magazine - Somerville College - University of Oxford
magazine - Somerville College - University of Oxford
magazine - Somerville College - University of Oxford
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6 | <strong>Somerville</strong> Magzine<br />
1959 Golden Anniversary Reunion<br />
& Golden Egg Fund<br />
The 1959 Golden Anniversary Reunion held at<br />
<strong>Somerville</strong> on 8-10 September 2009 was an innovative<br />
and ambitious project in several respects.<br />
LIZ FINCH<br />
(Gamble, 1959, PPE)<br />
First, there was the length <strong>of</strong> the event, which was<br />
designed to bring a year group together over three days.<br />
Second, there was the challenge <strong>of</strong> producing a booklet<br />
<strong>of</strong> biographies and recent photos to accelerate the mutual<br />
re-acquaintance – and to provide a permanent reference<br />
for us and a career archive for the <strong>College</strong>. Third, and most<br />
important, we aimed to invent a tradition to benefit<br />
<strong>Somerville</strong> by making a joint year-group donation or<br />
‘Golden Egg’ to give something back, fifty years on,<br />
to the <strong>College</strong> which had nurtured us.<br />
With these aims set and the event organised (by a<br />
few members <strong>of</strong> the year group with support from the<br />
Alumni Offi ce), success depended on an enthusiastic<br />
response from the rest. It was forthcoming: the booklet<br />
contains brief biographies <strong>of</strong> 55 undergraduates and two<br />
postgraduates. Out <strong>of</strong> 67 who matriculated in 1959, 60<br />
survive and 41 were able to attend the Reunion, together<br />
with three postgraduates. Above all the response to<br />
the Golden Egg initiative astonished us by its generosity.<br />
As we sipped our welcoming champagne in the sunlit<br />
garden on the first evening, groups were dynamic, changing<br />
shape continuously as others arrived and seemingly<br />
youthful feet tripped across the grass to embrace friends<br />
from fifty years ago. The following morning our key event<br />
took place: we sat in a single large circle exchanging<br />
reflections on our life experiences since <strong>Somerville</strong>. This<br />
was a truly memorable session, frank and fascinating, and<br />
could have filled any amount <strong>of</strong> time available! After lunch<br />
– and more conversation – some members <strong>of</strong> the year led<br />
tours <strong>of</strong> libraries, museums and art galleries prior to a talk<br />
and video on the life and work <strong>of</strong> our Principal, Dame Janet<br />
Vaughan, who had influenced and inspired so many <strong>of</strong> us.<br />
Then followed the Gala Reception and Dinner.<br />
The climax <strong>of</strong> the Golden Reunion was the announcement<br />
<strong>of</strong> the total <strong>of</strong> our Golden Egg Donation, which, notwithstanding<br />
our ambition to assist the <strong>College</strong>, surprised and<br />
delighted us all by its size – over £31,000 towards the<br />
new student accommodation buildings on the Radcliffe<br />
Observatory Quarter! The following morning, the Principal<br />
joined us for breakfast and a lively question-and-answer<br />
session, and our programme ended with a guided tour <strong>of</strong><br />
the tranquil gardens.<br />
The mood as we drank c<strong>of</strong>fee on the lawns was a happy mix<br />
<strong>of</strong> contentment and, above all, hope. Our greatest hope is<br />
that the Golden Egg tradition has indeed been invented. We<br />
know that the year <strong>of</strong> 1960 is carrying it on – let us trust that<br />
subsequent years will feel a similar debt to <strong>Somerville</strong> and a<br />
similar wish to keep up this tangible flow <strong>of</strong> gratitude.<br />
The 1959 Golden Egg<br />
Committee: (l – r top)<br />
Helen Boon,<br />
Eleanor Arie<br />
(l – r bottom) Liz Finch,<br />
Caroline Barron