the time of writing. More news next year, perhaps YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: MERIEL COWAN 40 Ash Grove, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9JL Tel: meriel.raine@gmail.com It was lovely to hear everybody s news, as always, and thank you so much for all your contributions this year. I ll start at the end of the alphabet: Rupert Vessey tells me that he and his wife Laura have moved back from Boston to New Jersey and currently live outside Princeton. Rupert is now Senior Vice President and Franchise Head for Respiratory and Immune Diseases at Merck Research Laboratories. He was also recently elected to be a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London). In addition Rupert and Laura have been keen attendees at the North American Merton Reunions and just participated in the dinner at the Century Association in NYC. Their oldest daughter Katelyn has graduated from University of Colorado in Boulder, Jon and Sarah continue in High School and Daniel is now in second grade and a keen sportsman. Rupert Sheard writes that he continues to volunteer for the National Trust, which he has done for the past three years, and enjoys teaching people about nature. At the same time he is studying for an accountancy exam. Also in the USA, Daniel Seymour reports that he is doing fine up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and has just got back from a whirlwind tour of China, Hong Kong and India, which was mainly business. On the home front he tells me he is building a salt water fish tank that s a real adventure, three months and counting. At least it has fish in it, he says! Dan brought his son Jamie to visit Oxford last year, and my three boys and I took them punting, which was a lovely day. We also caught up with Michael and Susan Roller this year when we visited them in their beautiful old rectory outside Salisbury, and enjoyed a crisp icy walk in the fields outside their house. Michael has been working as financial director for Corin plc, and Susan for Smith and Williamson in private clients tax. Susan recently met up with Sarah Crofts, and reports that she and Michael Everett are continuing to enjoy life with their two girls in Balham; Michael works for KPMG. I have just returned to England after nine years teaching back in Canada, writes Gordon Harris. Following many years teaching Physics, Gordon is starting in a new field, working at The Forum POSTMASTER

126 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1984 School in Shillingstone, Dorset, a residential school for autistic children and youth, and says that he is very much looking forward to this new venture. Chris Edwards continues as Headmaster at an ever-growing Bromsgrove (1,600 pupils) where the first ( 14 million) stage of yet another build programme has been completed. Our international interests mean lots of travelling, from Baku to Lagos, Shanghai to Washington, he writes, I still enjoy it. Closer to home, Bromsgrove has set up a Foundation to help widen access and has learned a lot visiting some of the region s more challenging urban schools. He also tells me that some of the scurrilous articles he writes about education have been published in a small book but I don t know what his pseudonym is so I can t give it a plug. James Collings writes that he and Kim and their two children continue very happy in Haywards Heath and have just got a new Labrador puppy. He continues working in Compliance as a director at Schroders. Lucky Collings s have Olympic tickets for ladies water polo. James will be in Oxford on Friday 23rd November to hear Britten s War Requiem in Oxford Town Hall, which his sister Sally Mears (1980) is producing and conducting, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its composition. Earnest Cheung updated me from Hong Kong. He moved to a new set of Chambers in May His son, Hermes Cheung, has finished his study in the UK and is now studying at the University of Hong Kong, reading for the double degree of Civil Engineering and Law. Paul Chavasse says that he has had a wonderful two and a half months sabbatical to catch up on the rest of his life, and managed a few trips to the Alps to try and work on his snowboarding, including one trip to Vevey to stay with the Billingtons (Simon Billington, 1984). Sadly though, all good things come to an end and I returned to my new role at Rathbones in London while still living up in Cheshire, so some very long hours and quite a few spent on Virgin trains! It was good to meet up with Richard Baxter last summer. He is spending most of his time in the Caribbean working in the former Netherlands Antilles with the new governments there. Andrew and Philippa Baker invited us to their wonderful Silver Wedding party last summer the first of our generation I think! It was lovely to see them and their boys so happy and flourishing. I was so pleased to have an update from Ian Andrews. He and Helen have been in Hampstead since 2003, following a period living in Berlin. Ian continues hard at work at Linklaters. On a sabbatical last year they were able to visit Malaysia and Indonesia. He still finds time to enjoy some opera at Covent Garden, and he and Helen are regular visitors to the Isle of Wight festival. Simon and I continue in our jobs in academia and general practice in Oxford. I was really pleased to get back in contact with Lucy Binney, née Buckingham (1985) this year. Lucy is completing her MD in stroke medicine. She and her husband James, Professor and Tutor in Physics at Merton, live very near to us in Headington, and our sons are friends. Richard, my 13-year-old, was cycling back from their house last week when he had an altercation with a taxi, so is off school with a broken leg, fortunately mending fine. All being well, we are planning three weeks in Australia in the summer, taking in a four-generation reunion with Simon s many Australian cousins in Burra, South Australia YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: DAVID CLARK 19 Willowdene Court, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 5ET david.clark@merton.oxon.org Many thanks to all who have been in touch at various times during the year and particularly to those who responded to my annual soliciting news of our contemporaries. After teaching in several schools in the Nottingham/Derby area, David Smith completed an MPhil in philosophy of education and philosophical theology at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and a PhD in Curriculum Studies at the Institute of Education at the University of London. He now holds a dual position at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For about half of his time, he is Professor of German in the Department of Germanic and Asian Languages, and for the other half he is Director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning, a research institute focused on issues surrounding faith-based education. He also serves as senior editor of the Journal of Education and Christian Belief. His recent books include Learning from the Stranger: Christian Faith and Cultural Diversity (Eerdmans, 2009) and Teaching and Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith and Learning (Eerdmans, 2011). He is married with three children, two at university and one still in secondary school. 126 POSTMASTER 2012

127 NEWS 1985 OLD MEMBERS Diane Purkiss is working on a book called The Enchantment of Children s Books, for a Bodleian exhibition in She has also successfully persuaded Oxford University to run its first ever official course in Children s Literature, with Philip Pullman as the inaugural visiting speaker. In July 2012, Sam Wells left his post as Dean of the Chapel and Research Professor of Christian Ethics at Duke University, North Carolina, USA to become Vicar of St-Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square and Visiting Professor of Christian Ethics at King s College London. John Newton ed to say that, in June 2011, he became the President of the Old Tauntonians Association, the association of the former pupils of Taunton School, where he is Headmaster. Mertonians of our era may recall that John Roberts, former Warden of Merton, was himself an Old Tauntonian. Thus it was that the annual OTA Dinner was held in Merton on 29th March. John writes that it was a real pleasure to spend a couple of days back in our old university city and to enjoy Merton s hospitality once more. During the course of a visit to the bookshop in the Catholic cathedral whilst on holiday in Norwich, I spotted some pocket booklets co-authored by Father Andrew Pinsent, which prompted me to contact him. Andrew writes that in addition to these booklets (CREDO: The Catholic Faith Explained; APOLOGIA: Catholic Answers to Today s Questions and LUMEN: The Catholic Gift to Civilisation), and the Evangelium course, he has also co-produced five DVDs with St Anthony Communications: The Last Things; Hostia; Keys of the Kingdom; Arise Once More and Confession: The Forgotten Sacrament. However, most of his time and energy is devoted to his academic work in Oxford (as Research Director at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion) and parish work in Epsom. In connection with the former, he has recently published The Second-Person Perspective in Aquinas s Ethics: Virtues and Gifts (Routledge, 2012), a book applying contemporary work in social cognition to reinterpret work on virtue ethics by Aquinas. Andrew Allen got in touch to provide an update on his drug discovery activities. In 2009, he co-founded Clovis Oncology which is based in San Francisco and Boulder, Colorado along with a small team in Cambridge, UK. Andrew holds the post of Executive Vice President of Clinical and Pre-Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer. Clovis Oncology develops cancer therapeutics with companion diagnostics to enable patient selection and precision medicine. The company went public on the NASDAQ in November 2011 and completed a follow-on fundraising in March Those activities raised over $200 million for the company, which is now seeking more assets to bring in and develop. Finally, on a personal note, it was a great pleasure to be able to return to Merton on 21st April 2012 to attend a dinner to mark the launch of the Courtenay Phillips Fellowship in Chemistry Appeal. I was particularly glad to be able to take my wife Barbara along as a guest for what proved to be a most enjoyable event. Please keep in touch news is welcomed at any time of the year. Next year will see the 10th anniversary of this news update, so hopefully it will be a bumper issue! 1985 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: BEN PRYNN 143 John Ruskin Street, London, SE5 0PQ Tel: ben_prynn@yahoo.co.uk Mark Medish joined Guggenheim Partners, LLC, the diversified financial services firm, as president of their new international division, based in Washington, DC. His eldest son is entering the Harvard Class of 2016 next autumn. Paul Robinson continues to teach at the University of Ottawa. His latest book, Aiding Afghanistan: A History of Soviet Assistance to a Developing Country, will be published by C. Hurst in August Lucy Binney recently submitted her Doctor of Medicine thesis on epidemiology of stroke, and is awaiting the viva with trepidation. Her son Peter, who is 14, started at Magdalen College School this year and has become good friends with the son of Meriel Raine (1983). James Harris is now in his second year as head teacher of Glenburn Sports College in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. He reports he is finding it an interesting challenge helping to raise aspirations and attainment in a community where these attributes have been in short supply. One of his greatest pleasures of the last few months has been to bring 12 of his best and brightest students to Merton for a day, and he thanks the College for being willing to establish such links. After 23 years of service, Richard Hathaway is leaving KPMG to take a well-timed career break. As well as spending more time with wife Pascale and daughter Lucy he is looking forward to making the most of the London Olympics. POSTMASTER

