Encaenia 2020
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WEDNESDAY 1 JULY 2020 • SUPPLEMENT (1) TO NO 5282 • VOL 150 Gazette Supplement Encaenia 2020 Congregation 24 June the Guardian delicately put it, ‘Plenty of vigorous campaign and donations from 1 Conferment of Honorary Degrees countries with male leaders have also done local people, visitors and friends of the The annual Encaenia celebrations, due well. But few with female leaders have done museum, of an 1810 oil painting by Turner to take place on Wednesday, 24 June, badly.’ which had been there only on loan for were cancelled because of the COVID-19 many years. ‘One of the most beautiful So, while we modestly celebrate, and pandemic. Those who were due to receive streets in Europe’, said the Ashmolean, with ponder, our place in the world and our honorary degrees in 2020 (see Gazette No justifable pride. There were naturally no chequered history, this year saw no 5266, 13 February 2020, p248) will instead buses in this most serene of townscapes, celebratory fanfare by a gifted Oxford be honoured in June 2021. no bars to trafc, for there was no trafc, composer, no display of Oxford’s not even bicycles. But Turner did add, 2 Encaenia distinguished choral achievements in ‘for colour’ we were told, some gowned the musical interludes ut nos delectarent, Encaenia also commemorates the members of the University ofset by no Latin eulogies on our guests or proud benefactors of the University through the townspeople and clergy. It was hardly public recognition of our own student Creweian Oration. The text of this year’s imaginable that anything comparable prize-winners, or celebrations of our Oration by the Public Orator, although not would ever be observable these two sporting achievements (instead we praise delivered live in the Sheldonian, is given hundred and more years later, at least the sure-footed and efective strategy of below: during waking daylight hours, but for weeks pitch of a Manchester United striker), no on end we have experienced an unearthly, Harum memoria et recordatio in maximis Encaenia lunch or garden party, and no to most of us unsettling, serenity in that nostris gravissimis curis iucunda sane communal singing of the national anthem same street – hardly a don or clergyman fuit. In this 351st year of the Sheldonian and much-needed reminder of the words or townsperson in sight, and certainly no Theatre, and something like that of the of verse 2. No, experts have told us that gowns. The photographer’s delight, maybe Creweian Oration itself, ceremonies have singing involves breathing in and out, and – camera in hand one morning in April I been mothballed, the orator unable to stand that brings danger. But some hymning of met the then outgoing Senior Proctor, also above those strange fasces in the Proctor’s our friends and benefactors is to be done camera in hand – but in the end surely too Box to pose the risky request: Honoratissime nevertheless, this being a primary purpose much of a good thing, and whatever of Domine Cancellarie, licetne Anglice loqui? of the Creweian, and I promise to ‘do my Cecil Rhodes’s actions and achievements Always a tense moment, this, at which a best’. may be lauded or deplored, we must more conservative Chancellor could one Meanwhile monuments and artefacts keep acknowledge his function in ‘re-enlivening day decide, and require his orator, to infict us in mind of human history. Our museums the High Street’, and his ongoing obligation a long Latin lesson on those assembled, as have kept faith and ‘virtual’ contact with to focus our minds on improving both our was once customary. Hence the precaution us, while inside them civilisations reside knowledge of history and our record of of introductory Latin words borrowed (and in steadfast and exemplary coexistence, equal opportunities for all. That will be a feminised) from Cicero, for we have also subject to occasional new arrivals and legacy ‘more enduring than bronze’, one been deprived of the company of our eight therewith to enhancement of their deeply that ‘will not wholly die’. distinguished honorandae – happily we pluralist communities. This year the plan to welcome them properly in 2021– This must be the moment, then, to thank Sarikhanis, a family we know well and who were to help us celebrate another Mother Nature respectfully for the lives and greatly esteem as patrons of the Ashmolean, Sheldonian anniversary, this hundredth achievements of so many of our friends and have through a signifcant donation made year since women frst collected degrees in colleagues who passed away over the last possible a re-display of the Ancient Near that fne building. twelve months. I call to mind John Gardner, East Art collection. Using a ‘research- Sir Michael Howard, Stephen Cretney and ‘To recall their memory’, says the led approach’ (what else?) the museum Myles