Lincoln College News - University of Oxford

Transcription

Lincoln Imprint 10 (e):Lincoln College news
17/8/10
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Lincoln College News
AUGUST 2010
17/8/10
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Editorial
Page 42
Contents
As Imprint 2010 goes to press Oxford is enjoying a spell of warm
sunshine and Lincoln has golden light shining on its beautiful
medieval quads. This good weather has been a long time coming
as 2009-10 has seen us struggling through many cold dark winter
days and a few heavy bouts of snow!
RECTOR’S MESSAGE
PAGE 1
INTRODUCING: THE COLLEGE OFFICE
PAGE 2
COLLEGE NEWS
PAGE 4
Meteorological happenings aside this has been a great year for
Lincoln, as these pages will show. Our students have excelled, both
in and out of the Exam Schools. The year began with the news that
Lincoln had made the top ten of the Norrington Table for the
fourth consecutive year (page 4). Since then the students have
been busy adding to this achievement with football trophies (page
28), rowing blades (page 29), drama productions (page 24) and
much more besides.
FELLOWS’ NEWS
PAGE 5
INVISIBLE IN THE STORM
Dr John Norbury on retirement and his latest book
PAGE 7
Lincoln’s Fellows and alumni have once again had a year of much
news and achievement – this year’s Alumni News section is
particularly bumper! – and we thank those who have taken the
time to share some of their news and work with Imprint.
This has also been a jam-packed year for the Development Office,
as we have maintained our busy programme of alumni events and
fundraising activities. See pages 31-34 for full accounts of
Telethons, trips abroad, reunions and an update from the Director
of Development.
VERCELLI 2010: FATEFUL DISCOVERIES
PAGE 8
Dr Winfried Rudolf reflects on this year’s palaeography trip
MATTERS OF THE HEART
PAGE 10
Dr Marie Schroeder shares news of her research into heart
failure
THE INTIMATE DISCONNECTIONS
OF JOHN WESLEY, 1756-65
PAGE 12
30 YEARS OF WOMEN AT LINCOLN
PAGE 14
THE POWER OF SPORT
PAGE 18
Alastair Ruxton (1988) on being a lawyer for London 2012
Perhaps the highlight of our events programme came at the very
end of the year on Friday 2 July when 90 alumnae came together
for a gala dinner in Hall to celebrate 30 years since the first female
undergraduates matriculated at Lincoln. It was wonderful to see so
many alumnae from across the three decades together (see pages
14-17 for further coverage of the event and anniversary).
JOHN LE CARRÉ HONOURED
WITH LITERARY AWARD
Please turn to the back cover of the magazine for events dates
going forward into 2011 and mark any relevant ones in your diary.
We hope to see as many alumni as possible at events over the
coming year. We also encourage everybody to carefully read the
enclosed sheet showing the contact details we currently hold for
you. If any of these are out of date, please correct them on the
sheet and return it. This is a big help in ensuring we can keep you
up-to-date with publications, event invitations and College news.
THE JCR 2009-10
PAGE 22
The JCR President and a selection of student societies
share their news
We hope you enjoy reading this year’s Imprint magazine. If you
have any questions about any aspects of its content or have any
suggestions for next year’s issue please get in touch. And do call in
if you are ever in Oxford!
THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE TEAM
Lincoln College
Turl Street
Oxford
OX1 3DR
T : +44(0)1865 287421
E : [email protected]
W : www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk
PAGE 19
THE ASHMOLEAN: A MUSEUM TRANSFORMED
PAGE 20
Henry Kim (1992) is Project Director of the Ashmolean
Redevelopment Project
THE MCR 2009-10
PAGE 25
STUDENT NEWS
PAGE 26
STUDENT SPORTS: 2009-10 ROUND-UP
PAGE 27
VACPROJ 2009
PAGE 30
DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS
PAGE 31
The Development Office staff share their news of the year
LINCOLN ALUMNI IN POLITICS
PAGE 35
ALUMNI NEWS
PAGE 36
MY LINCOLN: NAOMI ALDERMAN
PAGE 40
COVER IMAGE: 30 years of alumnae, gathered together for the gala dinner
in July 2010. Photo © Keith Barnes
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Rector’s introduction
Rector’s Message
Last year I discussed our plans for the
extension and refurbishment of the
Garden Building, better known to many of
you as the Library before it was moved to
All Saints Church nearly 40 years ago. A
generous trust has donated £4m, which
will greatly add to the success and
importance of the building, especially for
our students whose cultural activities will
be much enhanced by it. It will also
provide for a new dining room sufficient to
seat at least 50 diners, in addition to our
principal dining hall, as well as spaces
intended to improve our music, drama and
other arts, as well as better lecture and
seminar facilities. We are in hope that we
will start the reconstruction of the Garden
Building in the summer of 2011 and
complete it about a year later.
In the meantime we have another
significant new project, which we have
been broadly planning for some years. This
is the Turl Tavern which many of our
alumni will recall in various of its forms
over the years. In recent years it has rarely
attracted Lincoln students, probably
because it is no longer a very salubrious
place. Its condition is not well kept up,
though tourists continue to use it at
lunchtime especially in the summer. What
is particularly objectionable are the
unpleasant consequences that in evenings,
especially on Fridays and Saturdays, can
give rise to noise, filth, and sometimes
criminality that affects both sides of the
Turl. Whitbread manage the first two floors
of the Mitre for their restaurants, and also
manage the Turl Tavern as a bar that also
serves light lunches. The rest of the Mitre
has since the late 1960s been used for
student accommodation. It is worth noting
that the Mitre and the whole of these
buildings has in fact been a freehold
property ever since Lincoln took ownership
in 1467.
Taking back the Turl Tavern is not only a
matter of refurbishing a disagreeably
downfallen public house. For some years
we have preferred to improve its
appearance including that of a number of
near buildings which are unsatisfactory
and severely outdated for matters such as
fire exits, lifts, loud heating and
conditioning machinery, and a large and
objectionable generator. Many of the
student rooms that are part of the Turl
Tavern area can readily be made much
more attractive to the inmates. There is
also the importance of taking over the Turl
Tavern in order to use some parts of it for
teaching rooms, and also better rooms for
the JCR and MCR to allow them more
facilities usable by members, clubs and so
on. There remains the matter of taking full
ownership. The leasehold of the Tavern was
technically capable of allowing us to regain
it in 2005. In fact it has taken rather some
time to complete the process. But we
expect that we will be able to bring it back
within the uses of the College and its
students and Fellows.
L The Mitre Tavern, re-opened in November, 1925.
“An ideal inn, where the globe-trotter may satisfy his
inner man when his mind has imbibed great Oxford’s
knowledge.”
in properly restored fashion were
established to provide additional hotel
rooms as well as an attractive bar
including billiard rooms. They are in an
Arts and Crafts style showing historical
timber-framing with exceptional fittings,
including iron casements with leaded
panes, and numerous catches, handles
and latches. The courtyard will have iron
gates, natural stone slabs, and a pleasant
outlook both on the buildings and
beyond the gateway towards Turl Street
and the College buildings opposite, as
well as the All Saints Library.
The Tavern and the accompanying
buildings at the back of the Mitre were all
built in 1925-26. Before that time they were
old stables which were essential to the
Mitre stage-coaches that went to and from
London from Oxford. The ‘Defiant’ stage
coach pictured outside the entrance of the
Mitre is shown here in 1825, just a century
before the abolition of the stables and their
horses. The buildings that we wish to keep
L The Mitre Inn, Oxford. (from an engraving by J. Fisher,
showing the ‘Defiance’ Coach which ran between
Oxford, Henley and London. c. 1825).
This will not involve very large sums of
money, probably little more than £1m
which we are able to draw from our
reserves designed for relatively limited
projects. The aim is mainly to improve the
exterior and interior of the buildings and
also provide a setting fully appropriate for
the shops and neighbouring buildings. I
L Architects' proposal for the Turl Tavern – East Elevation
Professor Paul Langford, Rector
Rector’s report 01
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College & Fellows
Introducing: the College Office
All aspects of academic life at Lincoln come
into contact with the College Office at
some point. Its team of five is responsible
for providing administrative support to
students and Fellows alike, and ensuring
admissions, tutorials, essays and exams
run smoothly each year. Here, the
department members explain their roles
to Imprint and let us in on some of the
highlights of their jobs.
Louise Durning, Senior Tutor
“I have overall responsibility for all
academic activity in College, this includes
overseeing undergraduate and graduate
admissions, academic discipline, the
election of Fellows, and acting as the tutor
for graduates. I also work closely with the
Chaplain on welfare provision.
L Back: Alice Wilby, Louise Durning, Jemma Underdown
Front: Dianne Gull and Carmella Elan-Gaston.
the point of contact for all the faculties
and departments with regard to our
students and Fellows.
“The best part of my job is having a close
involvement in everything that makes
Lincoln special. I help everyone to achieve
what they want: students, Fellows and the
whole College community. I enjoy getting
to know a lot of the students well, despite
not doing any teaching. The College Office
is a real hub at Lincoln and my job is
eternally varied.”
“The job keeps me busy all the time, from
the beginning of the year when the
freshers arrive, to the admissions period in
December, through to exams in Trinity. I
like how the year has a nice rhythm you
can follow. I seem to interact with
everyone in College, and work particularly
closely with the Fellows, the Bursar, the
Domestic Bursar, the Development Office
and the Rector.
Jemma Underdown, Academic Administrator
“I’m the Senior Tutor’s right-hand woman.
My main responsibility is to assist her in
running the academic side of College life:
appointing new Fellows and lecturers,
organising outside tuition, maintaining
student records, making sure they are
entered for the right exams, helping
students experiencing difficulties, and
organising support for students with
disabilities. I’m the first contact for all
undergraduate students if they have any
questions or problems.
“I also represent the College on a number
of University committees, including the
Conference of Colleges where we review
college and University policies. I am also
“There are about three weeks of quiet in the
middle of the summer, otherwise I am
constantly busy! The summer exam season is
a very stressful time for students, and we
02 College & Fellows
might need to make special arrangements
quickly. Once term and exams are over and
the results are in there is some peace before
the A-level results are published and we need
to start making preparations for the new
freshers. Michaelmas Term is quite hectic as
the students settle in, and Hilary Term is
when we usually advertise for new posts,
which means lots of paperwork and
meetings. Then the cycle starts again…
“I work very closely with Louise, and there is a
lot of overlap between my responsibilities
and Carmella’s and Dianne’s. We liaise closely
with the Domestic Bursar’s Office to arrange
accommodation for students and rooms for
Fellows. We also pass information to the
Development Office so that exam results can
be reported in The Record, and I allocate some
of the funds raised through the Telethon,
including the Senior Tutor’s Fund which helps
students with academic expenses.
“I interact with the central University a lot
as well. I have to register new students and
update the Student Records Office with
any suspensions or returns. This is very
important as students won’t receive their
loans if they aren’t correctly registered. I
also work with Exam Schools to make sure
students are entered for the right exams.
I’m on very friendly terms with the
Proctors’ Office as I’m frequently in touch
to make special exam arrangements for
students with dyslexia, or to arrange
“The best thing about the job is the variety.
It’s also great to support the students: I’ve
been at Lincoln for nearly two years so
next summer I’ll have seen my first cohort
of undergraduates through from their very
first day to their final exam, which will be
very satisfying. I’m also very lucky in my
colleagues; we all look after one another
and enjoy each other’s company.”
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Dianne Gull, Admissions Officer
“I am responsible for all the administration
associated with Lincoln’s undergraduate and
graduate admissions process. When someone
is applying to Lincoln I am the person they
deal with for any queries.
“November and December are the busiest
months of the year for me – this is when we
receive application forms and conduct
admissions interviews for all prospective
undergraduates. At this time I work flat out,
sometimes doing 12 hour days.
Carmella Elan-Gaston, Graduate Officer and
Academic Assistant
“I assist the Senior Tutor with all the
administration of Lincoln’s graduate students.
This means I am the first point of contact for
all graduates post-admission and I handle all
related day-to-day administrative issues. I also
assist some of the Fellows with secretarial
matters (when I first joined Lincoln I was
Fellows' Secretary so it has stuck in some
cases!), including the Wine Steward and
the Steward of the SCR. Additionally, I
organise Undergraduate Collections at the
start of each term.
“The administration for interviews has started
to switch from paper to email – it is both
quicker and more reliable. Students are now
notified by email of whether they are invited
to interview and of the time and date. They do
still receive offer or rejection letters by post.
“Every term is busy for different reasons. In
Michaelmas there is the registering and
processing of graduate freshers and
sorting out Graduate Advisors. During
Hilary I plan six Graduate Advisors lunches,
and set up Graduate Collections (Taught)
and Senior Scholarships. Finally in Trinity I
arrange the Schools Finalists’ dinners for
undergraduates, organise another lot of
Graduate Collections (Research), and
finalise reading lists for undergraduate
freshers as set by tutors and departments.
satisfaction when it works
“Because we share an office Jemma and I
never take holiday at the same time so
that one of us is always in the office to
assist students and the Senior Tutor. I rely
on Admissions to feed me the correct
information about freshers, and I liaise
closely with Accounts on matters of
graduate funding. Outside of College, I also
work with the graduate studies assistants
at each of the University faculties.
“The best part of the job is the constant
interaction with people – students, Fellows
and colleagues alike. I am privileged to be
part of the global community that is
Lincoln – I love this place! My interests are
in languages and arts, so it is a delight for
me to learn about the different languages
and cultures represented within the
graduate community.”
“I really like the varied
nature of the job –
I frequently get to see new
places and meet new people.
And I like the sense of
and I can see the results of
the work I do in encouraging
people to apply to Oxford.”
“I also have a busy two weeks in late August
when the A-level results are published. On
Monday of the third week of August the
University gives me a list of everyone who
has not achieved the required grades. I get
quite a few phone calls from kids and parents
that week, perhaps asking if they can still be
admitted despite a slipped grade, or asking
what to do if they are waiting for a remark.
who are considering applying here. I am
the first port of call for all prospective
student enquiries and I enjoy that contact
with them.”
Alice Wilby, Schools Liaison Officer
“My main responsibilities are liaising with
schools and running events to encourage
applications to Oxford. I am the first point of
contact for schools who want information
about the College and who want to
encourage pupils to apply. Every college has a
region that they focus on in their schools
liaison activities. Lincoln’s are Lincolnshire,
North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire,
Bath, Bristol, North Somerset and South
Gloucestershire.
College & Fellows
extensions on submitted work when
students have been ill. During the exams I
can write to them several times a day!
17/8/10
“I work fairly autonomously within the
College Office but help the Admissions
Officer with the interview process in
December, and I organise the team of
student helpers who look after the
candidates. I work half my week at Lincoln
and the other half next door at Exeter College
as their Schools Liaison Officer.
“I also organise the College open days. In the
past year I have run between 120 and 130
events across the two colleges (Exeter and
Lincoln). That represents approximately a
50:50 split between events here in Oxford
(open days and individual school visits), and
me going out to visit schools. I write to all the
schools in my regions once a year to ask if
they would like to come to Oxford or have a
visit from me. I also get unsolicited enquiries
from new schools fairly often.
“Part of the job is also to encourage more
applications from under-represented groups. I
would say about 60% of this work is done
with sixth formers, and 40% is with pre-GCSE
pupils. It is worth working with them and
getting them to think about Oxford because
GCSE results do count when it comes to
applying.
“The admission process for graduates
happens over a longer period of time. The
College is now responsible for sending each
new graduate student a formal statement of
what their tuition fees and other costs for the
course will be. This is quite a big responsibility
that has recently been passed by the
University to the colleges.
“Lincoln has had a Schools Liaison Officer
since 2006 – most colleges have introduced
the post in the last five to 10 years. Lincoln is
one of the busiest colleges in terms of the
amount of access and liaison events and
visits it holds. The College has invested a lot
into this area!
“There is a real feeling of masochistic
pleasure at triumphing over the
undergraduate admissions period! That
feeling when it is all over is probably the
best part of my job. I also like the fact that
I am the face and voice of Lincoln for those
“I really like the varied nature of the job – I
frequently get to see new places and meet
new people. And I like the sense of
satisfaction when it works and I can see the
results of the work I do in encouraging people
to apply to Oxford.” I
College & Fellows 033
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College & Fellows
College news
Lincoln College website re-launch: In February 2010 the
College launched an all-new, re-designed website. The
new site is easier to navigate and the content has
been fully updated. The re-design was done by Oxfordbased web design company, Rare Form New Media.
Visit the new site now at www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk.
Let there be light: Thanks to a generous donation from
a Lincoln alumnus, Richard Hardie (1967), spot lighting
has been installed to illuminate the portraits in the
Dining Hall. Diners have very much enjoyed being able
to better appreciate these wonderful historic works.
Lincoln in literature: Lincoln College is the setting for
Heresy a new novel by SJ Parris (the pseudonym of
Observer journalist Stephanie Merritt), published by
HarperCollins in March 2010. The book is an
Elizabethan-set thriller about a monk in England on
the run from the Spanish Inquisition.
the 30 Oxford colleges for 2008-09 in the famous
table of undergraduate results started by Sir Arthur
Norrington in the 1960s. Lincoln has now sat among
the top ten colleges since 2005 when the College
stormed its way up the table from 24th to eighth
place. Congratulations go to all of Lincoln’s 2009
finalists for their fantastic results.
Domestic Bursar: Dr Rachel Buxton joined Lincoln in
May in the new position of Domestic Bursar. Rachel
was previously Senior Tutor at Merton College, Oxford.
We wish her all the best in her new role managing the
domestic side of College life.
Chef Honoured for Professionalism: Chef, Jim Murden,
has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of
Hospitality in recognition of his “commitment to
professionalism over the years” and “standing in the
industry”. We congratulate Chef, now Jim Murden FIH,
on this wonderful achievement.
Lincoln makes the top ten again: Lincoln College
retained its top ten position in the Norrington Table for
the fourth consecutive year, coming in eighth out of
K The Rector at Aoyama
Gakuin
Aoyama Gakuin Celebrates 135 Years: In 2009 Aoyama
Gakuin University in Japan celebrated the 135th
anniversary of its foundation by American Methodist
missionaries in 1874. For over a decade Aoyama Gakuin
and Lincoln College have been closely associated,
thanks to their shared connection to the Methodist
movement. Several of Aoyama Gakuin’s Presidents
have visited Lincoln College, including most recently
President Sadayoshi Ito. In 2003 when Lincoln
celebrated John Wesley's 300th anniversary, it was
deeply honoured by a visit from Aoyama Gakuin
colleagues. The institution also generously assisted
Lincoln in the restoration of the Chapel. I
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Professor Bass Hassan, also at the Dunn
School, to the TO Ogunlesi Fellowship
vacated by Keith.
L Sir John Boardman (Honorary Fellow of
Lincoln and Emeritus Professor of Classical
Art and Archaeology) was awarded the
inaugural Onassis International Prize in
Humanities in December 2009, which
recognises international distinction in
promoting Greek cultural heritage in the
fields of Archaeology, History and
Literature. Sir John is also leading a team of
researchers at the University’s Beazley
Archive to trace the gems from what is
thought to have been Britain’s largest
collection. The 800 pieces were previously
owned by the fourth Duke of Marlborough
at Blenheim Palace.
Perry Gauci (VHH Green Fellow in History)
recently had the pleasure of addressing a
broader academic public in connection
with his current interests in London history.
He was invited to give the annual lecture
to the Beckford Society in the august
surroundings of the Travellers' Club in Pall
Mall, and also spoke to the Skinners'
Company about the broadening
opportunities for the study of the livery
companies.
Keith Gull (TO Ogunlesi Senior Research
Fellow in Molecular Parasitology) left
Lincoln in September 2009 to take up the
position of Principal at St Edmund Hall, a
job he will be combining with his research
on Trypanosomes at the Dunn School of
Pathology. Fortunately, he is leaving both
his wife, Dianne Gull (Admissions Officer in
the College Office – see page 3) and a
number of his graduate students at
Lincoln. The College has since elected
Christopher McCrudden (Tutor in Law) took
a sabbatical during 2009 and sends the
following news: “For academics, sabbaticals
are a wonderful opportunity to refresh
one's intellectual batteries. This is the story
of one such sabbatical. From January to July
2009, I undertook a pupillage at Blackstone
Chambers in the Temple. This involves,
essentially, serving an apprenticeship for six
months with more experienced practising
barristers (usually it is 12 but I was given a
shorter period), during which the pupil is
supposed to learn the practice of law. This
was a daunting experience, not least
because one of the other (three) pupils was
a former BCL student of mine, and a second
was a law fellow at St John's.
Those of you who want to see yours
truly in action, or at least the back
of my head (in wig) bowing a lot,
can find coverage of the judgment
being delivered by Lord Phillips, the
President of the Supreme Court, in
December on YouTube...
