The Eagle 2015 the EAGLE
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Eagle 2015 THE EAGLE Published in the United Kingdom in 2015 by St John’s College, Cambridge St John’s College Cambridge CB2 1TP johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk Telephone: 01223 338700 Fax: 01223 338727 Email: [email protected] Registered charity number 1137428 First published in the United Kingdom in 1858 by St John’s College, Cambridge Designed by Cameron Design (01284 725292, www.designcam.co.uk) Printed by Lonsdale Direct (www.lonsdaledirect.co.uk) Front cover: Cripps Building by Paul Everest Previous page: Art and Photography Competition 2015: ‘The future is bright’ by Brett Wilson (2013). This image was the winner of the ‘Photos of the College or College Life’ category. Facing page: new graduands celebrating at the annual garden party in the Master’s Garden in June 2015. The Eagle is published annually by St John’s College, Cambridge, and is sent free of charge to members of the College and other interested parties. 2 | THE EAGLE 2015 Photo: Nic Marchant CONTENTS & MESSAGES THE EAGLE 2015 | 3 Photo: Amir Hajizamani (2007) CONTENTS & MESSAGES CONTENTS Editorial. 7 Message from the Master . 8 Articles Mike Finch and Tracy Deakin – Preserving the past . 14 Helena Clark-Maxwell – From pointe shoes to punting. 21 Simon Bradley – Revising ‘Pevsner’ . 28 Peter John Lee – Working with Tutu . 34 Felicity Goodlet and Richard Jones – Representing Cambridge . 40 Richard Hytner – It’s time for a C change. 49 Jane Heal and Frank Salmon – Changing of the guard. 55 John O’Keeffe – How can you achieve the extraordinary in work, life or play?. 60 Partha Dasgupta and Eric Maskin – A long-term collaboration . 65 Christopher Johnson, David Gill and Bill Wicksteed – The history of the St John's Innovation Centre: part three. 69 Duncan Dormor – Making good: gift-giving and the Gift . 76 The academic year 2014/15 Message from the Senior Tutor: expanding our academic horizons . 84 Helen Watson – (Ad)ventures in admissions. 87 Katy Theobald – The purpose of higher education . 92 Student awards . 98 The Master and Fellowship . 100 Members’ news Focus on a Fellow Emily Gowers . 106 Philip Murray . 108 Members’ news . 112 THE EAGLE 2015 | 5 CONTENTS & MESSAGES Obituaries Richard Perham, 1937–2015 . 128 Stephen Sykes, 1939–2014 . 139 Michael Mustill, 1931–2015 . 144 Sydney Templeman, 1920–2014. 147 Robin Coleman, 1993–2014 . 151 College societies and sports Jolyon Martin – Dancing up a storm . 156 Society reports . 160 Sports reports . 202 Donors The rise of Land Economy . 224 List of donors . 227 Donors to the Library. 250 The last word Victoria Brown and Ben Atlas – Lights, camera, action! . 257 Poetry in the Archives. 262 6 | THE EAGLE 2015 CONTENTS & MESSAGES EDITORIAL Every day, Johnians of all ages are busy making their lives in every corner of the world. This issue of The Eagle hears from Bishop Peter John Lee about working for the inspirational Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the streets and in the churches of South Africa. Current student Helena Clark-Maxwell recounts her amazing journey to St John’s via Cuba, having already had a professional career as a ballet dancer. Wewere pleased to welcome Honorary Fellow Professor Eric Maskin to the College during Easter term. He travelled to Cambridge, UK, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to join up with long-time friend Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta for a series of lectures on ‘Reasoning via Formal Models in Economics’, which they have summarised in an article. The College’s new President, Dr Frank Salmon, introduces himself, and former President Professor Jane Heal tells us more about the daily duties and responsibilities of the role. This year, Victoria and Ben joined the editorial team and ably represented the views of the junior membership. The Editors would like to thank them both for their enthusiasm and hard work. As ever, the whole editorial team wish to thank the alumni, Fellows, students and staff who have contributed to this issue and made it such an informative and, we hope, enjoyable read. Don’t forget, The Eagle is also online at johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk/theeagle Editors: Jennifer Baskerville, Alumni Relations Officer (Publications), and Mark Nicholls, Librarian and Head of Information Services and Systems. Editorial Assistants: Victoria Brown (2013) and Ben Atlas (2014). If you are interested in submitting an article for a future issue of The Eagle, or if you have an enquiry or some feedback, please email [email protected] or write to: The Eagle, Development Office, St John’s College, Cambridge, CB2 1TP. THE EAGLE 2015 | 7 CONTENTS & MESSAGES MESSAGE FROM THE MASTER Photo: Ben Minnaar. One of the defining moments of the twenty-first century in St John’s so far has been the departure of the