magazine - Somerville College - University of Oxford

12 18 27 28
Somerville
Why I don’t have
an Oxford degree
Principal’s speech
to first years
Ruth Meyler:
A second act
Delivering babies
in Barbados
2011
magazine
Somerville’s
crowning glory | 14
Where scholarship and
adventure meet | 24

2 | Somerville Magazine
Contents
Principal’s message 3
News in brief 4
Letters to the editor 6
Nat Alexander: Cooking up a dream 6
Eleanor Fuller: Politics and human
rights for Europe 7
Nicola Blackwood: New girl on the benches 7
Harry Escott: Finding the right note 8
Author profile: Rebecca Jenkins 8
Commemoration 9
Amelia Gould: Around the world by boat 10
Claudia Lennon: Why I don’t have
an Oxford degree 12
Somerville’s crowning glory 14
Somerville College archives project 16
Alice Prochaska: Once a Somervillian,
always a Somervillian 18
Lesley Brown 20
Jean Wilks 22
Caroline Alexander: Where scholarship
and adventure meet 24
Q&A with Paddy Crossley 26
Ruth Meyler: A second act 27
Student Report: Delivering babies in Barbados 28
Q&A with Siân Thomas Marshall 29
Donor story: Niels Kroner 30
Campaign update 32
Events in pictures 33
Alumni events 2011 36
Somerville College
Woodstock Road OX2 6HD
Telephone +44 (0)1865 270600
www.some.ox.ac.uk
Working on a
sustainable solution
The past year has been a difficult one for agriculture and
the global food system. Food prices and commodities
have experienced significant volatility due to political,
environmental and economic factors, placing agriculture
firmly on the global political agenda.
A recent report sponsored by Defra issues a warning about the
challenges facing the global food system including balancing
future demand and supply sustainably, ensuring stable food
prices, achieving global access to food, managing the
contribution of the food system to the mitigation of climate
change and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
These are challenges which must be addressed by
Government, the private sector and communities alike.
The Food Animal Initiative and Professor Marian Dawkins
of Somerville College are undertaking work which is at the
forefront of this area, working with private sector companies,
NGO’s, regulators and centres of scientific excellence to
develop practical solutions to drive progress on critical issues
such as animal welfare, land use and climate change.
They have been undertaking some ground breaking projects
including opportunities for micro hydro electricity production at
farm level, a project which could potentially have wide ranging
impacts for energy usage.
Businesses have an important role to play in helping to
address the pressures facing the global food system. Key
to a successful approach is seeing a low carbon future as
not just the right thing to do, but good business. Tesco have
committed to be a zero carbon business by 2050 and this
year we are opening our first international zero-carbon stores
in Thailand and the Czech Republic.
To ensure that our supply chain remains sustainable it is
crucial that we work with other businesses along the chain to
ensure that the products we sell are produced in a responsible
way. We are currently working with suppliers of our milk, baked
beans and wine to develop carbon reduction plans. These will
help to deliver lower carbon products on our shelves.
Ultimately however, we must manage and reduce our need
for the world’s resources. Despite the economic crisis many
of our customers expect us to reduce our emissions and to
help them to reduce theirs. We must help them to lead a
revolution in green consumption by addressing the barriers
they face. Carbon labelling is one way of helping consumers
to make low carbon choices and we are also making it
cheaper by cutting the price of low carbon products such
as energy efficient light bulbs and rewarding customers with
green Clubcard points for green behaviour. This year Tesco
are also sponsoring Climate Week, helping people to do their
bit to tackle climate change.
The coming year will no doubt bring new challenges for the
global food system. However through decisive government
action, the work of academic bodies, businesses and crucially,
consumers, we can move towards a more sustainable solution.
Front cover image: Somerville choir on tour.
Magazine committee: Julie Hage (Development Director),
Liz Cooke (Secretary to Somerville Association),
Elizabeth Robson (Development Assistant), Katie Thomas (Freelance Editor).
We would like to thank Tesco for their support of
Somerville Magazine since 2005.

Somerville Magazine | 3
Principal’s Message
ALICE PROCHASKA
Somerville is a glorious place to work. I arrived here in September
2010 and immediately became immersed in the life of a complex
and vibrant organisation. My predecessor Dame Fiona Caldicott,
writing in the last issue of this magazine, mentioned some
experiences that make a Principal’s life at Somerville especially
rewarding: the introduction of new Fellows, the work with alumni
and the contributions of the staff.
I would echo her tributes, and I can add one of my own:
Dame Fiona left a great legacy at Somerville. She had been
Principal for a longer tenure than most (fourteen years,
exceeded since World War II only by Dame Janet Vaughan)
and she has left her mark on the College in innumerable
good ways. Somerville had only recently become
coeducational when “Dame Fi” took over and there were still
many raw feelings, especially among recent alumni. Now it
has enjoyed nearly two decades of growth and increasing
self-confidence as a college for women and men.
My inheritance as Principal also includes a great fabric
of well maintained buildings and, above all, the new
development on the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter site which
will open in September 2011. This will provide high-quality
accommodation for sixty-eight students, the equivalent of
that number of bursaries each year because it will provide
accommodation at about half the price of what students have
had to pay until now for living out of College in their second
year. The new site adds to Somerville’s space for the first
time in decades, and establishes the College right on the
boundary of the most exciting development to be undertaken
by Oxford University, at least since the mid nineteenth
century. Not since Somerville was founded in 1879 has there
been an opportunity like this for the College to make its mark
on the life of Oxford. We have great plans to do just that.
This second decade of the twenty-first century is a time
of turmoil in British higher education, with deep cuts in
public funding, steep rises in tuition fees, and constraints
on international student visas. Every Oxford college has a
part to play. Somerville is particularly well placed to ensure
that the best possible students from the widest possible
range of backgrounds can come to study at Oxford. Our
founding principle of openness to students regardless of
social, ethnic or religious background helps us to attract
students whose one shared quality is simply their zest for
learning and their innate ability. Our international history
supports us in reaching out to include students from all
over the world: some 19% of undergraduates and 59%
of graduate students at Somerville come from outside the
United Kingdom. The first woman to qualify as a lawyer in
India was a Somervillian: Cornelia Sorabji, the subject of
a new biography that we celebrated at a special event in
December. Our first Prime Minister was Indira Gandhi who
matriculated to Somerville in 1937. The first Indian woman
to hold a statutory chair at Oxford is Somerville’s Professorial
Fellow of Linguistics and Phonology, Aditi Lahiri FBA. The
first, and so far only, British woman to win a Nobel Prize
in science, Dorothy Hodgkin OM, was an international
campaigner for peace, as was an earlier Somervillian, the
renowned writer and chronicler of World War I, Vera Brittain,
mother of the leading internationalist and politician Baroness
Shirley Williams. The College’s current students maintain
a lively tradition of public service overseas during and after
their time here; the Ghana Library Project, run by students
from their own funds, is just one example of Somerville
students’ global reach. For other examples of what
Somervillians do to make the world a better place, turn to
the pages of this magazine. And meanwhile closer to home,
in the year when a new feature film, The Iron Lady, will star
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher, who can forget that the
first, and so far only, woman to become Prime Minister of
the United Kingdom came to study at Somerville with the
help of a scholarship. Several Somervillian MPs follow in
her path, including one of the newest and youngest, Nicola
Blackwood, who appears in this issue.
As I settle into my new role as Principal of this extraordinary
College, I have been getting to know each of the Fellows and
each member of staff, and almost every one of our nearly
five hundred students. There is a limitless range of research,
sparked into new discoveries and insights by cross-disciplinary
conversations that the College environment fosters. The
tutors’ research lends depth and excitement to students’
learning. And our students’ hard work and questioning
curiosity in turn enrich the intellectual life of the College and
underscore the promise that higher education offers to the
world. When I was a student here myself (1965-68) I knew
that I was lucky to be at Somerville. Now that I have returned
as Principal, I feel a humbling sense of privilege and huge
responsibility. Above all, nobody in my position can fail to
sense the energy and fun of this place. It is something to
share and celebrate with all of you who can spare the time to
dip into the pages of the Somerville Magazine.

4 | Somerville Magazine
News&People...
Professor Alex Rogers with a giant deal fi sh Absolution Roz Morris at the Somerville Media Day, Nov 2010
Fellows News
Professor Alex Rogers
joined Somerville in October 2010 as Tutorial
Fellow in Conservation. Among his previous
projects, Rogers was the principal scientist on an
expedition in late 2009 to the South West Indian
Ocean Ridge. The aim of the expedition was to
uncover the mysteries of seamounts in the Indian
Ocean, and to help improve management of the
marine resources in the area.
One of the great successes of the project was the
discovery of a new species of squid identifi ed in
the samples by the scientifi c team in a workshop
in South Africa. Rogers said, “This squid is not a
small animal, it is several feet long, making it
more impressive that it hasn’t been seen before.”
During the cruise other large predators were
identifi ed preying on animals trapped above the
seamounts including a giant example of a rare
deal fi sh (pictured).
Professor Stephen Roberts
Fellow and Professor of Engineering Science,
will be helping undertake a £10.5 million
research project, aiming to develop new modes
of human-software interaction. The project brings
together three world-leading academic groups
from the Universities of Southampton, Oxford and
Nottingham, with industrial collaborators, to
collectively establish the scientific underpinnings
of a system that interweaves human and
computational endeavour.
Jane Hands
(Emeritus Fellow) who, as Bursar and then
Treasurer, has helped to shape Somerville’s
destiny for more than 40 years, has always had
a sporty streak in her – many will remember her
succession of Norfolk terriers and her stories of
wading about in salmon rivers.
Now in retirement she has moved on to even
bigger and better things: she is a share holder
of a racehorse, a 5 year old bay gelding called
Absolution. His trainer is Henrietta Knight, famous
for training triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner,
Best Mate. Before Absolution ran in March, Jane
Hands pledged to give her share of any winnings
to Somerville.
Alumni News
Professor Dame Kay Davies
(Partidge, 1969, Chemistry) appeared at number
29 in the Times Eureka 100 list − a list of the
most important contemporary fi gures in British
science. The list, compiled by The Times to
celebrate the fi rst anniversary of its science
magazine Eureka, features 11
Oxford fi gures from all areas of science.
Professor Laura Lepschy
(Momigliano, 1952, Modern Languages) has
been awarded the British Academy Serena
Medal for Italian Studies. The British Academy
stated: “Laura Lepschy has greatly increased our
knowledge of Italian culture from the Renaissance
to the present through her imaginative
explorations of topics in the theatre, narrative,
travel writing, art, varieties of language, and the
areas in which literature and language overlap.”
Roz Morris
(1966, History) received a World of Difference
100 Award. She received this international award
in recognition of her many years of voluntary
work for women’s organisations helping with the
economic empowerment of women.
“Women all over the world need all the help we
can give them in order to get a fair deal and
recognition for their work, and I am very proud
that I have been able to contribute in my own
small way to women’s advancement.”
Lucy Neville-Rolfe
(1970, PPE) was appointed a non-executive
director of the ITV board in September 2010.
Archie Norman, Chairman of ITV, said, “We set
out to create a lean, high calibre board, and Lucy
brings to ITV a unique combination of consumer
and governmental experience as well as sheer
intellectual calibre. We have searched extensively
for the right additional non-executive and I am
delighted Lucy is joining us.”
Professor Nandini Sundar
(1985, PPE) has been awarded the Infosys Prize
2010 for Social Anthropology. Professor Sundar’s
career has been characterized by an exceptional
ability to combine the study of the most important
problems in the sociology of India − including
those of caste, tribe, state and economy − with
more recent issues such as the study of violence,
subaltern identities and moral culpability.