After many tribulations and trials (pun
intended), I succeeded in completing the
required period without too many tears,
and became a (non-resident) tenant at
Blackstone in July. This means I will practise
occasionally, but not full-time and only
when consistent with research and
teaching (my first love). My first case, as
luck would have it, was before the newlyopened United Kingdom Supreme Court in
October, in which I acted as Junior Counsel
to Lord Pannick. We represented JFS, a
Jewish School in London. We lost, but the 54 decision left me at least somewhat
consoled. Those of you who want to see
yours truly in action, or at least the back of
my head (in wig) bowing a lot, can find
coverage of the judgment being delivered
by Lord Phillips, the President of the
Supreme Court, in December on YouTube
(search ‘JFS loses Supreme Court appeal’).
Altogether an experience that was
frightening, exciting, and very, very hard
work. I loved it.”
Peter McCullough (Sohmer Fellow in
English) has been awarded a prestigious
Arts and Humanities Research Council
(AHRC) Major Research Grant of £515,000
to fund work on The Oxford Edition of the
Sermons of John Donne, of which he is
General Editor. The grant will fund (over
five years) a full-time Post-Doctoral
Research Associate, plus travel and
research costs for the contributing editors,
and three major international conferences,
two of which will be held at Lincoln.
Dr McCullough's other major research
interest, Donne's contemporary, bishop
Lancelot Andrewes, has become a subject
of new popular interest as the 400th
anniversary of the King James Bible (of
which Andrewes was a chief translator)
approaches in 2011. Dr McCullough is on
the curatorial committee for the Bodleian
Library's major 2011 exhibition on 'Oxford
and the King James Bible', which will
feature the copy of the Bible once owned
by Charles II and given to Lincoln by
Nathaniel Lord Crewe (displayed at this
year's Murray Society event in October).
Dr McCullough has also filmed his debut
as a talking head in a television
documentary produced and directed by the
filmmaker Norman Stone; he has also
consulted for another documentary on the
same topic for the BBC, and worked
extensively with the playwright David
Edgar for his forthcoming play
commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare
Company to mark the anniversary.
Edward Nye (Elf Fellow and Tutor in French)
sends a preview of his up-coming book on
the art of mime: “Why would a tutor in
French literature write a book about the
history of mime, a more-or-less wordless
form of art which knows no national
boundaries? Most theatre is and always has
been at least partly an art of words, so
when they are self-consciously removed by
mime artists, all sorts of fundamental
questions arise about the nature of
theatrical, not to say artistic representation.
Many of these questions relate to what a
tutor in literature discusses all the time
with his students. And for some reason,
France has a special place in the history of
mime, not only because the first modern
name we often think of in this context is
Marcel Marceau, but because the ‘father of
College & Fellows
Fellows’ news
College & Fellows
modern mime’ was Etienne Decroux,
because Pierrot was invented by Deburau in
the 19th century, and because the
Commedia dell’arte’s home from home for
almost three centuries was Paris. So
perhaps it’s the duty of a French specialist
to broaden his horizons and think about
the international impact of French mime.
The book, Mime, Music, and Drama in the
Eighteenth-century, comes out in 2011 with
Cambridge University Press.”
Mark Roberts (Praelector in Biochemistry)
organised the first Sutton Trust Summer
School in the Department of Biochemistry
in July 2009, which brought 30 sixthformers from non-privileged backgrounds
into the department for a week to attend
lectures and tutorials. They were given the
opportunity to conduct experiments,
attend talks from leading scientists, and try
their hand at a computer programme
which models the docking of a drug to its
target protein. The students stayed in
college accommodation along with other
Sutton Trust participants.
Pietro Roversi (EPA Fellow in Biochemistry)
has already experienced considerable
benevolence and tolerance from his
17/8/10
18:14
Page 6
colleagues, who
often forgive him his
taste for
conversations
outside his remit
and expertise. Now
he has pushed his
luck even further by
having a book of
poetry, Una crisi
creativa, published in Italy. On his part, and
in a manner of penance, Dr Roversi will
endeavour to refrain from mentioning the
book or quoting poetry (his or other
people's), and to stick to science and its
immediate surroundings. He hopes in so
doing he can avoid being called a
Nuisance-Renaissance man, or even just an
amateurish all round good egg.
a Sebasteion or imperial temple-complex
dedicated to the worship of the early
Roman Emperors at the site of Aphrodisias
in Turkey, where he conducts field research.
The reliefs represent emperors such as
Augustus and Nero in the guise of
towering Olympian deities, juxtaposed
with scenes from local Greek heroic
mythology. The reliefs were put on display
in a new museum at the site last year, and
part of the three-storeyed building which
the reliefs decorated, is being reconstructed
in situ, using casts of the reliefs. Both this
stone-for-stone reconstruction (or
anastylosis) and the monograph are due to
be completed next year.
His colleagues often
forgive him his taste for
conversations outside his remit
and expertise.
RRR Smith (Lincoln Professor of Classical
Archaeology and Art) is working to
complete a monograph that will publish
and interpret some 90 marble reliefs from
L A moving breast cancer cell: Green = BRCA1;
Red = actin, the cell’s muscles; Blue = ERM, the
cell’s adhesive connection to other cells
David Vaux’s (Nuffield Research Fellow in
Pathology and Tutor in Medicine) research
team has recently completed a major study
on a new role for the human breast cancer
associated gene BRCA1 in the frequently
lethal spread of breast cancer cells to other
parts of the body. The BRCA1 protein is well
known as a regulator of DNA integrity, but
the new work shows for the first time that
this protein has an additional role in
controlling how mobile the cancer cells
are. When the protein works normally, cells
retain contacts with their neighbours and
move little; when the protein fails to work
(usually as the result of a mutation in the
gene) the cells lose their cohesion with
adjacent cells and become independently
motile, increasing the risk of spread to
other parts of the body. Further work is
now underway to dissect the molecular
machinery, with the long term goal of
preventing this increased motility and
reducing metastatic disease.
L Temple-complex in Aphrodisias, Turkey, where
RRR Smith conducts his field research
Herman Waldmann (Professor of Pathology)
has been made an Honorary Fellow of both
Kings College and Sidney Sussex College,
Cambridge. I
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College & Fellows
Invisible in the storm
Dr John Norbury explores the role of mathematics in studying weather patterns
Dr John Norbury is due to retire as Tutor in
Mathematics at Lincoln College in September. Born in
Australia, he came to the UK after completing his
undergraduate education to study for a doctorate at
the University of Cambridge. He then taught at UCL
and NYU before joining the Fellowship at Lincoln.
Dr Norbury teaches applied mathematics to
undergraduate and graduate students, and has
published extensively in this area. His current research
work is in mathematical biology and the mathematics
of weather forecasting. The latter is the subject of his
next book, Invisible in the Storm, co-authored with Ian
Roulstone, and due to be published by Princeton
University Press in 2011.
Good news – our book is accepted for publication.
After more than five years’ work on this hobby project,
with its stolen hours between teaching,
administration and proper research, time for a
summer holiday. But no; page design, an index,
advertising copy and so on must be completed. When
will it appear, we innocently ask Princeton University
Press, our publisher. Early next year comes the reply.
The title, Invisible in the Storm, hints at the role that
mathematics plays in both weather and climate
prediction – alongside the more visible billion dollar
activities of meteorological science and
supercomputer development.
Observations of Earth from its weather satellites show
the swirling cloud masses of the blue planet,
transported by the ceaseless winds that move both
heat energy and moisture around the surface of our
globe. It is difficult to predict next week’s rainfall over
much of the farming regions that sustain humanity.
How will the climate change over the rest of this
century, and what are the significant modifiers of our
climate?
How will the
climate change
over the rest of
this century, and
what are the
significant
modifiers of
our climate?
We wrote the book to explain how important
mathematics is in organising the computer
calculations, and getting the best out of the
experimental data. In it, we describe how ideas from
modern geometry and algebra are essential in this
game. If we think of modern science as ‘the world in a
computer movie’, then science is about both the choice
of pixels to represent reality, and the construction of
rules to evolve the pixel description. Successful science
means the movie corresponds to what we see in the
real world. And since mathematics is both the
language of the pixel description and the logic behind
the rules, getting the best predictions implies getting
the best out of mathematics.
Retirement in September means that I will be
spending more of my time on research, in particular
supervising two Lincoln DPhil students working on
large-scale weather prediction topics. I am also
working with a marine biologist in Australia on how to
create better plankton blooms in the oceans –
plankton exchange oxygen and carbon with the
atmosphere, so perhaps we should ‘clean and green’
the oceans as well as more of our land. But that’s for
the autumn ... now, after congratulating another great
Lincoln student generation who have just completed
their finals, I must get back to that index. I
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College & Fellows
Vercelli 2010: fateful discoveries
An intriguing and hugely rewarding journey into the heart of the medieval world
In April 2010 Dr Winfried Rudolf (Darby Fellow in
English at Lincoln College) was joined by Lincoln
students and other graduate students of Oxford
University for the annual trip to an international
research seminar on medieval palaeography, which
takes place at the Chapter Library and Archives in
the city of Vercelli (Piedmont, Italy). Under the
guidance of Dr Rudolf the students from British
Guiana, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, the
UK and the USA had made plans to spend five days
exploring places, culture and learning along the Via
Francigena, the medieval pilgrims’ route from
Canterbury through Gaul to Rome. But this year
events would turn out to be even more exciting
than any member of the party had imagined.
Located on two major European roads in the Middle
Ages, the city of Vercelli is home to one of the most
important and most fascinating medieval libraries in
the world, which has witnessed more than 1,600
years of cultural exchange. The city, a major centre of
the Lombards in the seventh and eighth centuries,
played an important role in the fight against the
Arian heresy. St Eusebius became the champion of
Augustinian thought there and became the city’s
patron saint later in the fourth century. Bishops Atto
and Leo led book-production in Vercelli to new
heights, their traces still being visible in numerous
books of the 10th and 11th centuries, and in an
impressive golden crucifix hanging in the cathedral.
Both bishops also encouraged the transalpine
exchange of knowledge, of which the variety of
manuscripts in the collection gives impressive
evidence.
During the official work sessions the Oxford
students were allowed unrestricted access to the
treasures of the archives, among them the fourthcentury gospel-book of St Eusebius, known to
represent the oldest version of the Latin gospels in
the world, an eighth-century copy of Gregory the
Great’s Homilies from the monastery of Nonantula
(Italy), the famous Lombard law codes of the same
century, a sacramentary from Fulda (Germany) and a
richly decorated evangelistar from 12th-century
Piedmont. The collection is most renowned,
however, for the much celebrated Vercelli Book, a
10th-century composite manuscript from Kent and
one of the four principal witnesses of Old English
poetry, containing the unique versions of priceless
poetic gems such as Andreas, The Dream of the Rood
and Elene. The exact circumstances of its transport
to Vercelli remain a mystery to this day.
As usual, the study sessions were accompanied
by the expertise of local librarian Dr Timoty Leonardi,
and received full media coverage by La Stampa and
RAI 3 television. This year’s seminar paid special
L The group outside the
church San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro
in Pavia, which holds the
tombs of Boethius and
Augustine © Zachary Stone
Sometimes fate
plays a part in these
things, and to the
astonishment of
everyone involved,
an early 16thcentury prayer book
of English origin
was discovered
among the
uncatalogued
materials.
attention to the identification of codices,
palimpsests and fragments, as the Cathedral Archive
still lacks a definitive catalogue of the materials it
contains. More intensive work than last year was
dedicated to the Vercelli Map from the late 12th
century, which suffered recent damage in an
attempt to restore it. A number of rotuli containing
episcopal acts, trees of Jesse and scientific diagrams
on vices and virtues were also analysed. Among the
discoveries this year were the adaptation leaves in a
13th-century missal added by Franciscans, and two
leaves with early 11th-century musical notation. One
entire codex was identified to contain a complete
12th-century version of Haymo’s homiliary.
While intensive work with the Anglo-Saxon
Vercelli Book was the expected highlight, the
seminar took an unexpected turn when volcanic ash
from Eyjafjallajökull prevented the group from
returning to Oxford as scheduled. Emergency
accommodation was kindly offered to the students
by the local theologian seminary and – all flights
being suspended – the group was permitted to
continue working in the archives for an extra four
days. Sometimes fate plays a part in these things,
and to the astonishment of everyone involved, an
early 16th-century prayer book of English origin was
discovered among the uncatalogued materials. It
contains three specimens of Middle English – an
indulgence, a rhymed prayer to Mary (see excerpt
below), and a penitential invocation of Jesus. This
new manuscript, its palaeography, codicology and its
texts will be given full attention in a forthcoming
volume, which will be edited by Dr Rudolf and collect
contributions of the seminar’s participants.
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The field trip also included the annual visits to the
monastery of San Andrea in Vercelli, founded by
Cardinal Guala Bicheri, the personal advisor to King
John I of England. The Peggy Guggenheim collection
and the frescos of Gaudenzio Ferrari in the church of
San Cristoforo were particularly enjoyable, as was the
day-trip to Pavia with the tombs of Ss Augustine and
Boethius and its famous Carthusian monastery. A new
attraction this year was a visit to the Ambrosian
Library in Milan, home to a breathtaking manuscript
collection and picture gallery. Guided by the director
of the library foundation, the group received an expert
introduction to the Ambrosiana’s works by Leonardo
da Vinci and Raphael Santi, examined one of the few
surviving textual witnesses of the Gothic bible
translated by bishop Wulfila in the fourth century, and
had a look at Petrarch’s own copy of Virgil.
Air-traffic back to normal again and all students
having safely returned, the quest finally found its
happy ending at a lovely dinner in an Italian
Photographs on this page
© Vercelli, Biblioteca
Capitolare 2010
restaurant in Oxford, where the group discussed the
forthcoming publication project. Everyone involved
would very much like to thank The College of the
Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints Lincoln, the
Archivio Capitolare and theologian seminary in
Vercelli for their kind and generous support of this
truly magnificent academic adventure. I
Dr Winfried Rudolf
A report on the group’s
findings was filmed by RAI 3
TV in Italy and can be
viewed on YouTube (search
Oxford MSt in Vercelli 2010)
K Vercelli, Biblioteca
Capitolare, MSB, 12th Century
College & Fellows
J Vercelli, Biblioteca
Capitolare, MS CCXXXIII, the
hidden sketch of a woman's
hand made visible under blue
light
Mari modyr helpe at nede
ou art gud in cunforth in care and in dred.
upon thi synful seruant laydy take hede.
That I may hawe schryfte and houzelle and heuen to
my mede. Amen.
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College & Fellows
Matters of the heart
Dr Marie Schroeder, Post-doctoral Research Fellow
in Medical Sciences
Dr Marie Schroeder has spent part of the last
academic year across the pond in Toronto
conducting research into the diagnosis of heart
failure. We reported in Imprint 2009 that Marie was
awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Post-doctoral
Fellowship to support her research, here she
recounts the journey this has taken her on over the
last 12 months.
I was tremendously sad as I boarded the Heathrow
Express at Gloucester Green on 5 October 2009, the
first step in a long route terminating at Toronto’s
Sunnybrook Hospital. As the coach plodded down
the still quiet Oxford streets and over the Magdalen
Bridge, I could not help but think how much I had
enjoyed the previous year. I arrived at Lincoln College
as a Junior Research Fellow in Michaelmas 2008, and
since had been utterly spoiled by the company of my
colleagues and the luxuries of Chef’s meals. In
January 2009 I had my DPhil viva in the Lincoln
Smoking Room, and in June 2009, I was married in
the Lincoln Chapel, with a celebration in the Hall
executed to perfection by the Butler and Chef.
The term ‘heart
failure’ refers to
a collection of
conditions that
result in an
inability of the
heart to supply
sufficient blood
flow to meet the
body’s needs.
Oxford felt more like home than ever before, and it
seemed the exact wrong moment to leave its
dreaming spires.
That being said, it was exactly the right time for me
to go to Toronto, where I would arrive as a visiting
research fellow. In June 2009 I was awarded a Sir
Henry Wellcome Post-doctoral Fellowship, a new
funding initiative from the Wellcome Trust that
enables early career scientists to pursue research of
their choice over four years, via collaboration
between UK and international institutions. In my
application, I had proposed a collaboration with
Sunnybrook Hospital that presented the rather
unique opportunity to translate my basic science
DPhil thesis research into the clinic, with the
ultimate goal of improving the diagnosis of heart
failure. There was no doubt in my mind that
academically, a sabbatical in Toronto was the best
course of action.
The term ‘heart failure’ refers to a collection of
conditions that result in an inability of the heart to
Inarticulate speech of the heart
Control
Post-Ischemia
Heart failure
Example metabolic images acquired from healthy (top
row), ischemic (i.e. pre-heart attack, middle row), and
failing hearts. All images were acquired at Sunnybrook
Hospital in Toronto.
In the top row, A) the ‘hyperpolarised’ carbohydrate tracer
molecule that we infused can be seen in the blood pool. In
image B) carbon dioxide exists as a metabolic waste
product, implying that the intensity of the CO2 image is
indicative of the rate of conversion of carbohydrates into
energy. And in C) the healthy heart should have access to
enough oxygen to prevent the production of any lactic
acid, as shown.
In the middle row, D) restricted blood flow to the heart in
an isolated area caused a reduction in energy production
and an increase in lactic acid production in that area. E)
One day later, the lactic acid production was maintained,
though energy production seemed to recover.
In the bottom row, the effects of heart failure on
metabolic flexibility can be seen. F) In hearts without
disease, the energy production is high. G) In hearts with
developing heart failure, energy production from
carbohydrates is reduced. H) In failing hearts, energy
production is drastically reduced.
17/8/10
While there are many reasons why the heart can
fail, evidence suggests that the heart is an engine
out of fuel: in other words, derangements in
metabolism (i.e. the biochemical reactions by which
the heart produces chemical energy) may be a
dominant factor in the deterioration of cardiac
function. Hence, non-invasive metabolic imaging
could be a valuable tool to diagnose, characterise,
and stage heart disease in patients. My DPhil
research, conducted under the supervision of
Professor Kieran Clarke and Dr Damian Tyler in
Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy &
Genetics, addressed this concept from a basic
science perspective. By ‘hyperpolarising’ key
intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism to
increase the magnetic resonance (MR) signal they
produce by >20,000, and detecting their conversions
to other metabolic species using normal MR
scanners, we demonstrated, for the first time, that it
was possible to non-invasively monitor the
processes by which the heart produces energy.
My collaboration with Toronto’s Sunnybrook
Hospital, in particular with Professor Charles
Cunningham (elected Canada’s Premier Young
researcher in 2008), arose from two technological
requirements that limited application of my DPhil
work in patients. Firstly, I needed to image the
biochemical conversions of hyperpolarised tracers
into other species with high spatial resolution. This
requirement was crucial for detection of
heteregeneous metabolic changes, such as the type
caused by myocardial ischemia (i.e. restricted blood
flow). Secondly, I needed access to MR scanners
positioned next to the equipment that produces
‘hyperpolarised’ metabolic tracers. While neither of
Page 11
While there are
many reasons
why the heart
can fail, evidence
suggests that the
heart is an
engine out of
fuel... hence,
non-invasive
metabolic
imaging could
be a valuable
tool to diagnose,
characterise,
and stage heart
disease in
patients.
these advancements were obtainable in Oxford,
both exactly suited the strengths of Prof
Cunningham’s group in Toronto: they have
developed the world’s most sophisticated MR
methods for acquiring metabolic images, and have
exactly the equipment required. Therefore, a
collaboration integrating my knowledge of cardiac
metabolism into the Toronto group’s expertise and
technological resources seemed an ideal approach
to investigate cardiovascular disease using
metabolic imaging.
Over the last few months, my initial work in Toronto
with Prof Cunningham has revealed two important
preliminary results, illustrated in the images (left). It
is well known that the healthy heart is an omnivore
– in other words, the heart can generate energy
from any fuel that is available in the body. However,
in the progressively failing heart, it appears that this
metabolic flexibility is lost. Our second conclusion is
the most relevant in translation of our research into
the clinic. When we compare our results from hearts
that are healthy, failing, or ischemic, our method of
metabolic imaging reveals the presence of disease
at an early and reversible stage, and distinguishes
between metabolic patterns that characterise
different causes of cardiovascular disease.
Collaborating with Prof Cunningham at Sunnybrook
Hospital has had a tremendously positive impact on
both the quality of my research, and on my personal
growth towards becoming an independent
investigator. A research project of this scale could
not be undertaken without multi-disciplinary
contributions, and I have been privileged to have
brilliant collaborators from different fields to
facilitate my research and to improve my
knowledge. While the challenge of leading a largescale research project initially overwhelmed me,
within just a few months of taking on this challenge
both my self-confidence and leadership ability have
improved. Retaining ties with Oxford has been
equally important. My research mentors, Professors
Clarke and Sir George Radda, have been consistently
supportive of my evolving research goals, and are
always quick with advice on the rather frequent
occasions at which it is required!