128 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1988 The year of 1985 continue to bring potential new Mertonians into the world. Julian Ross and his wife, Fiona, now have a fourth child, James Edward, brother to Amelia, William and Sophie. James is almost a year old and keeping everyone on their toes. John Mitnick and his wife Dee became parents for the first time on 30th April, 2012 when Dee gave birth to their daughter, Hadley Palmer Mitnick YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: TIM GARDENER 7 Carlyn Drive, Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, SO53 2DJ Tel: tsg3142@hotmail.com Steve Bosworth writes from Chester that he and his wife Helen have three girls: Emma (8), Rachel (6) and Holly (3). Life is pink, fluffy and noisy for the most part. In the rare moments I get to myself, guitar playing and cycling provides some respite. My musicianship sadly hasn t advanced much since the Loydalls days, although we do have a staff band at school and our colleagues are quite generous in their support for our efforts, mainly though after a few glasses. Toby Nicholson reports that he is alive and living in Cheshire. Paul Ayers has won two composition competitions: the Loughborough University Composition competition to celebrate the Olympic Games, and the Harrison & Harrison organ builders 150th Anniversary Composing Competition for Toccata 150. Tim Gardener and his wife Kate are kept very busy with the arrival of Toby, born in September 2011, brother to Grace (3) YEAR REPRESENTATIVES: MATTHEW GRIMLEY matthew.grimley@merton.ox.ac.uk and TOM PEDRICK tompedrick@hotmail.com In spite of the continuing and lamentable incompetence of your year reps (for which renewed apologies), a few dribbles of news of the 1989 year-group have somehow percolated back to Merton. This has been a productive year for Marcus Plested, who has brought forth a book on Orthodox Readings of Augustine, and (with his wife Mariamni, who did all the hard work) a son, Edmund. Philippa Hopkins and her husband Eddie (1992) have produced a third son, Patrick. William Redgrave and his partner Marta have had a second son, Daniel. William continues to commute between work in Jersey and his home in La Coruna, and reports that all is groovy in Spain, apart from the economy. John Cooper s book on Francis Walsingham, The Queen s Agent, was Book of the Week on Radio Four, though for some unaccountable reason the BBC chose to use Hugh Bonneville rather than John as narrator. Anna Dougherty s work as a portraitist has included a spell as Artist-in-Residence at A Stray Savage in Oxford, a conference on Henry James. We think her latest commission sounds her most demanding yet a portrait of our very own Professor Robert Gildea YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: CHRISTINE BARRIE 15 Badminton Close, Cambridge, CB4 3NW Tel: christine.barrie@btinternet.co.uk and Claire Webster 16 Kingsgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9PD Tel: claire@xargla.org Ralph Parfect became a Teaching Fellow in the China Institute at King s College London in 2011, and is also working as the Institute s administrator. He has two sons: William (5) and David (4). Allie Elend and her partner James have a daughter, Harriet, born last summer. Bev Carr (née Hall) now has two children: Oakley (9), and a daughter Ianthe (4). Bev is working at GSK, currently as VP Business Development and lives near Cambridge, where they have recently moved into a large old farmhouse in need of renovation. Mark Cockcroft is looking forward to becoming a dad again in August, a brother or sister to Daisy. He is involved more with the Institute of Actuaries, including chairing its working party on the effects of PPO claim awards in general insurance. Lindsay Tanner (née Dow) is beginning a new job in Social Care in the North of England, establishing a project to provide support to the most vulnerable families at times of crisis, through the partnership and commitment of trained volunteers within the community. Alison Reid is almost a year into successfully running her own business as an independent organisational development 128 POSTMASTER 2012

129 NEWS 1991 OLD MEMBERS consultant ( and career coach ( She married Bryan this spring in a little church in a field in Hampshire on one of the few sunny days in May surrounded by rapeseed and with flypasts by swallows! Martin Dyson is very busy with his two children Henry (8) and Gracie (3) who take up pretty much all his time outside work. They live in Daglingworth, a beautiful little Cotswold village just outside Cirencester. He is still working at Nationwide Building Society, currently Head of General Insurance and also leading the Mortgage & Insurance transformation agenda at the Society. Tom Elliott married Elise in December 2012 (in a surprise wedding) and honeymooned in Aspen, USA. Although they invited a few Mertonians to their wedding, none were able to attend. Zaid Al-Qassab is the director of Procter & Gamble s beauty and grooming business, which includes brands like Gillette, Olay, Max Factor and Pantene but by the time you read this you will know that and be heartily fed up with all the advertising as P&G are Olympic sponsors for London Claudia Drake (1991) recommenced her Art degree at UCA after a hiatus to work for the cancer charity Pelican for a year. They have met often with Mertonians Mark Corben (1989), Henry Harrison (1989) and Piers Allison (1990) in recent times as it has been a year of 40th birthday parties. Their children Pascha (9) and Ferdy (7) are fast turning into mini versions of their parents...they re not sure that s a good thing.. In October Jayne Joyce qualified as possibly Merton s one and only IBCLC. Answer as to what that is on a postcard, please. Jayne is starting sessional work for Baby Cafe ( in July, thus re-entering employment after a hiatus of 12 years (during which she has done masses of volunteering). This year she achieved the feat of having one daughter in nursery school, one in primary and one at secondary school but is very busy and happy. Dominic Joyce (1996) was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in April. Claire Webster (née Farrow) spends term-time teaching Classics at St Swithun s School in Winchester and holidays having fun with her family on the Isle of Wight. Visitors to either location welcome YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: ANNA SMITH (Chairman of the Year Representatives) c/o The Development Office, Merton College, Oxford, OX1 4JD As ever, it is a pleasure to collate the replies of the 1991-ers for Postmaster. I m looking forward to meeting everyone at the upcoming Gaudy. Alexander L Estrange is busy and happy as a composer/arranger, currently writing and producing an album for international vocal group The King s Singers. His music features on TV and radio, but his largest-scale and most successful work to date is Zimbe!, an African/gospel cantata for primary school choirs, teenagers, adults and jazz band. It s already had over 80 performances in less than three years since the premiere, in four continents. He is married to Joanna Forbes (Hertford 1990); they have two small but musical children, Toby and Harry, and live in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire. His website is: Richard Cumbley writes, There is now a third young Cumbley to add to Sam and Ellie. She is Charlotte Ivy, born in March Jo (neé Morley), having been with HM Customs and then Revenue & Customs Prosecutions for the best part of a decade was absorbed into the Crown Prosecution Service last year, and promptly took redundancy. She is now working for Victim Support in London, helping witnesses and victims of crime during their appearances at court. I am still at the city law firm Linklaters, a partner in the technology practice there. It remains more interesting than I could possibly have hoped for, and I get to play with technology and get paid for it. I shall be doing some research shortly on freemium games on my ipad. Ahem. Matthew Tobin, also working with a law firm, writes that this has been one of those years where it feels like we have been very busy but not very much news! We now have three children at school and the baby is about to turn two and seems like she is not such a baby any more. I am still working at Slaughter and May 15 years last September, which is very difficult to believe! Jo (née Wood) and Neil Musk have been living in Melbourne, Australia for the last seven years with their three children Hannah (9), Ben (5) and Isobel (2). Neil is Head of Strategy & Business Development for ANZ Global Markets, and Jo is an employment lawyer working part time at Hall & Wilcox Lawyers. The kids continue to develop strong Aussie accents despite best efforts exposing them to Postman Pat DVDs. Charlotte Clark (née Hamilton) has returned to university and is juggling a part-time Masters in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health at the University of Edinburgh with a husband and three small children in London (making good use of remote working via the internet). Phil Coleman continues his charity cycle rides, recently POSTMASTER

130 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1992 doing a ride from John O Groats to Lands End (960 miles in nine days), raising money for the British Paralympic Team. And Caroline Bentley-Davies still works as an Educational Consultant and Ofsted Inspector. Her latest book Outstanding Lessons was published at the end of last year. Her website is As for me (Anna Smith), I m a Deputy Head at Parkside Federation in Cambridge. The biggest part of my job this year has been as Academic Dean for our new Sixth Form. We have just come to the end of our first year with students a busy, but rewarding year, made more challenging by going down with pleurisy at Easter, though I am, thankfully, recovered now YEAR REPRESENTATIVES: ANDREW DAVISON Westcott House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BP apd31@cam.ac.uk Rachael Ball and her husband Matthew are still living in Dubai. They are enjoying every minute with their son, William who was born on 21 April Jeff Childers was glad to be in the UK recently to do manuscript research with a grant from the Loeb Classical Foundation, mostly ancient Syriac texts. He has had several publications, including work on the Bible in Syriac and Georgian. Kelyn and Pete Bacon Darwin divide their time between home renovations and escorting Lily (8) and Zachary (6) to their myriad social engagements. In Kelyn s spare time she remains a barrister at Brick Court and is currently writing the 2nd edition of Bacon on State aid. Andrew Davison teaches Christian doctrine at Cambridge and has been writing books. He has recently been appointed to the English Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue. Raymond Jagessar is currently Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Guyana. He fondly remembers his many friends from Oxford University and can be contacted at raymondjagessar@ yahoo.com. Charlotte Waker (née Lawson-Smith) is about to embark on a PGCE in Classics at King s College London, so returning to her roots after rather a long gap YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: JOANNA COOKE jvicooke@hotmail.com So the class of 1993 continues to get older. Next year it s 20 years since we matriculated which is embarrassing for all those of us who have yet to save the world or dominate it. For this update I asked people to tell me the best thing that had happened to them in the last 12 months and, thankfully, there is some good news out there. To those who replied saying nothing good had happened to them or that the best thing was receiving the from me, I can only express my condolences. I hope 2012/13 is better than 2011/12 was. Anna Jones has moved from her previous job as Librarian at Wolfson College Cambridge to become Librarian at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science (aka the Whipple). She says time will tell whether professional experience will triumph over subject ignorance but so far so good and she is enjoying it. She is also still busy with cello playing and singing, including latterly with the East Anglia Chamber Orchestra (worth hearing if you re in the Fens region). Naomi Drewitt is proud to have survived the Civil Service cull ( so far she says). Other than that she reports an impressively stable situation same job, same children and same husband. With no finance, HR or IT experience Sam Grimstone (née Bowser) managed to land herself a job as director for organisational development at a charity called London Youth. She says she is loving winging it every day. Meanwhile you will not be surprised to hear that Leanda Fauset (née Cooksey, ex-captain of Merton ladies rowing) has passed her Swiss Motor Boat Captain s Exam. Leanda is now allowed to handle a motor boat in open water without supervision. If you re in the vicinity of Lake Geneva, consider yourself duly warned. Andy Lewis is still working with Independent Diplomat, a nonprofit diplomatic advisory group, in New York. The best thing that happened to him in the last year was helping South Sudan to get membership of the UN within a record five days of its declaration of independence. Other than that, he and his partner Andrew have finally decided to leave the comforts of Brooklyn for a townhouse in rapidly gentrifying central Harlem. I for one am more shocked that Andy now lives in Harlem than that he has a partner with the same name as him. 130 POSTMASTER 2012