Somerville Magazine | 5
Alex Bailey. Courtesy of Pathe Productions Ltd.
Nandini Sundar Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady Student callers from the 2010 Telethon
Student callers from the 2010 Telethon.
Somervillians
recognized by
Queen’s Honours
We are delighted to congratulate the following
Somervillians on appearing in the 2010 Queen’s
Birthday Honours List:
Patricia Baskerville
(Lawrence-Wilson, 1969, PPE) was awarded a
CBE for services to the Ministry of Justice.
Freda Chaloner
(White, 1968, Physics) was awarded a CBE for
her work as Director, Large Business Service, HM
Revenue and Customs.
Sian Lockwood
(Palmer, 1973, Physiology) was awarded an OBE
for services to social care.
Congratulations to Sheila Hill on appearing
in the 2011 New Years Honours List. Miss Hill
(1946, Mathematics) was awarded an MBE for
her services to women’s cricket. Sheila
umpired the fi rst women’s World Cup
Final, held in 1973.
Alumni in Film
and TV
Margaret Thatcher (Roberts, 1943,
Chemistry) has been in the media recently with
news that Meryl Streep is due to portray her in
a forthcoming biopic. Jim Broadbent has been
cast as Denis Thatcher. This is the second time
he has played the partner to a Somervillian as he
appeared as Iris Murdoch’s husband in the 2001
fi lm, Iris. We are keen to see how Somerville will
feature in this fi lm!
The literary work of Winnifred Holtby
(1917, History) has been adapted for television
for the second time by the BBC. Holtby
graduated at the same time as Somervillian Vera
Brittain and together they moved to London to
establish themselves as writers. Holtby died in
1935 and her most celebrated novel, South
Riding, was published the following year. Its
proceeds were bequeathed to Somerville and
Winifred Holtby is commemorated in College
by the Holtby Building and a Holtby Fund,
supporting tutorial fellowships. The three episode
adaptation was shown on BBC1 between 20
February and 6 March 2011.
Sisters Alison Steele (1977,
Mathematics) and Lis Steele (1983, PPE)
have both been recognised by recent awards.
Turning, produced by Alison, was nominated for a
2011 BAFTA for best short film. Waterloo Road,
with Lis as the Executive Producer, won Best Drama
at the 2011 National Television Awards.
Telethon News
2010 campaign raises £100,000
In September and October 12 current students
spent two weeks calling alumni to ask for
donations towards the Annual Fund. We are
delighted to announce that they raised £100,000
and would like to thank everyone who supported
this campaign by taking the time to speak with a
student and also by making a donation.
Having called from the University Offi ces
in 2009 we were pleased to base the 2010
campaign in College; calling took place in the
bar, evoking pleasant memories for some of
those called. During the course of the campaign
the callers managed to reach almost 600 of their
predecessors around the world, of whom 50%
decided to make a gift; a fantastic result and a
testament to the warmth Somervillians still feel
towards the College.
The Annual Fund provides essential income
for student support, teaching and the tutorial
system, and maintenance and development of
College buildings. In addition to raising much
needed funds, the telephone campaign provides
a fantastic opportunity for students to connect
with other Somervillians, update them on
College developments and gain insights into the
College’s past.
If you missed the call but would still like to
make a donation, please contact the development
offi ce on +44 (0) 1865 280626. You can also
give online via the Somerville website at:
www.somerville-college.org/donate. We have just
started planning the 2011 telephone campaign
and look forward to reconnecting with more
Somervillians later this year.
For the most recent College news please visit:
www.some.ox.ac.uk/news

6 | Somerville Magazine
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I was surprised to read Susan
Lourenco’s one-sided political
article in the otherwise pleasant and
informative edition of the Somerville
Magazine. October 2010 was the
tenth anniversary of the Second
Intifada in which Palestinian suicide
bombings in Israeli buses and city
centres were a daily occurrence.
Among the many effective measures
taken to prevent the carnage was
to set up checkpoints and barriers
whereas, previously, Palestinians
worked in Israel and Israelis visited
Palestinian cities, almost without
hindrance. Indeed, reality in this
region is highly complicated and not
just “Israeli aggressors, Palestinian
victims”, as Susan would have us
believe. To gain some perspective,
I invite you to visit www.kerenmalki.
org, the website of a foundation for
special-needs children, dedicated to
the memory of Malki Roth who was
murdered by a female Palestinian
bomber at a pizzeria in Jerusalem.
Professor Arlene Wilson-Gordon
(1968, Physical Sciences)
The magazine arrived today & I have
been looking through it this evening;
it is absolutely splendid. Please pass
my congratulations to everyone
involved in its production.
Paddy Crossley
(1956, Chemistry)
I wanted to say that I thought the
magazine looks fantastic −
someone has put a lot of effort into
design and layout − and I think it’s
a very classy makeover.
Sara Kalim (1990, Classics)
We always love to hear from you.
If you have something to say, please
contact us: Development Office,
Somerville College, Woodstock Rd,
Oxford, OX2 6HD. Email:
development.office@some.ox.ac.uk.
Phone: +44 (0) 1865 270632
A selection of responses will be
printed in the next edition of the
Somerville Magazine.
Cooking up a Dream
NATANIEL
ALEXANDER
(1995, Classics)
from whom I fi rst learned to cook. The
restaurant’s décor is British in style,
with custom made wallpaper and
soft wood tones. The food, under our
American head chef Marc Johnson,
is Modern European with charcuterie
made in-house and more British
elements on the way.
Fellow former residents of West may
remember large piles of unwashed
dishes which were left for too long in
communal kitchens (in hindsight an
apology is probably due) – this was a
clue to where my passions really lay.
Within one year of embarking on a
career in accounting at KPMG, I
realized that this was not the path
for me. However, it took a further
three years at KPMG, and another
four working for banks and insurance
companies helping them to comply
with post-Enron legislation, before I
had saved enough to think realistically
about opening a restaurant.
In 2007, I moved to Shanghai to join
my Chicago-born girlfriend Stephanie
(now my wife, whose father was born in
Shanghai) to open a restaurant.
After a year of learning Chinese and
fact-finding, I embarked on finding a
space in the former French Concession
of the city. After another two and a half
years we opened Fulton Place in late
July 2010, named after my mother,
Restaurant openings are difficult
anywhere in the world and ours was
no exception; construction notable for
huge delays and general ineptitude,
a run in with the fire department and
leaks all made it very clear I was now
operating in a very different world to
looking at internal controls in the City.
It’s been a long process to get the restaurant
open and I suspect that doing
it in China made it more challenging
than it would otherwise have been,
but it’s also immensely rewarding. The
hours are longer than I worked before
and I don’t get to eat meals at proper
times, but it’s a great feeling to be in
the packed dining room on a Saturday
night with everyone around enjoying
themselves.

Somerville Magazine | 7
Politics and Human Rights for Europe
ELEANOR FULLER
(Breedon, 1972,
Modern Languages)
Thirty five years in the Diplomatic
Service – give or take a few spent
raising three sons, the eldest of whom
is also a Somervillian (Ed Fuller, 2005,
Classics) – have taken me to Paris,
Tel Aviv, Vienna and Geneva –
giving me plenty of opportunity to use
the French and German I studied at
Somerville. Since 2007 I have been
UK ambassador at the Council of
Europe in Strasbourg.
The Council of Europe was set up in
1949 to establish and safeguard
principles designed to prevent Europe
from relapsing ever again into the
horrors of war. There were then ten
members. That number increased,
slowly at first, then very fast after the
fall of the Berlin Wall. There are 47 now
– all of Europe from Ireland to Russia,
from Iceland to Turkey, comprising the
most developed regional system of
human rights protection in the world.
The Council has devised a series of
human rights based conventions.
Members sign up to these then hold
each other to account for implementing
them. There are mechanisms to verify
compliance, such as the European
Committee on Prevention of Torture.
There is the European Court of Human
Rights, accessible to every citizen in
Europe. The Council continues to
develop new standards: conventions
and soft law to address new threats,
such as cybercrime or human
trafficking, or to strengthen human
rights protection, e.g. combating
discrimination on grounds of sexual
orientation or gender identity. Its
Parliamentary Assembly comprises
delegations from all national parliaments.
They regularly visit Strasbourg to
challenge and advise. Fellow
Somervillian Sam Gyimah MP (1995,
PPE) recently joined the UK team.
Multilateral diplomacy is not everyone’s
cup of tea. Reaching consensus
among 47 countries can involve hour
after hour in committee listening to
pompous speeches, interspersed with
bouts of furious activity in the search
for movement.
A few years ago previous duties took
me on a visit to the International
Commission on Missing Persons in
Tuzla, Bosnia. It is charged with
exhuming from mass graves the bodies
of the thousands of victims of the
Srebrenica massacre of 1995 and
through matching DNA, identifying them
and returning them to their families.
The overpowering smell of damp earth
and decay will stay with me forever.
Could the Council of Europe have
prevented Srebrenica if the countries
of the disintegrating Yugoslavia had
been members at the time? Doubtful.
It did not prevent the conflict in
Georgia in 2008 though both Russia
and Georgia are members and signed
up to its standards. But that is not a
reason to give up. It is the belief in
the work that makes this the most
satisfying job in my career so far.
New Girl on the Benches:
A day in the life of Oxford’s first woman MP
NICOLA
BLACKWOOD
(2005, Music)
I started working in Parliament after
the May 2010 election. I have found
my experience incredibly engaging and
rewarding. Each day is quite different
from the next, so I will attempt to describe
a recent Monday in late January.
The Sunday evening ends three days
in the constituency, which included
meeting with local business leaders,
visiting RM (an international
education IT company based in
Oxford), attending the opening of a
new police station, touring Oxford
University’s Physics Department and
running a surgery for constituents.
I would always like to spend more time
in the constituency but on Monday
morning during the parliamentary term
I’m required back in London to start the
legislative week. On arrival, I prepare for
the upcoming debates and finalise
arrangements for next weekend’s events
in the constituency. There is a tour of
the John Radcliffe Hospital planned
and a meeting to discuss the County
Council budget. I will also make phone
calls to constituents and local agencies
to discuss their concerns.
The afternoon includes a meeting at
the Home Office with the Minister for
Equalities, Lynne Featherstone. As the
chair of the Associate Parliamentary
Group for Women, Conflict and Security,
I attend. I’m lucky that my constituents
have a strong interest in helping the
vulnerable here and around the world,
not just because it’s the right thing to
do but also because they recognise the
role it plays in our international security.
Later I listen to the debate on the
Health and Social Care Bill and work in
my office responding to constituents’
correspondence. We have a particularly
high level of political awareness
among constituents in Oxford West
and Abingdon, and I receive hundreds
of challenging and detailed emails
and letters each week, ranging from
pointed policy questions to requests for
help dealing with government agencies.
I ensure I always devote at least part of
my day to answering letters.
Before the last vote of the evening
at about 11pm, I study the briefing
documents for my Home Affairs Select
Committee meeting the next morning.
I’ve invited a local constituent to speak,
a scientist at Rutherford Appleton Labs
and my ‘pair’ through the Royal Society
MP pairing scheme. I hope this will be
an important contribution to the ongoing
debate over student immigration
policy and its impact on local research.
There’s no such thing as a typical day
for an MP – events make sure of that
– but I can be sure of one thing: every
day will be challenging and engaging
in roughly equal parts, and I will never
get over my sense of privilege at being
a Member of Parliament.
We were pleased to have Nicola as the guest
speaker at the Winter Meeting on 26 February 2011.

8 | Somerville Magazine
Finding the Right Note
HARRY ESCOTT
(1996, Music)
The potential for music to act as an aid to
story telling is something that Harry Escott
(1996) began to focus his attention on during
his time at Somerville. Encounters with singer
songwriters, burgeoning fi lm makers and a
couple of story focused composition
commissions all conspired to determine the
path on which he now fi nds himself.
“After Somerville, it seemed a natural step to
look for work as a fi lm composer. My passion
for composing had grown out of those projects
for which I was required to draw upon and
communicate non-musical concepts and I
thought that the challenges and constraints
inherent within fi lm scoring would provide a
similar source of creative inspiration. I feel very
lucky to have been able to collaborate with
some truly exciting British fi lm makers and to
try and help communicate their stories.”
Harry has composed the scores for several
award-winning fi lms such as Hard Candy,
A Mighty Heart, Deep Water, The Road to
Guantanamo and Shifty, for which he received
a coveted BIFA nomination in 2008. Last year,
he scored the feature documentary The Arbor,
which has been recognised with a number of
prestigious awards and nominations.
Currently, Harry is collaborating with the Faber
& Faber poet Lavinia Greenlaw to create a new
sound installation produced by Artangel called
Audio Obscura. It will open in Manchester
Piccadilly station as part of the International
Festival in July and will move on to King’s
Cross station, London, later this year.
Author
Profile:
Rebecca Jenkins
Rebecca Jenkins spent several years working alongside her father, the
Rt. Revd. David Jenkins (Bishop of Durham 1984-94) during the 1980s.
Her ringside view of Thatcherism at its height developed Rebecca’s interest in
the media and in personal accounts of historical events. These two interests,
along with her study of the history of Anglo-American relations, contributed
to her book, The First London Olympics: 1908. She says her passion for people
and writing really began at Somerville though.
REBECCA JENKINS
(1981, History)
‘One of my most vivid memories is
of sitting in the Bodleian library as
a fi rst year -– I am unclear on the
detail, but I think I was attempting
to write an essay on the French
Revolution. What I do remember is
the thrill of realising that the book I
was holding in my hands came off
the printing press when Napoleon
was alive and ruling
France. The notion
that I was holding a
material connection
with that past gave
me a sense of
pleasure and
excitement I have
never lost.’
Rebecca is proud to have been
taught history by Barbara Harvey.
‘Although I am afraid I have never
lived up to Barbara’s standards of
disciplined precision, she taught
me the joy of building up a picture
piece by piece and how, through the
research of details, you can open a
connection with past human lives.’
Alongside writing her third novel in
the Jarrett historical mystery series
set in the North East in the 1800s,
this year Jenkins will be updating her
book on the fi rst London Olympics in
time for its republication in 2012.
‘I came to the subject by accident –
I am not a sports lover, by nature,’
she laughs, ‘but it is a fascinating
story. It is about so much more than
just sport – the accounts, the pictures,
the memorabilia take you back
into the heart of that Edwardian
summer. The stadium was built as
part of the great White City constructed
to house the 1908 Franco-British
Exhibition. The British Olympic
organisers thought they would show
the world how to play sport – instead
the US sent over a team dominated
by Irish Americans from New York
whose success changed the face of
international sport and the Olympics
forever.’
Rebecca will be giving a talk,
illustrated by images from her
collection, at the lunch planned for
North East Somervillians, in Durham
on 10 September 2011.
Find out about her work at
www.frjarrettmysteries.com