It is almost a year since my first voyage to Toronto.
By now I have traversed the Magdalen Bridge on the
Heathrow Express many times, going east to Toronto
and coming west into Oxford. When I cross the
bridge coming west I am always excited to catch up
with my Lincoln colleagues, to share my research
experiences with my students, and to plan future
experiments with my mentors in the Department of
Physiology. When I cross the bridge going east I still
reminisce about the personal and professional
milestones that I have achieved while at Lincoln.
However, regardless of which direction on the Bridge
I am travelling, I am now always excited to reach my
destination. I
College & Fellows
supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body’s
needs. Heart failure is a relentlessly progressive
disease: it often originates with an initial insult to
the heart, such as a heart attack, which over years
weakens the heart’s mechanical pumping ability
until it can no longer function. It is also a common
disease: more than 2% of the US population is
affected, and 30 to 40% of patients die from heart
failure within one year of receiving the diagnosis.
These devastating statistics may be partially
explained by the limited diagnostic methods by
which most cardiovascular patients are assessed.
Many common tests identify irreversible damage to
the heart, but struggle to recognise viable ‘at-risk’
myocardium. This is a particular problem in patients
admitted to the hospital following a heart attack. If
a portion of the affected region is damaged but still
alive, then surgical intervention could rescue this
tissue and improve patient prognosis; however, if the
tissue is predominantly dead then the surgery offers
little benefit and poses an unnecessary risk. How
can the cardiologist predict the likelihood of surgical
success? My Toronto research could be the first step
towards developing a sensitive diagnostic technique
and answering that question.
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Alumni
The intimate disconnections
of John Wesley, 1756-65
Ted Campbell (1977) is Associate Professor of Church History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He is currently editing
John Wesley’s letters in the period 1756-65. The following article is adapted from his lecture entitled “John Wesley’s Intimate
Disconnections, 1756-1765”. It relates to the breakdown of Wesley’s marriage to Mary Wesley, which begun in 1758. Ted used a version of
this talk in May 2010 when he gave the annual John Wesley Lecture, which is always held at Lincoln College in association with Oxford
Brookes University and the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church.
It could be questioned whether John Wesley’s
relationship with Mary was ever truly intimate, but I
think that it had been. Early correspondence between
them, and comments to others reveal a certain depth
of intimacy or at least fondness between the two,
but by 1756 the letters from John Wesley to Mary
reveal little of intimacy. He continues to refer to her
as ‘my dear,’ or ‘my dear Molly,’ occasionally, ‘my love,’
and he typically signs his letters as ‘your affectionate
husband,’ but these terms were not unusual in his
correspondence, and the contents of his letters to her
from this point amount to recollections of his
itinerary, and extended discussions of business
matters with requests to Mary to look after matters
in London. In fact, reading John Wesley’s letters to
Mary in the years 1756 and 1757, one is struck by how
similar they would seem to letters to one’s business
manager. The very first letter in my new volume will
be a letter from John Wesley to his wife Mary, written
from Lewisham, and dated 7 January, 1756. The
content of this letter is very typical of Wesley’s
correspondence with Mary in this period:
When I saw you, my dear, I did not expect to have
so large a demand made so suddenly upon me. I
shall be puzzled to answer it without coming to
town on purpose, which I am unwilling to do
before I have finished the Address. I desire you
would give John Spencer (taking his receipt) or
Brother Atkinson (unless you choose to pay Mr
Davenport yourself) what note-money remains
in your hands. Unless you can help me out for a
month or two, I must borrow some more in
town. If you can, you will do it with pleasure. My
dear, adieu.
Commentators have noted that John Wesley
sometimes displayed a surprising lack of feeling
toward other persons, and one might be tempted to
attribute John Wesley’s business-like correspondence
with his wife in these cases as an instance of this
more general emotional hardness. Or one could say
that this was not yet the Victorian era and
marriages were, after all, business propositions.
12 Alumni
17/8/10
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Page 13
The most problematic of these relationships with
younger women was with Sarah Ryan, whose
reputation for sexual infidelity prior to her
conversion was widely known and who was
rumoured to have been married to one man, then
married another man, then had an affair with a
third man, and all of this without having legally
dissolved her first marriage. Despite all of these
accusations, John Wesley made Sarah Ryan the
housekeeper of Kingswood School in August, 1757.
According to a manuscript life of Sarah Ryan written
by Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Sarah Ryan had
originally tried to befriend Mary Wesley, and in
doing so revealed to Mary some of the details of
Sarah’s pre-conversion lifestyle. But Mary Wesley
was not pleased with John’s choice of Sarah Ryan as
housekeeper for the Bristol School.
What John Wesley’s private letters to Sarah Ryan
reveal is no overt sexual infidelity, but rather, they
reveal a depth of intimacy that is simply unmatched
by anything in John Wesley’s correspondence with
his wife. On 8 November, 1757, John Wesley wrote to
Sarah Ryan giving her a set of family rules to govern
her work at Kingswood. This letter did not reveal any
particular intimacy but simply encouraged her to
rely on divine grace:
You have no experience of these things, no
knowledge of the people, no advantages of
education, not large natural abilities, and are but
a novice, as it were, in the ways of God! It
requires all the omnipotent love of God to
preserve you in your present station.
But a little more than two months later John Wesley
wrote to Sarah Ryan, asking at first a series of
questions about the state of her soul. These were
the kind of questions that Wesley frequently asked
of his correspondents, for example, ‘How did you feel
yourself under your late trial? Did you find no
stirring of resentment, no remains of your own
will...?’ Wesley then bared some more intimate
thoughts,
The conversing with you, either by speaking or
writing, is an unspeakable blessing to me. I
cannot think of you without thinking of God.
Others often lead me to Him; but it is, as it were,
going round about: you bring me straight into His
presence. Therefore, whoever warns me against
We could guess who it was that warned John Wesley
against trusting Sarah Ryan. But Wesley left the
letter to Sarah in his coat pocket, as yet unsealed.
This led to Mary Wesley’s intercepting this very
letter, as John revealed in a letter to Sarah Ryan
exactly a week later, on Friday 27 January, 1758:
Methodists later
would paint a
monstrous portrait
of Mary Wesley, but
the private letters
show that John had
in fact betrayed the
relationship of
intimacy he had,
however briefly,
with her.
My Dear Sister
Last Friday, after many severe words, my wife left
me, vowing she would see me no more. As I had
wrote to you the same morning, I began to reason
with myself, till I almost doubted whether I had
done well in writing or whether I ought to write to
you at all. After prayer that doubt was taken away.
Yet I was almost sorry that I had written that
morning. In the evening, while I was preaching at
the chapel, she came into the chamber where I
had left my clothes, searched my pockets, and
found the letter there which I had finished but had
not sealed. While she read it, God broke her heart;
and I afterwards found her in such a temper as I
have not seen her in for several years. She has
continued in the same ever since.
Was it God who broke Mary’s heart, or was it John
Wesley himself? Mary Wesley could not have failed
to recognise the difference in tone from the way in
which her husband typically wrote to her, that is, she
must have recognised that he expressed intimacy
with Sarah Ryan in a way that he did not to Mary.
So far as I can see, John Wesley never recognised or at
least never acknowledged the harm he had done to
his wife. In a series of letters back and forth he
accused her of stealing his private property and a
growing list of other grievances. This was going
nowhere. In fact, from the time Mary Wesley
intercepted the letter from John Wesley to Sarah Ryan
in January, 1758, their marriage was de facto at an end.
Methodists later would paint a monstrous portrait of
Mary Wesley, but the private letters show that John
had in fact betrayed the relationship of intimacy he
had, however briefly, with her. As his letters expressed
it repeatedly, it was all about his rights to his property
and the obedience his wife owed him,
till 1. I am an adulterer; 2. you can prove it. Till
then I have the same right to claim obedience
from you as you have to claim it from Noah
Vazeille [her son]. Consequently every act of
disobedience is an act of rebellion against God
and the King as well as against,
Your Affectionate Husband,
John Wesley
The manuscript of this letter shows that in this case
he deeply and deliberately scored through the word
‘Affectionate.’ I
Alumni 13
Alumni
trusting you, I cannot refrain, as I am clearly
convinced He calls me to it.
So perhaps it is true that it was not regularly
expected even in John Wesley’s age for a man to
take his wife as his intimate partner in discussion or
correspondence. But what might an 18th-century
wife think about a husband who became an
intimate correspondent with other women? John
Wesley’s private letters show that he had in fact
become very intimate in conversation and in
correspondence with a few younger, married women
associated with Methodist societies.
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Page 14
Alumni
30 years of women at Lincoln
In October 1979 Lincoln College opened its doors to female undergraduates and a group of
24 women matriculated along with their male peers for the first time. Though they met
some resistance at first these women and those who followed them have made their
mark on College life, and over the last 30 years Lincoln has evolved into a fully coeducational institution where women and men have equal representation at all levels. It
is amazing to realise that women have been at Lincoln for just 30 years (or 5%) of its 583
year history – in that time they have served as JCR and MCR Presidents, sports captains,
choir members, play directors and more.
In celebration of this anniversary, nearly
100 alumnae from across the three
decades gathered together at Lincoln on
Friday 2 July 2010 for a gala dinner to
honour all that women have contributed
to the College since 1979. It was a
memorable evening for all involved and
wonderful to see the Hall full but without
a man in sight! To mark the anniversary in
Imprint, a few alumnae have also agreed to
14 Alumni
share some of their memories of the last
30 years of women at Lincoln.
1980s
“When I arrived at Lincoln in 1979 the
College was a bastion of machismo largely
centred on the second and final year
students. The MCR and Fellows were far
more liberated in their outlook – even dear
‘old’ VHH Green. Anyone that could wear
leather trousers with his panache was an
honorary feminist of the Alexandra
Kollontai mould.
On my first evening at Lincoln I had a
moment of revelation as to the extent of
opposition to women. I found myself
betting against a second year student that
he would not be able to raise a petition
overnight signed by 50 of his peers that ‘a
woman’s place is in the kitchen and the
bedroom’. It was proudly presented to me
early the next morning signed by far more
than the required number. After that
humiliating debacle I was known as
‘Tinkerbell’ or ‘Tinks’ for short. When we
women came to found our first female
dining society at Lincoln, ‘The Fairies’, (to
the men’s ‘Goblins’) the deep irony was lost
on the male students They were, after all,
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Alumni
L 30 years of alumnae, gathered together for the
gala dinner in July 2010.
I Matriculation, 1979. The year that women were first
admitted into Lincoln.
fighting a rearguard action against the
inevitable move towards greater gender
equality.
Looking back we were lucky. As the first
cohort of females entering Lincoln, we did
benefit from ‘tokenism’, from being
unusual and from the unwavering support
of the Fellows (especially Susan Brigden –
our ‘Titania’). We also benefited from
receiving a superb education that had
been denied our sex for centuries. Our year
of 1979 was not a remarkable one, no
leading politicians, no CEOs, or other
‘movers and shakers’, but whilst we were
there, the new intakes of female students
grew stronger, more dynamic and
forthright. Perhaps we paved the way,
made their passage slightly easier by being
the initial doormats on which those
testosterone-fuelled males wiped away the
prejudices of the majority.
Annabel Haddock née Bradford (1979)
I was interviewed, offered and accepted the
Claridge Druce Junior Research Fellowship in
Plant Taxonomy at Lincoln College and the
Botany School on 6 June 1980.
The Fellows were welcoming, gracious
and curious about the research of a tropical
botanist. I quickly gained a reputation for
climbing trees, having pioneered the ‘single
rope technique’ for gaining access to the
rain forest canopy in 1978. Somewhere, I
have a cartoon, drawn by a female Lincoln
undergraduate at the time, of a woman
climbing a tree in College, gown billowing,
apparently oblivious of the ‘Keep off the
Grass’ sign. More seriously, though, the
three years at Lincoln, interspersed with
Alumni 15
Alumni
nearly a year of field work in Malaysian and
Indonesian rain forests, launched my career
as a plant taxonomist and ultimately led to
publication, in 1992, of a monograph of
Aglaia, the largest genus in the mahogany
family.
In 1990, Lincoln College Fellow,
Christopher McCrudden, and I were married.
We have two children and I have been a fulltime mother throughout their childhoods,
but this did not mean abandoning
academic life. The monograph inspired new
work by and collaboration with
phytochemists and molecular systematists
and I have continued to publish in these
areas. I shall always be grateful to Lincoln for
opening its doors to women Fellows in 1980.
Caroline Pannell, first female Junior Research
Fellow at Lincoln
The readiness was all. When I came down
from Newcastle in the spring of 1980 for
an interview for a temporary teaching post
at Lincoln, it was only my second visit to
Oxford. Sleepless, freezing in the Fellows’
Guest Room, I leafed through ancient
copies of The Record, trying to imagine
what life at Lincoln would be like. Thirty
years on – incredibly, luckily for me – I am
still here. In the Senior Common Room in
1980, I still felt like Mowgli among the wolf
cubs. I found great kindness there – and
still do – and those who, so I suspected,
had been prepared to die in the
penultimate ditch opposing the admission
of women, were particularly gracious.
I followed the slightly anarchic
counsels of Vivian Green and Dennis Kay,
who taught me that it was the College
which mattered and that the intrusions
from the Faculty might largely be ignored.
In those more relaxed times, there were
walks at lunchtime around Christ Church
meadows with Paul Langford and Vivian
Green, a chance to gossip and plot. Lord
and Lady Trend provided home from home
and comforting teas in the kitchen of the
lodgings. Having promiscuously promised
to teach all sorts of papers which I had not
previously studied, the undergraduates
were kindly indulgent of my ignorance,
and we learnt together. We still do, and
their companionship continues to mean
most of all.
Susan Brigden, first female Tutorial Fellow
at Lincoln
In Oxford, I saw for the first time a world
made by men for men. It is a world I have
encountered many times since. The civil
service, where I started my career, and the
European Commission, when I joined 15
16 Alumni
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Page 16
years ago, were similar. At Lincoln, women
were able to forge a place for ourselves,
while being treated fairly and with respect.
If we could do it there, surely we could
anywhere!
Women were quite active in College. I
was a founder member of the Women’s
Group at Lincoln. It was a refreshing
change – a group conceived by women, for
women. My friends and I also put together
a second women’s rowing eight for those
who fancied having a go. I also set up the
first women’s athletics team at Lincoln.
My early career was very conventional:
post-graduate study in Germany, joining
the civil service, then taking a competition
for the European Commission. For most of
my career, I have been in a small minority
of women. This is slowly changing.
Opening up higher education and
Oxbridge colleges to women has probably
helped enlighten the world of work. When I
started out in the civil service “fast stream”,
the balance at recruitment was not bad,
but meetings with senior management or
ministers were almost all male-only affairs.
Likewise, when I joined the European
Commission I was frequently the only
woman in meetings and one of very few
women speaking at conferences. This is
quite different today. In the new intake to
the Commission for management grades,
there seems to be a predominance of
women.
Being at Lincoln showed me that we
women can make our way in a
predominantly man’s world, while just
being ourselves.
Christine Jenkins (1980)
I came up in 1980 with the second intake
of women. In a college of 200 or so there
were about 40 women in total, and we
very much felt like a persecuted minority. It
was made plain to us early on that the JCR
had in previous years voted against taking
women time and again, and some of the
third years really were Neanderthals,
looking back on it! There was definitely a
handful of men who simply resented our
presence and couldn’t actually hold a
proper conversation with us.
We divided roughly into the studious
quiet types, the quirky types, and the ginswilling socialites propping up the bar in
Deep Hall every Friday night. As well as
creating a really fun atmosphere in College,
women also improved Lincoln’s academic
standing on the Norrington Table once our
year got to Finals, and by the time I left,
although there was still a lot of ogling
from the men when new women came up,
there were also a lot of in-college
relationships (several of which ended up in
marriage) so it was a two-way street.
Anastasia Parkes (1980)
I was in Lincoln’s third year of women but
since there were very vocal women now in
all three years, this hardly occurred to us.
Indeed, it seemed that women’s traditions
at Lincoln like the Fairies had been around
for ever - so much so that in 1984 a group
of us started a (short-lived) rival, and, we
felt, more “assertive” Lincoln women’s
society called the Nymphs! Certainly,
women were always a driving force in the
life of the College. Men and women mixed
easily together from the start and even
age old bodies like the D’Avenant Society
always seemed as open to women as men.
Susan Brigden was a wonderful academic
role model and confidante.
Lincoln then was a very social place
and women, including myself, were at the
heart of arranging and attending parties –
whether hamming it up in pantomimes,
mixing colourful bowls of lethal brews for
Ents Committee cocktails, cooking up
spaghetti in Museum Road or spinning
records and getting the dancing going in
Deep Hall discos.
Outside Lincoln it was a complex mix
of feminism and post feminism: the time
of Greenham Common marches against
Trident missiles and complex yogic
ceremonies of women’s unity. I was
involved setting up Oxford’s first womenonly theatre group “Medusa” and singing
vocals with Fiona Bruce (yes, she of TV
fame) in the weirdly named band “Don’t
Chew Blue Tack”. But at Lincoln, women’s
lives were much more low-key. It was a
wonderful, cosy, nurturing environment
which built strong, supportive friendships
among women and men alike.”
Liza Milijasevic née Purvis (1982)
PROFILE:
Fiona McPhee (1986)
How would you
describe the
experience of being a
woman at Lincoln in
the 1980s?
The ratio of men to
women in the Lincoln MCR was
approximately 4:1 at the time, and the
same was true for the laboratory
environment. However, I never felt this was
held against me or affected how
colleagues interacted with me. The
leadership style of my DPhil advisor, the
late Gordon Lowe, taught me how to be
Did you feel women played a significant
role in College life?
Yes. There was equal participation from
women in College activities, whether it was
going to plays, walking in the Cotswolds,
participating in rowing and other sports, or
experiencing great wines in organised
wine-tasting evenings. I was MCR Treasurer
in my second year and was actively involved
in organising the social calendar.
Do you feel opportunities available to women
have evolved since you were at Lincoln?
Mentors during my time were mostly men
especially in the sciences although Baroness
Susan Greenfield was a rising star, and my
chosen industry is still dominated by men at
the top but advances have been made in
middle management. I am a manager of
managers and find myself to be in a ratio of
around 4:1, as was the case as a student at
Lincoln. It will probably be another decade
before the ratio is equal. There is still an ‘old
boys club’ as you advance up the career
ladder and it is sometimes hard to make
yourself heard. I think of the times my
comments have been ignored only to be reiterated by a male colleague at a later date to
a better response (or sometimes within the
same meeting!).
On a personal level, being at Lincoln in
the 1980s was an exciting time. I felt the
world was my oyster and that there was
nothing stopping me from going anywhere
and doing whatever I wanted. I also had the
pleasure of befriending a number of assertive
and extremely bright women who are now
mentors themselves influencing the next
generation. The Lincoln College students of
the late 1980s are today’s bosses supporting
the advancement of women in their careers
putting the next generation of women on a
more equal playing field. I look forward to the
time when the testosterone levels in
boardrooms and governments are
significantly reduced.
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I got more involved in College sport as a result
of the small number of women in my year and
ended up captaining the women’s rugby team.
I certainly think that I got just as much out of
my time at Lincoln as my male colleagues.
Rhiannon Evans (1996)
Women’s rowing at Lincoln has been at the
heart of my life in College. It’s been great to
pursue excellence in training and competition
and what’s more the women’s captains in
recent years have been very strong on
participation and inclusion. It’s been great to
help make sure that there is coaching and
encouragement for rowers at every level, from
the Saturday-paddlers to several women’s
blues in recent years. Comparison with the
men’s boat club is perhaps unfair - but we
smell less, train just as hard, and try not to eat
our own weight in protein shakes!
Medicine in my year at Lincoln has been
an all-female affair, perhaps part of the
national trend towards more female doctors.
It gives me hope that flexible working and
family-friendly contracts will be a reality if and
when I reach that stage, and I hope that the
excellent grounding in the basic sciences that
Lincoln has provided as well as the clinical
experience we are gaining will help to silence
the nay-sayers who think that women doctors
threaten to bankrupt the NHS!
Rosalind Brock (2005)
I was a member of the ‘Teeny Weeny Skirts
Society’ which I think was started by a group
of girls who came up in 2004, and they invited
their College daughters (including me) to join
when we matriculated in 2005. It was really
just an excuse for a night out but with a
playful twist on the Oxford propensity to
make a ‘society’ out of everything with
traditions and membership being standard.