131 NEWS 1995 OLD MEMBERS Jim Freeman says his low point was being knocked out of a very competitive ping pong tournament by one of his own children Hamish. More positively he passed his driving test, gave up smoking and didn t quite retire from contact sport. He says his wife Roo has been marvellous throughout. I assume that means she put up with him when he was being particularly irritable about giving up smoking. Tania Davison (née Abrahams) hasn t sent an update but I can tell you that her year s highlight was beating me in our latest triathlon. The word thrashed is not an exaggeration, and so sadly we ll have to do it again in 2013, or until we get the right result. Sorry Tania. Jim Hansen recently became the head of the lab s Meteorological Applications Development Branch. A particular area of focus is trying to better integrate environmental forecast information with other information sources into existing decision systems. For example, decisions associated with pirates, drug traffickers, ship routing, and even energy trading which sounds intriguing and not a little complicated. On the community front, he s the director for his town s girls fast-pitch softball league. He says he learned that he d prefer to be the softball director for an orphanage. Matt Nelson has now swapped the lazy charms of Khartoum and the confluence of the Niles for the high performance sports cars and desert of Kuwait. Quite amazingly his wife SJ and baby Amy agreed to go with him. Ben Curthoys continues to work on his software business. It is now live and they have started selling tickets for the Windsor Tourist Information Centre. All eyes to Tanya Gold has lovely news in that she is engaged to be married to Andrew Watts (a fellow Merton 1993er). Andrew Watts didn t send an update, but I d guess Tanya would figure in his highlights. Charley Smith (née Haines) gave birth to a baby girl Florence Alice Smith in May. Knowing Charley s political convictions you will be unsurprised to know that she named her daughter after David Cameron s youngest child. Clive Norton has spent the first half of 2012 becoming a very impressive charity fundraising activity man. His two great achievements have been the successful completion of the 2012 Thunderwalk (a 54-mile trek in the Brecon Beacons in under 24 hours) and a trail marathon in the Lake District which he describes as a leg destroying 6 hours 19 minutes of marching through a bog. So that s all from you. My highlight of 2012 was securing a job at Cancer Research UK. No longer can my entirely too critical family tease me for working for big corporates. I m still married to Rob, which would be his highlight if he had been at Merton YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: TAMZEN ISACSSON Tel: isacssont@ymail.com It has been good to hear from a few new people this year as well as receiving some interesting updates from previous contacts from our year. A fellow PPEist Chris Webb writes that she left London for Bristol in 2009 and started working for XafinityClaybrook in Bath as a Pensions Analyst last year. She says she doesn t quite know how she got into pensions and calculation programming from PPE but she works with a great group of colleagues and enjoys it a lot. Since March 2012, Xin He has found herself in the big bright city of Shanghai, running a small cultural bilingual magazine. Truth be told, she s still in a state of shock over how it all happened since moving to China really wasn t on the cards for at least another 10 years and she has no experience in publishing. She writes that it is all still a great adventure and she s learning new things fast, such as how to get around the fact that all licences for magazine publishing are held by the state. She s not sure how it will all turn out. Then again, long-term planning was never her strong point and she stresses it s as much about the journey as it is about the destination. Peter Dent and Chara Bakalis are living in a village just outside Oxford with their three children. Peter lectures in History of Art at Bristol University, and Chara in Law at Oxford Brookes University. Paul White is also still living in Oxford and is married to Serena (1999). His company Health Horizons, which specialises in strategic healthcare consultancy, now has international clients as far away as Australia. This has made life a bit more tricky logistically with time zones and travel requirements, but he s enjoying the challenge. Christine Carey got married last year to Jonathan and is now known as Christine Pickup. She is still living near Leeds and working at Emerald Group Publishing as their Customer and Insight manager. Clare Jones has completed an MSc in Sustainability at the University of Leeds this summer and will be taking up an economics of sustainability thought leadership position with the POSTMASTER

132 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1996 Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in October. Julia Kenny is still in London working for a PhD at the Institute of Child Health and is also working for the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, which involves lots of travelling to and from Zambia and Uganda. She is also enjoying being a mummy to Georgie (2) and looking forward to the arrival of a brother or sister to Georgie in October. From Australia Gill Cowen writes that she and her husband had the absolute pleasure of welcoming their first baby into the world on 24th February Angus George Malseed was born 6lb 2 and is of course a beauty! Also in the baby corner of this edition Katy Thorneycroft s that she had another baby in April 2012 and now she and her husband Martin have two children Charlie and Clara. Apart from that life is much the same and she is still working for JP Morgan as a fund manager but is enjoying her second maternity leave and is attempting to learn the guitar before she goes back to work. Nicola Morley gave birth to her second child Ethan last July. Helen Bray has also welcomed a new addition to the family: Noah arrived in December, brother to Toby (2). Helen is still working as a Sergeant for West Mercia Police and qualified for Inspector rank this year, although she has no plans to seek promotion for a while. Her family escaped to the country last year and now live in a small village in rural Worcestershire, where they are gradually getting used to everyone knowing about everything they do! Here in Stockholm, Joachim and I were delighted our son Maximilian bounced into the world in a perfectly healthy condition last year. He s now keeping his sister Ottilia and his parents on their toes! Please keep in touch with all your news and do update your contact details with either me or Merton YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: MARIA PRETZLER Top Floor Flat, 23 The Grove, Uplands, Swansea, Wales, SA2 0QT m.pretzler@swansea.ac.uk James Brooks sent in a whole bundle of happy 1996er news: on 12th May 2012 James married Anne-Marie Brennan (St Cross, 2001) at St Patrick s Church, Enniskerry, Dublin. They were introduced by Paul Roberts. Paul Roberts got married on 11th June 2011, to Saskia Jeans (Balliol, 1996); James Brooks was best man. Richard Halkett and his wife Elizabeth Currid Halkett had a son, Oliver Sullivan McRae Halkett born on 2nd April 2012 in Los Angeles, their new home. Dave Auckland married Dhalia Khanna on 10th September 2011 at St Bride s Church, Fleet Street, London. Richard Halkett was best man. Katherine Kennedy (née Allcott) married John Kennedy in In January 2012 they celebrated the birth of Bethan Bridget Kennedy. Katherine is working as an in-house lawyer for VocaLink, the technology behind Bacs, Faster Payments and LINK cash machines Kristina Black née West) and her husband James welcomed a new addition to their family when baby Harry was born at home on 17th May Harry is a little brother for Lucinda, who turned two in June. After leaving Merton, Kate Joseph (née Kelly) completed an MSc at the London School of Economics and then joined the Civil Service. She has had various roles in Whitehall over 10 years and is now a member of the Senior Civil Service at HM Treasury (alongside another 1996 Merton alumnus Stuart Glassborrow (PPE)). Kate married Tom Josephs (who she met at HMT) in 2009 and lives in South East London. They have a daughter, Erin, who is 2, and when Kate wrote in May, she had just gone on maternity leave because her little boy was due to arrive anytime YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: CATHERINE SANGSTER catherine.sangster@gmail.com Amna Naseer is currently working at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Bank of America in New York City. Tom Miller has been living in Beijing for a decade, where he works as a writer and editor. In the summer, he escapes the smoggy city by heading off to his rundown cottage by the Great Wall with his wife (Flora) and two children (Harry and Penny). Tom s first book, China s Urban Billion, will be published in November Catherine Sangster has left the BBC Pronunciation Unit after ten years to take up the post of Head of Pronunciations (Dictionaries) at OUP. Joanne Cable is currently taking some maternity leave from progressing the UNESCO World Heritage Site status application 132 POSTMASTER 2012

133 NEWS 1998 OLD MEMBERS for Chatham Dockyard and its Defences, having welcomed Abigail Jessica into the world last December. Ben Wright and his wife Helen had a baby boy, Caleb, born in July Jill Davies and Max Tse (1999) are very well and now have two gorgeous daughters (see photo). Emma was born on 30th November 2011, a little sister for Kate who is now three and a half. They moved to Newcastle last year as Max is now a director of the National Audit Office YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: ALEX EDMANS 1919 Chestnut Street, Apt 1124, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA Tel: aedmans@wharton.upenn.edu Holly Cummins welcomed her first child, Laurie, in October Mark Eminson is shortly to finish as a curate in East Grinstead and will be vicar of a place called Pagham (outside Bognor Regis). He has no new children to report he thinks he s stopping at four! Ben Garner is still living in Baltimore, doing Marketing Analytics for an online education company called Connections Education (acquired by Pearson last summer). His daughter Grace is just over two years old, and his second child is due on 1st July. Cristian Gazdac was awarded the title Honor Citizen of his hometown, Nasaud, the highest award his hometown bestows. He is the youngest person to have ever won this award. During the Laudatio, photos of the Merton College football team were shown to the audience. Simon James and his wife Jacqui welcomed their first child, Sophie, born on 11th April. Louisa Keane (née Steele) and Richard (1997) welcomed their second daughter, Sylvie Alexandra, in June 2011 in Munich, where they have been living since August Marc Morris s latest book, The Norman Conquest, was published in March despite the arrival of two children (the second appropriately named William) during the research and writing. Edwin Northover and Kitty are expecting their first baby in the autumn. Edwin relocated to Hong Kong in April, and continues to work for US law firm, Debevoise & Plimpton. He would be happy to hear from any Hong Kong/China-based Mertonians. Matthew Shouler continues to serve as a diplomat, presently in Beijing. Lucy Winkworth (née Salisbury) and Guy (1996) welcomed their third child on 25th July 2011, Rupert Frederick Henry Winkworth, a brother for Mungo and Minty. Alex Edmans unexpectedly bumped into Alex Perry (2000) walking down the street in San Isidro, Lima, Peru. He ran the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon for the American Cancer Society and now serves as head running coach for ACS Philadelphia CRISTIAN GAZDAC WITH HIS HONOR CITIZEN AWARD YEAR REPRESENTATIVES: ANDREW TUSTIAN 30 Cottage Place, Apt#2, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA andrewtustian@hotmail.com and John Corcoran 57 Charles Street, Oxford OX4 3AU jpcorcoran@doctors.org.uk A nice long update from The 99 ers this year. Firstly, there are several weddings to report. Robert Crewdson married Katherine Matheson on 14th April. The ceremony took place in Lancaster POSTMASTER