Somerville Magazine | 9
Commemorating
Somervillians who have died (as
of 10 March 2011)
This year Somerville’s
Commemoration Service will be
held in the College chapel on
Saturday 11 June at 2.30pm.
This is an important event in
the College calendar, which
underlines the enduring
relationship between Somerville
and its former students.
The service opens with the
traditional words of the College
Bidding Prayer, in which we
commemorate the College’s
founders, governors and major
benefactors; it ends with the
solemn reading of the names
of members of the College and
its staff who have died in the
last year.
Close family and Somervillian
friends of those who have died
are especially invited to the
Service, but all Somervillians are
welcome to attend.
If you know of any Somervillians
who have died recently but
who are not listed above,
please contact
Liz Cooke at Somerville College,
Woodstock Road,
Oxford OX2 6HD
email elizabeth.cooke@
some.ox.ac.uk or telephone
+44 (0) 1865 270632.
Carys Margaret Bannister (1963) on 20 August 2010 Aged 75
Rona Geneva Barr née Gundry (1947) on 24 July 2010 Aged 81
Mary Nerissa Beringer née Davies (1950) on 26 August 2010 Aged 79
Jean Elfride Bickersteth (1947) on 21 January 2011 Aged 86
Grace Margaret Capstick née Price (1938) on 20 December 2010 Aged 91
Olive Lawrencina Champion née Holt (1940) on 24 October 2010 Aged 88
Christine Margaret Chapman (1971) on 25 July 2010 Aged 63
Margot Janet Laurie Child née Bond (1934) on 7 February 2011 Aged 95
Eileen Chris Crofton née Mercer (1938) on 8 October 2010 Aged 91
Jacqueline de Romilly (Hon. Fellow, 1980) on 18 December 2010 Aged 97
Marion Rose Fagan née Wilbraham (1931) on 20 June 2010 Aged 97
Elisabeth Fender née Davies (1961) on 7 August 2010 Aged 70
Philippa Ruth Foot
née Bosanquet (matric, 1939; Fellow,1950;
Senior Research Fellow, 1969) on 3 October 2010 Aged 90
Lucy Jane Harbron née Wilks (1979) on 31 May 2010 Aged 49
Sally Hunt (1962) on 13 September 2010 Aged 67
Susan Margaret King (1970) in July 2009 Aged 55
Margaret Davidson Mackie (1937) in December 2009 Aged 95
Eleanor Janet Macnair (1940) on 7 November 2010 Aged 89
Maureen Elizabeth Mahon (1961) on 2 February 2011 Aged 80
Priscilla Miller née Cairns (1951) in June 2010 Aged 76
Vivien Mary Noakes (matric. 1990; Lecturer 1996) on 17 February 2011 Aged 74
Philippa Mary O’Neill (1981) on 18 August 2010 Aged 48
Marion Wendy Patterson 1950) on 20 November 2010 Aged 86
Corinna May Peterson née Leitch (1930) on 1 January 2010 Aged 98
Allot Simone Reagor (1963) on 3 August 2010 Aged 71
Joyce Eva Skinner (1938) on 31 October 2010 Aged 90
Myma Kay Thornhill née Heathcote (1936) in 2010 Aged 93
Edna Ullmann-Margalith (1968) in 2010 in October 2010 Aged 64
Janet Turner née Dawson (1958) on 4 January 2010 Aged 69
Ann Francesca Upton née Ricketts (1955) on 20 November 2010 Aged 74
Asha Premila Waglé (1962) on 20 February 2011 Aged 66
Edyth Reynal Watt née Hitchens (1953) on 10 January 2011 Aged 76
Sheila Joy Zinkin (1946) in June 2010 Aged 82

10 | Somerville Magazine
AMELIA GOULD
(Resheph, 1996,
Engineering Science)
Around the
They say there is nothing as good as messing around in
boats but as the Isle of Wight faded into the horizon we
wondered if we were doing the right thing.
James and I started
to dream of buying
a yacht and sailing
around the world.
We would sit for
hours in a coffee
shop on Little
Clarendon Street
poring over
boating magazines.
All the people I knew at Somerville had an
ambition in life; some wanted to succeed in
business, others wanted to make a
breakthrough in science. I wanted to see the world.
While I was at Oxford my boyfriend (now husband)
James and I started to dream of buying a yacht and
sailing around the world. We would sit for hours in
a coffee shop on Little Clarendon Street poring over
boating magazines. After I graduated, I joined the Royal
Navy and despite leading a busy and fulfi lling working
life the dream lived on.
On a freezing February morning in 2007, we closed the
door on our house for the last time, and moved onboard
our little catamaran, Rahula. As the Isle of Wight faded
into the horizon we wondered if we were doing the right
thing – giving up a comfortable life, a home and secure
jobs for the unknown of the sea.
We ended up being stuck in Falmouth for two weeks as
gale force winds lashed the English Channel. Eventually,
the sea fl attened and we were properly on our way,
heading for foreign lands. We took our time sailing
down the coast of Spain and Portugal, enjoying the food
and culture. When we reached the bottom of Spain we
fi nally turned west. At this stage our family and friends
began to wonder if we were on some sort of extended
booze cruise, having sampled Port in Porto, Sherry in
Puerto Sherry and now Madeira in its namesake island.
From Madeira we headed south to the Canary Islands,
where we took in the last European culture we would
see in a while. We stocked up the boat and continued
south, stopping in The Gambia. We spent three
weeks cruising up the Gambia River, sailing 200 miles
inland. On most nights we anchored near a village
and rowed ashore. By day we explored the creeks,
spotting monkeys, crocodiles, hippos and a vast array of
colourful birds.
We reluctantly left The Gambia and fi nally set off to
cross our fi rst ocean, the Atlantic. We had an uneventful
crossing and after two weeks, we could smell the sweet
scent of land, and Barbados soon came into view.
For the next few months we pushed on west through
the Caribbean, conscious of keeping in sync with the
seasons. We arrived in Panama in time for the fi lming of
the James Bond fi lm Quantum of Solace, where Rahula
became a Bond girl, forming part of the back drop to
the boat chase scene.

Somerville Magazine | 11
World by Boat
Going through the Panama Canal was one of the
highlights of the trip. The sheer scale of the locks and
the effort and lives it took to build such a great feat of
engineering is not obvious until you are there. It was also
an emotional moment when the fi nal lock gates opened,
and Rahula entered the waters of the Pacifi c for the fi rst
time. We had fi nally made it to the part of the world we
wanted to explore the most, and were about to embark
on crossing the largest ocean in the world.
The longest sea passage of our trip equated to covering
about one third of the Pacifi c, longer than our passage
across the Atlantic. For 27 days we battled through the
Doldrums, storms and rollicking trade wind days, only
seeing one other ship and maintaining contact with the
world by listening to long-range radio broadcasts. It was
strange to be so removed from life on earth – no planes
in the sky, very few fi sh in the sea, just us, heading west.
It was a relief to arrive safely in French Polynesia,
and we recuperated from the long crossing by slowly
exploring the vast array of coral atolls that make up this
remote group. The marine life was superb, and every
day we snorkelled and fi shed, expanding our knowledge
and appetite. From French Polynesia we sailed to the
tiny island of Nuie, then to Tonga, arriving in time for
the new king’s coronation. A short hop took us to Fiji,
where their old fashioned colonial ways made us start to
miss home. New Caledonia was our last Pacifi c island
before we reached our fi nal continent, Australia. Sailing
down the Gold Coast to Sydney was an ordeal, as we
had some of the worst weather of the whole trip, and
poor Rahula was thrown around in mountainous waves
pushed up by strong winds.
We sailed into Sydney Harbour in November 2008, with
the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House framing
the fi nal anchorage of our trip. After nearly two years
away it was time to return home. We had realised our
dream and had a wonderful time, and have already
started planning the next adventure, this time with a
little crew member in tow!
Amelia and James have published a blog about their
adventures at: www.rahula.info.
It was strange to
be so removed
from life on earth
– no planes in the
sky, very few fish
in the sea, just us,
heading west.

12 | Somerville Magazine
Why I don’t have
an Oxford Degree
“I got to know Claudia Lennon (née Furneaux, 1938, Modern
Languages) in 2009, when I helped to organise an East Anglian Meeting
for Old Somervillians. I discovered that she lived only a few miles away
from me and, more importantly, that we got on like a house on fire!
What follows is the story of her life. It is a remarkable one.”
JILL HAMBLIN
(Barnes, 1964,
Modern History)
When I look back on my life, some of it does
seem quite unreal to me. I have been
thinking a lot about Somerville lately.
Our activities were very politicised. I remember a
demonstration; we were walking down the High Street
in support of the Spanish government in the Civil War.
It was a big deal when I was at Oxford. The Spanish
Civil War was to me what the Vietnam War was to my
children, something we all got excited about, marching,
demonstrating and having sit-ins.
I was finishing my second year reading Modem Languages
when news came of the fall of France. It may be difficult
now to realise what an absolutely devastating blow this
was, not only for the conduct of the war, but also for
ordinary people like me who had to face the fact that
France would now be occupied and completely cut off
until the war ended. At about the same time, I heard that
the Admiralty was appealing for German speakers to work
in Naval Intelligence. Many of the male students were
leaving to join up and I decided to abandon my studies
and join the Women’s Royal Naval Service, known as the
Wrens. I applied in London and was tested, investigated at
length, and finally kitted out in a rather drab uniform and
signed up as a Petty Officer (Special Duties).
When I told my tutor, Enid Starkie, she said “You could
have got a First!” but of course we will never know.
After signing the Official Secrets Act, I was employed
monitoring German radio traffic, especially ship to shore
communications. My first posting was to Dovercourt. We
worked watches of several hours and were usually assisted
by a civilian radio operator, a man, who would take down
the Morse code. There we would sit, twiddling the dials,
and listening.
At this time there was a contingent of Free French sailors
based at Harwich. On 14 July, their national holiday, our
Claudia (left), with one of her sisters (right)

Somerville Magazine | 13
Claudia, second from right
A
Admiral commanding the base was due to address them
– in French of course. It somehow became known that I
had read languages at Oxford and I was asked to write a
speech for him! I wish I had kept a copy of that speech,
or could remember something about it, but alas, I can’t. I
suppose it was a string of the usual clichés. That evening
the Free French gave a party to which we Wrens were
invited. As I was dancing with a sailor, I asked him if he
had heard the Admiral’s speech. Yes he had…and what
did he think of it? He assured me that he had had tears in
his eyes as he listened!
In 1942 I was sent to Dover, to work in the tunnels
beneath the castle. It was within range of the big German
guns and the radio traffic was far more interesting. For
example, I remember hearing an E-Boat commander
excitedly reporting that he had set an MTB on fire.
We had to translate signals quickly and take them round
to the Ops. Room.
After Dover I was sent to Portsmouth for a short while,
where on one occasion I had to ride on the back of a
motorcycle ridden by our radio operator in the middle of an
air-raid and at night. My last posting as a ‘Special Duties’
Petty Officer was to Portland Bill where we worked in a van
parked at the end of the Bill looking out to sea. One fine
day I was off duty and sunning myself on the cliff when
an ominous humming noise came from a fleet of German
bombers approaching the coast, I suppose on their way
to bomb a city further north. Soon a dog fight was taking
place over my head. It didn’t last long, but I remember
seeing a large sheet of metal (part of a wing?) glinting in
the sun as it fell some distance away at the foot of the cliff.
After serving in Portsmouth and Portland Bill, I was sent on
an Officers’ Training Course at RNC Greenwich, then to the
Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre, where I
spent the rest of the war.
CSDIC had taken over Lord Chesham’s estate in
Buckinghamshire for the interrogation of high ranking
German prisoners of all three services. There was a huge
house and estate, with annexes built for the Wrens, WAFS
and for the prisoners too. Everyone who worked there lived
on site. It was a massive operation, staffed by British and
Americans. I met my husband, Harry, there; he was
Claudia and Jill in College for the 2010 Supporters Lunch
an interrogator for the American Army. We women did
not interrogate but we wrote up the information obtained.
The prisoners’ cells were bugged; all their conversations
were transcribed and we picked out anything that was
interesting, scandalous or bad news.
It was a completely different life from what I had led before
and included an unusual experience when I was taken on
a pub crawl in London (organised by the Navy!) with two
German U-Boat offi cers who were being rewarded for good
behaviour.
After the war, my husband worked in North Africa,
dispensing food aid, and this was a wonderful time for us.
Just before returning to the US, I gained a certificate from
the Sorbonne saying that I was qualified to teach French
as a foreign language ‘avec mention très honourable’. I
then taught for several years in Washington, at a Catholic
girls’ school. I started out in the lower school, just teaching
oral French; then I was moved to the middle school and
fi nally up to the high school. I enjoyed teaching in the
high school; these were little Catholic girls who hadn’t
read anything except pious Catholic authors and we read
Simone de Beauvoir together and that sort of thing.
Later Harry’s job moved us to New York. Harry had known
Victor Rothschild during the war and, in the early 1970s,
Emma Rothschild and Mary Kaldor were amongst the
guests who came to lunch one Easter. We all sat around
with bowls of couscous on our laps. I had no idea that they
both were at Somerville!
In 1976, my widowed mother died and I inherited the farm
at Fingringhoe. Our family house, Fingringhoe Hall, burnt
down that year too. It was a disaster. In the end I sold the
ruin on its plot and, contrary to all the advice I was given,
kept the land. I am now a farmer.
Somerville has shaped so much of my life. Everything I did
in the war was as a result of going to Somerville, but it was
not until 2010 that I saw the College again, after 70 years!
Jill and I had the great pleasure of attending both the
Supporters Lunch and the Garden Party in 2010, where I
chatted to three of my contemporaries. It’s wonderful to
be back in touch!
Many of the male
students were
leaving to join
up and I decided
to abandon my
studies and join
the Women’s
Royal Naval
Service, known as
the Wrens.