We then invited our College daughters to
participate when they matriculated in 2006
and we had a great time doing a ‘challenge
night’ in two teams all over Oxford,
culminating in a human pyramid competition
in Lincoln JCR!
Kate Denham (2005)
PROFILE:
Olivia Dickinson (1995)
How would you
describe your
experience of being a
woman at Lincoln?
I thoroughly enjoyed
being in a mixed
college and made male and female lifelong
friends. I felt women played a very big role
in College life – I was JCR Women’s Officer
and at the same time the JCR President
and Welfare Officer were also women.
Having said that, the year I was elected
was also the year the JCR chose to create a
Men’s Officer, which did reflect a certain
side of the JCR. My budget was for sanitary
towels, pregnancy test kits, and rape
alarms - theirs, I think, was, for beer!
I came into office on the promise of
free chocolate for all women and fulfilled
my promise! Gavin from Lindt was very
generous and we had two ‘chocolate and
Bailey’s parties’. I confess now I ate rather a
lot on my own…I was also helpful for some
women as a listening ear (I did a Peer
Support training course at the University
Counselling Service) and as a source of
contraception, pregnancy test kits et
cetera. I also attended a University-wide
women’s committee and always felt
Lincoln was much less active about
women’s rights and participation than
other colleges (or just apathetic as we had
such a lovely college and great food!).
How did your career progress after leaving
Lincoln?
I took an entry level job with a technical
publisher in Scotland on graduation,
moved from there to Amazon as a copy
editor, then had six years at the BBC
creating learning and children’s content
(studying part-time for an MA in Early
Childhood Studies at Roehampton along
the way). I was nominated for a BAFTA in
2007 for the CBeebies website. I am now
Digital Manager at Nickelodeon, managing
the websites nick.co.uk and nickjr.co.uk. I
1990s and 2000s
My year group had a disproportionately small
number of female students for whatever
reason; I think the ratio was three males to each
female. As a result of this, I think the female
students in my year banded together more
than we might otherwise have done.
L The Teeny Weeny Skirts Society
L Women’s Dinner in 1997
Alumni 17
Alumni
more independent, take career chances,
and be responsible for the direction of my
future. I look back on both lab and College
life with great fondness, a time of bonding,
limited responsibilities and rich in social
and learning experiences, even though I
had no money!
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Alumni
I Progress on the Olympic
Aquatics Centre, taken in
March 2010 (courtesy of
London 2012).
The power of sport
Alastair Ruxton (1988), on handling the complex legal issues of the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games and what motivated him to get involved...
“I chose to work
for London 2012
because I believe
in the power of
sport to inspire
people, to bring
people together,
and to create an
amazing feeling
of collective
excitement.”
Alastair studied Classics at Lincoln, then spent a year in Japan learning Japanese in conjunction with the
Kobe Institute (part of St Catherine’s College, Oxford). He then decided to enter the Law, and studied at the
College of Law in York for two years before joining Slaughter and May in 1996. This was followed by a four
year stint at Olswang before he was appointed to the London 2012 Bid Team in 2003. Once the bid was won
in 2005, Alastair stayed on as Head of Legal on the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and
Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
A project to believe in “I was attracted to a job at
London 2012 because it was a once in a lifetime
opportunity to be involved in a project of national
importance – the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games will really showcase London and the UK to
the rest of the world like never before. It has always
felt to me like this was a project to believe in,
especially with its goal to regenerate such a large
part of London and to put the Olympic Games back
on the map for young people around the world.”
Typical day “A typical day at work includes a lot of
problem solving on diverse topics. As an example,
yesterday I had a meeting on integrity and betting
issues; discussed how we will record the 205
competing nations’ national anthems; helped plan
the triathlon test event taking place in Hyde Park in
2011; and attended a press conference to launch the
London 2012 town planning consultation for our use
of Lord’s for the archery competition (including a
photo call with Andrew Strauss). One day at LOCOG
is never the same as another.”
18 Alumni
A wealth of issues “There is a wealth of issues for a
lawyer in my role to tackle. These include everything
from contracting and procurement to consultations
on government regulations and policy, to
sponsorship, licensing and broadcasting rights. I also
have to ensure that the organisation of the Games
is running smoothly, and that there is a clear chain
of command between all the different organisations
involved (public and private, big and small). There are
also ethical questions to navigate to make sure all
aspects of the Games are fair, such as anti-doping
procedures and regulations.”
Amazing experiences “I have been involved with
London 2012 since 2003 when we started working
on the bid, so being with the team in Singapore in
2005 when the winning announcement was made
was obviously a major highlight. It was also an
interesting experience helping take a Bill through
Parliament from start to finish, as we did with the
London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act
2006. Winning the bid has led to many amazing
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Alumni
Feeling of pride “London 2012 will be a brilliant
festival of sport and culture for the UK, bringing
people from all over the world together in the
capital city. I hope it will create a great feeling of
pride in our country, helped too by the torch relay’s
progress around the country. I’m sure that the
Paralympic Games will usher in a sea-change in
attitudes towards disability sport. I’m not sure
exactly what I’ll be doing during the Games
themselves, but definitely working. I’ll also be
entering the ticket ballot along with the rest of the
public, so fingers crossed I’ll get some cycling tickets
as the atmosphere at the Velodrome should be
electric.”
Time at College “Studying Classics – sadly no longer
available at Lincoln – taught me how to present
logical arguments and how to explain difficult
things in a simple way. My Lincoln education also
taught me how to deal with pressure and manage
multiple tasks. Perhaps more importantly, my time
at College taught me that your extracurricular life is
every bit as important as your work – a well-rounded
life makes you better at your job and a more
interesting person.”
The power of sport “I chose to work for London 2012
because I believe in the power of sport to inspire
people, to bring people together, and to create an
amazing feeling of collective excitement. Only 118
Fridays to go until the Opening Ceremony and even
fewer by the time you read this...” I
L Alastair Ruxton (left) with Andrew Strauss
Photo © Eddie Gallacher
experiences, such as attending the 2008 Games in
Beijing, meeting the Queen, and working with a
passionate team of people. I also met my wife on
the bid!”
John le Carré honoured with
literary award
Lincoln alumnus David Cornwell (1952) was honoured at the 2010 Oxford
Literary Festival with the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence, joining
a long line of famous names including Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, Tom
Stoppard, Margaret Atwood and Ian McEwan. Cornwell of course joins that
list under the far better known name of John le Carré – his nom de plume
since he began publishing novels the 1960s.
In the Sheldonian Theatre on Wednesday 24 March, le Carré was introduced
by the Literary Editor of The Sunday Times, Andrew Holgate, who praised his
“consistently inspiring body of work” and achievements that exist “beyond
the confines of genre.” He was then presented with the prestigious award
before being handed the floor to share some thoughts on a much celebrated
life and body of work, and take questions from some of the many fans who
were in attendance.
Addressing the assembled crowd, le Carré noted that “we all meddle with
the storyline of our lives, and old novelists are the absolute worst at it!” What
followed was an entertaining – sometimes amusing, sometimes sad –
journey through le Carré’s early life and career.
An early life in the care of his father Ronnie, surrounded by a “rotation of
Dickensian characters”, led to le Carré’s departure at the age of 16 for
Switzerland to go to university in Berne. A decision taken to allow his escape
from “the British boarding school gulag” and because “the year was 1949 and
everyone hated Germany so it could not be all bad!”
Le Carré reflected fondly on his time at Lincoln, where he matriculated in
1952 to read German, and particularly on the late Vivian Green (former Fellow,
Chaplain and Rector of Lincoln) of whom le Carré states: “nobody saw deeper
into human nature and knew more about tolerance.”
His post-Lincoln career began with a stint teaching at Eton College
(perhaps because of a “sub-conscious need to finish my public school
education”) before he entered the world of secret intelligence by joining MI5.
“My strongest reason for joining was that I was searching for moral
certitudes that had eluded me in the world outside – but I had come to the
wrong address.”
Frustrated by working for an organisation that he felt represented “postwar, post-Empire Britain at its lowest ebb”, le Carré soon began working
towards a small first novel and in 1961 he published his first work, Call for the
Dead, in which he introduced George Smiley, the most famous of his
recurring characters. What followed was a remarkable career, spanning over
40 years and still ongoing as another work is due out later this year.
Le Carré remained modest to the end, concluding by declaring that “there
are just four or five of my books I would like to be buried with!” His readers
clearly feel that he can count many more than this among his great works. It
was evident from the number of hands raised in the question-and-answer
section of the evening that John le Carré remains an extremely well-loved
and respected English writer, whose work his many readers hold in high
regard and affection. I
Alumni 19
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Alumni
J Chinese greenware jar,
decorated with palmettes and
motifs reminiscent of classical
metalware, c. 550 AD.
EA1956.964 © Ashmolean Museum
I View of the cascading
staircase from the 3rd floor
© Richard Bryant / arcaid.co.uk
The Ashmolean:
a museum transformed
Henry Kim (1992), Project Director of the Ashmolean
Redevelopment Project, shares an insider's view of the
Museum's regeneration. Henry is also Curator of Greek
Coins and University Lecturer in Greek Numismatics.
and create a total of 10,000 square metres in a space
that had previously only contained 4,000.
For those who have visited the Ashmolean since it
reopened in November 2009, the new atrium space is
a sight to behold. Forming one side of it is a staircase
that sweeps and cascades down six floors, providing a
dynamic backdrop to a new building that has helped
transform the Ashmolean from a traditional museum
into one of the most innovative, inspiring and original
museums in the country. From outside, there is little
indication of the scale of change that has happened
within. However, once inside one can only be
impressed by the amount of space that has been
created, the modern and uplifting look of the new
museum and its galleries, and the new approach the
museum has taken in displaying its collections.
On reflection the project to transform the Ashmolean
was incredibly ambitious for an arts and humanities
project. At a cost of £61m, it was one of the largest
museum projects in the country and could not have
happened without the financial support of the Heritage
Lottery Fund and the Linbury Trust and the backing of
the University. It called for the demolition of a series of
buildings situated to the north of the original Cockerell
building and the construction of a new building rising
on six floors. The numbers associated with the project
were staggering. Over half a million objects had to be
documented, packed and moved by the middle of 2006.
10,000 objects had to be designed into the new
galleries. 120 staff had to be relocated for just over three
years. Remarkably, the museum remained open to the
public until January 2009.
How did all of this begin? Work on the new building
began over 10 years ago, when Rick Mather Architects
was engaged to develop a masterplan for the museum
site. Looking at the original plans from this period, it is
remarkable to see most of the basic shapes of the new
museum already sketched out. The atrium was
conceptually at the centre of the design, with bridges
connecting galleries across it and double-height
galleries positioned beside it to link one floor to
another. The challenge for the architects was to create
as much space as possible on a tight site. The new
building would double the previous exhibition space
The basic statistics belie an even more impressive
transformation. With the new building came the
chance to recast the Ashmolean and this opportunity
was seized by the museum early in the project. At the
heart of the redevelopment is Crossing Cultures, a
display strategy that has helped guide the
development of the museum. Crossing Cultures is
based on the simple idea that cultures interact with
and influence one another. The results of these
interactions can often be seen in objects - in where
they are found, what shapes and decorations they
take and how they were made and used.
20 Alumni
L Standing buddha from
Gandhara, 2nd to 3rd Century
AD. An example of GrecoRoman stylistic influence on
Gandharan art.
EAOS.26 © Ashmolean Museum
17/8/10
A handful of objects inspired our thinking. A Chinese
porcelain plate depicting the gates to the Botanical
Gardens in Oxford is a remarkable object that shows
how as early as the middle of the 18th century certain
goods were manufactured to order in the East for
western clients, a phenomenon that is little changed
today . A standing figure of Buddha, created in
Gandhara in the second to third century AD, displays a
fusion of Indian iconography and Roman figural style,
pointing to a time when India was in contact with
and influenced by the classical world . An unusually
large and highly decorated piece of Chinese
greenware from the sixth century AD displays designs
strongly reminiscent of metalwork from the
Hellenistic and Roman worlds.
All of these objects had been on display in the old
museum, but little was said of their cross-cultural
significance. With Crossing Cultures, the museum is
using objects such as these to explain how cultures
connected with one another and how this way of
looking at objects can change one’s perspective on
history. What sets the Ashmolean apart from other
museums is in adopting this approach across the
museum as a whole, in the way objects are displayed,
the arrangement and sequence of galleries and the
information provided to the public.
Developing the Crossing Cultures concept was my
personal highlight of the project, as it helped secure
its future and provided the springboard for the design
of the 32 permanent galleries. However, the real work
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Page 21
came in managing the
work of the project
teams, a task that sped
along at an unrelenting
pace towards opening
in November 2009.
There were extreme
challenges faced by the
project team and
museum staff. How
to design over 460
showcases and 200
graphic panels. How to
install 10,000 objects in less
than six months. How to
manufacture 3,500 tailor-made
object mounts. How to maintain
quality under severe time pressures. There
was little about this project that was done on a
small scale.
Since opening, the Ashmolean has received rave
reviews and the first of what is hoped to be a series of
awards for design and service. The first in the
programme of temporary exhibitions is now installed,
and we estimate that one million people will visit the
museum in the first 12 months, nearly trebling the
museum’s annual pre-project audience figures.
Among these will be many alumni who have not been
to the museum in years. I hope they will be suitably
impressed by the imagination that has gone into
transforming the Ashmolean. I
LL The Japan 1600 – 1850
gallery, looking across the
atrium to the West meets East
Gallery and the Western Art
galleries. © Richard Bryant /
arcaid.co.uk
L Chinese porcelain plate,
depicting the gates to the
Botanical Gardens in Oxford,
c. 1755. An example of Chinese
export ware, destined for the
western market.
EA1985.10 © Ashmolean Museum
Alumni 21
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Students
Lincoln College JCR 2009-10
Lincoln has had an outstanding year, with a wide variety of achievements both
on the academic and extra-curricular fronts. The College’s position in the
Norrington Table has held fast at eighth place – a remarkable achievement for a
college of Lincoln’s size and specialist nature.
On the sporting front, the Boat Club enjoyed phenomenal
success on the river this year, with three boats winning
the exceptional honour of blades in Summer Eights –
bumping everyday of the competition. Undoubtedly
boosted by the recent refurbishment of the boat house,
which included the addition of very high quality rowing
machines, all crews put in an excellent performance
and were well supported by members of College.
Following this example, the football team had the
honour of taking possession of the oldest football
trophy still being presented in the world, when they
won Football Cuppers. This was the first time in 20
years that the trophy has been won by Lincoln, and the
College is delighted to have the trophy in Deep Hall.
In addition to this, the College Ultimate Frisbee
team continued its dominance of the University,
whilst the darts team complemented Lincoln’s
aptitude for unusual sporting niches by winning
Cuppers. In all, it has been an excellent year for
The football team
had the honour of
taking possession of
the oldest football
trophy still being
presented in the
world.
College sports teams, with much to look forward to
in the coming years.
Lincoln has also had an outstanding year in terms of
the arts; the Lincoln players performed an outstanding
production of Molière’s The Miser in Michaelmas. In
Hilary, the College was an integral part of the Turl
Street Arts Festival. The College Choir joined forces
with the best choristers in Jesus and Exeter to perform
a sublime rendition of St John Passion, whilst Lincoln
staged the headline event of the festival hosting the
classic comedy The Boy Friend in Hall.
The JCR has also been busy: the Ball Committee put
on one of the best Lincoln balls in memory.
Meanwhile, the JCR itself helped to provide funding
for Lincoln’s very own Film Society, an organisation
formed of JCR members that will release its first
short film in Michaelmas.
Once again, it has been an exemplary year for
Lincoln, and once again we look forward to forging
ever upwards, as befits one of the oldest and best
educational institutions in the world. I
James Meredith (2008), JCR President 2009-10
Family Ties
‘I fancy my dad, and I’m older than my mum’
Say this in Hall, and you might get a nod of
agreement, an eager ‘who’s your dad?’, or a surprised
eye-brow raise at your taste. Say this anywhere
beyond the confines of our nice cosy Lincoln bubble
and you’d get more than an eyebrow raise. Don’t
worry, this isn’t a weird article proving the Freudian
(and nature-defying) tendencies of our students, but
in fact a short demonstration of why the above
statement is a perfectly normal and acceptable
thing to say in Lincoln. I’m referring, of course, to the
College Family system we have in place, whereby
older students become mentors (‘parents’) to first
years (their ‘children’). Contrary to popular belief, the
College Family system does not exist to upset or
confuse real parents, but to help freshers settle in to
life at Lincoln, to meet their peers and mix with
other year groups.
Each fresher is assigned a ‘family’: usually a ‘mum’
and ‘dad’ in the year above (though Lincoln welcomes
same-sex marriages and single parent families), who
act as mentors. Parents are usually matched to the
same subject as their child, and a family will typically
have at least two ‘children’. At Lincoln, we take the
College Family system very seriously: people have
22 Students
Contrary to popular
belief, the College
Family system does
not exist to upset or
confuse real
parents, but to help
freshers settle in to
life at Lincoln, to
meet their peers
and mix with other
year groups.
been known to draw up entire family trees detailing
the past six generations; entire family meals with
‘aunts’, ‘uncles’ and ‘grandparents’ are regular
occurrences; College ‘marriages’ are taken seriously,
and have to be broken off before new ones can be
formed. A College parent writes to their ‘child’ before
he or she arrives at Lincoln, looks out for them in
Freshers’ Week, and organises at least one ‘family
meal’. In a weird mish-mash of bizarre Oxford
traditions, the ‘parent’ will typically buy their child a
white carnation for their first exam, and ‘trash’ them
when they finish. Whilst the system is great for
helping freshers to settle in and to establish a point
of contact in the year above (especially when it’s
someone who’s done the same course, and thus
conveniently has exactly the same essays...), the
downside of College Families is the string of
awkward comments which comes with it. Whether
you’re confessing a crush on your ‘dad’ (or worse,
‘grandad’), talking casually about your recent ‘divorce’,
or worse still, lamenting a ‘miscarriage’ (referring to a
‘child’ you are assigned who doesn’t get their grades
come August), to the untrained ear, conversations
about College Families merely further the myth (?)
that Oxford students live in a world of their own... I
Milly Unwin (2008), JCR Welfare Officer 2009-10
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Students
Lincoln College Christian Union 2009-10
2009-10 has been an exciting year for Lincoln’s
Christian Union (CU). We kicked off with a free
brunch in the JCR on the Saturday of Freshers’ Week.
A third-year student spoke, and we invited almost all
the freshers to come along – and loads did! We have
since been meeting together every week to pray (in
the Chapel, with kind permission from the Chaplain)
and study the Bible. This year we have looked at
Haggai and Jonah, and bits of John’s gospel and Acts.
In Trinity we invited Andrew Marsh, who coordinated
the ‘Christians and Candidates 2010’ initiative, to
speak on ‘Jesus and Politics: In opposition, or happy
coalition?’ This topical lecture also proved popular
with PPEists. On a more light-hearted note, the
OICCU ceilidh took place the following Saturday
night. Over the course of the year, we have also run a
couple of ‘Explore’ courses, giving people a chance to
have an informal discussion about Christianity.
Hilary Term brought the University-wide Christian
Union (OICCU)’s Main Event week, entitled ‘Reality’,
with a series of challenging talks from Richard
Cunningham, Director of the Universities and
Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF). The ‘Mighty
Meal’, (food with speaker, in true CU tradition) in the
Mitre pub opposite College was well-attended, and
resulted in some interesting discussion afterwards.
We also gave out free copies of John’s gospel to
most freshers.
We are looking forward to welcoming freshers in the
coming year, and we have some events with the
other Turl Street college CUs planned for Michaelmas
2010. If you were a member of the CU when you
were at Lincoln, or would like to know more, we
would love to hear from you. I
Steven Legg (2009)
Lincoln Christian Union Rep 2009-10
[email protected]
L CU Christmas quiz, 2009
The Davenant Society
The strength of the D’Avenant Society has
continued, with the past year marking many special
occasions. The annual Birthday Dinner in celebration
of our patron Sir William D’Avenant, whilst not in its
traditional location in the Painted Room (in the
building that now houses Pizza Express) proved to
be a delightful evening. A special alumni dinner was
also enjoyed by the current members and over 30
alumni of the society, with many ex-members
sharing their memories from as far back as the
1950s. It was especially interesting to hear how the
tone of the society had perhaps changed, and
contrastingly how time had left some elements
untouched. Whilst perhaps not as dramatic, an
ongoing expedition through the society’s records,
and further attempts to archive loose material, has
proven very interesting with many artefacts being
uncovered and recorded. I
Floreant Manes D’Avenantis
The 1427 Committee
The 1427 Committee is a student-run body that
works in connection with the Development Office
to forge links with alumni and friends of Lincoln
College, and in particular with the parents of
current students.
