The Queen's College Record 2023

a cosmologist, and Jacky Wright, the former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft.
Jacky met students and Fellows and discussed matters drawing on her experience of
leadership in the technology sector, to discuss AI and the future, women’s leadership,
and diversity.
For the third annual Provost’s Lecture, we had the immense pleasure of hearing
from the founder of the World Wide Web, Old Member and Honorary Fellow, Sir
Tim Berners-Lee (Physics, 1973). Sir Tim, together with his wife Lady Rosemary
Leith, subsequently founded the World Wide Web Foundation and they continue to
campaign and to lead the way in thinking about access, equality and safety in the
use of technology, and the internet in particular.
From the Provost
Student social activity returned in full force, perhaps with even greater energy than
before the pandemic as the College echoed to the annual Eglesfield Musical Society
performances. At least partly because we were able to stop charging a subscription
to join the Boat Club, the College had a record six crews on the river this year and,
with the Chaplain, I had the pleasure of christening two new boats donated by
Old Members. (The champagne had to be poured as, it was explained to me, hitting
a boat with a bottle would probably break the boat.) The College broke a new record
at Torpids when the womens’ first boat had its best performance ever, bumping six
times. Last year the men’s first boat had their best performance since 1840 so we
hope next year they will both break records at the same time.
The year’s major improvement to the College’s fabric was the opening of the elegant
new Porters’ Lodge. This replaced the lean-to that had been in use for over a century
and, importantly, provides wheelchair accessible access to the College from the
High Street for the first time. The change in arrangements also opens up the College
a little, meaning that more members of the public come up the steps and see the
beauty of Front Quad.
At the end of the year, we said goodbye and thank you to Paul Newton, President
of the Old Members’ Association. Paul stood down from the College’s Development
Committee, where he served invaluably for over 20 years, and our deep thanks go to
him for all he has done for Queen’s. His final article as President of the Old Members’
Association is in this edition of the Record.
Many Old Members will remember Dawn Grimshaw who, in 20 years as Catering
Manager enabled the College to feed and look after so many generations of students
and ran so many Gaudies with superb efficiency and energy. Old Members will also
remember Tessa Shaw who has retired from her position as Deputy Librarian after
39 years of working assiduously, with both wisdom and good humour, to help our
students find the resources they need for their academic studies. We wish them
both well in their retirements.
College Record 2023 | The Queen’s College 7