14 | Somerville Magazine
Somerville’s
CLARE PHIPPS
(3rd Year Human
Scientist)
Crowning Glory
Clare Phipps speaks to David Crown, Director of Chapel Music,
about the extraordinary success of Somerville Choir
Clare Phipps speaks to David Crown, Director of Chapel
Music, about the extraordinary success of Somerville Choir.
In the three years that have passed since David
Crown came to Somerville as Director of Chapel
Music, Somerville Chapel Choir has been
transformed. It started as a choir in which the only tenor
was a woman and has become one of Oxford’s most
prominent mixed chapel choirs and been featured in
newspapers across Europe.
I asked David how the choir of 2010 compares to that of
2007 and his response was clear: “It is unrecognisable.”
A professional singer and conductor, David’s only
experience with an Oxbridge college choir, was gained
during his own time as a choral scholar at King’s
College, Cambridge. “When I arrived, I pretty much
expected conducting Somerville’s Chapel Choir to
be like that at King’s. Actually the music scene at
Somerville is much more positive.”
Indeed, one of the things that David says is special
about music at Somerville is that the atmosphere is
more one of fun than of competition. It is a place where
friendships are formed across the year groups.
The choir are now often invited to sing at important
events for Somervillians such as the celebration
of Iris Murdoch’s life in her home town of Steeple
Aston and the memorial service of former Somerville
Principal Dame Daphne Park. At Christmas, the choir
were selected to sing at the switching on of Oxford’s
Christmas Lights – the only choir to have been asked. In
the course of the last three years, the choir have sung in
churches and cathedrals across England and performed
in critically acclaimed tours in both Italy and Germany.
As David himself notes, “I was amazed at the quality of
singing in Italy. The last concert there was the best the
choir has ever done. Some of the notes were so well
tuned I just didn’t want to let go of them! The recordings
sounded so good – I have to keep comparing them with
other choirs just to check what I’m hearing!”
David is a strong believer in allowing the choir to sing
in a variety of locations, and not just for the bonding
experience that going on tour provides. As he puts
it, Chapel Choirs can become “addicted to their own
acoustics.” The fi rst performance outside the chapel
was in St Mark’s Church, Swindon. “I was really pleased
with the choir’s fi rst concert. It showed me a glimpse of
all the good things that we could take forward.”
At the end of the choir’s fi rst year, David took the step
of pruning down its numbers, transforming it into an
auditioning body. Rather than testing for previous choral
experience, however, David’s primary concern has
always been quality of voice – “as long as you are willing
to put in the time to learn music, an ability to sight-read
is less important.” As a current choral award holder, and
someone who had never had a singing lesson before,
this was something for which I was particularly grateful!
David’s vocal coaching technique – one that has
improved my own singing no end – focuses largely on the
way in which sound is produced. David tells me that the
key to a successful choir is that everyone is producing
their voice in the same way, and that each individual is
committing to each note, “it is only then that we start
to hear the full range of colours that are found in the
performances of the most successful choirs.”
Of course, as a choir we have all become fond of the
other “Crownisms” with which David conducts – it is not
unusual to see our Director conducting with his knees
bent near to the fl oor if he doesn’t think enough of the
choir are watching!
The choir has a positive impact on music in the College
as a whole. They regularly sing at Formal Hall dinners
– much to the approval of students who attend. David
tells me that the success of the choir now means that
“people are contacting me about applying to the College
because they have heard about how good the choir is.”
Somerville now gives eight choral awards and
scholarships a year, a fact David thinks is crucial to
success: “All colleges that have good choirs award
choral scholarships – in colleges such as Queen’s
(Oxford) and Trinity (Cambridge) the majority of the
choir is composed of choral scholars.”
As we sit drinking tea on a bench in Somerville quad,
with cranes from the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter
hanging over our heads, David is also keen to point out
that when work is completed and the Music Faculty

Somerville Magazine | 15
moves next door, “Somerville will be at the heart of
music at Oxford.” David also speaks highly of the new
music tutor Martin Suckling who arrived at Somerville in
2008, “it is a real benefi t to the College to have such a
talented and practical musician as a tutor.”
When David last commented in the Somerville
Magazine, he said that “within fi ve years the choir has
the potential to be outstanding.” When I ask him about
this goal, he says that we are well ahead of schedule.
“At points the choir is now excellent. That is why I have
decided to dedicate Summer 2011 to a British tour
and the recording of our fi rst professional CD, featuring
the Choir singing Durufl e’s Requiem and a previously
unrecorded Mass by composer Robin Milford, with
professional soloists Christine Rice and Mark Stone from
Covent Garden.”
“Despite the College doing as much as they can,
funding is, however, constantly an issue, with choir
members having to cover the majority of expenses. At
the moment we are looking for sponsorship for our CD,
and for our British tour.”
As we fi nish our tea and David gets ready to rush off
to interview a potential organ scholar, I ask what he
wants to improve about the choir. “It would be great if
we could learn repertoire more quickly, but one of the
main ways the choir could improve is singing on a more
regular basis – something that our additional services
and concerts both in and out of Somerville this year
hope to address.”

16 | Somerville Magazine
Somerville College
Since 2009, Anne Manuel and her team have been scanning
and cataloguing the vast collection of photographs kept in the
College archives. They have made some interesting discoveries
and connections.
DR ANNE MANUEL
Fellow and College
Librarian and
Archivist.
I
n addition to the offi cial records of the College, the
Somerville College archives contain a number
of objects and artefacts relating to the history of
the College, its Fellows and students. There is Mary
Somerville’s wedding ring, for example, and one
of Dorothy Hodgkin’s gowns. But by far the largest
collection of non-documentary items is the photographic
collection containing more than 2,000 pictures of
groups, individuals, buildings and events at the College
over the last 130 years.
Before Librarian and Archivist, Pauline Adams, retired
in 2009, she recognised that advances in technology
would allow the College to preserve these photos and
make them available to the public by digitising them.
At the same time this would enable information about
the pictures to be added for the benefi t of future
generations of researchers. She therefore suggested that
the fund set up to mark her retirement might be used to
get this project going.
Over the last eighteen months hundreds of photos
have been scanned and Pauline has been instrumental
in helping Jane Robinson (1978, English) compile a
searchable catalogue of information about each photo.
The next phase of the project is to make some of these
photos available on the internet and in 2010 we started
an Archives Blog blogs.some.ox.ac.uk/archive where
stories and photos from the archives are posted. The
blog allows anyone to comment on the photos and we’ve
already had quite a few comments posted, often giving
information about them that we didn’t know!
We are always looking to add to our collection of
Somerville photos so if you have any of Somerville
events, buildings or people from your time at Somerville
that you would like to donate, please get in touch with
me at: anne.manuel@some.ox.ac.uk
Extract from the archives blog...
During the First World War Somerville was requisitioned
for use as a hospital by the War Office in 1915. Somerville
was thought particularly suitable for convalescent officers
and was dedicated for this purpose in 1916. Somerville
students were rehoused in an empty wing of Oriel College
but many volunteered to help at the hospital in their
spare time. Some famous patients of the Somerville
Section of 3rd Southern General Hospital were Siegfried
Sassoon and Robert Graves. These photos show some
of the adjustments that were made to the College to
accommodate its new function.
A ground fl oor room in West (now Park) used as a ward

Somerville Magazine | 17
Archives Project
Green Hall turned into a lounge
The main quad with some extra temporary accommodation!
The Library Loggia provided some fresh air for convalescing offi cers

18 | Somerville Magazine
Once a Somervillian,
On 6 October 2010 the Principal gave
her first speech to the new intake of
undergraduates. This is what they heard.
Oxford’s tradition of offering a place
of learning and education to
scholars from all backgrounds and
all countries goes back to the earliest days
before even the colleges existed, around the
beginning of the thirteenth century. Somerville’s
tradition of making an Oxford education
available to women, who had not previously had
access to it, goes back 130 years. We quickly
became known as the most challenging of the
women’s colleges, with the highest academic
standards. We now continue our traditions with
our openness to men and women, students
from all backgrounds, and many different
nationalities, and our tradition of public service
and helping others. This is a tolerant and
friendly place and, at Somerville, people expect
to help each other out. You will make friendships
here that stand you in good stead throughout
your lives, in good times and difficult times, and
I hope you will turn to each other for support,
and also to the College itself, because we are
always here, ready and willing to help any
student who is in difficulties. Never worry about
asking, don’t hesitate, if you are in need.
Within that environment, Somerville College
can claim some extraordinary people in its
lineage. So just a few words about our traditions.
Among the famous ones is Mary Somerville,
whose portrait you can see at the end of the
Hall, for whom the College is named. She
was renowned in the nineteenth century as
a great mathematician and astronomer, and
scientific writer. She was accomplished in other
ways too. She was also the devoted mother
of five children, and no slouch as a painter of
landscapes, as you will see when you come
to visit me in my office. Then there were the
Somerville novelists, of whom the earliest and
best known was Dorothy Sayers, but we also
boast Iris Murdoch, Winifred Holtby, for whom
one of the College buildings is named, A S Byatt,
and many others. Among the great scientists
who have graced Somerville was Dame Janet
Vaughan, who was Principal while I was here.
A great doctor and nutritionist, she was an
amazing woman who presided over the College
for more than 20 years.
Dr Alice Prochaska and her husband, Frank

Somerville Magazine | 19
Always a Somervillian
Still more renowned was the first, and so far
only, British woman to win a Nobel Prize in
science, Dorothy Hodgkin, for whom another
building is named.
Another former Principal, Daphne Park,
whose portrait is here on my right, died earlier
this year, sadly before I could get to know her.
She was an absolutely extraordinary example
of the Somerville spirit of enterprise. A spy,
she rose very high in the security services,
always pretending to be other than she was,
and served in places like Vietnam and Russia,
and in the Congo, where she once fought off
a band of guerrillas by leaping out of her Land
Rover, raising the bonnet and pretending
to need help with repairing the car. The
guerrillas put down their arms and rushed
to the assistance of this tubby, middle aged
lady, and she survived to tell the tale. She
is commemorated in many ways, including
again in a building in this College.
We have been fortunate in having many
successful politicians amongst our alumni.
Indira Gandhi was our fi rst Prime Minister,
and Margaret Thatcher was our second.
Shirley Williams the great stateswoman is still
going strong in the House of Lords, and we
also have a recent batch of MPs.
There are currently 5 Somervillian Members of
Parliament, one of whom, the Ghanaian Sam
Gyimah, came to visit me not very long ago,
and I asked him why he supported Somerville
so warmly. (He is on our Development Board).
He told me that he came here with no means,
and he was about to drop out because of
financial need, but the College came to his
rescue and helped him out. He became a very
successful entrepreneur, and now at the age of
33 he is Member of Parliament for Surrey East.
Some of you may have noticed that the
College fl ag is fl ying at half mast today. It
honours a great Philosophy Tutor Philippa
Foot, whom the Guardian quoted in
yesterday’s obituary for her view that the
word “virtuous” meant well rounded and
human. She condemned as moral faults “the
kind of timidity, conventionality and wilful
self-abnegation that may spoil no one’s life
but one’s own” and she advocated “hope
and a readiness to accept good things.”
Philippa Foot lived her life according to those
principles. Among other things, she became
a founding member, Trustee and tireless
volunteer for OXFAM. I should say that like
Mary Somerville she also enjoyed
great longevity, dying actually on her
90th birthday, which was a landmark she
had particularly wished to achieve. So in
remembering Professor Foot we honour many
of the qualities that characterise Somerville:
academic excellence, adventurousness, a
commitment to public service, and it would
seem, long life.
You have come to this College to work and
study, today and in the future, not just in a
place of great traditions, but with an amazing
group of tutors and professors, the people
who work here now. I hope all of them will
turn out to be as long lived as Mary Somerville
and Philippa Foot. In the meantime, your
tutors − the people you will get to know
on a fi rst name basis, who will help you to
realise your own highest aspirations − are
extraordinary. They are sitting among you, but
I am not going to spare their blushes.
Depending on your chosen subject, you
may work with someone who expects
to create a vaccine that will eradicate
malaria, or a professor whose work on food
security is changing the science of global
cultivation, a prize winning endocrinologist
or a neuroscientist working on cures for
Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease.
You may fi nd yourselves embarking on
expeditions to study some of these subjects
in far fl ung places, and I notice that my
dinner companions’ ears pricked up when
I mentioned travel grants. You may have
tutorials with a professor of English who has
published among much else, on the ways
in which poets through the centuries write
from a sense of place, and why that tells us
important things about the creative impulse.
Or with scholars working on the ethics of
politics and law, and on international law and
human rights. You may work with a historian
who runs a project to re-imagine democracy
in Britain and America, or a Latin scholar who
recently delivered a sermon in Latin in the
University Church.
If you are a musician, you will be taught
by a young composer who has had work
commissioned by the London Symphony
Orchestra. Musician or not, you may decide to
sing in the fl ourishing Somerville choir, which
is about to make its fi rst CD. Mathematicians,
physicists, medics, biologists and chemists
will be taught by leaders in their fi elds, who
work in turn with cutting edge scientists and
leading philosophers in this College as well as
the wider University of Oxford. If your bent
is for medieval studies you will discover that
Somerville has a group of medievalist scholars
who recently worked across the disciplines of
language, history and philosophy to produce
an innovative publication on the European
medieval culture of performance.
From all of these remarkable tutors and the
many I have not had time to mention, you
will learn some of the great excitement of
research and discovery that goes on at a great
university. Try asking your tutors about the
research they are doing: but just don’t tempt
them too far from the job of teaching you the
fundamentals of your subject, teaching you
how to work and study, and helping you to
make exciting discoveries of your own.
Oxford is a place of great beauty. It is a
place of world class distinction. We should
be proud of our consistent place among the
top ten universities in the world, offering an
education that I believe really is second to
none. To come to Oxford and study here with
the tutorial system that this College believes in
and fosters, is a rare and special privilege.
It is a privilege to live up to. With all the
exciting opportunities for social life, the new
friendships, the wonderful extra curricular
possibilities from sports to acting to politics,
from music to community involvement, we
must never forget that all of us, Fellows, and
students at all levels, are here to work hard
and to do justice to ourselves and to the
position we fi nd ourselves in. Somerville, this
most nurturing of colleges, is one where we
expect you to enjoy your student years to the
utmost.
Somerville also expects to see you work hard
and take your studies seriously. I have the
highest expectations of you, my fi rst year of
fi rst year students. You may or you may not
number among you Somerville’s next Nobel
prize winner, although I think one or two of the
Fellows may beat you to that. I may or may
not be addressing a high proportion of the UK
government cabinet of 2030, or the Bill Gates
entrepreneur of your generation, or a future
Booker prize winner. But I hope and expect
that every one of you will do justice to your
own potential while you are here at Oxford,
and that Somerville will help you to reach your
dreams, and then aspire yet further. We will
have done our job well if you take from here
an ability in small ways and great ways to
make the world a better place. So enjoy every
moment of it.