We have had another successful year, managing to
develop our events for parents into regular ‘Lunch
Receptions’ which allow families of students to
experience Lincoln in a relaxed manner by coming in
for drinks, lunch and chat on a Saturday or Sunday.
The Rector has delivered some enlightening talks on
the history of the College as well as its plans for the
future, while Chef and Butler have produced some
truly delicious drinks, lunches and teas in Lincoln’s Hall.
The introduction of a 1427 parents’ mailing list has
been invaluable in allowing families who particularly
enjoy our events to hear about them promptly.
We are looking to expand the scope of the Committee
to help facilitate greater interaction between students
and alumni in the form of an annual lunch and talk in
Michaelmas term. Members of the Committee have
always greatly enjoyed meeting alumni at College
events (we usually attend the London Dining Club
and Lincoln Society Garden Party), and we are hoping
to make it easier for everyone to interact with those
who have a shared love of Lincoln College.
We have had
another successful
year, managing to
develop our events
for parents into
regular ‘Lunch
Receptions’...
Meanwhile, as I write, we are very much looking
forward to our annual Leavers’ Barbeque, which we
are responsible for organising on Thursday of eighth
week. We hope it will be an enjoyable send-off for
this year’s finalists! I
Anna Barnes (2008)
1427 Committee President 2009-10
Students 23
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Students
College Ball 2010
Turl Street Arts
Festival 2010
On Saturday 8 May 2010, the historic quads and rooms
of Lincoln were filled with somewhat unusual items,
people and events. These included, among other
things, an authentic 13-foot gondola, a 36-foot by 14foot replica of the Rialto Bridge, some 140 entertainers
and 600 guests, all in support of one charity – Venice
in Peril. This was the hugely enjoyable College Ball that
transported its guests from Lincoln to Venice to enjoy
the luxury and exuberance of the Carnivale di Venezia.
The Turl Street Arts Festival (TSAF) is a week-long
festival held every February for students of the three
Turl Street colleges: Exeter, Jesus and Lincoln. Founded
in 2004 by the chaplains of these colleges, the festival
has since inspired a great deal of cultural and artistic
activity among the students of the three colleges.
More importantly, it has also helped to cultivate a
sense of community between them.
Over a year in the making, the 2010 Ball was the
collective work of a committee of 20 JCR students who
put the Ball on for almost the entire JCR and MCR, as
well as some College staff and alumni. It was the most
inclusive Lincoln Ball to date, as well as being the
largest in terms of ticket numbers. Yet it was much
more than a College affair, it was run in support of a
worthy cause, the plight of the world’s second most
beautiful city (after of Oxford!).
Highlights of the 2010 TSAF
(which ran from Saturday 13 to
Saturday 20 February), included
an exhibition of photographs
by Alice Gardner (2008)
celebrating 30 years of women
at Lincoln, a performance of St
John Passion by JS Bach by all
three chapel choirs, a oneevening short film festival at
Exeter, a Toddy Hoare
sculpture exhibition at Jesus,
and a production of The Boy
Friend by Sandy Wilson
staged at Lincoln.
The committee proudly organised the Ball as a
charity event for the first time in Lincoln’s history,
and they wish to thank all those guests and
sponsors who contributed through tickets sales, and
in the charity raffle, to raising £2,244 for Venice in
Peril (veniceinperil.org). This British-based charity
campaigns for the protection of the fabric and
unique buildings of Venice from flooding and from a
non-sustainable tourism rate. If you would like to
know more about the charity, please do not hesitate
to contact me. I
Matt Wood (2008), Ball President 2010
[email protected]
L Students enjoy Venetian staples: masks and ice cream (top);
Casino Room at the Ball
24 Students
“While reading the
script for the first
time in the Bodleian
Library, the
directors giggled
over the line,
“disappearing from
Oxford in the middle
of the Hilary Term”
Charlotte Moss (2007) shares
some of her memories of
staging The Boy Friend with
Imprint: “While reading the
script for the first time in
the Bodleian Library, the
directors giggled over the line, “disappearing from
Oxford in the middle of the Hilary Term”. With dialogue
such as this and the fact that Sandy Wilson was
educated at Oriel College in the 1940s, The Boy Friend
could not have been more fitting for an Arts Festival
held annually in fifth week of Hilary.
“The production was a great success. Lincoln’s Dining
Hall was the perfect setting for a young ladies’
finishing school on the French Riviera. The cast
contained many Lincolnites as well as other students
from across the University. The dancing was
choreographed with the help of Lincoln’s Patricia
Waszczuk (2006), who has achieved success in her
own right with the University Dancesport team. The
five-piece band (with Lincoln’s Senior Organ Scholar,
William Thomas (2007), at the keyboard) was
conducted by myself as Musical Director. Director
Camilla Unwin (2008) and Producer Elizabeth
Kahn (2008) made this fun 1920s pastiche show
come to life. It was awarded four stars by The Oxford
Theatre Review and was praised as “utterly delightful
and joyous”. A big thank you goes, once again, to all the
cast and crew. Finally, we would not have been able to
do this without the support of all College staff, in
particular the Rector, Bursar, Steward, and Chaplain.” I
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Page 25
Year after year the number of students reading for a graduate degree at Lincoln
continues to increase, with people coming from almost anywhere imaginable on
the planet. In this context, the role of the MCR Committee is vital in ensuring
integration and cohesion throughout the graduate community, in order to offer
everyone the most enjoyable stay in Oxford.
This past academic year, the social committee
(James Flewellen (2008), Richard Simmonds (2004),
Jian Don (2008) and Ashley Napier (2004)) kept us
busier than ever with a wide range of activities,
dinners, and parties. Our common room of course
remained the centre of MCR social life. In order to
offer suitable facilities to students, and with the
kind support of the Annual Fund, worn out furniture
will soon be replaced and a complete, long-awaited,
kitchen refurbishment is now under way. During
your next visit to College, make sure you pop into
the MCR to have a look (first floor of staircase 10)!
The social highlight of the year was undoubtedly our
visit to Downing College, Cambridge. On 28 November
2009, no less than 55 Lincolnites made it to ‘The Other
Place’, where Downing MCR President Brett Kennedy
offered us a guided tour of his college, town, and
local pubs. We then dined in their Hall, before also
paying a visit to Christ’s College. In return, we were
expecting graduates from our sister college to come
to Oxford in Hilary Term. However, for some obscure
reason, no Cambridge student was to cross
Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire... Was it the fear
of having to acknowledge that the delicious meal
prepared by Chef would outrank Downing’s food? Or
that the medieval aspect of Lincoln is far more
charming than the grand neoclassical design of
The social highlight
of the year was
undoubtedly our
visit to Downing
College, Cambridge.
On 28 November
2009, no less than
55 Lincolnites
made it to
‘The Other Place’...
Downing? We may never know the answer, but, for
sure, the dinner duly took place anyway, renamed for
the occasion the “Lincoln Is Awesome Dinner”. So
awesome was the night that only a handful of
students managed the healthy walk to the Trout Inn
the next day!
Our activities have not been limited to providing
merriment and enjoyment. As well as the day-to-day
administrative business of the MCR, in which I was
brilliantly seconded by Treasurer George Song-Zhao
(2008), we continued our efforts in making Lincoln a
greener college: Susie Vavrusa (2009) and Richard
Passmore (2008) promoted recycling, and energy
saving bulbs are now in use in the MCR. But the
major new initiative has been the creation of an
MCR Charities Fund. In this first year, £2,550 was
raised and awarded on the advice of a dynamic
team led by Charities Rep Latoya Flewellen to
various projects, which reflect the international
background of the graduate community. From
Greece to Zambia, and from Poland back to the UK,
our support was directed at wildlife preservation
and at children with special needs, and from
disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes of course
a donation to Lincoln’s own VacProj (see page 30).
Our Secretary, Glenn Wilkinson (2008), and our
Academic Rep, Andrew Johnson (2007), have been
busy organising a series of talks of broad interest.
Three graduates proposed insights into their
research as part of the traditional Lord Florey Talk
series: Victoria Norelid (2008), reading for the MSt in
Latin American Studies, presented ‘40-year-long ‘Civil
War: Justice and Truth-Seeking’; DPhil archaeologist
Marlena Whiting (2006) spoke about ‘Travel and
Accommodation in the Late Antique East
Mediterranean’, and DPhil physicist Cyril Matti
(2007) about ‘String Theory, the boundary of human
knowledge’. Two guest speakers were also invited to
talk: the world-renowned science writer Georgina
Ferry lectured on ‘Structure, science and society’, and
entomologist Dr George McGavin entertained us
with tales of the adventurous expeditions leading to
the broadcasting of BBC nature programmes. Finally,
graduate student Jonathan Harris (2008) presented
to both the MCR and SCR the Trinity Term
Conversazione, speaking about ‘The Reception of
Printed Propaganda in 1530s England’.
Trinity Term saw the creation of a new annual dinner
specifically for graduate students leaving Lincoln.
Generously funded by College, this additional event
offers us the opportunity to bid farewell to many
friends in a very “Oxford” way. This year, 73 students
attended the dinner, and we are grateful to leaver Dr
Raffaele Renella, for delivering a memorable toast! I
Xavier Droux (2008), MCR President 2009-10
Students 25
Students
Lincoln College MCR 2009-10
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Page 26
Students
Student news
Kylie Murray (2005, English) has been
awarded a Knox Visiting Fellowship to
Harvard for 2010-11. Only six of these
awards are given out in the whole of the
UK, and Kylie is the only one of the six to be
going out as a Visiting Fellow rather than as
a student. The Knox awards are one of the
major awards that allow UK scholars to
study at Harvard, and are comparable to
Rhodes Scholarships.
Kylie also has an essay, ‘The Kingis Quair and
Scottish Literary Identity’ forthcoming in a
volume of collected essays to be published
by Palgrave in 2011, entitled Theorizing the
Borders: Scotland and the Shaping of Identity
in Medieval Britain, M. Bruce and K. Terrell
(eds). She has also been consulted by
Aberdeen University and commissioned to
write a piece on some of their holdings,
pertaining to a manuscript discovery she
made there in the course of her research.
The final piece will be in The Collections of
the University of Aberdeen, Volume 1: Library
and Archival Collections, I. Beavan and P.
Davidson (eds), forthcoming in 2011-12.
Kylie suffers from postural orthostatic
tachycardia syndrome (Pots), which causes
sufferers to frequently collapse with no
warning due to low blood pressure. Kylie
says: “My recent success and Knox award
have happened pretty much against the
odds. I have been through a course of
serious illness but I’ve finally hit upon a
lateral thinking doctor and the right
treatment. It is so radical that I am the only
person in Britain trying this medicine,
and it could revolutionise the way people
with my kind of problem with low blood
pressure are treated. Even just a few
months ago, I was so ill I couldn’t live in
Oxford, but now I’m miles better. This is
such an exciting time!”
Xin Hui Chan (2007, Medicine), has been
granted a Vice-Chancellor’s Civic Award in
its inaugural year of 2010. This Award is
granted in recognition of her outstanding
individual achievement in volunteering in
the local community and wider world. Only
six students at the University of Oxford
have been awarded this honour. Xin
Hui received the Award after this year’s
Encaenia ceremony, at the lunch at Rhodes
House on Wednesday 23 June.
26 Students
26
Sebastian Gorecki (2007, Physics) visited
the International Conference of Young
Scientists in Bali in April 2010 thanks to a
College Travel Grant and support from the
Senior Tutor’s Fund. Sebastian represented
the UK as an observer of this competition
between high school students, and helped
to asses their research. He was also able to
enjoy an unexpected extra five days in Bali
thanks to the flight disruption caused by
the volcanic ash cloud!
Michelle Sikes (2008, History) was awarded
a College Travel Grant, which she used to go
to Iten in Kenya to conduct oral history
research with some of the finest female
distance runners in the country’s history. She
visited these athletes in their homes and
workplaces to discuss issues such as
motivation, nationality and ethnicity, and
the commercialisation of athletics. As a
skilled athlete herself (see page 27), Michelle
also spent some of her time running the
dusty trails of Kenya’s Rift Valley Region to
help her understanding of what the Kenyan
athletes experience in their training.
Ruvi Ziegler (2008, DPhil in Law) gave a lecture
in London in May 2010 to the Hebrew
University Alumni Association UK on ‘The West
Bank Barrier: Myths, Realities and
Legal Principles’. The talk offered perspectives
on the legality of the Israel Defence Force’s
(IDF) actions in the West Bank in view of the
need to balance security, human rights and the
rule of law. Ruvi has previously served as a legal
advising officer in the IDF’S Military Advocate
General unit in the West Bank. He specialises in
international humanitarian law and
international human rights law as well as in
Israeli constitutional and administrative law.
Choir Tour to Rome In July 2009 the Lincoln
Chapel Choir went on tour to Rome and sung
mass in San Pietro in Vaticano, Santa Maria
Maggiore and San Giovanni in Laterano, as
well as choral evensong at All Saints’ (Rome’s
Anglican Church). Thanks go to alumni Bob
Blake (1946) and David Cohen (1950) for their
generous donations that helped make this
trip possible. Sixteen members of the Choir
will be going on tour to Tokyo from 25 to 30
September 2010. They will be singing at
chapels and universities in the area, including
Aoyama Gakuin (see page 4) – there will be a
full report on this trip in Imprint 2011.
MODERN LINGUISTS’ TRAVEL GRANT
WINNERS
Modern Linguists’ Travel Grants are
awarded to students reading Modern
Languages in order to enable them to travel
to the country where the studied language
is spoken, either for their third year or for a
shorter trip during a vacation in order to
help with exam preparation. All of these
trips were taken during the 2010 Easter
vacation.
Emanuelle Degli-Esposti (2006) travelled to
Paris to practise French speaking. She
attended the annual Salon du Livre (Literary
Festival), visited an old artists’ atelier in the
Latin Quarter, and enjoyed visiting cafés,
museums and theatres.
Ben Glazer (2006) also went to Paris so he
could speak French every day before his
final oral exam. He returned to the
magazine he had worked on as an intern
during his third year, in order to practise
interviewing in French, translating articles,
and writing pieces, and also met up with
old friends made on his year abroad.
Thalia Jones (2006) went to Hamburg
(where she had spent her third year abroad)
so she could speak German with native
speakers in preparation for her final
German oral exam. She was able to meet
up with many old friends and contacts in
the city.
Jo Sheldon (2006) went to Creteil, a suburb
of Paris, along with three others from her
church in Oxford to support a small church
over there in their Easter celebrations, and
also to practise speaking French.
Patricia Waszczuk (2006) visited the family
she had au-paired during her year abroad in
Le Puy en Valey during Summer 2009, and
was able to take part in their traditional
French Easter celebrations, including a visit
to an Easter market, a large family Easter
lunch and an Easter egg hunt. She also
visited the Saint Michel chapel and the
town of Polignac.
Camilla Unwin (2008) went on a week-long
intensive French language course at ILA
language school in Montpellier. I
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Students
Student sports: 2009-10 round up
Hockey
2009-10 saw a great year for Lincoln Hockey. We
began the season languishing in the bottom league,
barely able to get 11 players out a game, and so were
ecstatic when many first years and graduates signed
up to play. This meant (after a lot of coercing!) we
were able to get out a full strength side almost every
match, and thanks to the quality of the team we
managed to gain promotion this year.
Athletics
There has been considerable individual success for
Lincoln athletes this year. In 2009, three Lincoln
students were selected to travel to the USA as part
of the joint Oxford and Cambridge ‘Achilles Team’,
which tours several Ivy League universities. This is
the oldest-known sports tour in existence, predating the modern Olympics. Michelle Sikes (2008)
ran a fantastic match record time to take victory in
the 1500m against Harvard and Yale, and Ian
Kimpton (2005) in the 5000m, and Josh Gilbert
(2008) in the 110m Hurdles, played their part in an
historic win against the men of Harvard and Yale.
Michelle, Josh and Ian also visited Penn and Cornell
as part of the tour. Michelle’s subsequent double in
the 1500m and 5000m at Athletics Varsity 2009
helped the Oxford women’s team triumph against
the Light Blues, whilst Ian saw off his close
competition in a thrilling 1500m, and Josh took
second place in the sprint hurdles, running the Blues
standard for the first time. I
Josh Gilbert (2008)
Athletics Captain 2009-10
Water polo
Raffaele Renella (2005) and William Nicholson
(2008) both received Half Blues in the 2008-09
season. Nick Worsley (2009), Jamie McDonald (2009)
and William all played in the Oxford first team
squad in 2009-10, with Oxford achieving a joint third
place finish in British Universities and Colleges Sport
(BUCS), our best performance in many years. The
BUCS standard is very competitive, with many full
internationals and junior internationals representing
university teams. I
William Nicholson (2008)
Water Polo Captain 2009-10
L Achilles Team 2009
In 2009, three
Lincoln students
were selected to
travel to the USA as
part of the joint
Oxford and
Cambridge ‘Achilles
Team’, which tours
several Ivy League
universities.
Huge credit goes to the likes of Luke Newham (2007),
the 2008-09 captain, who, now released from his
duties, was able to focus on terrorising the opposition
defence with fantastic runs down the left hand side,
while still preferring reverse stick to normal! Alex
Hammant (2009), who despite being a second team
University player, showed amazing commitment to
turning up for as many Lincoln games as he could.
Matt Heal-Cohen (2009), captain-elect for 2010-11,
also shored up the defence so we finished the season
with one of the lowest goals conceded figures in the
league. Ed Heywood-Lonsdale (2008), having stepped
in to be in goal, trained really hard and has become an
excellent goalkeeper during the year.
In Cuppers, we were able to utilise the forces of Chris
Newman (2008, England Under 21 player and Blue)
and Matthew Wood (2008, Blue) to help us through,
eventually losing 6-4 to Jesus (a team second in the
first division) in the semi final. This was an amazing
achievement, seeing as they had only conceded five
goals during their entire league campaign! We
reached the quarter finals last year, and so we are
hoping we can continue this progress and be in the
final next year.
In a new event on the Lincoln Hockey calendar, Lincoln
played against Christ’s College, Cambridge in a
“friendly” match in Oxford. Despite having to pull in a
few ringers due to the match being played outside of
term, we managed to maintain Oxford pride by
thrashing the Tabs 4-2. It is hoped that this will
become an annual fixture, and that the match will be
taken to Cambridge next year. I
Ben Ramsden (2008)
Hockey Captain 2009-10
Rugby
LCRFC had a successful start to the 2009-10 season
with against-the-odds victories against Jesus, Oriel
and Worcester. Star players included Stuart Morten
(2008), Jono Lain (2007), James Tilney (2007) and
Anthony Geraghty (2007), whose glorious drop goal
Students 27
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Students
Student sports: 2009-10 round up
However, the team enjoyed an excellent 2009-10
season and a fantastic cup run, beating reigning
champions St John’s and college football
heavyweights Worcester in the quarter final and
semi final respectively. Our opponents in the final
were St Catherine’s, who had finished second in the
Premier Division and were clear favourites on the day.
secured victory over Oriel. This early run of strong
performances also included the retention of the
Schneider Cup for the 27th consecutive year.
After Christmas the vicissitudes of winter weather
and conscientious finalists began to take some
effect on the team. This led to difficulty in securing
player turnout and a general malaise that developed
after a few poor performances. Yet in the midst of
this difficult period came one of the best
performances of the season, as LCRFC held LMH to a
close defeat despite carrying multiple injuries
between them. Despite this disappointing second
half of the season, promise for the future was in
evidence, most notably in confident performances
from player of the season Jamie Close (2009) and
captain, Oliver Russell (2008).
This promise shone through after Easter in Sevens
Cuppers. A good run, in a somewhat toxin-affected
performance on the day after the Lincoln Ball, saw
us progress to the quarter finals where we were
unfortunate to lose to a strong Oriel side who we
might have defeated on another day. Throughout
this tournament the commitment of the team
shone through, with great physicality from all, led by
John Hudson (2008) among others. This was in
many ways typical of the character of LCRFC: at best
unparalleled for flair and commitment, at worst
unparalleled in unpredictability but in either case
mercurially inventive throughout. I
Murdo Armstrong (2009)
Football
On Thursday 11 March 2010, 11 Lincolnites stepped
out onto the pitch at Iffley Road exactly 20 years
since LCFC’s last appearance in a Cuppers final in
1990. Starting the season in the bottom tier of JCR
college football, and having amassed just three
points in the entirety of the previous season, we
could not have dreamt of such an occasion back in
October.
28 Students
L Lincoln's rugby players in
action
From start to finish
the team produced
a trademark display
of scintillating
attacking football.