Burnyeat, former Fellows of All Souls; transitioned Latin, ‘in the midst of the now plans, in its own words, to make the Wilfred Beckerman, Jasper Grifn and great anxieties of the present has been a collection more accessible and relevant to a Stefano Zachetti of Balliol; Sir Roger Scruton pleasant relief,’ while gender this year is broader audience. of Blackfriars; Peter Sinclair and Sir Fergus noticed in many other arenas, not least Three years ago we welcomed the Millar of Brasenose; Peter Warner of Exeter; the international and epidemiological. As Ashmolean’s acquisition, through a a joint male–female-authored article in 463 464 University of Oxford Gazette • Supplement (1) to No 5282 • 1 July 2020 Sir John Houghton of Jesus; Keble’s former much debate and comment around the remember that in the past the democratic Warden George Richardson and Fellows University; let it stand on record that for a process has been an available, and then Steve Rayner, Jim Grifn and Bryan Magee; brief time we had an embryonic Collegium in by and by a dispensable, path towards Cathy Oakes, Fellow of Kellogg; Margery Ord Via Paradisi. dictatorship and oppression. of Lady Margaret Hall; Linacre’s Rom Harré, Names are often impermanent, but there It was a danger my father, himself a refugee Fellow, and Peter Savill, Emeritus Fellow; are continuities, and life goes on. The from tyranny, wanted me to be particularly Lincoln’s former Rector Sir Eric Anderson baby is Reuben ( ), ‘Behold, a boy’, and aware of during his later days, and my and Fellows Elman Poole, Kenneth Sewards- the college is now, consequent upon the earlier days, in England, a country which Shaw, Audrey Tucker and Sir Rex Richards, magnifcent core endowment from the he had seen as a political haven, perhaps sometime our Vice-Chancellor; Sir Jack Reuben Family and Foundation, to be so even a paradise, when he frst came here Baldwin of Magdalen; Peter Dickens of named, no doubt in a happy alliance of in 1935. He was a biophysicist, and he New College; Vernon Butt and John Platt Latin and Hebrew. Artifcial Intelligence, impressed on his students (and his sons) of Pembroke; Brian McGuinness and Machine Learning, Environmental Change the importance of those scientists who Michael Gautrey of The Queen’s College; and Cellular Life will be the benefciaries, applied the most rigorous methods of St Antony’s Fellows Derek Hopwood and not to mention graduate scholars and new mathematics and physics in the felds of Anthony Nicholls; from St Catherine’s colleagues in the college’s fellowship, new biology and medicine. I naturally take great Nelson French, Sir James Gowans and close neighbours – nay, even cohabitant personal interest and pleasure in noting the Michael Shotton; Lesley Forbes of St Cross; partners – to the Radclife Science Library. establishment of a new chair in this subject, Margaret Rayner of St Hilda’s; Donald We needed good news, and here, says the namely the Alexander Mosley Professorship Russell of St John’s; Patrick Fitzgerald and Vice-Chancellor, is a ‘powerful vote of endowed by the Trust of that name, Canon Trevor Williams of Trinity; University confdence in the power of research to solve already a generous friend to the University College’s Brian Loughman and Roy Park; societal problems, and above all, a powerful distinguished by gifts including support of Wadham’s Richard Sharpe; Nick Allen and vote of confdence in the future’. the Physics Clarendon Laboratory and of Philip Lewis of Wolfson; and Norman Stone St Peter’s College and Lady Margaret Hall. of Worcester. The list is distinguished but Lest we be too difdent in registering this sadly long, and yet there will be omissions of vote, we may log in and hear the inaugural One of our honorands, former Secretary of names that have not come to my attention, lecture of our new Alfred Landecker State Madeleine Albright, came to England but I thank our Heads of Houses for their Professor of Values and Public Policy at the with her family in somewhat similar warm commendations of the names I do Blavatnik School of Goverment. And as an conditions, and has written much to warn have. Non omnes morientur. I owe my own overture, listen to the Head of that School us of the kinds of things we heard about special words of afection in remembering remind us of its stated mission. ‘What in that Blavatnik School lecture. We may Donald Russell, one of the world’s leading the school has been built to do’, she says, hope that by the time we receive her in classical scholars, whose kindly humanity ‘is quite simply to improve government, Oxford next June we will have seen more and honest criticism were invaluable to which of course is not simple at all. What clearly that Hell is only one of our possible me and others in our composing of Latin we’re seeking to do is to fnd, to educate, to destinations, at the end of a path not taken.