20 | Somerville Magazine
Professor
Lesley Brown
DR MIRIAM GRIFFIN
is an Emeritus Fellow
at Somerville College
where she was the
Tutorial Fellow in
Ancient History from
1967 to her retirement
in 2002.
I can remember
my fellow
examiners in
Greats, at our
final meeting,
remarking on
the fact that the
philosophy marks
of a number of
candidates were
far better than
their marks in the
rest of the papers.
When someone
explained that
these candidates
were taught by
Lesley Brown,
the mystery was
solved.
1963 matriculation photograph
Lesley Brown matriculated to Somerville in 1963 and became a Fellow
of the College in 1970. She is due to retire in September 2011 and will be
greatly missed by her colleagues and students.
It might seem odd for one of her former tutors to be
writing about Lesley: usually all the voices heard, on
the occasion of retirement, are those of former pupils
and younger colleagues. But it was Lesley who in many
ways taught me. I had come to Oxford from New York to
read a second BA, and then it was as a graduate student
at St. Anne’s that I found myself doing the Roman history
teaching for Somerville at a time when Lesley was in
her final term. A revision tutorial with her was my first
introduction to Somerville undergraduates. In the nicest
possible way, she pointed out that the exact phrasing of a
passage that I was using to make some point was actually
against that view, and I remember thinking that if all the
Somerville classicists were like that, I was going to learn
more than I taught. As the spokesman for the finalists in
‘Greats’, she also made the organizing of the teaching and
of the schools dinner (an innovation) easy for me. Lesley
had been at Somerville for four years, and already she
had to perfection all the qualities that I was to learn were
hallmarks of that place. She was forthright, honest,
cooperative, unsparing of effort, and, despite her academic
brilliance, utterly without vanity.
Three years later she became my colleague as philosophy
tutor, and my education in the ways of Oxford and
Somerville, and also in how to think straight, continued.
For many years we interviewed the classics candidates
together, and the most agreeable and instructive part of
that arduous task was watching Lesley patiently leading
them to untangle and improve the arguments they
themselves had at first put forward. By the end of the
interview the candidates had not only shown themselves
off to best advantage, but were longing to do more
philosophy, while I had been able to make up my mind
about their merits. These are the qualities that make a
good teacher.
Though Lesley’s area of research is in ancient Greek
philosophy, where she has acquired a remarkable
reputation, in Somerville she has taught a wide range
of modern philosophy, both for ‘Greats’ and for other
© Kate Wentworth (1963, History)

Somerville Magazine | 21
honours schools. Philosophy teaching in
Somerville has had a difficult path with a
great deal of change and tragedy (notably, the
sudden death of James Logue in 2004); all
too often through the periods of crisis Lesley
was left to organize all the teaching of some
50 or 60 students. She remained in charge,
doubling her efforts when necessary and
mysteriously succeeding in keeping things
going until calm returned. She has certainly
taught a wider range of undergraduates than
other tutors – for Classics, PPE, PPP, Maths
and Philosophy, Physics and Philosophy,
Philosophy and Modern Languages. When
she became Junior Dean and then Dean in
1973-4, she met many of them in more varied
circumstances. As the College was then legally
in loco parentis to the students, who were
minors until the age of 21, she found herself in
court supporting those accused of offences like
shoplifting, and once visited the police cells.
She was asked to serve as Dean for a second
term in the nineties, to oversee the transition
to becoming a mixed college. In the last year
of an all female student body, she worked with
the JCR to inaugurate fireworks night, now a
College tradition. Taking on the tasks of Dean
again was typical of Lesley, whose unselfish
service to the College has included holding all
of the most burdensome offices: Secretary
to Governing body, Senior Tutor, standing in
twice for the Tutor for Admissions on leave, and
finally Vice-Principal to a new Principal, Fiona
Caldicott. And she was a wonderful President
of the Common Room.
The University in general and the Philosophy
Faculty in particular have enjoyed the same
degree of unstinting and uncomplaining
dedication as College, both in teaching and
in all those administrative tasks where hard
work and clear thinking were needed. Lesley’s
coordinating work for the Teaching Review in
2000 was literally applauded by her colleagues,
and her answers to some impenetrable
questionnaires needed for Quality Assurance
were used as a model through the University.
Soon after she had two taxing years as Director
of Undergraduate Studies for the Philosophy
faculty. Lesley has brought the same patience,
tolerance, understanding and imagination to
her dealings with her colleagues in College
and in the faculty as she has to teaching her
students and bringing up her three children.
And there have been times when we have all
wondered if she is the only grown-up person
among us. In fact a certain gloom pervades the
College in her last year: will the place survive
her retirement at all? For her, though, there will
now be more time to lavish all these qualities
on Plato.
All through her more than forty years as Tutorial
Fellow at Somerville, Lesley has also been
making her mark at conferences and in print.
Her work in philosophy strikes even the outsider
because of its unique sharpness and clarity;
reading a paper by her enables one to see the
problems in a different light. She does not avoid
controversy but she tackles it with balance,
generosity and fair-mindedness. Interchange
in philosophy can be very sharp, but Lesley’s
colleagues have never anticipated her queries
and corrections with apprehension or dread.
That is because she never tries to score points,
and no one can ever doubt that what she cares
about is the truth. This is dialectic in the true
sense, in the spirit of Socrates.
“An incalculable debt”
Dr Sabina Lovibond (1970, Classics) is a Fellow
and Tutor in Philosophy at Worcester College
Ido not know whether my former tutor
Lesley Brown has broken all records for
length of service as a Fellow of Somerville,
but both for the College and for the Faculty
of Philosophy she bears an uncanny (moral)
resemblance to the Rock of Ages.
Coming up in 1970, I was among Lesley’s
first batches of Mods and Greats philosophy
students, and she has always been an
inspiration. When she helped me and my
contemporaries get to grips with Plato’s
Protagoras in our first summer term, Lesley
would have been several years short of thirty.
Yet the experience was always of a scholar
in total command of her material, and this
impression has only been strengthened in the
course of a teaching career in which articles by
Lesley are often the number one destination for
undergraduates working on the ancient authors
– on Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean in the
Nicomachean Ethics, for example, or on those
puzzling but crucial pages in Book V of Plato’s
Republic where the sensible world is said to
‘roll around between being and not-being’.
Her most distinctive commitment, however,
has been to the Sophist, which she persuaded
me and my tutorial partner to take on – along
with its companion text, the Theaetetus – for
the ‘Philosophical Books’ paper in Greats. The
learned world owes Lesley an incalculable
debt for her explanatory and critical work on
(in primis) the later Platonic dialogues – as do
many generations of Oxford students for her
lectures and classes, which I know have been
hugely appreciated.
In addition to her purely academic record,
Lesley has been second to none as a publicspirited
member of our Faculty, taking upon
herself without demur a succession of arduous
positions of responsibility, including Chair of
the Sub-Faculty of Philosophy; Director of
Undergraduate Studies; and, possibly the most
potent threat to anyone’s will to live, Faculty
Co-ordinator for the Quality Assessment Audit
review which took place in October 2000.
While regretting the many hours which, but
for these activities, might have been available
to Lesley to ‘unsphere the spirit of Plato’,
colleagues will be at a loss to imagine how we
should have managed without her over the last
third of the twentieth century and beyond.
I dare say many Oxford tutors spring surprises
on their pupils from time to time, but it was a
particularly pleasing one for me to bump into
Lesley and some of her family among the million
or more people who demonstrated in London in
February 2003 against the imminent invasion of
Iraq. Journalists have been known to mock the
slogan ‘not in my name’, but such gatherings
are important acts of witness, whether or not
they make any practical difference to this or that
ill-omened turn of events.
I feel I could not have been more fortunate
in the person through whose support I was
able both to make a start in philosophy and
to persevere with it. Long may she remain
an active presence in Somerville and in the
University – though I’m sure she will enjoy
her freedom.
From the moment I met Lesley Brown, as
a nervous eighteen-year-old, whose only
contact with Aristotle had been Monty
Python’s ‘Philosopher’s Song’, I knew
that she was a tutor I would treasure. Not
only did Lesley inspire us all to ask, with
the Ancients, ‘How are we to live a good
life?’, but her kindness, gentleness, and
continual support to us all suggested that
she had the answer if only we could just
tease it out of her.
TOM WIDE ( 2003, Classics)

22 | Somerville Magazine
Jean Wilks C.B.E.
PROFESSOR
KATHERINE
DUNCAN-JONES
is a Senior Research
Fellow of Somerville
In a conversation in November 2010 Katherine Duncan-Jones discovers
the background to Jean Wilks’s exceptional career as a head-teacher,
skilful ‘reconciler’ and University Pro-Chancellor