134 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 1999 and the reception in Carnforth. Kat and Rob now live in London. On 27th August 2011 Thomas Studd and Astrid Winkler were married in Astrid s native Switzerland. They also live in London where Tom works in technology and media investment. Sophie Hamilton married James Law on 21st April at St Margaret s, Westminster. Sophie Law continues to work in the Russian Department at Bonhams. Anne Wetherell wedded Jonathan Mayes on Easter Monday with a number of Mertonians attending, including Benedict Morrison who was one of the readers. Caroline Ovadia married Ross Worrall on 1st October 2011 at Holme Pierrepont Hall, Nottingham; Katherine Sharrocks and Rose Pennells were bridesmaids. Sophie Dumont married Manu Prakash in March. The ceremony took place in New Delhi, India, with two of Sophie s good friends who started at Merton in 1999 in attendance: Chinemerem Abraham-Igwe (née Eze-Uzomaka) and Katsura Sako. Sophie completed her PhD in Biophysics from UC Berkeley in 2006 and is now completing her postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School in cell biophysics before starting as assistant professor of Cell and Tissue Biology at the University of California, San Francisco. Her HEENAL RAJANI WORKING ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW BOTTLE SCHOOL new husband is also an academic. Manu is assistant professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. We can look forward to more nuptials in Postmaster next year, as Leonie Hough became engaged to James Sadler towards the end of March. Leonie expects the ceremony to be sometime next year in Aldershot. We have news from two Mertonians working to improve society in different ways this year. In February 2009, Heenal Rajani sold everything he had and went travelling in Latin America. In Cuba he met Zach Balle, founder of an organisation called Hug It Forward, and they flew to Guatemala to work alongside a community and build a bottle school using plastic bottles stuffed with inorganic rubbish. Having seen how bottle schools clean the countryside of rubbish, unite communities, and give children ownership by enabling them to build their own school, Heenal and Zach, together with their good friend Joshua, made it their mission to help communities build their own bottle school wherever there is a need. In June 2012, Hug It Forward s 17th bottle school in Guatemala was inaugurated, shortly after the first bottle school outside Guatemala in El Salvador. Hug It Forward run one-week voluntourism trips in partnership with a conscious business called Serve The World Today, which helps cover the organisation s overheads, and provides a sustainable fundraising model. Heenal notes that Hug It Forward has also created an open-source Bottle School Manual, a guide that communities across the world can use to transform their environment and their future. More can be found out about their work at Nathaniel Coleman was interviewed on Vox Africa s Shoot the Messenger by Henry Bonsu. The interview is available at www. voxafrica.co.uk/stm/video/?v=0_8spnxuve. Nathaniel told Henry of his dismay as I watched, from the USA, the racialised rioting that overtook England in August 2011, and of his even greater dismay as he heard Dr David Starkey pronounce on BBC2 s Newsnight that the whites have become black. In response, Nathaniel has returned to Britain and convened a solidarity for social change comprising over 100 participants. He states: Building an Ebony Tower in Britain aims to dismantle the bad reputation that persons racialised as black have in Britain, by rendering the concept of the black public intellectual no longer an oxymoron in Britain. Other Mertonians are moving on in their careers. Serena White (née Eade) has joined the list of fully qualified Mertonian UK and European patent attorneys. David Roberts has switched 134 POSTMASTER 2012

135 NEWS 2000 OLD MEMBERS CHINEMEREM ABRAHAM-IGWE, SOPHIE DUMONT AND KATSURA SAKO LOOKING RADIANT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE NATIONAL DRESS from research to public policy. He currently works in Tokyo as Ambassador Roo s science advisor and plans to head to Bangkok next year to work with USAID. His wife Elaine, with whom he recently celebrated 12 happy years, has left the UN to focus on her artistic side. We end with some new beginnings. Mark Bowdrey and his wife, Megan were joined by daughter Bethan Lilian Margaret Bowdrey on 28th December Richard and Charlotte Smith (née Broadie) are excitedly expecting in Henry Day and his fiancée Verena Weig are now the proud parents of a baby boy, Frederick Joseph Ludwig Day, born on 20th August At the time of writing Henry and Verena are looking forward to their wedding in Passau, Germany on 2nd June YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: PETER COUSINS 8 Cours Alsace et Lorraine, 2e Etage, Bordeaux, France peter.cousins@merton.oxon.net More news of marriages and the arrival of children this year congratulations all round! Jenni Close married her partner of four years, Dan Hall, at their home church in Walthamstow on 7th April The new Mrs Hall can still be contacted on her original alumni address of jennifer.close@merton.oxon.org. Sarah Doberska and her husband Matt Warren (1999) welcomed their baby girl, Sophie POSTMASTER

136 OLD MEMBERS NEWS 2001 Isabelle Doberska-Warren, to the world on 14th January Clare Harding (née Beach) and her husband Matthew were also excited at the arrival of their first child, Isabel Rose, who arrived safely in September Nick Hine will be marrying his fiancée Harriet Banks on the Isle of Wight in September. They are currently living in Hammersmith. Nick has been working as a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London and at Cambridge University since completing his PhD in He has been awarded a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship to pursue research into Computational design and optimisation of nanomaterials for solar energy, at the Department of Materials at Imperial College. Tom Skinner left JPMorgan Cazenove to join boutique investment house Dexion Capital as head of research. Ben Sparks divides his time between Canford School in Dorset and working for the Further Maths Support Programme, for which he delivers Maths Enrichment lectures and workshops around the country. This means trying to encourage and facilitate the further study of mathematics particularly in places where it has not been offered before. Ben hasn t yet had his TV breakthrough (Marcus du Sautoy seems to have got the TV mathematician role all sewn up) but reckons it s just a matter of time. Ahem. Alex Street was awarded a PhD in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley in September 2011, and is currently a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute in Fiesole, Italy. In 2010 he married Eleanor Jane ( EJ ) Blitzer, a postdoc researcher in entomology at Cornell University in the USA, and their first baby is expected in early September. Paul Wainman has had a good start to 2012, marrying Hannah Feddo in a service on Dartmoor in April, as well as securing a partnership in a GP practice in Tewkesbury YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: RHIANNON HOLLIS 56 Westfield Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire RG4 8HJ rhiannon.and.alex@googl .com After noticing a gap in Postmaster over the last few years, I decided to volunteer as year representative in order to find out what people have been up to. I m glad I did, as plenty of my fellow 2001 alumni have been kind enough to respond to my . If you didn t hear from me, it is probably because the College has the wrong address for you. Please do send any news for next year to me directly. Thanks to all who replied. Stephen Burgess is working at the Bank of England, on economic forecasting for the Monetary Policy Committee. Bernd Delahaye writes that, after training as a solicitor and working as an associate in the London and Frankfurt offices of Linklaters LLP from 2007 to 2010, he went to Harvard Law School from where he graduated with an LLM in International Finance in He is currently completing an MBA in Financial Management; having passed the New York Bar, he will be moving to New York to continue his career as a lawyer with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in October Adam Hosein is living in Boulder as an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Ruth Heald has recently published her debut novel 27: Six Friends, One Year, which is available as a paperback and an ebook on Amazon. Ruth was a winner of the Next Big Author Competition and her novel reached the quarter-final of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Karl Huber will be marrying his fiancée Elspeth Tate, after five years together, in Merton College Chapel on Saturday 18th August, with the Chaplain Simon Jones officiating. David McCabe writes that he returned to Blighty last spring after a year of fine wine and cheese, working as a Marie Curie Research Fellow in Toulouse, and married Melanie Orchard (2002) in July. The celebratory cricket match the next day was tremendous, and the wedding itself wasn t bad either. Donald McDonald got married to Helen in He works for Kennedy s as an insurance/litigation lawyer. Rebecca McKnight (née Slack) is married to Angus, an anaesthetist. She s an academic clinical fellow in psychiatry in Oxford; her research remains investigating the role of lithium in the treatment of bipolar disorder. She lives in Oxford. Baby George was born in June She is still active with brass bands! Katherine Millard has been working at Queen s Medical Centre in Nottingham since August and passed her MRCPCH exams in October (Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health). However, she s been on maternity leave since December, and she and Chris (Lincoln, 2000) celebrated the birth of Jessica on 7th January lbs 8½oz. Jessica is very fortunate to have a Mertonian granddad (John Millard), great-granddad (Michael Millard) and great-uncle (Andrew Millard), as well as her mum! 136 POSTMASTER 2012

137 2002 OLD MEMBERS Katherine is enjoying being at home with her and getting a bit more hands-on paediatric experience. Hinesh Rajani returned from a wonderful three-year posting in Kathmandu (supporting the peace process and human rights) in March and is back at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, currently working on the Olympics. He s an occasional election observer for the EU and still keeps up his own travelling. As for me, I married Alex Watson in summer 2010 and we live in Reading. Our daughter Rosemary was born in June Alex is a chemist working at Phosphonics near Didcot. I m still a House of Commons clerk and will soon be returning to work part-time in the Journal Office after maternity leave YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: BEN ZURAWEL 4 Stonebow Avenue, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3UP ben.zurawel@merton.oxon.org Four Merton weddings and a birth, this year. Rachel Huckvale (née Turvey), who as communications manager at Uxbridge University recently enjoyed interviewing Dame Ellen MacArthur, married Ben last January. The couple met at the Oxford archery club. Anna Conlan was one of Rachel s bridesmaids. David Hall married Coralia in May. The couple met in Michaelmas 2002 when they played in the same college orchestras. The service was in Coralia s church, l eglise de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris; a month earlier they had a civil ceremony at the Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel. Andrew Beacham will be marrying Hannah Dolman (2003) in Merton Chapel on 26th August. Finally, Simon Edkins is to marry Lisa Critcher in Ibiza (in September). Simon proposed to Lisa last October in Merton College. As for the birth, Sam Carter is happy to report that he and Angela had their second child, Daisy Sophie Jemima, on 14th May She weighed in at a healthy 9lb 3oz. Zameer Meghji reports that he and Lucy Liu are still going strong. Dan and Rachael Rees are still working in New York, where in March they both ran a half-marathon. Rachael spends a lot of time in Mexico working with her client, the Mexican Tourist Board. Krizia Li graduated from the Harvard Business School in May. Krizia was in Harvard at the same time as Carlos Lastra Anadon. Both have now returned home (to Hong Kong and Madrid respectively) where they both now work for McKinsey & Company. They are joined by John Jenkins who earlier this year put down his red pen and left teaching to work in McKinsey s London office. Naomi Pendle will soon be Dr, having recently spent much of her time in Africa, carrying out field research for her PhD, an ethnography of the cattle camps of South Sudan and its customary law (see page 54). On the other hand, Tom Dougherty is not Dr anymore, as he has passed the MRCS so is back to being plain old Mr. Laura Burns is available on an ITV player near you: a reporter for ITV Anglia, she is based in Ipswich, covering stories in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. She describes herself as a one-man band on location, both filming and presenting, often before retreating to the car park of a well-known fast food retailer to edit her reports. And they say careers in the media are glamorous. Joe Noss is still working on financial stability in the Risk Assessment Division of the Bank of England, where to the best of the author s knowledge his role consists of saving the world s economies, one jet-setting-trip-to-a-g20-capital at a time. Mark Brighouse (who has recently been joined in Dubai by Chirag Sanghrajka, the pair both working as lawyers in the DIFC), writes of Joe: He [this section removed for legal reasons] are you even allowed to allude to such things? No, Mark. This isn t the Merton News. Oscar Scafidi was not available for comment YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: NIK ALATORTSEV nikita.alatortsev@merton.oxon.org 2005 YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: KRISHNA OMKAR krishnaomkar@gmail.com POSTMASTER