last scaffolding pole from the College grounds early this year. It will, of course, be a temporary respite, as a collection of wonderful buildings constructed over 800 years is always going to be in need of maintenance, and the modernisation of our infrastructure and facilities is an essential part of retaining and indeed enhancing our position in the very top rank of educational establishments across the world. We are, however, currently making the most of splendidly uncluttered views of our breathtakingly beautiful environment. The constant activity needed to maintain our buildings reminds me of a postcard that I came across from the 1920s relating to another well-known historic university, which showed an ancient quadrangle wreathed in scaffolding. In the caption, one visitor is saying to another, ‘You can see it is New College as they haven’t finished building it yet.’ And so it goes. 8 | THE EAGLE 2015 CONTENTSARTICLES & MESSAGES We began this year having nearly completed aware that St John’s not only occupies the the most comprehensive restoration of the largest, and of course most beautiful, site of buildings on this site since the reconstruction any college in the University (or indeed in of the Hospital of St John the Evangelist to that other place too), but also that it is in a form St John’s College some five centuries uniquely favourable position within the ago – although there was a certain amount rapidly expanding city of Cambridge. The of tidying up to do in the late seventeenth Great Gate is located in the historic city century at the end of the Civil War. The final centre, but the other end of our site, beyond piece in the modern restoration jigsaw has the Cripps Building, stands at the gateway to been the conversion of the School of the new University developments of West Pythagoras, that dates from the later part Cambridge and North-West Cambridge. of the twelfth century, into the College We therefore have tremendous opportunities Archive Centre, which you can read about to ensure that our students and Fellows feel on page 14. The stunning refurbishment of at the heart of the intellectual life of the the oldest building in any Cambridge or University, and that they have the best Oxford college has just been recognised by possible access to all its departments and the receipt of this year’s award for the best facilities. As in so many other ways, this restoration of any building in the Cambridge exercise shows that the College is looking region. This marks an astonishing double firmly into the future, as well as being deeply act, as last year’s award was also received by proud of its heritage. the College, in that case for the splendid reconstruction of the Old Divinity School, St John’s is, however, a great deal more than opposite the Great Gate, which is rapidly its buildings – indeed the College is becoming one of the most photographed fundamentally the whole community of buildings in Cambridge. students, Fellows, Teaching and Research Associates, alumni and, of course, staff. We As well as congratulating our recently retired are currently putting great emphasis on Domestic Bursar, Commodore John Harris, bringing this community ever closer on his part in revitalising so many of the together to promote yet further our core College buildings, it is appropriate to objectives, not least of which is ensuring that congratulate his successor, Mark Wells, we can attract and support those students on a very auspicious beginning to his time with the greatest potential for the future, here. He is leading a new venture, the regardless of their background or development of a long-term ‘estates strategy’, circumstances. It is our overriding aim to to ensure we have the facilities we need to ensure that the College is ‘needs-blind’ in its achieve our academic aims and ambitions for admissions policy for undergraduate and the foreseeable future. We are increasingly graduate students, along with ensuring that THE EAGLE 2015 | 9 CONTENTS & MESSAGES all those we admit have ready access to the have elected Dr Frank Salmon to this resources they need to flourish in all their extremely important position, and I am activities and ambitions whilst at St John’s. looking forward immensely to working with The astonishing response to our long- him in the future. running campaign to raise bursary funding shows that this message has deep-rooted The impact of the recent initiatives taken by appeal to Johnians of all generations, and our the College on the academic front has been next major fundraising exercise will have at evident in many ways, not least in the its heart the ambition and determination to examination results of our undergraduates. be even more supportive of our current and Last year I expressed pride in the fact that potential students, in the light of continuing 25 per cent of our students were placed in funding challenges.