Jean Wilks (born in Wanstead in 1917)
describes all ‘Wilkses’ as ‘very
independent’. A great-aunt, Elizabeth
Wilks (1861-1956), appears in the Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography as ‘suffragist
and tax protester. ‘Wilkses’ hold strong views
while tolerating each other’s differences.
Jean’s parents were freethinkers, antagonistic
to religion. However, once at Somerville,
Jean and her lifelong friend Nan Saunders
(later Steedman) ‘went to all the churches
in Oxford’, after which Jean decided to
join the Church of England, partly because
‘she wanted someone to thank for the joy
of Oxford’. It was not a light decision: her
Anglican mentor, Canon Cockin, required
her to master a huge theological reading
list, writing essays on church history, on top
of the many other essays she had to write
for the Honour School of English Language
and Literature. Jean’s lifelong capacity to
make bold choices without compromising
personal loyalty, whether to family, friends or
colleagues, must be a major contributor to
her outstanding success as an innovative and
inspiring teacher and administrator.
Jean’s route to Somerville was unusual. At
North London Collegiate, aged 14, she did
so badly in subjects other than English and
History – she recalls a mark of 6% for Physics
– that the school’s imaginative headmistress,
Miss Drummond, created a special ‘shell’ class
for Jean and a few other girls. Technically held
back for a year, they made huge strides both
in school work and cultural experience. The
‘shell’ received four lessons, in the mornings
– some with a Somervillian teacher, Edith
Hodgkinson – but spent their afternoons
independently, exploring the full range of
London’s many museums and galleries. Jean’s
results in School Certificate were good rather
than ‘outstanding’. But that same imaginative
headmistress summoned her to discuss Oxford
entrance, which she had not considered. She
took a special exam, and was interviewed by
Mary Lascelles in the University Women’s Club
in Bedford Square.
Oxford’s ‘Pass Mods’ included a compulsory
paper in classical logic, a version of which
Jean was to introduce into the curriculum
of each school of which she was head.
It inspired many of her pupils to study
Philosophy at university. Jean recalls studying
Wordsworth with ‘the Darb’ (Helen Darbishire)
who ‘sat like an inscrutable Buddha’ with
closed eyes. A Balliol tutor, conversely, span
rapidly round in his chair if an essay pleased
him. She also enjoyed wonderful ‘factual’
lectures by J.R.R.Tolkien and C.S.Lewis.
However, her own teaching methods were
not modelled on those of her Oxford tutors. In
any case, approaching her Schools year, she
was determined not to follow her mother into
the teaching profession. She hoped to be a
journalist or an MP – perhaps both.
World events determined otherwise: women
had to teach, nurse or work in a Ministry.
She and her friend Nan spent a fourth year
in Oxford attached to the Department of
Education. For Jean, the most useful element
in the course was a term’s placement in a
mixed grammar school in North London
sponsored by the Stationers’ Company. With
the help of an excellent mentor, Francis
Venables, she mastered the art of writing on a
blackboard while still facing the class – a skill
she herself was to transmit, some decades
later, to raw young lecturers at the University
of Birmingham. It was the period of the Battle
of Britain, and lessons often had to be taught
in bomb shelters to frightened boys, some as
young as ten, who had been evacuated from
the Junior School. There were ‘a lot of wet
pants’. Jean’s magnificent calm under fire – a
gift shared with a slightly later Somervillian,
Daphne Park – saw everyone through.
Her first full teaching post was at Truro High
School, whose headmistress, Dora Coate,
hand-picked promising young women
teachers, but economized on salaries by
retaining them for only three years. Jean’s next
post, at James Alleyn’s, Dulwich, also lasted
only for three years, but for a different reason.
The school’s Head encouraged Jean to apply
for the headship of Herts and Essex High
School, in Bishop’s Stortford. The seven other
candidates were all already Heads. Aged only
31, Jean was appointed. It was on leaving this
post that she was awarded a C.B.E. for her
work with the Headmistresses’ Association and
in Hertfordshire. However, while on that topic:
the honour of which Jean is most proud is her
Fellowship of the College of Preceptors – an
honour shared with Frances Mary Buss (1827-
94), the legendary headmistress of Jean’s old
school. Jean believes that she was not awarded
the D.B.E. because she ‘worked in the wrong
kind of school’ – too meritocratic, I take it.
Still, she was in due course to be awarded an
honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of
Birmingham, as well as an Honorary Fellowship
of Somerville. She is not one to repine: it was I
who boldly raised a question about the D.B.E.
Somerville Magazine | 23
Jean left her post in Bishop’s Stortford
reluctantly, after seventeen very happy
years. She had been pressed to apply for the
Headship of King Edward VI High School for
Girls, Birmingham: an institution that, as I recall
from my own time as a pupil there in the later
1950s, was not very supportive or harmonious.
I never meet Jean without thinking how much
happier my own school days would have been
had she been Head. Jean wisely perceived, on
her arrival in 1964, that ‘girls needed to be told
to do what they wanted to do, not to be told
what they were allowed to do.’ There were also
hostile relations between the Girls’ school and
the adjacent Boys’ on the same foundation.
In my day there were no joint activities, and
among many petty restrictions, girls were
forbidden to walk through the grounds of the
Boys’ school to catch buses back home. Calm
and determined, Jean was a magnificent
reconciler. When she retired, a joint choir of
pupils from the two schools performed Faure’s
Requiem as a valedictory tribute – the venue
being the Boys’ school.
In addition to ‘turning round’ King Edward’s
– where, as in all her schools, she always
taught one period to each fi rst and fi nal
year pupil – Jean became deeply involved
in the administration of the University of
Birmingham. Already a longstanding member
of the University Court, in retirement from
King Edward’s she was able to devote
more of her time to this. As ever, she was a
consummate ‘troubleshooter’, resolving tricky
questions about such matters as challenges to
degree results. As Pro-Chancellor, a post she
held well into her eighties, she participated
in, or presided over, degree ceremonies;
spear-headed the training of young lecturers;
and involved herself fully in student affairs.
Her popularity with the young is witnessed
in her being elected as a Life Member of the
Guild (Students’ Union). She may be the
fi rst woman in this country to have chaired a
university’s Governing Body.
Needless to say, Jean has not been idle in
retirement. She has, for instance, actively
studied the History of Architecture, taking
courses with Robert Franklin, husband of
Pauline Adams, Somerville’s historian and
former Librarian and Archivist. She rejoices
in a large number of great-nephews and
nieces, including some great-greats. She has
also interested herself closely in the affairs
of Somerville today, and has supported a
number of projects. As an Honorary Fellow
who is also an Oxford resident, Jean comes
into College regularly, attending several
alumni events each year, and she has always
been unstintingly loyal and generous in her
commitment to Somerville.

24 | Somerville Magazine
Where scholarship
and adventure meet
TONI COFFEE
Caroline Alexander (1977, Philosophy and Theology) has
taught classics in Africa, interviewed MI6 agents in New
York and achieved international acclaim for her coverage
of Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition. Toni Coffee talks to
Caroline about her life and writing.
Toni Coffee has been a
regular contributor to
Somerville publications
for sixteen years.
She divides her time
between Oxford and
New York City and is
a graduate of Barnard
College, the women’s
undergraduate division
of Columbia University.
She is a former
editor of the Barnard
Alumnae Magazine.
Raise your hand if you’ve never read The Iliad,
all or any part of it. Not many hands out there,
I expect, although I dare say none of us has
given it the kind of attention that inspired Caroline
Alexander to learn Greek at the age of 14 and, more
recently, to show us Homer’s epic in a new light in her
book, The War That Killed Achilles.
Always a self-motivated scholar, Caroline studied
classics while earning her fi rst degree at Florida State
University and entered Somerville in the fi rst class of
Rhodes Scholars to include women. Her high academic
qualifi cations were a matter of record and she satisfi ed
the athletic requirement through participation in three
national championships in the women’s modern
pentathlon, which has since become an Olympic sport.
She read Philosophy and Theology at Somerville but in
1982 returned to the study of ancient literature when
she was hired to set up a department of classics at the
University of Malawi. One might wonder why students in
a poor, landlocked country in East Africa would have any
interest in the plight of Antigone and Medea. In their
cultural heritage, however, such elements as family ties,
religious taboos, and the trauma of the dispossessed
woman were close to the surface and they had no
trouble accepting their signifi cance.
While in Malawi, Caroline became aware of the explorer
Mary Kingsley, who had travelled in West Africa in the
1890s, and she retraced that journey. The experience
became the subject of One Dry Season, the fi rst of
several books about remarkable people in extraordinary
circumstances.
The Kingsley story was her fi rst book but it was not her
fi rst published work. In 1985, while attending graduate
school at Columbia, she began writing articles for The
New Yorker magazine. When she learned that Daphne
Park, then Principal at Somerville, was coming to
America, she suggested to her editor that this former
spy and diplomat would make an excellent subject for a
profi le and was given ‘a wonderful mandate’ to proceed.
‘Daphne and I had never met before,’ Caroline recalls,
‘but she drew on recollections and gave me details of
her life story that she had not described to anyone else.’
The article drew a surge of admiration in the U.S. and
was republished in the Telegraph Sunday magazine,
whose readers learned for the fi rst time of Daphne’s
childhood in Africa and her fascinating career as a fi eld
agent for MI6.
The book which fi rst placed Caroline among
international best-selling authors was Endurance:
Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition, published
in 1998 as the catalogue for an exhibition at the
American Museum of Natural History. On display were
stunning photographs that had recorded the adventure
– previously seen only in their scientifi c context – and
also the small open boat in which Shackleton and fi ve
of his crew traveled 800 miles over open water to reach
a rescue station. The boat was in a special small gallery
which was lined with images of rolling seas, leaving
visitors with a visceral sense of the dangers the men had
faced.
Caroline was intrigued that Shackleton’s crossing to
South Georgia Island seemed always to be described
by modern sailors as ‘one of the two greatest boat
voyages ever.’ The other, she learned, was the journey
of Captain William Bligh after he and several of his
offi cers and crew were put off the HMS Bounty by
Fletcher Christian and his followers. History and legend
had focused on the mutineers and their settlement on
Pitcairn Island but Bligh’s survival, after 43 days in an
open boat, caught Caroline’s attention. She learned that
ten of the mutineers had been captured on Tahiti and
brought back to England for courts martial and that the
transcripts of their testimony still existed. Ten different

Somerville Magazine | 25
accounts of the same searing experience provided a
rich mixture of new elements in an old story: previously
seen as a tyrant, Bligh was recast as a hero in Caroline’s
best-selling book, The Bounty, published in 2003.
The title of her latest book, The War That Killed Achilles:
The True Story of The Iliad, tells the reader from the fi rst
moment that this is a fresh look at a poem we thought
we knew. It is her belief that the image of the Iliad that
developed over centuries, of a martial epic glorifying
war, is a gross distortion of Homer’s view of the war as
a catastrophe. She contends that the Iliad is THE great
war document – ‘whatever war you look at, the Iliad will
give you resonance for it. Everything is here: evenhanded
sympathy for Greek and Trojan alike; a Greek
epic in which the death of a Trojan enemy, Hector,
arouses the greatest possible compassion. Through
deft speechmaking and vivid scenes, you’re shown the
whole panorama of war – soldier, comrade, wife, widow,
mother, child, hated king; on the fi eld and in the city;
the shattered peace, and then the shattered universe. At
the end, no one is happy, everyone laments.’
For Caroline
Alexander,
whatever the
question, the
answer will be
found in what’s
gone before. And it
is her gift that she
can help us all to
see that the past is
always relevant.
Caroline used her own translation of a section of Homer
for a chapter in the book, which led to a contract to
make a new translation of the entire poem. She will be
working at home in rural New Hampshire but will also be
writing for The New Yorker and for National Geographic,
which has commissioned an article about the Saxon
hoard of gold and precious objects recently unearthed
in Staffordshire. It is undoubtedly a wonderful find, she
notes, although we already know a lot about this period
and it does not change or add to our understanding
of Anglo-Saxon history. In this case it is the rags-toriches
story about the discoverer that caught people’s
imagination. Even so, she will be in touch with the
archaeologists up to the final moment of filing the story.
For Caroline Alexander, whatever the question, the answer
will be found in what’s gone before. And it is her gift that
she can help us all to see that the past is always relevant.

26 | Somerville Magazine
Q&A with
FRANCES WALSH
(Innes, 1956, History)
Paddy Crossley
Paddy Crossley (Earnshaw, 1956, Chemistry) is an honorary
member of the Development Board. Before she retired, she was
Company Director of the family chemical firm, which took her
all over the world and then rooted her in York. She’s proud to be
described as ‘Yorkshire through and through’. Always interested
in making links, she set up Somervillians in the North to
connect Somervillians with each other and with the College.
How did your undergraduate years
affect you?
Somerville opened another world to me. I
discovered that it was possible to spread the
net widely, to take a deep interest in languages,
classical archaeology and history. As a scientist I
learned how to approach the solution of complex
problems in a methodical and structured way, by
analysis of the constituent parts of the puzzle. This
has been so useful in business. Also, I had the luck
to be coached in the University Ladies’ Fencing
Club by the great Bela Imregi, previously coach to
the Hungarian national fencing team, who had just
escaped from Hungary in the 1956 uprising.
How did you imagine your future
when you graduated?
Marriage and the family business were in
immediate prospect when I graduated. But I
couldn’t have imagined what happiness I would
fi nd in both of my marriages, and how much
interest I’d fi nd in the chemical industry.
What were your experiences
in business?
We (Earnshaw Limited) were manufacturing
products for the leather business, and selling
them all over the world – to seventy countries,
many of them underdeveloped at that time, and
in the 1960s and 70s I travelled the globe with
my husband John. As the leather industry is
largely a family concern, passed down through
the generations, we knew our customers well,
visited their homes and even became godparents
to their children. I had time to observe, learn and
understand; I talked to many people who weren’t
rich enough to get away from the long standing
problems around them, and discovered what they
had to put up with.
Everything changed when John died in 1984.
I took over as Chairman of the company in
Northallerton and stopped travelling. At this point I
came to use the chemistry I had studied at Oxford
– the legislation had become increasingly complex
and someone had to understand it.
What have you learned from
your work in both public service
and business?
Initially I worked part time, also did voluntary
work, and was on the Bench. When I became
full-time Chairman of the company I resigned
from everything except the Bench and the
Company of Cordwainers, one of York’s seven
historic guilds. The debt I owe to my second
husband Laurie is enormous; I couldn’t possibly
have managed the work I did without the great
support he gave me.I found that in business
it takes time for a woman to develop a track
record, that you have to work on it before anyone
will pay attention. I learned that what matters is
confi dence, attention to detail, and time spent
thinking of everything that could go wrong and
making provision for it. On the Bench I grasped
the importance of having the whole of my
argument in mind before starting to speak.
Has Somervillians in the North
turned out as you hoped?
It’s been even better than I expected.
Encouraged by the success of gatherings
organised by Miranda Villiers in East Anglia, I sent
out questionnaires, set up a small Committee,
and we’ve now had four meetings, one a year,
each with a distinguished Somervillian speaker.
There’s been a buzz, an atmosphere recreated
instantly around the table, like dining in College
again. There’s good conversation, an exchange of
views informed by critical intelligence. It’s brought
together people of all ages and disciplines. I’ve
discovered that there’s so much loyalty – when you
ask Somervillians to do something for the College
they say yes, however busy they are.
What has given you the greatest
sense of achievement or satisfaction?
Ten years ago I’d have replied, being elected
Chairman of the Allertonshire Bench by the other
magistrates, which meant that they had accepted
the new ideas I’d brought to it. Now I’d say my
circle of friends, some of whom I met long ago at
Somerville, who supported me in recent difficult
times and are such a wonderful group of people.