138 IN MEMORIAM 1931 In Memoriam 1931 John Henry Cook passed away in May this year. He was born in Surrey in 1911, and came up to Merton in 1931 to read Forestry, joining the College Soccer XI during his time at College. After leaving Merton he joined the Burma Frontier Service, serving with them between 1935 and He was ordained in Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford in 1938, and spent the next four years as an Assistant Curate in Faringdon, followed by a further three years in the same role in Newbury. In 1945 he became the Vicar of Winkfield, where he remained until 1952, when he joined St Peter s church in Maidenhead. In 1968 he was made Rector of Witney, where he spent many happy years until his retirement in He is survived by his son and two grandchildren Peter Plowden-Wardlaw, my dear father, died aged 96 of pneumonia in Royal United Hospital Bath on 23rd March He was born in a Zeppelin raid in November 1915 in Beckenham, Kent, and was educated at Brighton College. His time at Merton was to him crowned by being in tutorials with Edmund Blunden the poet. He commented on and appreciated my father s poetic talent and my father was given good references by him in his early working career. He is in the Freshman s photo for 1934 sitting next to Airey Neave. He later helped my father get out of trouble as one evening for some reason, a number of Mertonians decided to burn all the wooden lavatory seats in the College for fun. Airey Neave put in a good word for him apparently. For the rest of that term, however, everyone sat on cold stoneware. His first job was as an English teacher at Truro Cathedral School, but when war broke out my father went up to Oxford to sign up. He joined the Royal Armoured Corps where he was commissioned and sent to India and was an officer in the 16th Light Cavalry. At the start of the war there were horses, but mechanisation soon followed and Dad was present at the ceremony where the horses were made much of. It was a moving moment for the soldiers. His memoirs of this time in the Indian Army and his trekking in the Himalayas are particularly interesting. He married my mother Diana in Delhi in 1944, having been apart from her for four years. They returned to England in Teaching jobs in London directly after the war were hard to come by and he and my mother emigrated to South Africa and both worked for Barclays DC & O. On returning to England in 1949 he worked in the City in the merchant banks Brown Shipley and then Henry Ansbacher. His last job until retirement took him to work for the Cohen family in the West End and he invested their private money as well as being in charge of investing for their educational foundation that John Cohen had begun. He was a canny investment manager, buying low, waiting and selling high. He really enjoyed it, even though his true love was literature. Throughout his life he maintained connections with Oxford and founded the London branch of the Oxford Society for which he was the first Secretary. Many social occasions were arranged by him and enjoyed. He also had a hand in the Campaign for Oxford. In 1991, Dad won the Porter Poetry prize for a poem about London and was made a member of the Royal Society of Literature. His book Poems and Jingles ( ) is in Merton Library, and is full of poems from throughout his life. His first poem, a serious one, which Edmund Blunden particularly liked, echoed the approaching drums of war, and is printed below. FEAR OF WAR THE RIVER November, 1936 Life s river, in its upper reaches calm Has borne a little boat for twenty years And mocked the youthful helmsman s idle fears When the dun swans of sorrow caused alarm: But now between the verses of the psalm Murmured by currents cool he sometimes hears The stern, commanding voices of the weirs Of dreadful change speaking of future harm. Here, on the brink of this impending fall, In academic whirlpool slowly turning He wonders: will some branch-hung inlet maul The proud paint, or the frantic war-mill churning Spread man and boat in pieces on the tide? Why should he fear? Is not the River wide? 138 POSTMASTER 2012

139 1936 IN MEMORIAM This attitude to faith and luck lasted throughout his life. He believed that it was better to be lucky than rich. He was kind, reliable, loyal and steadfast. He had a very happy marriage, seven super grandchildren and he adored my mother and all of us to the end. Amanda Karpinski Brian Pearce Ramsden passed away in August A full obituary will appear in next year s Postmaster (Thomas) Frank Brenchley passed away on 7th July He was born and educated in Yorkshire, attending Sir William Turner s School in Coatham. He came up to Merton to read Classics in 1936 and was captain of the College cricket team, as well as playing chess and bridge for both the College and the University. Like so many contemporaries, his studies were temporarily halted in 1939 as war broke out. He joined the Royal Corps of Signals and quickly became a Lieutenant in the 8th Armoured Division Signals in He was later promoted to Captain and then Major, as he continued to serve in intelligence, finally becoming assistant military attaché in Ankara in After being demobbed he completed his studies at Merton and married Edith Helfland, with whom he had three daughters. He joined the Civil Service and worked at GCHQ for two years before transferring, in 1949, to the Foreign FRANK BRENCHLEY Office, where he continued to work in a number of diplomatic roles around the world until Initially working out of Singapore, he moved to specialise in the Middle East, in Cairo, Beirut and Khartoum. In 1963 he returned to London to serve as head of the Arabian Department at the Foreign Office until 1967, then as Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office. His first ambassadorial role came in Oslo in 1968, as Her Majesty s Ambassador to Norway. It was this experience that saw him write Norway and Her Soviet Neighbour in After Norway, came Poland, from In 1974, he took up a final posting as a deputy-secretary in the Cabinet Office, before retiring from the Diplomatic Service to become chief executive of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce. He stayed there until 1983, when he became Chairman of the Institute for the Study of Conflict. He also became Chairman of the Research Institute for the Study of Conflict and Terrorism, , and President of the International Institute for the Study of Conflict in Geneva, He became a recognisable authority in the British media during the rise in terrorism during the 1980s and 1990s. His knowledge of the Arab regions led him to recognise a shift in the pattern of global conflict publicly long before many others, identifying that the boundaries between war and terrorism had begun to disappear. His 1986 book Living With Terrorism: the Problem of Air Piracy in particular foreshadowed the global events to come. In 1986 he presented an important collection of the works of TS Eliot to the College, and a year later a bust of the writer by Jacob Epstein. His love of Eliot saw him invited as guest of honour, along with Eliot s widow, to the opening of the TS Eliot Theatre in In 1991 he was made an Honorary Fellow Harries Collins Bowen passed away on 25th October Like many of his era, his education was interrupted by the War. He came up to Merton in 1938, but joined the Lincolnshire Regiment in 1940 and attended the Office Cadet Training Unit at Sandhurst. He was commissioned in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 1942 and fought in Egypt. He returned to read History in 1946, graduating in 1948 with a Second Class degree. POSTMASTER

140 IN MEMORIAM 1939 Immediately upon leaving Merton he became an Investigator for the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. In 1950 he moved to the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London, where he did a postgraduate diploma in Prehistoric Archaeology of North West Europe. He once more returned to the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments as Principal Investigator; a position in which he remained until his retirement in He married Margaret Chalklin in 1949, with whom he had two daughters and a son Rex Rainsford Cunninghame passed away on 21st December Born and educated in New Zealand, he came to Merton in He joined the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1942, acting as a translator in Japanese with the Allied Translation and Interrogation Service. He also worked as a translator for the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, General MacArthur. After the War he moved to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Wellington; he worked for the Ministry in a number of positions until His roles included Counsellor at the New Zealand embassy in Tokyo ( ), Deputy High Commissioner for New Zealand in Canada ( ), Ambassador to the Netherlands ( ) and NZ High Commissioner in India, where he was also responsible for Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives ( ). His was a most distinguished diplomatic career until retirement in In 1978 he took on quieter roles as an Advisor at the Japanese Information and Cultural Centre and also as a Teacher at the Japanese Correspondence School, both in Wellington. He married Angela Cooch in 1952, with whom he had one son and two daughters. Reginald John Croasdell Wait passed away in August He came up to read Classics in 1939 but his studies were quickly overtaken by World War Two. He joined the Royal Artillery in 1942, serving his country in Burma in He was a Captain during the Malayan campaign in 1945 and was seconded to the British Military Administration in Malaya after that. In 1946 he took up the role of Administrative Officer in the Malayan Civil Service, where he remained until In 1959 he was awarded the Perak State Meritorious Service Medal. He also received an OBE for his services in He moved from Malaya to Malawi in 1964, as Secretary to the Treasury. After three years in Malawi he became a Field Advisor to numerous developing countries under programmes run by the International Monetary Fund, the Overseas Development Administration and the United Nations. He continued working for the IMF until his retirement in He married Eileen Powell in Peter Morgan Lerrigo passed away on 2nd December He attended Merton as an RAF cadet in 1942, but returned after the War to complete his Classics degree. During the War he had served as a First Lieutenant with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in India. He spent most of his life enjoying living in France. Alan Preston came to Merton as a Signals Cadet in He served in the Royal Signals during the War as a Lieutenant before an injury ended his service. His return saw him continue his studies at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, in 1946 where he read Modern and Medieval Languages. In 1949 he taught French at Barrow-in-Furness Grammar School, where he remained for the best part of a decade. He moved on, in 1957, to become Head of Languages at Eastwood Technical Grammar School and became Deputy Head in In 1972, he took up the role of Deputy Head at Eastwood Comprehensive School, where he remained until his retirement in He passed away on 22nd October Hilary Harold Rubinstein passed away on 22nd May He was born in 1926 as the youngest son of Harold Rubinstein, a playwright and solicitor whose firm were engaged to defend the Lady Chatterley s Lover case. After being educated at Cheltenham College he came to Merton in 1944 to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He left Merton to train as a pilot in the RAF between 1945 and 1947, before returning to Merton to complete his studies. His six decades in publishing began in 1950 when he joined his uncle s publishing house Victor Gollancz Ltd. Hilary was 140 POSTMASTER 2012

141 1945 IN MEMORIAM instrumental in the publication of Kingsley Amis first novel, Lucky Jim, approaching Kingsley in a café after reading about him in a student magazine whilst at Merton. In 1963, he joined The Observer as a special features editor, quickly moving on to become deputy editor of the newly-launched Observer Magazine in In 1965 he joined AP Watt as a literary agent in London. Over the years he held a variety of roles at the company, including partner, director, managing director and chairman. Of the many authors he worked with over the years, Rubinstein particularly enjoyed acting as an agent for PG Wodehouse, and handled the estates of Robert Graves, HG Wells, WB Yeats and Rudyard Kipling, amongst others. He served on the council of the ICA, on the literary panel of the Arts Council, and a trustee of the Open College of the Arts. Rubinstein s passion for hotels led him to create the pioneering Good Hotel Guide in 1978, and later Hotels and Inns in 1984, as well as editing a well-respected anthology, The Complete Insomniac in He is survived by his wife Helge, three sons and a daughter. James Gordon Wallace passed away on 19th November He attended Merton between 1944 and 1948, reading Medicine, and was also Secretary of the University Scottish Society. He then studied at St Bart s Hospital Medical School. After completing his training at St Bart s he became a House Physician and House Surgeon in 1951, before being called up to National Service the following year. He quite naturally took up the role of Medical Officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps. On completing his National Service, he moved to the Royal Berkshire Hospital as Senior House Officer in the Pathology department. At the same time he completed a diploma in Clinical Pathology at London University. In 1956, he took up the role of Registrar in the Bacteriology department at the London Postgraduate Medical School, where he remained until Again, he studied, gaining a diploma in Bacteriology. Bacteriology remained his speciality as, in 1960, he became Senior Bacteriologist at the Public Health Laboratory Service. He married Rhona in 1954, with whom he had two daughters William Burnside Buffam passed away on 13th April, Born in Binghamton, New York, he came to Merton as a US Army student in Michaelmas In 1949, he joined the US Department of State as a Foreign Officer. Nominated by Nixon to serve as the American Ambassador to Lebanon, he held the role as the country was descending into civil war between 1970 and Having survived three assassination attempts, he was again nominated by Nixon in 1975 to be the undersecretary-general of the United Nations for political and General Assembly affairs. Buffam worked as part of a team working to shape Security Council Resolution 242 in 1967 in the aftermath of the Six-Day War, which laid out a framework for peace in the Middle East, asking Israel to return lands taken in the 1967 war in exchange for improved relationships with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. He continued working as a Foreign Officer until his retirement in He is survived by his two daughters and three grandchildren Andrew Morris Moodie passed away on 13th July Andrew attended Merton as part of a Colonial Service Course. He had previously attended St Andrew s University and served with the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers and the Durham Light Infantry. He represented Merton at tennis and rugby, and the University at boxing. He joined the Colonial Service in Nigeria in 1947, where he served for ten years. During this period he was awarded an MBE. He had a number of different jobs in industry, including with Birfield Group, GKN and Tunnel Cement. In 1973 he became Bursar at Worcester College, where he remained until his retirement in He later became an Emeritus Fellow of Merton. He married Phyllis Moulton in 1949, with whom he had two daughters. POSTMASTER