K Cuppers Team in Front
Quad on final day
Nevertheless, from start to finish the team produced
a trademark display of scintillating attacking
football, and St Catherine’s were left without a
chance. Oxford Blue Alex Biggs (2008) was in
sensational form, and put Lincoln ahead with a
beautifully cushioned volley from a Chris Dunn
(2006) flick-on midway through the first half. Biggs
struck again just minutes later, and then an
opportunistic strike from centre-half Eamon
McMurray (2006) meant Lincoln were 3-0 up at half
time.
Lincoln continued to dominate in the second half
with central midfielders Richard Simmonds (2004)
and Nick Worsley (2009) producing a typically
combative display in the middle of the park, and
centre-halves McMurray and Matthew Flood (2007)
snuffing out all that the St Catherine’s attack had to
offer. The game was wrapped up midway through
the half when captain, Joshua Thomas (2008), struck
with a long range left-footed effort which sailed into
the top corner of the net.
The team ran out 4-0 winners and were duly
presented with the oldest trophy in world football,
which is currently sitting proudly behind the bar in
Deep Hall. It was a truly wonderful day and I am
sure that the whole team will cherish memories of
the occasion for many years to come. I
Josh Thomas (2008)
Football Captain 2009-10
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Students
Ultimate frisbee
At the start of Michaelmas 2009, the Lincoln College
Ultimate Frisbee team realised it had a problem. All
but two members of the illustrious two-years-in-arow Spring League winning team would be leaving at
the end of the year. A serious recruitment drive was in
order, and so we arrived with our shiny trophies and
two frisbees full of sweets at the Freshers’ Fair. It paid
off, and come Ultimate Frisbee Cuppers in Trinity Term
we had a second team of enthusiastic young’uns keen
to blaze the trail of Lincoln Ultimate into 2011.
Ultimate Cuppers is a one day, five-a-side tournament,
with 14 teams taking part. Although not finishing highly,
the second team’s Cuppers run was very promising, and
they even managed to score two points against the
eventual winning team. The Lincoln first team, although
severely depleted in numbers on what was one of the
hottest days of the year, came a very respectable second
place in a final against our rivals of old, Brasenose.
But we all knew this was a mere warm-up to the real
Lincoln v Brasenose show down: the Spring League
final. Spring League is the main inter-college Ultimate
competition, with weekly matches starting in Hilary
Term on full-size pitches with full teams (seven
players). Lincoln had a put in a strong performance in
the group stages, and we were coming in as
defending champions for the second year running. We
took a comfortable 13-6 victory, meaning that for the
three years the Lincoln College Ultimate Frisbee team
has existed, we have always won the Spring League
Cup, an incredible achievement.
We also won the Spring League ‘spirit prize’ for being
the best spirited team in the competition. Ultimate
Frisbee is a self-refereed game, where the onus is on
individual players to enforce the rules fairly. Teams
mark each other’s spirit out of 10 after a match, and
the marks are totalled after the final. To win both the
competition and the spirit prize is an indication of the
quality of Lincoln’s team, for which a special mention
has to go the team’s founding father, Jonny Clark
(2006). Starting the team in his first year by dragging
his friends to throw a frisbee around in University
Parks when it was sunny, his unwavering commitment
to Ultimate has seen him captain the team to their
first Spring League victory and become president of
the University Ultimate Frisbee Club. Graduating this
year, his influence will no doubt live on as Lincoln
Ultimate Frisbee is passed into the capable hands of
the new captain, Gareth Johnson (2009). I
Helena McMeekin (2006)
Ultimate Captain 2009-10
L From left Alex Holehouse,
Phil Jones, Phil Rodrigues,
Barnaby Roberts (obscured),
Jonny Clark, Tom Dawnay,
Gareth Johnson
It was an incredibly
successful Eights
campaign for
Lincoln, with us
getting four more
bumps overall than
the next college.
Rowing
This year has seen what could fairly be called a
reversal of the College’s rowing fortunes. Only W1
raced in Torpids (W2 failed to qualify by one second),
but went up one place, their chances being
hampered by cancelled racing and klaxons. This
Trinity Term we have had three women’s eights in
serious training, coached by Bodo Schulenburg
(2007) for W1 and Nicole Scheumann (2007) for W2
and W3. All three boats qualified for Summer VIIIs.
The first VIII was a stronger boat than the College
has seen for several years, and managed to stop the
trend of decline in the bumps charts, going up one,
down one to hold position over the week. W2 and
W3 both got blades, with W2 going up a division.
This, accompanied by M2’s blades, is virtually
unprecedented in College history (someone can
remember the College getting triple blades in
Torpids in 1996, but it’s even harder in Eights than in
Torpids!). It was an incredibly successful Eights
campaign for Lincoln, with us getting four more
bumps overall than the next college.
Our blues squad rowers this year were Bodo
Schulenberg (Men’s Lightweight Blue Boat), Sam
Albanie (2008, Men’s Lightweight Reserve Boat), and
Jenni Gossen (2007, Women’s Blue Boat) –
congratulations to all of them. I
Susanna Bridge (2008)
Women’s Rowing Captain 2009-10
I Lincoln's rowing teams at
training camp in Spain, Easter
2010
Students 29
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Students
VacProj 2009
VacProj is a charity made up of students from
Lincoln who volunteer to take a group of 36 children
(aged seven to 13) away on holiday each year during
the Long Vacation. The VacProj Committee liaises
with Oxfordshire social services to select children
from particularly disadvantaged backgrounds to
benefit from the scheme. Many of these children
will not have been away from the area before, and
the aim is to provide them with a break from
whatever difficulties they may be experiencing at
home. This year’s Committee President, Tom Hale
(2008) reports on the 2009 VacProj trip to Sussex.
“Last summer, the VacProj team took a group of 36
children to Dalesdown in Sussex, a change from the
usual location of Eton Dorney. The daily activities
included swimming, ice skating, a visit to a nearby
zoo, a trip to Thorpe Park, bowling and laser quest.
As well as this, there was a heavy emphasis on the
ritual game of football upon returning from the
day’s excursions, which always proved a
tempestuous and wildly competitive affair. Another
important feature of the week was the adventure
playground, which bore witness to some truly
remarkable individual performances in ‘What’s the
time Mr. Wolf?’, as well as some creative solo
freestyling on the monkey bars. Incredibly, and much
to our despair, the combination of these draining
activities seemed to have little or no capacity to
30 Students
L The group takes to the
stage (top); VacProj students
and children 2009
There was a strong
sense of solidarity
within each group
of leaders, all of
whom were united
by an equal desire
to make the
experience as
enjoyable as
possible for each
and every child
involved.
fatigue any of the children! The same cannot be said
of the leaders, all of whom were exhausted by the
week, and some of whom suffered injuries. Two
careers were threatened when promising organist
Jonathan Turner (2006) dislocated his knee,
immediately after I (a dancer) was struck with a
crippling, although medically unexplained, ankle
injury. A few days later, Samantha Hodson (2007),
after bravely attempting some form of ice-skating
backflip, suffered mild head injuries. The children, on
the other hand, thankfully emerged from the week
unscathed, and despite the leader casualty-rate, the
atmosphere remained on a permanent high, with
the infectious enthusiasm of the children rubbing
off on the Lincoln students. There was a strong
sense of solidarity within each group of leaders, all
of whom were united by an equal desire to make
the experience as enjoyable as possible for each and
every child involved. This year, VacProj are changing
venue again, this time to Sevenoaks in Kent. We
hope the holiday will be as eventful, successful and
memorable as in 2009.” I
There are currently plans to hold VacProj reunion dinner
for all current students and alumni who have been
involved in the scheme in spring 2011. A date and further
details will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
Please contact the Development Office if you have any
questions or suggestions regarding this event.
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Page 31
Development
Development and Alumni Relations
As any of you who have visited Lincoln this
year will attest, the College is looking as
good as ever, the lawns and window boxes
the envy of our peers. Looking through the
articles gathered for this edition, it’s also
striking how vibrant the student
community is. With victory in Football
Cuppers and three sets of blades in Eights’
Week, our sportsmen and women are
riding high. Artistically, we are thriving too:
the Choir is off to Japan in the summer,
and our actors and singers gave a bravura
performance of The Boy Friend during the
Turl Street Arts Festival. However, behind
the scenes, we are concerned about the
future, and in particular how we will
preserve the tutorial system. The muchanticipated Browne Review into Higher
Education Funding and Student Fees will
be published later this year. Oxford’s
submission can be found on the
University’s Website (www.ox.ac.uk). At
present, we lose a substantial amount of
money on undergraduate teaching – in the
region of £8,000 per student per year. This
is a significant amount, that we are able to
resource only by drawing down on our
endowment. As I wrote last year, we have
started planning for a new Campaign,
which we hope to be in a position to
launch next year, with an emphasis on
sustaining the tutorial system by adding to
our endowment, and on establishing new
sources of support for students in the form
of bursaries and scholarships. We must
ensure that suitably qualified candidates
are not deterred by financial pressures
from applying to Lincoln. The prospect of
increasing our endowment to the levels
that we believe will be necessary to
provide this additional support has often
seemed daunting. However, this year, the
College has made remarkable progress,
with the establishment of an independent
Trust, the object of which is to invest and
compound the investments over a 20 year
period. The brainchild of an alumnus, who
has invested over £3m of his own in the
scheme, matched by the College, it will
return the accumulated investment to the
College endowment at the time of our
600th anniversary in 2027. This means that
in the shorter term, we can focus on
specific initiatives with scope for funding
current activities. There will be more to
report on this in The Record.
L The Development Team (from left) Susan Davison, Hannah Thomas, Susan Harrison and Emily Newson.
On to brighter things. In a College founded
nearly 600 years ago, there is always
something to celebrate. Last year, the MCR
celebrated its 50th anniversary, this year
saw the 30th anniversary of the first arrival
of female undergraduates. As one of the
first female undergraduates at Lincoln, I
was delighted that we were encouraged to
hold this dinner not just by my own cohort,
but by many more recent alumnae and
indeed the current generation of students –
as one, now a Fellow of Somerville,
commented: ‘I’m constantly reminded of
Oxford’s long history as the preserve of
learned men, and think the opening up of
Lincoln to a wider group of prospective
students is something to be celebrated’.
Now, of course, it feels as though our
student body has been mixed forever, with
roughly equal numbers at both
undergraduate and graduate levels. But I
was very impressed with the enthusiasm of
the current generation for marking the
anniversary, and for the exhibition of
photographs of female undergraduates
taken by second year, Alice Gardner.
Somewhat predictably, we marked the
occasion with a dinner in Hall, presided over
by Dr Susan Brigden, the first female tutorial
Fellow, and now Sub-Rector. And we take the
opportunity, in this edition of Imprint, to
recognise the achievements of our alumnae
in many spheres of life, including, for the first
time, in Parliament, where Shabana
Mahmood (1999) has just been elected, as
MP for Birmingham Ladywood.
Meeting our alumni of all generations
remains one of the great pleasures of this
role. Particularly pleasurable this year was
the 1949 year luncheon, ably hosted by
Michael Hill, celebrating their 60th
anniversary in style. The Rector and I
continued our peregrinations around the
globe, with trips to Singapore, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Washington and New York.
Many thanks to our generous hosts in each
of these cities, who made us so welcome,
particularly in New York, where we were in
danger of outstaying our welcome when
the infamous volcano ash grounded all
planes. At one point nearly every head of
house, development director, the Vice
Chancellor, Chancellor, the choir boys of
New College and St John’s and the Magna
Carta were stranded in the University’s
pleasant but not capacious offices on Fifth
Avenue. I was impressed by the fortitude of
another college contingent, who returned
via Miami, Santa Domingo, Madrid, San
Sebastian, Dieppe, and Newhaven and
arrived a day before we did, the Lincoln
alumni having ensured that our extended
stay in New York was productive and
enjoyable. I
Susan Harrison
Director of Development
Alumni Relations and Development 31
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Development
Annual Appeal 2009-10
One of the questions we are often asked
about the Annual Appeal is:“Why are you
asking me to give £5 a month – what
difference can that make to the College?”
As adverts for various large charities these
days tell us, a regular gift of £5 can make a
tangible difference on its own, but makes
more of a difference if this same small
amount is given by many people. Unlike said
national charities, we are not suggesting that
you buy a goat or a mosquito net (or in our
case individual textbooks, or lunch in Hall!),
but money raised by the Annual Appeal does
go directly to help with everyday costs and to
support student projects that would not
otherwise be possible.
The greatest strength of these appeals is that
they show what we can do when we all join
together for a common cause. From the
unrestricted donations to the Annual Appeal
during 2009-10, the Annual Fund Working
Group has distributed grants to subsidise
stairlift access to Deep Hall, and to buy
individual keyboards for each of the College’s
music students, and new furniture for both
the JCR and MCR. It has also subsidised the
Leavers’ Barbeque and Year Book, providing a
link between leaving students and the
alumni community they are about to join.
The Annual Appeal also increased the pot for
student hardship by £21,900 and contributed
£14,800 towards the preservation of the
tutorial system.
The Telethon is the backbone of the Annual
Appeal, and my first solo-run Telethon was
made much easier by a superb team of
student callers, and the assistance of RuxBurton Associates (RBA), with many thanks
once again due to John Rux-Burton (1992) for
his stalwart support. During our 14 days of
calling, we raised our largest amount to date,
thanks in no small part to a new initiative,
the Leadership Annual Fund, which brought
in some of the largest gifts to the Annual
Appeal from individual alumni – we will be
holding our first lunch to thank these donors
during Michaelmas term.
However, the Telethon process was not
without its challenges. Before Christmas, we
concentrated on calling our American alumni,
which meant some late nights/very early
mornings for the callers, RBA supervisor and
32 Alumni Relations and Development
32
the Development Officer; on one particular
night, we were in the call room until 3.30am,
so we held a pyjama party (below), complete
with plenty of games and snacks to keep our
energy up.
When we returned in January, Oxford
experienced some very heavy snow meaning
that getting to the calling room in the EPA
Centre on Museum Road in the evenings
became more of an adventurer’s expedition
than a commute! On one evening, the fire
alarm went off in the middle of calling, and
we had to hang up and go to stand outside in
the snow – not quite what we had planned!
Despite these minor trials, the Telethon was a
great success, not least because it put our
student callers directly in contact with
alumni, which they found very rewarding.
Elizabeth Hennah (2007) said of her
experience:“Lincoln College alumni made the
Telethon an enjoyable enterprise: not only
was their generosity overwhelming, but their
stories of Lincoln were hilarious and their
career advice invaluable. I am most grateful
to them for making the experience both
enlightening and entertaining.”
We are very thankful to all the alumni who
took the time to talk to us and in particular to
everyone who made a gift. The 2010-11
Telethon will once again be running in
December and January. During this time, our
callers will be reporting on their progress via
Twitter – do feel free to say hello and ask how
things are going we are @LincolnCalling.
With responses from our April Annual Appeal
letter still coming in to the Development
Office, our overall total for 2009-10 so far is a
staggering £222,000! If you have already
made a pledge and not yet made a gift, it is
not too late – please contact the
Development Officer.
We begin the Annual Appeal 2010-11 on 1
August - we hope that you will continue to
look generously on the College, helping us to
make a day-to-day difference for all our
students. I
Hannah Thomas
Development Officer
[email protected]
Telethon statistics
Number of calls made: 1,230
Amount Raised: £187,095.27
Very late nights: 3
Snowball fights: 2
Fire alarms during calling sessions: 1
Cups of tea/coffee drunk: Innumerable!
Telethon callers 2009-10
Peter Beamont, Mark Brakel, Lawrence
Cochran, Monica Freely, Alice Gardner,
Elizabeth Hennah, Sam Kennedy, Eleanor
Lischka, Charlotte Moss, Melissa Rodriguez,
Daniel Savigar, Toby Virno
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Events 2009-10
From the roaring fire in Hall to the immaculate lawn
of the Rector’s Garden; from the skyscrapers of
Manhattan to the opulence of a Club on Piccadilly –
Lincoln’s 2009-10 events programme has once again
covered every corner of College and the globe.
Here at Lincoln we have had the usual host of Year
Dinners and Gaudies. The Gaudy programme for the
year started in September with 1964-66, which saw
about 60 alumni gather together for the traditional
meal and reminiscing, and concluded in March with a
group of about 70 alumni from 1970-72. The latter
evening was topped off by a reunion performance by
the Frothy Green Stools (latterly known as the
Frothies!). Band members, Neil Forsyth (1970), Jeremy
Coombes (1970), Robert Kerr (1971) and Perry Kitchen
(1971) had not performed together since their student
days and managed an impressive
come back that kept everyone
swinging until Deep Hall closing
time.
L Kevin Egleston (Butler) and
team at work
We have continued with our Lincoln
for Life programme for young
alumni, with a ‘Welcome to
London’ drinks gathering in
October to bring new alumni in
the capital together. We are also
hosting a City drinks event in late
July. Thanks must once again go to
Ed Hayes (1998) and Rhiannon
Evans (1996) who have continued
to assist with organising these
events, and to represent the
group on Facebook. As Ed has now
left London for a new job in Bristol,
we would very much like to hear
from anyone who might be
interested in getting involved with
this events programme. Please
contact Emily Newson (Alumni
Officer) in the Development Office
for further information.
Year Dinners have also been held for
1959 (hosted by Anthony Hudson in
September), 1969 (hosted by Max
Thorneycroft in October), 1949 (a
luncheon hosted by Michael Hill in
November), 1980 (hosted by Jim
Walton in March) and 1990 (hosted by
Dominic Geer in April). Thanks go to all
those who have hosted during 200910, both for assisting during the
planning stages and speaking on the
day of their reunions.
The Rector and Susan Harrison,
Director of Development, have
continued with their regular overseas
travel in order to host events for our
international alumni. They began the
year with a visit to California in
October, and our thanks go to Steve
Sohmer (1992) who kindly hosted a
reception for alumni at his Los
Angeles home.
The Rector then visited Australia in March, where
he hosted a dinner at The Australian Club in
Melbourne, and a reception at The Union University
and Schools Club in Sydney. He was then joined by
Susan Harrison in Hong Kong, where they hosted a
reception for alumni at The Tanglin Club. The Rector
and Susan followed this trip a mere two weeks later
by travelling to the north-eastern United States.
Thanks must go to Richard Sauber (1973) who hosted
afternoon tea for local alumni at his home in
Washington DC. Their subsequent stay in New York –
which incorporated a Lincoln dinner at the University
Club to coincide with the University of Oxford North
American Reunion – ultimately lasted a week
longer than planned thanks to
Eyjafjallajökull's cloud of volcanic
ash!
LL Alumni Dinner at the
University Club. New York
L The Frothies play Deep Hall
The Development Office has also
supported the student-led 1427
Committee, a group that organises a
termly gala lunch for parents of
current students. These events have
proved very popular with parents and they have
frequently filled the Hall to capacity! (See page 23 for
a short report by Anna Barnes, the 2009-10 1427
Committee President).
Lincoln Society events (open to all alumni and their
partners/guests) have also continued this year. The
Society family Garden Party, last held in 2008,
returned to Lincoln on Saturday 29 May (to coincide
Alumni Relations and Development 33
33
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Page 34
Development
Events 2009-10
with the end of Eights Week). Unfortunately rain
forced the gathering’s re-location from the Rector’s
Garden to the Oakeshott Room but a thoroughly
enjoyable afternoon was still had by all. The guests
were treated to music from the Lincoln Singers – a
small choir of undergraduates – and a string quartet
comprised of Winfried Rudolf (Fellow in English),
Sirichai Chongchitnan (Fellow in Mathematics), Guy
Perry and David Yadin (both Lincoln DPhil students).
The children were also kept occupied by Jake, a
children’s entertainer who provided magic tricks and
balloon animals.
Thanks must go to Chef, Jim Murden, and the Butler,
Kevin Egleston, and their teams for the effort they
put into arranging the food, drinks and logistics of all
alumni events held in College. We are also
grateful to Laura Broadhurst in the
Domestic Bursar’s Office and team,
who organise all the booking,
cleaning and preparation of College
rooms for all Lincoln alumni events.
As Imprint goes to press we have just
concluded our 2009-10 programme
with the annual Lincoln Society
Dinner, on 25 June – a chance for all
alumni to bring their spouse or
partner to a formal College dinner in
Hall – and our gala dinner on 2 July to
celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
admission of women to Lincoln in 1979-80. Both were
enjoyable and memorable evenings.
Our events programme is currently being reviewed
by a sub-committee made up of the Director of
Development, Development Assistant and alumni
members of the Development Committee. We are
also trying to gather more official feedback on our
Our events
programme is
currently being
reviewed by a subcommittee made up
of the Director of
Development,
Development
Assistant and
alumni members of
the Development
Committee.