Somerville Magazine | 27
The Second Act
TONI COFFEE
From the fashion heights of San Francisco to the back streets of Harlem.
Ruth Meyler has found career satisfaction in two very different ways.
Most of us feel fortunate if we have a single career that gives us
satisfaction and purpose, whether in the professions, as a
volunteer, or in the home. To find a second career which
provides equal satisfaction and makes use of the skills we have developed
in our ‘first life’ is truly a bonus.
After Somerville, Ruth Meyler (1965, Modern History) followed a career
path in law and worked for almost twenty years for Levi Strauss in San
Francisco. She became chief international counsel and then chief counsel
for intellectual property, in charge of protection of the Levi’s brand, and it
was fascinating work.
In the 1990s, as competition cut into demand for its products, Levi’s
began to cut back on staff at all levels and Ruth accepted their offer of
early retirement. She had a growing interest in the field of public education
and that is where she turned her attention. (‘Public’ occurs here in the
American sense, referring to schools which are supported by taxes and
open to all at no cost.) She had been doing voluntary work at a nearby
school which served some of the poorest children in the city and was
appalled by the quality of its programs. She was also invited to serve on the
board of a ‘charter school’ and saw how such an alternative venue could
offer better choices, especially to children with special needs.
The basic concept of charter schools is that they are granted autonomy in
return for accountability. The ‘charter’ is a performance contract between
the board of the school and the local educational authority, laying out
the school’s program and ways to measure its results. Charter schools
are supported by taxes but are free of many of the regulations, including
teacher contracts, which govern traditional schools. ‘I decided that if you
wanted to do something about education in this country, that was a path to
take,’ Ruth says.
In 2004, she moved to New York. ‘As a Londoner I wanted to live in a bigger
city,’ she recalls. ‘I also wanted to be nearer to London, where my mother
lived, and both of my children were on the east coast.’ Her interest in
education traveled with her and she was immediately introduced to someone
who was starting a charter school in Brooklyn. She became engaged in the
effort to build that school ‘from the ground up’ and also joined the board of
a middle school in Harlem. In 2009 she took the lead in establishing a new
school, the Neighborhood Charter School of Harlem (NCSH).
The mission of the school is to provide a rigorous educational alternative
for children in a low-income area where most of the traditional public
schools fall short. Its population will also include some high-functioning
autistic children, an underserved group who have the capacity to meet the
language and cognition requirements of the ordinary curriculum but need
support in their social and emotional development.
Stating your educational goals is only the first step in obtaining approval
for a charter school. Ruth and her board also needed to define an
administrative structure, bylaws, budgets, their plans for recruiting teachers
and students, and more. ‘The Department of Education makes you jump
Harlem is a proud strong community and we were
nervous that people would think, who are these
busybody white ladies with their funny accents coming
in and telling us how to educate our children?
through hoop after hoop,’ she says, ‘and rightly so,’ but the paperwork
required is prodigious. Her legal and business background was invaluable
but her interpersonal skills were also important in garnering essential
community support.
‘Harlem is a proud strong community and we were nervous that people
would think, who are these busybody white ladies with their funny accents
coming in and telling us how to educate our children?’ A turning point was
reached when parents of autistic children in the area spoke at a public
hearing about the need for such a school.
Teacher unions and other opponents of charter schools object to the
diversion of scarce funds and space, as well as parent loyalty, to unproven
institutions. Ruth concedes that charter schools are not perfect ‘but the
public education system is full of terrific people who are constantly stymied
by the bureaucracy. The charter schools liberate people’s energies to do
great things for kids...and since they operate on the public dollar, they
provide models for public education.’
Once NCSH opens its doors, scheduled for September 2012, Ruth expects
to continue as chairman for two or three years but she looks forward to
having more time to enjoy her adopted city. She sees every Shakespeare
play that reaches a New York stage and she has challenged herself to learn
more about contemporary art. ‘One of the things that’s great in this country
is that you can do new things. There are many second acts.’

28 | Somerville Magazine
Delivering Babies
Principal’s retirement
in Barbados
No birthing partner, no gas and air, and no privacy. James Richardson
tells us about giving birth the Barbados way.
James (right) preparing for the day ahead with a fellow
visiting student in the medics’ common room
“Of course, when not in hospital Barbados has a host
of lovely beaches to enjoy.”
James (far right) getting to know the local and visiting
medical students during the evening
JAMES RICHARDSON
(5th Year Medical
student)
Most women went
through labour
without any
analgesia, except
perhaps for a single
pethidine injection
if the pain was
particularly bad.
During the fifth year of medicine at Oxford
around a third of the year group are allocated
by ballot the chance to spend part of either
their paediatric or obstetric and gynaecology placement
studying in a hospital outside the UK. I was lucky enough
to be in such a position and chose to spend two weeks
at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, following
in the footsteps of numerous Somerville medics who
had reported having a great time and a very useful
learning experience. I received a generous grant from the
Somerville Nuffield Fund which contributed to the costs.
This short trip was the fi rst time that I experienced
the medical system of another country, causing me to
consider the affect that being under different health care
systems can have on key life events such as pregnancy.
The staff of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Bridgetown
are very knowledgeable and highly professional, but the
relative lack of resources compared to Britain resulted
in some quite striking differences in the care provided
during labour. For instance, when in the Horton Hospital
Banbury (where I spent the rest of my attachment),
women get their own private room or delivery suite for
labour. In Barbados monitoring during the fi rst stage was
done in an open ward of six beds, upon commencing
second stage the women would be wheeled across a
corridor into the delivery rooms, the doors of which were
composed of thick translucent plastic. Suffi ce to say that
the level of privacy afforded to these women was not
what I have previously become accustomed to in Britain.
In Banbury women are allowed two birthing partners who
can stay with them throughout the labour; in Barbados
visitors were only allowed onto the first stage ward during
strict visiting hours, whilst the woman’s partner might
be called into the delivery room just in time to catch
the end of the delivery if they were lucky. In Barbados
there were not enough anaesthetists available to enable
them to offer epidurals, nor was there nitrous oxide
readily available. This meant most women went through
labour without any analgesia, except perhaps for a single
pethidine injection if the pain was particularly bad. There
were only two ultrasound devices and two foetal monitors
on the entire labour ward, meaning that during busy
periods monitoring often first required hunting down and
obtaining the necessary equipment.
All in all I feel that this placement has been extremely
useful to me, not only by greatly expanding my
medical knowledge and competence in obstetrics and
gynaecology and allowing me to have a thoroughly
enjoyable time in Barbados; but also through the
contrasts that I observed which have caused me
to refl ect on how important the level of health care
provided in Britain under the NHS is, and how often I
have taken what we have in this country for granted.

Somerville Magazine | 29
Making her Mark:
Q&A with Siân Thomas Marshall
KATIE THOMAS (Baxendale, 1990,
Philosophy & Theology)
Why did you decide to support
Somerville?
I lived in New York for fi ve years and we had
just returned to the UK and I was catching
up with lots of old friends – including some
Somervillians. I was reminded again just how
much I loved my time at Somerville and I felt it
was right to give a little back.
What gave you the idea to
sponsor a mailing?
My background is advertising and marketing
so it was an obvious choice for me. I wanted to
invest in something that I knew would generate
further income. I thoroughly enjoyed working
with the Development Team too and helping
to put the mailing together. I was especially
impressed with their creativity and openness to
new ideas.
Why do you think the ‘Make Your
Mark’ appeal was different?
The objective of this mailing was to include
everyone. I think sometimes it is easy to think
that everyone who left Somerville is a high
earning and high fl ying success and that only
large donations matter. I think there are many
ways to be successful and make your mark in
life and lots of them don’t involve high
salaries. I am currently a Pilates teacher and
we don’t earn very much – but I am helping
people with conditions like MS become more
mobile and it is really rewarding.
Siân generously sponsored the Make Your Mark Campaign
which raised over £145,000 for the ROQ Building Appeal.
I have friends who are mothers at home,
charity workers and school teachers and I
am full of admiration for what they do. These
are people who really make their mark in the
world but who might not be able to make large
donations. The idea was to show that small
donations can make a big difference and that
together our gifts could achieve just as much
as a single large donation – and I think we
really did that.
So are you pleased with
the result?
Yes, I’m delighted. The mailing generated over
£145,000 and produced one of the highest
recorded response rates for Somerville – with
many donors giving for the fi rst time. I’d like to
say a huge thank you to everyone who gave. If
everyone could give something back, however
small, it would make a huge difference. I’ll
certainly be thinking of how I can help again
in the future.
Make Your Mark was a direct mail appeal
launched in Spring 2010 to encourage
alumni and friends to support the ROQ
building project with donations of all sizes.
Over 700 people gave to the appeal and will
have their name added to our donor wall.
The wall will be a permanent testament
to the generous Somervillians and friends
of the College who have made such an
important difference.

30 | Somerville Magazine
Donor Profile:
Niels Kroner
In conversation with
KATIE THOMAS
(Baxendale, 1990,
Philosophy &
Theology)
David Railton (JCR
President), Helen
Morton (Treasurer),
Niels Kroner (1996),
Julie Hage (Director of
Development).
Can you tell me a bit about when you
were at Somerville, and why you chose
the College?
I don’t think I chose Somerville, I think Somerville chose
me. I was a young student in Germany and my tutor
suggested it. He said it was the best place to study
German medieval literature – which I thought was a bit
odd as we were in Germany. Anyway, he made some
introductions and I never looked back. Let’s just say it
was serendipity and not the Norrington table that brought
me to Somerville! I had the very best year of my higher
education whilst here though. I fell in love with everything
about Oxford from the teaching methods to the buildings.
I was at Somerville, as a Registered Visiting Student,
during 1996 and 1997 and had the great pleasure of
being taught philosophy by the late James Logue.
What are your favourite
memories of that time?
I have so many good memories. I remember meeting
everyone in my house at least once a week, at night
outside on the lawn because of yet another fire alarm.
There was the time when I received a small birthday cake
from a friend at Teddy Hall in my pigeon hole. It was a
wonderful surprise, but it had taken the university post
three weeks to deliver – so the mouldy bits prevailed.
After Somerville what did you
decide to do?
Immediately after my year at Somerville I went back to
my German university (Hamburg University). After
fi nishing my MA there I joined McKinsey & Co. as a
management consultant. Perhaps not quite the
career for humanities graduates. It is a long story
about how I moved from consulting to what I do now
but it was serendipity again and meeting the right
person at the right time. I now spend two terms a year
teaching economics and finance at a private Russian
University and the remainder of my time is spent with
AEE Renewables as their Executive Chairman. It is a
renewable energy company creating hydro plants and
solar farms – something I really believe in.
Somerville was so excited when AEE
Renewables decided to donate 39 solar
panels to the new buildings last year –
what was your role in this gift and why
do you think it is important?
I suggested to the CEO that it would be a great idea to
donate one of the fi rst UK rooftop installations and he
was immediately in favour – even more so after meeting
a couple of Somervillians. I think it is important because
it is a good way to stress the green credentials of the
new student accommodation and it will save the College
considerable money on future utility bills. It is also an
interesting project for any engineering students!
Of course, you also give considerable
time to Somerville’s Development Board,
could you tell me a bit more about that?
Yes, although it is quite tricky to describe what we do.
I suppose technically we are an advising body to College
on external relations, alumni and fundraising.

Somerville Magazine | 31
Images © Beata Stencel
We have a business development role if you like. It is
made up of people who are just incredibly grateful to
College and want to give something back both in terms
of time and money. We might organise fundraising
events or arrange for a lecture to take place or mentor
students when needed. I really enjoy being on the
Board because of the level of discussion we have. There
are so many generations and views present and the
conversation is always so candid and fast. People make
quick connections in meetings and it really helps you
appreciate what can be achieved in 90 minutes with
people who really want to help.
As part of your work on the Development
Board, you very generously hosted a
successful evening at the Savile Club.
Yes, it was an evening for just a small gathering of people
who had given very generously to Somerville before. It
was a chance for many of them to meet the new Principal
for the first time and for Somerville to say thank you for
their considerable contributions. The great thing was that
it was hosted at the Savile Club, a traditional gentlemen’s
club, and the pack of very lively Somerville alumnae sent
a lot of the male Savile members fleeing!
What motivates you to
give to Somerville?
Deep gratitude for the best year of my higher education. In
the early 2000s I spent two years at Stanford and realised
there how dependent universities are on outside funds.
Even in the US, the much higher tuition fees don’t cover
half of the actual costs! If we want to make sure that
the next generation has the chance to get the same
experience that we’ve had, we need to show our gratitude
by opening our wallets.
What difference do you personally hope
to make to Somerville’s future?
I’d like to help change the way alumni look at supporting
Somerville and thereby put the fi nancial future of
College on a stable foundation. For me, that also
includes appreciating that lots of really small gifts can
go a really long way – so nobody has to feel bad for not
being able to give another Margaret Thatcher Centre,
every gift matters.
Academically, I hope to contribute a little to make sure
that Somerville can support really bold, creative and
independent research. This is often diffi cult because
many grants are easier to secure for tried and tested
research where the results are already known.
Which current fundraising project
excites you the most?
I’m excited by all the different ways we are trying to
engage with other countries in our fundraising. I think
it is really good to recognise that Somervillians are
worldwide and their contribution is international.
Niels Kroner is the author of A Blueprint for Better Banking.
Better Banking takes a fresh look at the fi nancial crisis. It sets out to answer specifi cally what
the mistakes were that banks made and how this could have been avoided. What is unique
about this book is the detailed description of a large bank that operates very differently from
its peers and that has, as a result, steered clear of the areas that have brought many other
banks into trouble.“In my last role I was working for an investment fund as their senior
fi nancial analyst and was responsible for investments in banks. I met the executives of a very
old-fashioned bank, Svenska Handelsbanken, and fell in love with their culture and their
way of making banking prudently profi table. The fund became one of the biggest investors
in the bank, and after leaving I thought it would be useful for others to know more about
Handelsbanken. I used my gardening leave to write down what I had learnt about them. Since
then, I’ve had an amazing number of requests from banks all over the world to tell them more
about the way Handelsbanken go about banking.”