142 IN MEMORIAM Hans Oscar Emanuel Andersson passed away on 23rd March He attended Merton as a British Council Scholar, after having already attended Uppsala University in his native Sweden. Having read English, he left Merton to become Senior English Master at Ostersund Grammar School between 1951 and He also worked as an English teacher for the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation and was Chairman of the Anglo-Swedish Society of Ostersund. In 1960, Hans moved to Malmö. He became Head of the English Department at Malmö University. He was a Senior Lecturer at both Malmö and Lund universities between 1976 and He married Gudrun Ageberg in1943, with whom he had a son and two daughters. John Bernard Shelley passed away on 13th February He came up to Merton in 1947 to read PPE. In 1951 he was called to the Bar at Middle Temple. He practised at the London Bar until 1954 before moving on to W Kenyon and Sons of Manchester in saw a move to Sandwich, Kent, to Pfizer as Research Administration Manager. He remained with Pfizer for over ten years before joining Save & Prosper Group Ltd as Company Secretary in After nearly two decades he became Director for their Educational Trust. He married Rachel Schiff in 1951 and they had one son and two daughters. He was awarded the OBE Ernst Anselm Joachim Honigmann passed away on 18th July He was born in Silesia (now part of Poland) and moved to the UK when his father, the noted zoologist Dr HDS Honigmann, came over to continue his research work. Dr Honigmann had been director of Breslau (Wroclaw) Zoo, but was dismissed because he was Jewish. The family eventually settled in Glasgow, although Ernst s father was briefly interred as an enemy alien in He died just two years later. Ernst attended Glasgow University, where his early interest in Shakespeare grew. In 1948, he came to Merton to write a BLitt thesis on the chronology of Shakespeare s plays and went on to become a founding Fellow of Birmingham University s Shakespeare Institute. In 1951, he returned to Glasgow University as a Lecturer in English, later to become a Senior Lecturer saw him move to Newcastle University, first as a Reader and then to the Joseph Cowen Chair in English Literature. This was a position he held until 1989; the same year he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. He published a great number of articles, monographs and versions of Shakespeare s plays, including Shakespeare s Seven Tragedies in 1976 and Shakespeare s Impact on his Contemporaries in He will be remembered as one of the most innovative and distinguished Shakespeare scholars of his generation. He married Dr Elsie Packman in 1958 and had two sons and a daughter. Alan Edwin Rogers passed away on 20th November He came up to College in 1948 to read Mathematics, but switched to Engineering in which he achieved a First Class degree. His degree came in very useful when he performed his National Service in 1951 with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. After National Service, he briefly worked for Armstrong Vickers as a Systems Analyst. In 1955 he emigrated to Hamilton, Canada. He worked as a Simulation Specialist for Canadian Westinghouse. A move to Princeton, New Jersey, in 1957 saw his career take a slightly different path, as he became Director of Education at Electronic Association, Inc. At the same time he did a postgraduate course at Princeton University. In 1960, he moved to the role of Director of Systems Analysis saw Alan take up the position of Associate Professor of Statistics and Computer Science at the University of Delaware. He remained there for four years before returning to the UK to work for Mobil Engineering as Manager of Computer Controls. In 1978 he became Director of Engineering, with much of his work involving the management of installing new North Sea oil platforms. He returned to Princeton in 1982, but continued to work for Mobil as Manager of Planning and Administration. A few years later he turned his attention to management consultancy, helping large corporations and local business schemes alike. He is survived by Traudi, his beloved wife of nearly 57 years, and two sons. 142 POSTMASTER 2012

143 1949 IN MEMORIAM 1949 Claud Alexander Capron Claudet passed away on 30th December He came to Merton to read Literae Humaniores in 1949 after completing National Service. He took an active role in College life, as Secretary of the Bodley Club in 1952 and President of the Classical Society between 1952 and He was involved in College sport and music through the Merton Musical Society, as a cellist with the Oxford Orchestra, as well as being a member of the College Tennis VI, 2nd Rugby XV, and Captain of the Squash Team in In 1953 he joined the ICI Alkali Division in Cheshire, before moving to the ICI South American Department in London in In 1954 he joined London merchants Robert Tucker & Co, becoming partner in 1957 and proprietor from He is survived by his wife and three sons. Miles Curtis Hayward followed his elder brothers, John and Tom, from Canford to Merton College, Oxford, where he read modern languages. After graduation, he had a number of jobs, including as a teacher and in various clerical positions, but health and temperamental problems made it hard for him to settle down until later in his life. Notwithstanding the problems he experienced, Miles retained a youthful and often exuberant outlook until well into his seventies. He had a keen sense of the absurd and was capable of transforming a routine social event into something much more unpredictable and amusing. As one of his many friends said, There was nothing humdrum about Miles. Miles retained his deep love of music and literature all his life. He sang for a number of years at the Three Choirs Festival, as well as writing three volumes of memoirs. He sympathised readily with others, particularly those experiencing difficulties, and became a much valued friend and companion to many. A deeply humble man, he would have been surprised by the number of people, from all walks of life, who packed the church for his funeral. He remains much missed. Paul Curtis Hayward (1978) John Hempstead passed away on 1st July He came up to Merton to read Mathematics. He enjoyed a long career in education and remained very fond of Merton and Oxford, visiting when he could Peter Samuel Sykes passed away on 12th September He came up to Merton in 1950 to read English and also represented the College at football. After leaving Merton he joined the Oxford Mail, having already briefly worked for the Huddersfield Examiner before attending university. He started as a news reporter and theatre critic, before becoming the paper s news editor for many years. In 1988 he moved across to the Oxford Times where he was Deputy Editor. Peter was also a keen jazz enthusiast, forming the Peter Sykes Big Band. In later life he composed pieces for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra My first recollection of Tom Hennessy, who died in January this year, was at the Merton sports ground in Mansfield Road in We had recently arrived at Merton and our rugby skills, or lack of them, were being assessed. We must have passed muster because the College had a successful season winning the Third Division. Tom was a wing forward, wiry and lightweight but a fearsome tackler. Born in 1931, Tom had a fairly peripatetic childhood: his father was serving in the RAF and the family (Tom had two elder brothers) was frequently on the move. A final move to Halton enabled Tom to go to Aylesbury Grammar School and to start club rugby with Aylesbury Rugby Club. During his National Service Tom was commissioned in the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry but was attached to the Durham Light Infantry with whom he served on the front line in Korea, an experience that made a lasting impression on him. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of military history, a wealth of anecdotes, and maintained contact with some of his military colleagues throughout his life In 1953 he followed his brother to Merton where he read Geography. He was naturally gregarious and entered fully into the life of the College, sporting and social, making a number of what proved to be lifelong friendships. The most important event undoubtedly was meeting Elizabeth, his future wife, at a pancake party in LMH. POSTMASTER

144 IN MEMORIAM 1954 TOM HENNESSY Tom and I both joined Shell-Mex & BP as graduate trainees in In those days it was fairly rare to leave the secure employment of oil companies but after a few years Tom craved more excitement and less bureaucracy and went into advertising. He worked as an Account Executive for several firms before settling at Dorland. He looked after several major international clients, which afforded him the opportunity to travel widely in Europe and the US. After he retired he threw himself into social and sporting activities. Tom and Elizabeth were married in 1957 and their son Patrick was born in They lived successively in Lexham Gardens, Barnes and finally in Tubney. Wherever they lived, friends were always welcome, never discouraged from just dropping in. When they lived in Barnes there was the annual Boat Race party a spirited occasion with a brief break while everyone dashed down to the river, hopefully to see Oxford in the lead. It was when Tom and Elizabeth moved to Barnes that Tom took up golf seriously, joining Roehampton. It remained an abiding love. It was perhaps no coincidence that their cottage in Tubney was adjacent to Frilford Heath Golf Club, which Tom joined. It was soon after their move that Tom conceived and set up the Merton Golf Society. Its first meeting was at Studley Wood in Since then it has held spring and autumn meetings at Frilford organised and presided over by Tom. He went on to found the annual Inter- Collegiate golf competition also played at Frilford. Tom s persuasive powers and persistence resulted in having Merton teams that won the cup on two occasions over the past eight years. It is a fitting tribute that the teams now play for the Hennessy Cup. Sadly, bad knees forced Tom to give up the game himself but he was always to be seen patrolling the course in a buggy usually accompanied by Helen Kingsley. In addition to his golfing initiatives Tom was an active Year Rep where he renewed contact with many lapsed Mertonians. With his long association with Merton he especially enjoyed celebrating his 80th birthday with a lunch in the Savile Room. Tom, with Elizabeth, had a great talent for making and keeping friends. He had his disappointments but bore them stoically and was always generous with never an unkind word about anyone. He was very proud of Elizabeth s achievements, of Patrick s journalistic success and the exploits of his grandchildren Georgia and Joe. He was a great personal friend and, like many others, I shall miss him. He was a lovely man. Michael Jenkins (1953) 1954 John Parr, who lost his battle with cancer on 3rd December 2011, was one of the circle of my close friends at Merton. John was a true gentleman in every sense. Mike Rines described him as perhaps the nicest of us. I fully agree. John was born in September 1934, and brought up in South London, educated at Dulwich College. A reminiscence from a schoolfriend, Donald Amlot, recorded how they both failed Latin in School Certificate, a pass in which was considered essential for aspiring historians. A fearsome master named Treadgold, whose maxim was that it did not matter what you taught boys, so long as they hated it, gained them both Distinctions after a term of terror. John ended up as a School Prefect and gained a Postmastership to 144 POSTMASTER 2012