L Murray Day at
Charterhouse, March 2010
L Rain hits the Garden party!
events – those of you who have attended recent
dinners may have received a request to complete a
short survey the morning after. We may start
sending these out more frequently and we really
appreciate any responses we get as we constantly
strive to develop the events programme we offer to
alumni. We hope to see many more of you at Lincoln
events in the 2010-11 year ahead. I
Emily Newson
Alumni and Communications Officer
The Murray Society 2009-10
There have been two Murray Society gatherings
during 2009-10 – one held at College in
October, and one held in London in March.
In Oxford Murray Society members were
invited to view some of the books held in
the Senior Library, and then to hear a
lecture given in the Chapel by Dr Peter
McCullough (Sohmer Fellow in English)
entitled ‘Reconsidering Lincoln Chapel in
the Seventeenth Century: Patronage,
Poetry and Politics’. In London they were
given a tour of Charterhouse and a
lecture by Lincoln Fellow in History, Dr
Susan Brigden, on ‘Charterhouse in the
16th Century’. Thanks must go to Alan
Tanner (1948) who was able to secure our
access to Charterhouse for the London event.
The purpose of the Murray Society is to recognise
and thank those alumni who have pledged a
bequest to Lincoln in their Will. If you would like
further information about how to become a
member, please contact Susan Harrison, the Director
of Development.
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Alumni news
Lincoln alumni
in politics
Over the last 12 months it has come to the attention of the
Development Office that several Lincoln alumni are
currently active in government both in the UK and USA.
Here Imprint shares some information on Lincolnites
serving both in the Obama administration in Washington
DC and the Houses of Parliament in London. This is not
intended to be a comprehensive list – do let us know if you
are aware of any others.
USA
Michelle Gavin Senior Director for African Affairs at the National
Security Council and Senior Advisor to the President of the United
States
Michelle Gavin (1996), an expert on foreign policy, development
and human rights, is currently serving as Special Assistant to the
President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the White
House National Security Council. Her previous positions have
included service Adjunct and International Affairs Fellow at the
Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Legislative Director for
former Senator Ken Salazar (the current US Secretary of the
Interior), Director of International Policy and Staff Director for the
Senate Foreign Relations Sub-Committee on Africa for Senator
Russ Feingold, and member of the Board of Directors of the TRACE
Institute (a non-profit organisation that works to end corruption).
Michelle graduated summa cum laude from the Georgetown
University School for Foreign Service and attended Lincoln as a
Rhodes Scholar where she read for an MPhil in International
Relations. She is married to Lincoln alumnus and former Boat Club
captain, David Bonfili (1996).
Craig Mullaney Senior Advisor at the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID)
Craig Mullaney (2000) is the senior adviser to the USAID
Administrator for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He has previously
worked under the Secretary of Defense as the Principal Director for
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia Policy, and as Chief of Staff for
the Department of Defense Transition Team. He was also President
Obama’s defence policy advisor during his 2008 presidential
campaign. Craig served in the US Army in Afghanistan in 2003, and
his military decorations include the Bronze Star, Army Commendation
Medal with “V” device, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Ranger Tab, and
Parachutist Badge. He is the author of the 2009 New York Times
bestseller The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education. Craig
graduated second in his class from the United States Military
Academy. He came to Lincoln as a Rhodes Scholar and completed a
MSt in Historical Research and a MSc in Economic and Social History.
He is married to Lincoln alumna Meena Seshamani (1999).
L US Capitol building, Washington DC
Dan Poneman Deputy Secretary of Energy
Dan Poneman (1978) was confirmed by the
United States Senate as President Obama’s
Deputy Secretary of Energy in May 2009.
Dan first entered the Department of Energy
in 1989 as a White House Fellow. The next
year he joined the National Security Council
as Director of Defense Policy and Arms
Control. Dan has previously served as a
Special Assistant to the President during the Clinton
administration, principal of The Scowcroft Group (providing
strategic advice to corporations on international projects and
transactions), and has practised law in Washington DC at
Covington & Burling and Hogan & Hartson. In between the
Clinton and Obama administrations he served on several federal
advisory panels. His book, Going Critical: The First North Korean
Nuclear Crisis (co-authored with Joel Wit and Robert Gallucci),
received the 2005 Douglas Dillon Award for Distinguished Writing
on American Diplomacy. Dan took his first degree at Harvard
University and then came to Lincoln to do an MLitt in Politics.
Bruce Reed CEO, Democratic Leadership Council
Bruce Reed (1982) is CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council
(DLC), a national organisation founded 25 years ago and credited
with launching the New Democratic movement in the USA. He
was policy director of the DLC from 1990 to 1991, when Bill Clinton
was its chairman and is also founding editor of the DLC magazine,
The New Democrat. In 1992, Bruce served as deputy campaign
manager for policy on the Clinton-Gore campaign, and prior to
that he worked as Senator Al Gore’s chief speechwriter. Before
returning to the DLC in January 2001, Bruce was President Clinton’s
chief domestic policy advisor and director of the Domestic Policy
Council. Bruce attended Princeton University and then came to
Lincoln as a Rhodes Scholar to study for an MPhil in English.
Alumni news 35
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Alumni news
Meena Seshamani Director of Policy
Analysis, Health and Human Services Office
of Health Reform
Meena Seshamani (1999) studied Business
Economics at Brown University before
coming to Lincoln to study for a DPhil in
Medicine (Health Economics), where her
research focussed on the impact of aging
populations on health care costs. She
then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine in 2005 with her medical degree. Meena worked at the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland
before joining the Obama administration in 2009. In her current role
as Deputy Director of the Office of Health Reform, she oversees
policy development and implementation of the health reform law.
She is married to Lincoln alumnus Craig Mullaney (2000).
UK
Bill Cash Conservative MP for Stone
Bill Cash (1959) has been a Conservative MP since 1984, and has
represented his current constituency of Stone since 1997. He read
History at Lincoln and then qualified as a solicitor, practising
constitutional and administrative law. He became MP for Stafford in
1984 and was then elected to the new constituency of Stone in
1997, where he was re-elected in 2001, 2005 and 2010. During his
time in the House of Commons he has served as Shadow Attorney
General and Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. He
is also Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Sanitation
and Water in the Third World, Malaysia, Kenya and Uganda, and
Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee for Tanzania.
Shabana Mahmood Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood
Shabana Mahmood (1999) was elected as MP for Birmingham
Ladywood in the 2010 General Election. She studied Law at Lincoln
and was elected JCR President in her second year. After leaving
Lincoln she qualified as a barrister, having completed her pupillage
at 12 King’s Bench Walk chambers in London, and then worked as an
Employed Barrister at Berrymans Lace Mawer, specialising in
professional indemnity litigation. She is now MP for the constituency
in which she grew up and attended secondary school, and alongside
Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureishi, has become one of the first
Muslim women to be elected to the Parliament in the UK.
Sir John Stanley Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling
The Rt Hon Sir John Stanley (1960) has been MP for Tonbridge &
Malling since 1974. From 1976 to 1979 he was Parliamentary Private
Secretary to Leader of the Opposition, Margaret Thatcher. While
the Conservatives were in government in the 1980s and 1990s he
served as Minister for Housing and Construction, Minister for the
Armed Forces and Minister for Northern Ireland. Sir John studied
History at Lincoln and then attended Syracuse University. Before
his election to Parliament he was a senior Financial Executive with
Rio Tinto Zinc. He also worked as Research Associate of the
International Institute for Strategic Studies and as a member of
the Conservative Party’s Research Department with responsibility
for housing. He is a member of the House of Commons Foreign
Affairs Committee and also a Vice Chairman of the NATO
Parliamentary Assembley’s Defence and Security Committee.
Lincoln is also represented in the Clerk’s Office of the Commons,
where Robert Rogers (1967) is Clerk Assistant, and Martyn Atkins
(1987) is Clerk of the Table Office. I
36 Alumni news
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Alumni news
John Wilson (1945) is a Trustee of Craft
Central (CGA Ltd), a leading charity
providing studios to needy young
people who wish to develop their own
businesses in the art, craft and design
fields, situated in Clerkenwell Green,
London.
time law practice, which involves case
assignments from the office of the
state public defender – he received a
law degree in May 2005.
Alan Hodson (1946) is an artist working
in oils – he has thus far had two oneman shows.
Michael Lumb (1946) has written a book
entitled All Our Yesterdays: Introducing
English History. It was first published by
Hallmark Press International in 2008
and the second edition was issued just
before Christmas 2009. The book
considers most aspects of English
history, with due attention being paid to
the contribution of the United Kingdom
to the development of the world
through the growth of the British
Empire and Commonwealth. His
grandson has just sat Finals in PPE at
Corpus Christi, and his granddaughter
has just concluded her first year at
Murray Edwards (formerly New Hall),
Cambridge, reading History.
David Bentliff (1947) taught, until the
age of 75, translation from Japanese to
English at the University of
Westminster, following his retirement
from Whitehall.
Nigel Lindsey-Renton (1949) has been
awarded an honorary doctorate of
Humane Letters by the Church
Divinity School of the Pacific in
Berkeley, California.
Harvey Glickman (1952) spent a week
living in College this spring when he
presented a paper on “Neo-NeoRealism” in International Relations
Theory at the Oxford Round Table
conference, a regular Oxford event
which was held at Lincoln between 29
March and 2 April 2010. He reports that
“the rooms were comfortable; the food
was as good as ever; and Deep Hall
looked marvellous. (We still need to
improve the weather!)”
Graham Kelly (1952) thoroughly
enjoyed a career globe trotting as a
diplomat and then international civil
servant up until his retirement in 1999.
He has been Chair of his Parish Council
for five years, and is enjoying fly fishing
and the grandchildren (in that order)!
Arthur Wasserman (1952) auditioned in
2009 and was accepted as tenor in the
100-voice Bel Canto chorus in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has a part-
L Peter Roberts (1953) was awarded an
Honorary Doctorate by the University
of Chester for his many years service to
the development of the university.
Peter was also for some years
Chairman of Governors of the Queen’s
School, Chester.
Brian Southam (1953) is the former
Chairman, now Vice President, of the
Jane Austen Society. He has also
published widely on Jane Austen and
her works.
Anthony Birbeck (1954) is a member of
the Companion Annual Welfare
Council, and of the Veterinary Nurses’
Council of the Royal College of
Veterinary Surgeons. He is also Rural
Dean for Shepton Mallet Deanery (until
July 2010).
Colin Edwards (1954) is now travelling
the world in easy stages, and
swimming and golfing regularly (11
holes max!).
Colin Buchanan (1955) is Honorary
President of the Electoral Reform
Society and Honorary Assistant Bishop
of the Diocese of Bradford.
L Robin Sherlock (1956) was recently
elected Chief Commoner of the City of
London Corporation. The Corporation is
one of the 33 borough councils in
London, but is unique in having been
the first to be founded, as long ago as
the 13th century. The Chief Commoner
is leader of the Corporation, the Lord
Mayor being the titular head.
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Alumni news
Timothy Firth (1957) is involved with an
organisation called Renewal Arts, an
International Network of Artists who see
arts as a catalyst for spiritual change.
Mark Skilbeck (1957) reports that,
“Following a lifetime in a solicitor’s
practice and nine years in the telecoms
industry, I have been actively engaged in
retirement as Project Manager and
Grants Coordinator for St Nicholas
Church, New Romney. The role has
involved a very substantial restoration
project for this Norman church,
renowned for having the finest
Romanesque Tower in Kent. The work
has comprised the total replacement of
the triple ceilings and significant renewal
of the window masonry and mullions in
Bath stone. Grants have been received
from a variety of bodies, including All
Souls’ College, English Heritage, and the
Friends of Kent Churches.”
Dennis Woodfield (1957) published From
Oratory to Scholarship: Historic Talks on
the American Revolution in 2008, and is
currently working on a new book to be
titled Marks of Ownership of the Great
British and American Book of Collectors.
Bill Myers (1958) retired from teaching
English at the University of Leicester in
2004. He was ordained Deacon in
2009 and is now part of the Parish
team at Sacred Heart Leicester, a
thriving, multi-ethnic parish.
Derek Blades (1959) is now an
Independent Consultant in Economic
Statistics, working in Asia, Africa and
the West Balkans.
Michael Watkins (1959) is a tutor and
examiner for the Institute of Chartered
Shipbrokers. He has also become a
lexicographer and is co-author of The
Eponym Dictionary of Mammals
(published by Johns Hopkins University
Press, Baltimore 2009). The same
publisher will bring out a companion
volume, The Eponym Dictionary of
Reptiles, in 2010 or 2011.
Michael Wigley (1959) is Non-Executive
Director of Conygar Investment Co PLC,
Prenner Energy and Water Trust PLC.
Yale University Press has published The
Italian Inquisition by Christopher Black
(1960). The book is the first overall
study in English of the Italian
Inquisition between the 15th and 18th
centuries. Christopher spent his whole
career teaching at Glasgow University,
and, having retired, is now an Honorary
Research Professor of Italian History.
Tom Bruce-Jones (1960) is Honorary
Consul for Finland in Glasgow and
Chairman of Stella-Jones Inc.
Michael Holman (1960) is Chairman of
the Tunbridge Wells Twinning and
Friendship Association, and was
awarded the Civic Medallion of
Tunbridge Wells in 2006.
Michael Mitchell (1960) took early
retirement in 1995 after teaching
German for nearly 30 years, mostly at
Stirling University. Since then he has
worked as a literary translator - most
recently on a new translation of Kafka’s
The Trial for OUP.
David Ridgway (1960) retired as a
Reader in Classics (formerly
Archaeology) at the University of
Edinburgh in 2003. He delivered the
first Sybille Haynes Lecture in Etruscan
and Early Italic Studies at the Oxford
University Faculty of Classics in 2003.
Roger Allen (1961) has been awarded
the Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie
Professorship of Social Thought and
Comparative Ethics, School of Arts &
Sciences at the University of
Pennsylvania. He is also the 2010
President of the Middle East Studies
Association of North America (MESA),
the largest gathering of Middle Eastern
specialists on the continent (with some
3,400 members worldwide). Roger will
give his presidential address at the
annual conference in San Diego in
November 2010. He has also
announced that he will be retiring
from full-time teaching in June 2011.
Peter Sutherland (1961) is now a part
time careers adviser, and manager of
tours to France and Germany.
Brian Worthington (1961) is Chairman
of the Clifton and Hotwells
Improvement Society, and a Governor
and Member of Council at Clifton
College.
Anthony Baker (1962) still plays bridge
and golf regularly with fellow Lincoln
alumni.
Antony Cooke (1962) left Uganda at
the end of 2006 after four years as
CEO of the Agakhan Education
Service. He then took up his current
post as Founding Principal of Riviera
High School in Rwanda in January
2007. The school has since gone from
69 students to 450, and in 2009
produced the top O-level student in
the country.
L Raymond Busbridge (1963) (left) and
Neil Kilgour (1964) (right) played on the
same squash team when they were
both at Lincoln in the early 1960s and
they are still playing squash together
now in Montréal, 45 years on.
Samuel Gray (1963) is Treasurer of the
Wilfred Owen Association and the
Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship. He
promoted a concert of war poetry
songs in London in 2009.
Ernest Lucas (1963) is the author of a
commentary on the Book of Daniel in
volume four of the Zonoervan
Illustrated Bible. He is also co-author
(with Michael Pfundner) of Think God,
Think Science (Paternoster, 2009).
Ernest and his wife celebrated their
40th wedding anniversary in 2009.
Jeffrey Roberts (1963) obtained a 2:1
degree in Law through the Open
University in 2009.
Richard Roxburgh (1964) is now
retired. His main project over the past
three years has been building a
substantial house, ‘Mangwana’, on
the Caribbean Island of Bequia.
The house is featured online at
grenadinevillas.com
Peter Witchell’s (1964) recent
compositions include: Trio St Clement
(for flute, oboe and piano), Ragawag
(for string quartet) and pic n mix (a
suite concoction for wind quintet).
Glenn Babb (1965) is living in Cape
Town, South Africa. He resigned from
the foreign service in 1989 after
serving as Head of the Africa Division
in the South African Department of
Foreign Affairs. He then stood for
Parliament where he spent two and a
half years before returning to the
foreign service as ambassador to Italy.
He left the foreign service again in
1995, returned to South Africa and
became Chairman of AGIP Lubricants
in South Africa, Director of Velo
Vinquip and consultant for the entry
of PARMALAT into South Africa. He
was also consultant in the
Department of the Premier of the
Western Cape in constitutional and
international relations. He owns and
directs the company Babrius, which
represents inter alia Italian trade fairs.
He became honorary Consul-General
of Turkey for the Western, Northern
and Eastern Cape in 1998. His
consultancy was appointed by the
African, Caribbean & Pacific Group of
countries in the EU to write a report
on the future of the ACP Group and
this was published in 2006. He served
on the Board of the Cape
Philharmonic Orchestra. He was
admitted as a translator for the South
African courts (French, Italian,
Afrikaans) in 2008. He recently
published a study Abubakr Effendi - a
Young Turk in Afrikaans in the National
Library Quarterly Review (Vol 64 No1).
He married Tracey Dibb in 2003 who
gave birth to a daughter now aged
two years, and he has three other
children.
Patrick Magee (1966) retired from
court service in 1997 and then spent
eight years as a member of Thames
Valley Police Authority. He is currently
a Volunteer Board Member of Thames
Valley Crime Stoppers.
Peter Kornicki (1968) is Deputy
Warden at Robinson College,
Cambridge, and Chair of the East Asia
Panel at the British Academy.
Richard Morris (1970) sent the
following update: “Richard and his
wife, Cindy, returned to Hong Kong in
July 2008 when Richard took up a
teaching position with the Faculty of
Law of the Chinese University of Hong
Kong. During 2009, Richard became
Director of the Faculty’s programme
for the Postgraduate Certificate in
Laws, the Certificate required by all
Hong Kong law graduates as a
prerequisite for entry to either branch
of the legal profession. Richard and
Cindy are both very content to be
back in Hong Kong.”
Stephen Clark (1973) has had four
books published: Putting Asunder:
Divorce and Remarriage in Biblical and
Pastoral Perspective (1999, Bryntirion
Press); The Da Vinci Code on Trial
(2005, Bryntirion Press); Tales of Two
Cities: Christianity and Politics - editor
and contributor (2005, Inter-Varsity
Press); The Forgotten Christ: Exploring
the Majesty and Mystery of God
Incarnate - editor and contributor
(2007, Apollos). He is currently writing
a book on issues of life and death.
Alumni news 37
37
Alumni news
Robert Barnes (1974) has been a keen
golfer since Lincoln days and is a
member at Whiteleaf Golf Club. He is
also a Trustee of Llandovery Theatres.
After 13 years as a Conservative MP,
Nick Hawkins (1975) - (whose time in
the House included two years in
Government under John Major, and
shadow ministerial roles under
William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith
and Michael Howard, including
Shadow Solicitor-General) - did not
contest the 2005 election but
returned to corporate law. He spent
time working for international law
firms in the City and overseas. Since
autumn 2007 he has been Legal
Director of Danoptra Ltd, a £165m UK
leisure and gaming group. He is in
regular touch with a number of
contemporaries among the 1975-78
Lincoln lawyers, including Mike
Chandler, Peter Hill and Andrew
Hunn. Nick writes regular articles and
columns in a variety of legal and
industry periodicals, especially on
gambling law issues.
Robert Seatter (1975) is a published
poet. Seren Books have published two
solo volumes, On the Beach with Chet
Baker and Travelling to the Fish
Orchards. A third volume of his work
is due to be published in 2011.
17/8/10
18:16
much like anyone interested in
“cruising sculling” get in touch.
Together: how to include disabled people
on the main road of development.
Crispin Simon (1976) is Non-Executive
Director of Imperial College
Healthcare Trust, and a Governor at
Port Regis School.
David Everatt (1985) published The
Origins of Nonracialism: White
Opposition to Apartheid in the 1950s
(Wits University Press) in late 2009.
Graham Tomlin (1977) was appointed
Dean of St Mellitus College, the
Church of England’s newest
theological college, in 2007.
Gillian Austen (1986) organised The
Gascoigne Seminar, held in College
on Friday 18 September 2009. This
was the second international
conference dedicated exclusively to
the works of George Gascoigne,
following the success of the first such
event in 2007, and attracted scholars
from the USA, France and the UK.
Guests included Prof Arthur Kinney
(University of Massachusetts), Prof
Cathy Shrank (Sheffield), Dr Richard
Hillman (Université François-Rabelais
de Tours) and Dr Roger Pooley (Keele),
all of whom have published
influentially on Gascoigne.
Paul Hilsley (1987) and his wife Kate
had their first child earlier this year.
Baby Benjamin Arthur was born on 9
February 2010 and weighed in at 6lbs
7oz.