32 | Somerville Magazine
The Somerville Campaign:
A philanthropic crescendo
JULIE HAGE
Development Director
In last year’s Magazine, I had the pleasure of reporting on the
intense period following the launch of the Somerville Campaign.
I mentioned how encouraged I was by my first meeting with the
Somerville community of givers. However, little did I anticipate the
philanthropic crescendo that lay ahead of us, the almost palpable
energy delivered by more than 1000 alumni and friends who have
supported the appeal for the new student accommodation buildings
over the past year. It has been an extraordinary year for fundraising
at Somerville and I am delighted to to update you on our progress.
Making a thousand marks
on the new buildings
An impressive £1.7 million has been raised
towards the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter appeal.
The construction of the new buildings is already
well underway and we are hopeful of reaching
our minimum target of £2 million by the time the
doors open for new students in October 2011.
Somerville’s new buildings will serve as a gateway
to Oxford’s dynamic new academic centre on
the Radcliffe Observatory site and allow us to
house almost all our students in College for
the first time. This is important on a number of
levels. It increases stability for our students and
it is considerably cheaper than living out. As
the Principal has said, the rooms will be akin to
a “mini-bursary” for students in years to come
who will be living in College instead of expensive
private lets. The current students have taken an
active interest in the design of the new facilities,
and our JCR President, David Railton, has
been an influential ambassador on a number of
occasions, speaking about the importance of the
new buildings in terms of increasing access and
strengthening the academic community.
The ROQ buildings will also provide up to
£500,000 a year in conference income for the
College – funds which would otherwise need to
be met through fundraising. So every gift to the
building is a great investment.
Supporting students
Our main focus for the next year will be raising
support for students. As the pressure on higher
education funding becomes an omnipresent
reality, we are developing our strategy for
securing support for talented students from all
backgrounds. The cost of living and the cost
of studying are rising. Somerville has a higher
number of students than average in Oxford in
receipt of either bursaries or hardship grants.
Around twenty fi ve percent of Somerville students
receive some kind of fi nancial support and we
expect this number to rise.
True to the Somerville ethos, the fi rst phase of
our student support strategy has been guided by
a determined benefactor who knew what it was
like to be poor. The welfare of students was of
particular concern to former Principal Daphne
Park who died last year. Daphne came from
modest means and she never forgot that she
was offered a scholarship to come to Oxford.
She adored ‘her’ undergraduates and one of the
lasting memorials to this extraordinary woman will
be the “Daphne Park Bursary Fund”, established
in part by a legacy from Daphne herself. We
hope that Somervillians who admired and loved
Daphne will join her in trying to secure for future
generations the experience and privilege they
had in being educated at Somerville.
Enterprising volunteers
The philanthropic crescendo at Somerville is
enabled by an impressive group of volunteers, who
offer their creative input, advice and hospitality
from all corners of the world. Cindy Gallop (1977)
made the Somerville North American alumni
event the talk of the town by opening her iconic
NYC apartment in April last year, and Niels
Kroner (1996) recently welcomed major donors
to a supper in the elegant Savile Club in London.
Our distinguished and enterprising Development
Board members continue to host a number
of popular gatherings around the country and
creative talents like Katie Thomas (1990) and Siân
Thomas Marshall (1989) have broken new ground
with their “Make your Mark” appeal for the ROQ
buildings. Somervillians travelling on business to
Asia, North America and the Middle East assist
with our activities and offer priceless guidance as
we widen our fundraising strategy to embrace new
regions of the world. Somervillians contribute to
securing the future of the College in a multitude of
ways, and we are extremely grateful.
For further information...
Please contact: Julie Christiane Hage,
Fellow and Development Director
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 280596
Email: julie.hage@some.ox.ac.uk
www.some.ox.ac.uk/alumni
Securing the Tutorial System:
This unique system of teaching is expensive and as government funds decrease, Somerville
must fi nd innovative ways to ensure we can support the academic standards for which we are
well known. From now until September 2013, a special initiative will allow gifts to the College
for Humanities and Social Sciences to unlock additional matched funding from the University’s
newly established “Teaching Fund Scheme” with the goal of permanently endowing Fellowships
in these areas. It is a time-limited opportunity with the potential to make a very real difference to
our academic capital. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this initiative.
Campaign figures
Overall Target
Total reached to date
Target for
new buildings
Total raised
for new buildings
Total number of donors
to the Campaign
£25 million
£14.7 million
£2 million by
September 2011
£1.7 million
2500

Somerville Magazine | 33
Events 2010
Images © Rob Judges
Garden Party 2010
19 June 2010
All alumni were invited to the Garden Party.
The slightly underwhelming weather did not
dampen spirits at this enjoyable event that
celebrated the retirement of Dame Fiona Caldicott
and all that she has done for Somerville.
Right: A fond farewell to Dame Fiona Caldicott
from Harriet Maunsell, former Chair of the
Development Board.
Far right: Guests at the Garden Party
New York Reunion
17 April 2010
Advertising guru Cindy Gallop (1977, English)
generously hosted a reception for more than sixty
Somervillians in her glamorous New York apartment,
as part of the Oxford University Reunion in North
America. Guests greatly enjoyed Cindy’s contemporary
art collection, her fabulous apartment and imaginative
cuisine. For many alumni, this was also the first
opportunity to meet the Principal, Dr Alice Prochaska.
Far left: Guests at the Somerville party
hosted by Cindy Gallop (centre)
Left: Guests at the Somerville party
Gaudy 2010
3 July 2010
Matriculants from 1994 to 2006 were invited to the
2010 Gaudy. This was the fi rst gaudy for many and
an excited atmosphere reflected this fact. “Thank
you to everyone who was involved in organising such
a fantastic Gaudy. College looked gorgeous, the food
was delicious and the speeches were very moving.
Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.”
Gianna Chadwick (2002, Human Sciences)
Far left: A group from 2002 matriculation year: Jennifer
Hogg, Madhvi Pankhania, Tom Ohta, Clare Glicksman
Left and below: Guests at the Gaudy
Thank you for such a special day. It
was the first time I’d been back to
Somerville in three years and it was
great that so many people came.
CAT ANDERSSON

34 | Somerville Magazine
Groundbreaking
11 August 2010
The groundbreaking event marked an exciting point
in Somerville history. Major donors and friends of
the College were invited to celebrate the start of the
construction stage of the ROQ Buildings. The site
has changed dramatically since the event, with both
buildings reaching their full height and windows and
brick facades being added. Just over a year after the
groundbreaking ceremony, in September 2011, we plan
to celebrate the opening of the completed buildings.
Right: Guests were kitted out in high-vis jackets, hard
hats, and thick soled boots before stepping onto the site.
1965 Reunion
16 September 2010
A great welcome for Alice Prochaska from her own
year, two weeks into her tenure as Principal.
Far left: The 1965 Reunion group.
Left: The 1965 Modern Languages alumnae get
together with their German Tutor, Olive Sayce (Emeritus
Fellow), clockwise from left: Hilary King, Shirley Vinall,
Barbara Howes, Susanna Pressel, Margaret May.
Below left: Alice Prochaska with her
former tutor, Barbara Harvey.
It was a lovely way
to celebrate the
arrival of the new
Principal.
HELEN THORNTON
1960 Reunion
20-21 September 2010
The year of 1960 came back to College for a
full weekend of celebrations, to mark the golden
anniversary of their matriculation.
Above: Friends remember Ruth Morgan
(also 1960) who died in 1983.
Left: The 1960 Reunion group.
“The dinner was so delicious that I’m sure I wasn’t
the only person wondering if I’d come to the wrong
College.” Claire Coghlin
“I loved the Reunion − despite such appalling
misgivings that [my friends] practically had to use
violence on me! (I was sure no-one would remember
me and wasn’t at all sure I wanted to remember
myself) I’m very glad indeed that they over-ruled my
objections. It was very good to be back in touch with
many people, as well as being quite extraordinary
and fascinating in some ways. Half a century is a
very long time, yet didn’t seem possible.” Anne Pope

Somerville Magazine | 35
Literary Lunch
13 November 2010
Jane Robinson’s moving
account of the fi rst women
to fi ght for higher education
gave much pleasure and
brought tears to many eyes.
Right: Jane Robinson (1978,
English)
A triumph as usual.
ANN CURRIE
Alumni Weekend
25 September 2010
The College dinner attracted Somervillians from
as far afield as the USA and South Africa. Linda
Scott (1975, Human Sciences), who travelled
from Cape Town, said, “I very much enjoyed the
Alumni weekend overall and was especially glad to
participate in a College event.”
Left: Anna Kingsmill-Vellacott (1983, PPE),
Peter Cox and Martha Jones (1982, PPP)
Right: We were pleased to have Esther Rantzen
(1959, English) attend and give an amusing speech,
remembering her undergraduate years.
Lawyers Group
The Somerville lawyers have had a busy year
with fascinating visits behind the scenes at
the Old Bailey and the City of London Police
Headquarters and a very privileged insider
view from Lord (Charlie) Falconer who gave a
talk about the constitutional changes made by
the last Labour Government. The lawyers also
organised a day of careers advice for current
Law students.
London Group
1950 60th Reunion
7 December 2010
The 60th anniversary of the year matriculating in
1950 was just squeezed in at the end of 2010.
Sixteen members of the year battled through snow
and ice to attend this happy occasion.
Far left: The 1950 Reunion group.
Left: Jose Murphy, Maureen Scurlock and Shirley Beck
“It’s amusing to see that we all remain what we
always were.” Renate Olins
“I was thrilled by the Principal and so impressed by
the universal friendliness…. the older I get the more
Somerville means to me.” Christian Parham
City Group
Media Day
20 November 2010
The fascinating programme for the 2010 Media Day
covered a range of topics including the use of social
media, producing plays for the radio and hair-raising
stories of working in Iraq.
Above: Speakers from left: Alison Hindell (1979,
English), Sarah Wyles (1987, History), Victoria Wakely
(1987, History), Emma Sky (1987, Oriental Studies);
not pictured - Anuj Goyal (1995, English)
2010 has also been a busy year for the London
Group. Somervillians in London have enjoyed talks
by such high profile speakers as Hilary Spurling
and Susan Cohen (biographers) and Charles
Moore (former editor of the Telegraph). They were
also treated to private viewings at the Estorick
Collection and the Fleming Gallery and they hosted
a successful welcome event and dinner for Dr
Prochaska. Our thanks go to Sue Robson (1966,
PPP – pictured) who has chaired the London Group
Committee since 2009.
This year the City group has focussed on the
financial crisis and hosted two very distinguished
speakers on the subject: On 24 March, prizewinning
journalist, Martin Wolf, CBE, gave a
provocative and semi-reassuring talk entitled After
the Crisis. And on 24 November, Dr Gerard Lyons,
Chief Economist at Standard Chartered, drew
Lessons from the Crisis – A View from the East.
For more information...
If you are interested in the activities of
the London, City or Lawyers Groups, please
email: development.office@some.ox.ac.uk or
phone: +44 (0)1865 270632

Alumni Events 2011
For the latest information on events please visit the
College website www.some.ox.ac.uk/AlumniEvents
All events are in College unless otherwise stated.
For further details please contact Liz Cooke at
elizabeth.cooke@some.ox.ac.uk or telephone
+44 (0) 1865 270632.
Somerville and its alumni volunteers run a wide
range of events and activities to help Somervillians
keep in touch with each other and with the College.
We hope to welcome you to one of our events this
year. If you have feedback on our existing events or
would like to suggest a new event, please contact:
development.offi ce@some.ox.ac.uk
May
6-8 Oxford Reunion in Paris
14 KDJ English Day
17 London Group – Speaker: Ann Oakley
June
11 Commemoration Service
15 City Group Event (London)
Sustainability: Does it pay?
17 Somervillian Teachers Day
July
2-3 Garden Party and Gaudy for 1935-1955
September
10 Reunion in Durham
16-18 Oxford University Alumni Weekend
20-21 1961 Golden Reunion
24 Farewell for Lesley Brown
tbc Opening of ROQ Buildings