145 1954 IN MEMORIAM JOHN PARR Merton. Wisely he opted to do National Service first, and, at just 18 years old, he quickly passed WOSB in the Royal Artillery, and gained an early commission. He clearly loved the Army life, and, I am told, occasionally looked back on it with nostalgia during his first year at Merton, but that feeling soon disappeared, and he gained a very good 2nd Class Honours in History, after thoroughly enjoying his time at Oxford. One of the academic highlights of his time at Merton was to be assigned to A.J.P. Taylor for his special project of 19th-century European history. He was a keen sportsman, and played both cricket and rugby for the College. No cricketer myself, I am informed that he was very proud of an elaborate forward stroke as a batsman, which did not, however, notch him up any great scores! I much enjoyed playing rugby with him, and, in the 1956/7 season, when the Merton XV won every match except one, John always averred that the drop goal that gave our opponents victory by a single point, sailed wide of the posts and the referee did not see it! In the early days of our respective retirements, we went together to Twickenham to the Varsity Match on more than one occasion. Like many others of our generation, summer vacation travel to European destinations in pre-war motor vehicles attracted him and John travelled to Rome and back, accompanied by Gerard Green, Donald Amlot and another friend, in a 1936 London taxi, the chassis of which subsequently did duty towing the mower in the College sports field. My only holiday with John was a pre-finals trip to Devon with him and John Wallace, all crammed into the one seat of my 1933 Morris Minor Tourer, at the conclusion of which we crossed the Severn to Chepstow by ferry before the first suspension bridge had been built. Ted Mullins also holidayed in Europe with both of them, but Ted s was a rather more modern post-war vehicle, which he drove with considerable panache. Those undergraduate forays were some of the most enjoyable travelling that we ever did. John was also a member of the exclusive Merton College Society, the Myrmidons. John had a distinguished and highly varied career. After short sojourns in a City Bank and the Solicitor s Law Stationery Society, he joined the British Iron & Steel Federation in 1959 and rose to be Deputy Secretary. During this time, based at Warwick, he was adopted as Parliamentary Liberal candidate for Stratford-on-Avon, although he never actually contested an election, because by the time it took place, he had moved on. In 1965 he began a threeyear career as a Principal in the Department for Economic Affairs, involved in industrial productivity. This led, in 1968, to a second involvement in the Steel Industry as Coordinator for EC Affairs in the British Steel Corporation. Quoting from a tribute paid to him by a colleague, Richard Barber: John took charge of the vast and complex preparations for British Steel s entry into the European Coal & Steel Community in the early 1970s. The complexity of these issues required an intellect and a negotiating ability that were John s especial strengths. In 1973, he was appointed Director General of the British Footwear Manufacturers Federation, but his previous experience with the EEC caused him to be invited in 1976 to Brussels to take up the position of Divisional Head of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers responsible for EC legislation to liberalise air transport. After his return to the UK in 1989, this in turn led to the Directorship of the Air Transport Users Council, which lasted until His final business position was as Chairman of the Airline Consumer Forum, IATA, based for some of the time in Geneva. John s career was not, however, yet at an end. One of his enduring lifelong passions was classical music, and he had a large collection of records, tapes and CDs, and was a great concert-goer throughout his life. When he moved to the North of Ireland after his marriage to Dolores O Reilly in 1993, he immersed himself in local affairs, and was invited to join the Board of the Ulster Orchestra Society, and, from then until the end of his life, he was Chairman of the Friends of the Ulster Orchestra. They paid him the great tribute of dedicating a concert to him shortly before his death, which moved him greatly. An Irish friend, Ian Doherty, said this about his 20 years POSTMASTER

146 IN MEMORIAM 1959 in the Province: To our ancient quarrels and enmities he brought his gentle smile, his balance and his open, inquisitive mind. Gerard Green, one of his very closest lifelong friends, to whom I am greatly indebted for much of the information contained in this writing, comments that one of his enduring qualities was his genius for making friends and keeping them. In 2006, he and Dolores travelled to New Zealand, mainly, I believe, to visit John Wallace. His last phone call to me, an answerphone message, which I have preserved, thanked me effusively for my friendship, which touched me greatly. As an only child, he excelled in filial duty to his parents. One of the reasons he decided to move back from Brussels to the UK was because he was aware that his widowed mother was not very happy in a Belgian Retirement Home, as she could not speak French. He was exceptionally devoted to his wife, Dolores, and his daughter, Meadbh, born in 2002, and because his wife was working, he spent much of his time with Meadbh, in the few years that he sadly could. She bravely read a story at his Memorial Service, which he had written especially for her, about Badger, and how much all his animal friends missed him at first, and how, gradually, they had got used to his absence and remembered his words of wisdom. This illustrates, clearly, the depth and the breadth of the friend whom none of us will ever forget. Dick Lloyd (1954) John Michael Wells came up to Merton in 1954 to read Theology. He was a keen rower and also President of the College s Church Society. Upon leaving, he took up the position of Assistant Master at Sir George Monoux Grammar School in Walthamstow. After two years there he took up the same role at South West Ham Technical School. In 1960 he enrolled into Theology College at Westcott House, Cambridge, and was ordained as a Deacon two years later. His first parish was Hornchurch, where he was Assistant Curate at St Andrew s from 1962 to He had further Assistant Curate positions in Barking and South Woodford, before becoming the Vicar at St Nicholas, Elm Park, Hornchurch, in He remained at St Nicholas for several years before moving to Chelmsford Cathedral. Initially he worked as a Project Officer at the Chelmsford Cathedral Centre, before being made an Honorary Chaplain in He continued to work for the local church, as Area Secretary for the Church Missionary Society in the Chelmsford and Ely dioceses. He also preached in public and worked as a Regional Coordinator for the East Central region. He married Barbara Bell in 1964, with whom he had four daughters and one son David Norman Miller died peacefully on 14th July 2011, in the Royal United Hospital Bath. He was 71 and had been ill for some time. David was born in Scotland and went to Bedford School. At Merton College he read Physics and formed friendships with a group of contemporaries that lasted throughout his life. He rowed in the College 1st VIII and, predictably, was social secretary of the rowing club. He also won a half blue for fencing, in spite of the considerable handicap of having no sight in one eye. After leaving College he joined Arthur Andersen and qualified as a chartered accountant, before moving to the consultancy practice of Coopers & Lybrand as a management accountant. After four years he left for a spell in industry, putting into practice his belief that good consultants need sharp-end experience, but he soon returned to Coopers and spent the rest of his career as a management consultant. On his return David was seconded to the Civil Service. This was significant in shaping his future career. The Civil Service was undergoing managerial reform, to which David contributed. But more importantly he became aware of the scale of consulting opportunities in the public sector. A subsequent project with the World Bank convinced him that this was an opportunity area internationally as well as in the UK and he established a group that specialised in the reorganisation and restructuring of the water industry. His portfolio of clients was global and he oversaw major reform programmes in countries from Egypt to Nepal, Tanzania to Thailand and India to Ghana. His talents led to rapid promotion to deputy managing director and then (in 1985) managing director of the consulting practice. The firm grew rapidly during this period and he played a huge part in expanding the firm to more than 1,000 consultants by the early 1990s. It was people like David that led the journalist Simon Jenkins to describe the consulting firm as the alternative government. David continued in a series of senior roles, including managing director of the Coopers & Lybrand Europe consulting practice 146 POSTMASTER 2012

147 1960 IN MEMORIAM until his retirement in But in practice the word retirement was anathema to him and he was quickly back at work in the UK government as the private sector adviser on the establishment of the Environment Agency. Subsequently he was enticed back to Coopers & Lybrand as chairman and managing director of the consultancy practice in South Africa. He moved to Johannesburg and maintained a home there for the rest of his life. After his second retirement from the firm, he continued to be involved in consultancy businesses and projects, in South Africa and elsewhere, often working with the consultants he had recruited and helped develop in Coopers & Lybrand. He never shied away from the most difficult projects and was heavily involved in efforts to improve the governance of the Palestinian Authority. Outside work, David played a major role in the creation of the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants. He had the idea of forming a Livery Company for Management Consultants in 1991, consulted with leaders from other firms and organised a founding dinner the following year. In 1993 the Guild of Management Consultants was formed with David as Founder Master, a position that he held until He continued to be involved with the Company as it progressed from being a Guild to a Company without Livery in 1999 and finally a fully-fledged Livery Company of the City of London in David then acquired the honorary title of Father of the Livery, a distinction that he cherished. The Company s motto is Change through Wisdom, a key goal for all management consultants, which could have been David s personal motto. David s sociability, generosity and charm were legendary, with friends old and new. Few knew him for long without enjoying his hospitality at the Caledonian Club. On discovering it was someone s birthday he readily convinced the kitchen of a hotel in Dar es Salaam to produce a cake at 20 minutes notice. In Ramallah at the time of the rugby world cup final against Australia in 2003, he not only persuaded a cafe owner to switch his television over so that he could watch the match but also persuaded most of the cafe s local clientele that they were keen to watch rugby as well. His consultants rarely flew off on a project without carrying a large car part that had been promised by David to someone in the local office. After visiting a local school in Gaza, he swiftly organised a supply of tracksuits and biros to improve teaching conditions. In his family life he quietly supported people in need in a variety of ways from working with the homeless to giving Latin lessons. David Miller will live in the memory of all who knew him as a generous and warm-hearted man who built friendships that lasted to the end of his life. But his greater legacy is the improvement he helped bring about in the lives of millions of people in some of the most deprived communities in this world. David married Sally French in 1963 and had three children with her. They divorced in 1982, and in 1985 he married Elisabeth Solloway. His wife and children survive him. David Parish 1960 Professor Anthony Richard Sutcliffe died in December 2011 following a long period of ill health. Described by fellow Mertonian, Keith Pickering, as gentle and unassuming, Tony rose to become one of a select group of British academics who developed the disciplines of urban and planning history. Born in Northampton and educated at Chigwell School in Essex, Tony joined nine historians in the Merton Class of Roger Laughton remembers: Our College tutors were Roger Highfield, Ralph Davis and John Roberts. From the start, the rest of us knew that Tony had the potential to embark on a successful academic career. He played a full part in College life, including a half-back role (if memory serves me) in the College soccer team. But it was also clear he had the potential to become a proper historian, able not just to regurgitate the previous week s reading list but also to discover new ways of understanding the past. Tony moved to the Sorbonne immediately after graduating from Merton to embark on a PhD. His first book, The Autumn of Central Paris: The Defeat of Town Planning , published in 1970 and based on his doctoral thesis, immediately won critical acclaim. Combining close archival research on a small historic area in the heart of Paris, the first four arrondissements, with a wider understanding of the political and economic processes affecting the entire city, he demonstrated how its epic reconstruction under Napoleon III and his prefect Georges-Eugène Haussmann had been followed by a century of torpor. He held his first academic post at Birmingham where he worked on the city s official history, moving to Sheffield University in 1970, rising first to a readership (1975) and then a personal chair (1982). During this period he wrote or edited a series of major books, notably Towards the Planned City: Germany, Britain, the United POSTMASTER