Speakers included Dr Elizabeth Heale
(Reading), Prof Susan Staub
(Appalachian State University), Dr
Syrithe Pugh (Aberdeen) and Dr
Robert Maslen (Glasgow). On this
occasion, the Seminar was partly
supported by the Society for
Renaissance Studies, which provided
funding for several postgraduate
places and two postgraduate
speakers, John Burton (Lampeter) and
Andy Kesson (Kent).
Helen Wright née Kendal (1988) and
Brian Wright (1989) are pleased to
announce the birth of their third
child, Jessica McGregor Wright, born
on 9 December 2009, weighing 9lb
9oz, a sister to Harry and Caitlin. She
is a beautiful baby! Helen continues
in her post as Headmistress of St
Mary’s Calne, where she has been
since 2003. In January she took up
the role of President-Elect of the
Girls’ Schools Association - she will
become President in January 2011.
The Stereotypes, Steve Cooke, Paul
Galley and Jeremy Brill (all 1978) will
release a new album in 2010, entitled
Midnight in the Botanical Gardens.
Richard McDonald (1979) resumed the
position of Head Master at Aiglon
College, Switzerland in August 2009.
He has served since 2006 as Chairman
of the Swiss Group of International
Schools. In October 2010 his son
Howard will matriculate at Lincoln to
read Modern Languages - the third
generation of the McDonald family at
Lincoln.
Sara Scargill née Pearse (1980) is now
living in Spain, where her husband is
Anglican Chaplain to Torrevieja (near
Alicante) and area. Her eldest son
Timothy is completing an MEng at York
and then planning to join her in the
geneaology business. Her next son
Edward is studying PPE at St Peter’s
College, Oxford, and her youngest son
is at an international school in Spain
following a course of bilingual studies.
Elizabeth Graham née Day’s (1982)
third novel, Jubilee, was published by
Pan Macmillan in June 2010. She is
currently working on a fourth.
L Menorah, a painting by Roger
Wagner (1975), was on temporary
display at the Ashmolean Museum in
March. This unusual painting shows a
crucifixion scene set against the
backdrop of Didcot Power Station. After
leaving Lincoln, Roger studied at The
Royal Academy School of Art, London.
His paintings have been shown in many
solo and group exhibitions in Britain
and abroad, and his work is displayed in
the Ashmolean and the Fitzwilliam
Museum, Cambridge. Menorah is the
largest contemporary painting ever
acquired by the Ashmolean - it has now
been returned to St Giles’ Church where
it will remain on permanent loan.
Michael Brigg (1976) has a great
interest in classic racing dinghies.
Last year he started sailing and
rowing (sculling) again on local
Portsmouth harbour and the
National Firefly Circuit. He would very
38 Alumni news
38
Page 38
L Lynn Shepherd (1982) published a
novel in April 2010 called Murder at
Mansfield Park. The book is described as
a ‘mash-up homage’ to Jane Austen’s
Mansfield Park and is published by
Beautiful Books Limited.
Susan Coe (1985) got engaged in
Lincoln College Chapel on 3 December
2009. She was looking around College
with her (now) fiancé, Richard Lindley,
and when they reached the Chapel he
got down on one knee, produced a ring
and proposed! They were married at St
Giles, Northampton on 22 May 2010. Sue
is now Senior Disability Programme
Adviser at World Vision UK (an
international NGO) and has co-authored
her first book this year, Travelling
The Seminar included a private
viewing of rare volumes of
Gascoigne’s work, hosted at the
Bodleian by the Department of Rare
Books. The day was a tremendous
success and there are plans to repeat
it in 2011. The papers are being
published, fully revised and peerreviewed, as New Essays on George
Gascoigne, by AMS Press (New York),
edited by Gillian Austen.
Following the seminar, a small sum was
donated to the Lincoln College
Development Fund, along with a
donation to the Library of some
Gascoigne-related texts, including a
copy of the authoritative edition by
G.W. Pigman III, George Gascoigne A
Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 1573 (Oxford,
2000) and Meredith Skura’s Tudor
Autobiography (University of Chicago
Press, 2008). For those who are
interested, there is a discussion list
associated with the Gascoigne Seminar.
For further information contact
Gillian at
[email protected].
David Hall-Matthews (1986) stood for
the Liberal Democrats in Bradford
West in the 2010 General Election. He
is chair of the Social Liberal Forum (a
lobby group) and of the party policy
working group on International
Development. By day, he is a Senior
Lecturer in the School of Politics and
International Studies at Leeds
University.
Rohan de Silva (1987) had a baby boy,
Jonah, in October 2008.
Raymond Younis’s (1987) book On the
Ethical Life was published by
Cambridge Scholars in 2009, and in
July 2009 he took up the position of
Director Teaching and Learning at
Curtin University, Sydney Campus.
Sophie Saunderson née Hiller (1988)
had new baby, Edward Hugh, born on
11 May 2010, weighing 9lb 8oz.
Matthew Bradby (1990) is Chair of
the Tottenham Civic Society, a
committee member of SAVE Britain’s
Heritage, and a trustee of the
Telluride Association.
L Katherine Mendelsohn (1990) was
awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des
Lettres by the French Ministry of
Culture on Thursday 8 April, in
recognition of her work with
Francophone writers for the Traverse
Theatre in Edinburgh where she
works as Literary Manager. Katherine
has worked at the Traverse Theatre
for over 10 years. In 2000, she
launched an international translation
commissioning scheme for
contemporary plays called Playwrights
Emily Mortimer (1990) could be seen in
cinemas in March 2010 playing a
psychiatric patient in Shutter Island
directed by Martin Scorcese. She
starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio,
Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams.
Alf Perera (1990) and his wife Sarah
had a baby girl, Anna Esther Rohini, on
8 August 2009. She joins siblings Ruth
(six), Beth (five) and Joe (two), who love
(and prod) her very much!
Mark Thompson (1990) joined Apollo
Management in 2009, as a partner in
charge of commodity hedge funds.
Sabine Jaccaud (1991) is an
independent consultant in
organisational communications and
change management. She can be
contacted via her profile on LinkedIn.
Arvinder Mangat (1992) has had
another momentous year. He spent a
lot of time working with Canadian oil
interests in Alberta ensuring energy
security for the Americas. This lead to
significant work in Nigeria where he
met Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (1952)
and discovered a shared interest in the
three Cs (crude oil, cricket and cigars)!
He continues to work and be amazed
by his children’s flexibility for world
travel and the discovery and generosity
of other Lincolnites everywhere.
18:16
October 2009. Jerome is particularly
grateful to Robin Griffith-Jones (former
Lincoln College Chaplain) for sharing
his clerical network in Paris vis-a-vis
the marriage preparation course. It has
been a busy few months, since the
wedding, as Jerome and his new wife
have just moved back to Holland after
three fantastic years in Scotland.
Lucy Macfarlane née MacKillop (1994)
moved back to Oxford after nine
years away in 2009 with her husband
Chris, and children Lily (four) and
Frederick (one).
Louisa Allen née David (1995) is now a
solicitor working in the Government,
and has two small children, Nicholas
(four) and Bethany (two). She married
her husband Ben in Lincoln Chapel in
July 2002, so Lincoln remains a very
special place for her!
Edwin Thomas (1995) published his
eighth novel The Book of Secrets
(Arrow Books) in August 2009. The
book is written under the
pseudonym, Tom Harper.
Paul Williams (1995) recently took up
a Royal Society Research Fellowship at
Reading University and published his
first academic textbook, Stochastic
Physics and Climate Modelling
(Cambridge University Press) in
November 2009. He also won the
2010 Adrian Gill Award from the
European Geosciences Union.
Page 39
completed a DPhil in Psychology at
the University of Sussex in 2008. She
has subsequently been working as a
Research Statistician in Psychiatry at
Barts Hospital and the London School
of Medicine. Elizabeth and her
husband Joseph are also delighted to
announce the birth of their daughter,
Eva Grace, born at home in Brighton
on 30 December 2009.
Jennifer Holt’s (1997) book Public
School Literature, Civic Education and
the Politics of Male Adolescence was
published by Ashgate in November
2008.
Helen Jenkins née Mosley (1997) and
her husband Gareth Jenkins (Christ
Church, 1994) are pleased to
announce the birth of their son David
Andrew Jenkins on 10 November
2009. David is growing up quickly and
bringing lots of joy to his parents.
Helen continues to work as an actuary
for St. James’s Place Capital, and will
be returning to work in August
following her maternity leave.
L Alex Faludy (2002) would like to
announce that he was ordained at
St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastleupon-Tyne on 2 July 2009 with
several fellow Lincolnites in
attendance. He is pictured here
outside the Cathedral, flanked by
friends Mairi Brewis (2002) and Ben
White (Christ Church, 2002). Alex is
presently serving his title curacy at
St Paul’s Church, Whitley Bay, and is
also involved in Anglican-Lutheran
ecumenical links.
David Sergeant (1997)’s first
collection of poetry, entitled Talk Like
Galileo, was published by Shearsman
Books in April 2010.
Veit Oehlberger (2003) and his wife
Hedda Fehundsenden (Wolfson
College, 2003) had a baby boy,
Magnus, born on 21 September 2009.
Nicholas Woodfield (1999) and his
wife Lisa had a baby boy, Jordan, on 19
August 2009, born at 4.30pm in
Washington DC and weighing 8lb
14oz.
Mirakle Couriers, the company
founded by Dhruv Lakra (2007), won
the 2009 Helen Keller award for
“Non-disabled role model supporter
of increased employment
opportunities for disabled people”.
This is an award for individuals from
within the disability sector or outside,
who have contributed substantially
to the cause of promoting
employment opportunities for
disabled people over an extended
period of time. Mirakle Couriers is an
India-based venture, set up by Dhruv,
which employs only deaf adults.
Naomi Alderman’s (1993) novel, The
Lessons, was published in paperback in
April by Viking, and was read by Rory
Kinnear on Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime
during the week commencing Monday
12 April. The novel follows a group of
Oxford undergraduates through life at
university and beyond. Naomi’s first
novel, Disobedience, won the 2006
Orange Award for New Writers.
Leonaitasi Kuluni (2008) was
promoted to Head/Director of
Immigration Department, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of
Tonga (South Pacific) in April 2010. I
Sarah Howell née Meikle (1993) gave
birth to a daughter, Beatrice Emma
Howell, on 8 July 2009.
L Shawn Landres (1996) was named
in November 2009 to Forward
newspaper’s (a US-based publication
for the North American Jewish
community) list of the 50 most
influential leaders in American
Jewish life. Shawn is the founder and
CEO of Jumpstart, a national nonprofit incubator, catalyst, thinktank
and advocate for sustainable Jewish
innovation.
L Jerome Ellepola (1994) married Dr
Marie Duguay (Paris VI) at Église SaintColomban, in Treveneuc, Brittany in
Alumni news
in Partnership, which links leading
foreign-language playwrights with
their British counterparts to produce
international contemporary plays in
the UK.
17/8/10
Elizabeth Ford née Cory (1997)
worked as a medical writer in Paris
until 2004, and then successfully
L Emma Childs (2000) and John
Coldham (1998) were married at
Hassop Hall in Derbyshire on 31 July
2009. They both studied Law at
Lincoln and now work as solicitors in
the City.
The best man was Ed Hayes (1998)
and the bridesmaids were Kate
Knibbs, Elizabeth Galloway and
Rachel Foster née Mole (all 2000).
Edward Millais (2000) got engaged
to be married in 2009 to Alice Corbet
from Acton Reynold, Shropshire.
Alumni news 39
39
17/8/10
18:16
Page 40
Alumni news
My Lincoln: Naomi Alderman
Naomi Alderman (1993) studied PPE at Lincoln and then spent several years working in
publishing and marketing before taking an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East
Anglia. Her first novel, Disobedience, was published in 2006 and won the Orange Award for
New Writers. Penguin published her second novel, The Lessons in April 2010. In 2007, she was
named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, and one of Waterstones’ 25 Writers for the
Future. Her short fiction has appeared in Prospect, Woman and Home and The Sunday
Express and she was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. From 2004 to 2007
Naomi was lead writer on the BAFTA-shortlisted alternate reality game Perplex City. She
currently writes a weekly column on gaming for The Guardian.
What are your most vivid memories of your
time at Lincoln?
I had the Vade Mecum room in Lincoln
House in my second year, which was the
perfect spot from which to observe all
sorts of curious goings-on late at night on
the Turl. For a writer, it’s great to be in a
position to observe what’s happening
without being involved. One memory that
will stay with me forever is the night of the
football dinner when things got a bit
raucous, and I remember watching one
bloke trying to shin along the lamp
attached to College to retrieve his clothes!
Which College rooms did you live in?
My first year I was at the top of staircase
13, room 11, I think, which I believe was the
second-smallest room in College! The
second year I had the lovely Vade Mecum
room though, big but with a very uneven
floor. For my third year I was in the Mitre, in
a room which had a separate section for
my desk, but was directly above the
hairdressers so constantly smelled of hair
product. When you live in such old
buildings all rooms come with their quirks.
Were you involved in any extra-curricular
activities at Lincoln?
I was the deputy editor of Vade Mecum, the
guide to Oxford which students produced
at that time, and I was the treasurer of the
College Ball. The Ball made a loss in my
year, so perhaps I wasn’t the best person
for the job - although I maintain that it
wasn’t entirely my fault! The Ball has
stayed with me in vivid, hallucinatory
detail mostly because of the lack of sleep
involved. We stayed up for more than 24
hours on the day of the Ball: woke up at
9am the morning of, eventually got to bed
about 2pm the following day. I remember
wandering around clearing up at 6am in
the rain, wearing a black bin bag over my
clothes, picking up other people’s cigarette
40 Alumni news
butts, bug-eyed with exhaustion,
wondering if it had all been worth it for a
few glamourous hours in the middle!
How has your time at Lincoln influenced
you, and what particular skills and ideas
has it given you?
What I always say about Oxford is that,
having studied there, you’ll never again be
afraid to go through the big doors. When you
go to visit a castle or stately home, and you
see there are enormous ceremonial doors,
you automatically look for the more modest
visitors’ entrance, the striped awning or the
helpful “information desk” sign instead of
just going through the huge doorway with a
door three times the height of a man. But
Oxford is full of ancient buildings that are
not just put away for ‘best’ but used every
day. I suppose that’s the ethos and
experience of attending an ancient college
like Lincoln: don’t be afraid of anything, don’t
be squashed, don’t feel that the special doors
are meant for someone else. Live in the 14th
century building, dine in the panelled hall,
climb off the ancient ramparts to retrieve
your clothes. Whatever you want, stride
towards it boldly without asking permission.
It can come across as arrogance, but it is also
empowering.
Can you outline the career path you have
followed since graduating from Oxford?
It has been more of a vague career
meander, really! I suppose if any current
students or recent graduates are reading
this who don’t have one of those 25-year
plans to dominate the City or something
I’d say... do not be afraid. The world is quite
interesting and it’s alright to approach it
open-heartedly, seeing what comes up and
where your interests lead you.
After leaving Oxford, I worked for nine
months for a publisher of children’s books.
Then I got a job in marketing for a City law
firm. I worked in
London for three
years, and then they
sent me to New
York. I was living
there over 9/11, and
following that I
decided I really
didn’t want to
work in law
anymore and that it was time to try
writing a novel. So I came back to the UK
and enrolled on the MA in Creative Writing
at the University of East Anglia. After that,
while I was finishing my novel, I worked for
Barnardo’s for 18 months, then got a job
writing an online computer game, Perplex
City. Then I finished my novel and sold it to
Penguin (that was a good day!), while
continuing to work on computer games.
Now as well as writing novels and games I
also have a weekly column on gaming in
The Guardian, and am a consultant on
digital storytelling and gaming for lots of
different companies.
So I couldn’t have planned that. It’s not a
career path, it’s a career wander.
Did your time at Lincoln play any part in
inspiring you to become a writer, and, if so,
how?
Certainly it was while I was at Lincoln that
I wrote my first novel, when I was 19. It was
pretty dreadful, and a Lincoln friend of
mine had no hesitation in telling me so! It
took me years to show my work to anyone
again! I think I already knew I wanted to
write when I arrived at Lincoln, but it was
the kind of place where it was OK to say
something like “I think I might want to
write a novel one day” without people
thinking you were incredibly pretentious.
So it was good to have friends I could
confess that to, even though they didn’t
think much of my actual work! I
17/8/10
18:16
Page 43
Lincoln College Alumni: FAQs
If you are an alumnus/na with a question about College, please
contact the Development Office and we will do our best to help
you. You can reach us at:
The Development Office
Lincoln College
Turl Street
Oxford OX1 3DR
T : +44(0)1865 287421
E : [email protected]
W : www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk
Susan Harrison, Director of Development
T: +44(0)1865 279838; E: [email protected]
Hannah Thomas, Development Officer
T: +44 (0)1865 279793; E: [email protected]
Emily Newson, Alumni and Communications Officer
Susan Davison, Development Assistant
FAQs
Some questions that arise most often are:
How do I take my MA?
The MA can be taken 21 terms after matriculation – please contact
Sally Lacey, the Rector’s PA for further information on 01865
279804 or [email protected].
How do I request a transcript of my degree results?
For information on how to request a transcript of your degree
results please contact the College Office on 01865 279801. The
Development Office DOES NOT hold any academic records.
How do I arrange to look around the College on a visit to Oxford?
Members of the Development Office staff are happy to give tours
of College to alumni and their guests during their office hours
(Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) – advance notice is preferred. At
weekends the public areas of College are open to visitors from
11am-5pm.
I would like to come back and dine at High Table – when can I do
this?
Alumni are entitled to dine at High Table once per full term,
Sunday to Friday, provided they are no longer students of the
University. A three-course meal with coffee currently costs £18.20.
Please note that High Table rights are for alumni only, and do not
extend to guests or non-alumni spouses. Bookings should be made
via the Lodge on 01865 279800 before 10am on the day you wish
to dine, or, for Sunday dining, by 10am on the preceding Friday.
Can I get married at Lincoln?
As a Lincoln alumnus/na you may be able to get married in the
Lincoln Chapel, subject to availability and the granting of the
Special Licence by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Please contact the
Development Office or the Chaplain for more information.
Can I have access to the Library as an alumnus/na?
We are occasionally asked whether alumni may use the Library
while in Oxford. The Library functions primarily as an
undergraduate library, with graduates generally preferring to work
in their departments or elsewhere - even so space is at a premium.
It is not, therefore, practical to offer space or access to the
Library to our alumni, although members of the Development
Office staff are happy to take alumni in to see the Library on
tours of the College. If you have a specific research need or feel
your case deserves individual attention, please contact the
Development Office.
How do I update my contact details?
Return the form enclosed with this issue of Imprint to the
Development Office, or contact Susan Davison, the
Development Assistant, directly.
Can the Development Office give me the contact details of a
fellow alumnus/na?
Unfortunately we are unable to give out other people’s contact
details without their permission, due to the restrictions of the
Data Protection Act. Some alumni have indicated that they are
happy for their details to be shared, but if this is not the case
we are happy to forward a letter or email and to ask the
individual in question to respond to you.
I am interested in making a donation to Lincoln.
What should I do?
Return the donation form enclosed with the magazine, or visit
the Giving pages of the Alumni & Development section of the
website and download one. If you wish to discuss making a
donation, please contact Hannah Thomas, the Development
Officer. We are hugely grateful for all the support we receive
from alumni and friends of the College.
17/8/10
18:16
Page 44
LINCOLN COLLEGE ALUMNI EVENTS 2010-11
Please make a note of the following dates for the
academic year ahead. Invitations to events will be
sent out by the Development Office approximately
two months before the date. This schedule is
provisional and may be subject to change.
2011
Friday 18 March 1973-76 Gaudy
Saturday 19 March 1971 Year Dinner
Friday 25 March 1981 Year Dinner
Friday 15 April Crewe Society Dinner (Manchester)
Saturday 4 June Rector’s Council and Lincoln Society
Garden Party
We look forward to seeing you at our events
during 2010-11.
lincoln college contact information:
Turl Street, Oxford, OX1 3DR
01865 279800
[email protected]
DESIGNED AND PRODUCED BY BASELINE OXFORD . 01865-249169
2010
Friday 10 September 1960 Year Dinner
Tuesday 14 September Alumni Reception in Boston
Thursday 16 September Alumni Reception in Toronto
Friday 17 September 1970 Year Dinner
Friday 1 October 2002-04 Gaudy
Friday 8 October Reception for Alumni
in Switzerland (Berne)
Saturday 9 October Autumn Murray Day
Monday 1 November London Dining Club
Sunday 7 November Rotherham Circle Lunch
Thursday 25 November 1950 Year Luncheon
Thursday 9 December Lincoln @ Varsity Rugby
(Twickenham)

Lincoln College News - University of Oxford

Transcription

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