148 IN MEMORIAM 1962 States and France, , published in 1981, which traced the close connections between the nascent planning movements in the four countries most notably, the influence of German planners on their British colleagues until ties were severed by the outbreak of war. Remembered by his students for his formidable memory and his humour, he inspired and actively supported many students to follow their passions for social and urban history. Later in his career Tony turned increasingly to the history of architecture, with two major books published by Yale University Press: Paris: An Architectural History (1993) and London: An Architectural History (2006). Lavishly illustrated, using many of his own photographs, they steer a confident course through the shoals of architectural taste and style, some international but many individual and idiosyncratic to each city. He was not afraid to run head-on against conventional judgments: Londoners love St Pancras, but it has one weakness: it is an extremely ugly building. His academic career was very much the focus of his life but he also found time to indulge his loves of classical music, black and white films and Chinese food. He married Moyra in 1972 and was a generous and caring father to his children Isabel and Edgar. He had been thrilled to become a grandfather to Jack just a few weeks before he passed away. Isabel Sutcliffe 1962 We learned shortly before going to press of the death of William (Stewart) Easton. A full obituary will appear next year William (Roderick) Richards passed away on 16th November A full obituary will appear for him next year Only a few months after his retirement due to ill health, Christopher Grant Morgan passed away peacefully in his sleep on 10th August Chris came to Salford in 1980, joining the then Department of Biochemistry (subsequently merging with the Department of Biology and eventually becoming the School of Environment and Life Sciences). He came to Salford with a great pedigree a first degree and DPhil at Oxford with Professor Sir George Radda (later chief executive of MRC ) and postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard, Stanford and Oregon. Chris s main interest was in research, enjoying significant funding from both research councils and industry and attaining an eminent international reputation, although he made a significant contribution to teaching over the whole range of bioscience undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes. Initially he was a joint appointment between Salford and Daresbury, where he was involved in commissioning experiments of the then new UK synchrotron light source, before becoming full time at Salford. His main research interest was in the applications of luminescence spectroscopy to biochemistry and the development of novel analytical methods and related instrumentation. It was in the latter area where he made perhaps the most significant contributions, publishing widely on new experimental methods for fluorescence lifetime imaging in the nanosecond regime and taking out some important patents in this area. This research led to a joint enterprise with the University (Photonics Research Systems) that supplied customers in the UK and abroad with leading technology developed and constructed at Salford. Chris was a teacher and scientist of the greatest integrity who always liked work to be viewed and performed according to his own high standards. He was a good friend with an urbane attitude to life and a devotion to comfortable Jaguar cars. Chris was a loyal colleague who will be greatly missed. Roger Bisby 1973 Peter Herbert McCarthy passed away on 30th April Born in New Zealand, he came up to Merton in 1973 to read PPE. He was awarded a Postmastership and was also a keen rower. After Merton, he worked for a number of years at the Department of Transport, including roles as Head of Customer and Stakeholder Relations, and Director of Finance. He also worked in management consultancy before becoming Performance and Planning Director of the charity Motability. He was a regular attender of Gaudies and returned to the College to offer careers advice to undergraduates. 148 POSTMASTER 2012

149 1975 IN MEMORIAM 1975 Grant Bates was born in Tasmania but came to Oxford for his undergraduate training at Merton College and he then went to the London Hospital for his clinical training. After specialising in Ear Nose and Throat surgery, he spent time as a research fellow in San Francisco and Brisbane spending two years as a consultant in Australia before returning to Oxford in Here he threw himself into teaching undergraduates and postgraduates with his normal high energy approach. Their training often included fitness sessions with him at the gym! During his time in Oxford he became one of the international pioneers of minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of certain conditions of the oesophagus as well as an expert in diseases of the nose (rhinology). He also had an interest in medical politics and became Chairman of the Medical Staff Committee at the Radcliffe Infirmary and John Radcliffe Hospital. Between 2002 and 2005 he took on the role of Honorary Secretary of the national ENT society. During this time he helped defuse the political time bomb of disposable tonsillectomy instruments that were introduced for a short period, supposedly to avoid the tiny risks of contracting CJD disease, but this was associated with a sharp increase in risk of post-operative bleeding and he helped to reverse the policy. Although known within ENT surgery for his input in these professional areas, he was probably equally recognised for his extra-curricular activities. Grant was a glowing example of how to achieve a good work/life balance well before the phrase first became popular. It is almost impossible to list the number of things that he crammed into his life he was an accomplished sub-aqua diving instructor and had a lifelong interest in underwater photography. Later in life he participated in the London marathon run, the Engadin cross-country ski marathon, various triathlons, windsurfing, and sailing (obtaining his RYA coastal skipper certificate). He did the Four Peaks challenge with two colleagues in 2001 and they were planning a repeat ten years on in 2011 with respective sons and daughters. Unfortunately that was not to be. He took up real tennis whilst in Oxford and spent many enjoyable hours on court. His definition of ENT was Early Nights & Tennis. He was a lifelong environmentalist and became a Trustee of the Shark Trust in 2005, sharing his own experiences and thoughts on their conservation through talks and awareness events. He was the devoted husband of Sue, and the enormously proud father of Rebecca and James. He was the ultimate communicator and touched an enormous number of people s lives with his kindness, generosity and huge sense of fun. All who knew him will be saddened by his untimely death. He was a great example as to how to enjoy life and, at the same time, give of one s best professionally. He will be greatly missed, by family, friends, colleagues and patients. There is now a bench in his memory in Wytham Woods at the top of the hill from the Botley entrance just before the Elton gate with the following words inscribed on it: Grant Bates Consultant ENT Surgeon - Member of Merton College Oxford He loved to run in Wytham People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things David Cranston Christopher Aidan Campbell Jenkins was born in London on 22nd November, 1958 and died at Claygate, Surrey, on 20th September, Born of an Oxonian union (father from Trinity, mother from St Hilda s), he grew up in London and also in Cornwall where his grandfather was rector of a parish near St Ives. His parents later maintained a home at Llangarron, near Ross-on- Wye, on the Welsh border. These connections gave Aidan a lifelong love of Cornwall, a fierce loyalty to Welsh rugby, and passion for English cricket. Aidan came up to Merton from Eton, where his aptitude for history was nurtured by the master Robert Franklin, whom he never forgot. He also freely acknowledged his indebtedness to POSTMASTER

150 IN MEMORIAM 2000 his Merton tutors Roger Highfield and Philip Waller. Aidan also relished the opportunity Merton provided to pursue a wide range of other interests. His talent for reasoned debate, based on a deep reservoir of common sense, and an ability to defuse the arguments of others with humour and without personal antagonism, was soon recognised, and he was elected JCR President. He earned respect from JCR and SCR alike, not least by his adept and mature handling of JCR relations with the College. On several occasions he proved an effective advocate for undergraduates who were in difficulty for academic or disciplinary reasons and who might have found less favour had his persuasive mediation not been available. Other College interests included sport in general, particularly cricket (where the ethos of the Mayflies mirrored his own Corinthian sporting values), and the Myrmidon Club, which he served as secretary. It was, though, in the role of JCR President that he will be best remembered by his contemporaries. Encouraged by his father, a leading wine merchant, Aidan had enjoyed several school holidays working in the French wine regions, learning about the wine trade while enjoying enviable conditions of employment. He arrived at Merton in 1977 from a summer in Bordeaux at Château Mouton Rothschild, where he recalled that it was the custom to wash down one s lunchtime baguette with a draught, from the barrel, of the famous cru. This experience undoubtedly influenced his career choice: after Merton he joined a division of International Distillers and Vintners (forerunner of Diageo). Over the next decade and a half he applied energy and commitment to the job of establishing and marketing IDV s wines and spirit brands in the UK and across Europe, achieving considerable success. Working with a young, talented and highly motivated management team, Aidan appeared to be on an upward track when, in the mid 1990s, a bout of corporate retrenchment saw him made redundant. The blow was compounded within months by the premature death of his father, who had been both a role model and a mentor. Losing both appetite and respect for corporate life, Aidan turned instead to a new career founded on his passion for literature. Always a voracious reader devouring anything to do with contemporary politics, political history and biography, fiction, sport, or wine Aidan used his redundancy money to buy the Richmond Bookshop. He built a commendable local reputation for his professionalism and literary knowledge. He was once awestruck at being visited by Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. But small, specialist bookshops were already under pressure from Amazon and other online suppliers. Financial success proved elusive, and eventually Aidan let the bookshop go, working thereafter as an editor for a small independent publisher. Late in 2009 Aidan was diagnosed with throat cancer and in January 2010, after a sudden downturn in health, he was admitted to the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, later moving to Wingham Court care home in Claygate, where he died. He greeted all who visited him as well as the care home staff, several of whom attended his funeral with a warm welcome, humour, old-fashioned courtesy and complete absence of self-pity, in spite of the pain he often suffered. He was visited by many friends from Merton, as well as by former IDV colleagues, and clearly enjoyed remembering the happy and most fulfilling periods of his life. A long-term member of the Council of the Merton Society, Aidan was always grateful to Merton. His generous bequest will now, as he intended, bring benefit to future Mertonians, and be a lasting and eloquent witness to what the College meant to him. Simon Tross Youle (1974) 2000 Emily Claire Wiffen passed away on 13th December She came up to Merton in 2000 to read PPE. She worked as Librarian at Helena Romanes School in Essex, and was an enthusiastic and well-respected member of the East Dulwich Writers Group. 150 POSTMASTER 2012

151 COLLEGE STAFF IN MEMORIAM College Staff RONALD BUCKINGHAM Ronald Buckingham passed away on 30th May He worked at Merton from 1950 through to 1968 and was a very popular character around the College. He was instrumental in creating the College bar, which had previously been a bike shed, overseeing its rapid development and popularity. It was, naturally, keenly supported by the students and in addition he offered cream teas and sandwiches. A keen sportsman, he played in the servants cricket team and rowed in a servants four. In addition, he helped organise functions for husbands and wives, which were well attended. All who knew Ron said that he welcomed them with warm conversation and an even warmer smile. He made Freshers, in particular, feel part of the College immediately; this was his forté. In his later years he always spoke fondly of his time at Merton. Kevan Keogh POSTMASTER