Bourne in Oxford

GREEN TEMPLETON COLLEGE | GTC MAGAZINE 2009 14 | 15 BOURNE IN OXFORD: NATIVE SON HELPS BOLSTER HISTORIC MERGER As rockets blasted across the border between Israel and Gaza late PROFILE last year and peace in the Middle East seemed once again like a faraway fantasy, former US President Jimmy Carter slipped easily into the role of elder statesman, traveling to the war-ravaged area and beseeching both sides toward the negotiating table. t was that unrelenting faith in the fragile cease-fire. Bourne’s 1997 and where he has made his American power of moral leadership that biography of Carter remains one of home base since 1976, Bourne said led one of Carter’s oldest and the more comprehensive takes on the Green-Templeton merger, a first dearest friends, Dr Peter Bourne, the second oldest-living US president for the University, was a unique I to urge him to make his first run and he works regularly with The opportunity for two communities to for president. Carter Center at Emory University in come together in a way where the Atlanta, an institution where Bourne sum would become greater than its Bourne plays down the role his family connections run deep. individual parts. “You can sense that 10-page missive played in history, already,” he says. but Carter, taking a short break from It’s that shared commitment to his still grueling travel schedule to social change that draws 69-year-old Returning full circle chat about Bourne in February, says Bourne to a range of educational Bourne’s birth in Oxford in 1939 it absolutely formed the core of his posts, most notably as Vice marked what would become a deep successful 1976 bid. Chancellor Emeritus of St. George’s connection with the University. The University in Grenada, West Indies, son of a third-generation Australian, “He was the first person to Chairman of the Board of Medical he was born at the now-closed suggest I run for president, fall Education Cooperation with Cuba Radcliffe Infirmary on campus. of 1972,” Carter says. “It was (MEDICC) and as an Honorary Visiting His father was working toward a from that memorandum that Fellow at Green Templeton College, doctorate in physiology at Oxford our campaign was based.” Oxford University. He began his at the time. After World War II, the relationship with the former Green Bourne family left Oxford for London From that auspicious beginning grew College in 2003 and as the learning and then eventually the United a political collaboration and deep community grew – most notably Kingdom entirely, with Bourne who friendship that continues to this with its 2008 merger with Templeton studied at the Dragon School in day. Despite their accomplishments College – so has Bourne’s role. He North Oxford and Whitgift College in — Bourne is a noted physician, has signed on to serve as chair of the Croydon following his family to the biographer, author and international College’s North American Alumni ➔ United States. In 1962 he earned a GTC Honorary civil servant — you could just as Council. medical degree from Emory, where Visiting Fellow Peter easily catch the two men fishing for Bourne has had an Speaking recently at his historic his father had become the chairman trout on Bourne’s ancient Roman outstanding career in DuPont Circle home, a part of of the anatomy department. farm in Wales than discussing the politics Washington, DC’s so-called ‘Old City’, latest public health initiative or continued overleaf GREEN TEMPLETON COLLEGE | GTC MAGAZINE 2009 16 | 17 ➔ In conversation with President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office ➔ He received a master’s degree in a global campaign to eradicate Guinea In 1995, as an Advisor on Foreign Policy Peter Bourne at home At ten o’clock the next morning we Among all those achievements, his skill Film: Cuba and the Quest for Global anthropology from Stanford University worm, a major public health problem to former presidential candidate and in DuPont Circle, were driven to one of the presidential as a wordsmith is often overlooked, Health’, a look at the near-miraculous Washington DC in 1969, also completing a residency in in Africa that comes from drinking New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, palaces and ushered past an array Carter says. “Peter, first of all, is a superb Cuban medical education system, psychiatry there. water infected with the parasite, Bourne accompanied him to Baghdad of guards and sentries dressed in writer,” Carter says. “When he is writing which churns out highly-trained which matures into a worm inside the to win the release of two American flamboyant traditional Iraqi costumes.” a book he writes almost a final version doctors with a fraction of the resources Bourne shares a passion for engaging body and emerges through the skin, aerospace workers who had mistakenly as a first draft.” of wealthy nations. the wider world with his wife Dr Mary All was going well, Bourne writes, until sometimes reaching lengths of three wandered into Iraq from Kuwait under E King, an award-winning author, Saddam noticed Richardson’s casual Something that is particularly useful That same commitment to feet. In 1985 he convinced President Saddam Hussein’s reign. professor, scholar and peace activist. style of seating, with one arm over the when it comes to the unfettered transforming public health is shared by Carter to put his prestige behind the They divide their time between DC, Bourne details some of their back of the chair and legs crossed. medium of blogging, to which Bourne Green Templeton, which by merging eradication campaign. Oxford and Wales, where they run a adventures on his web site, has taken with the enthusiasm of a two colleges creates a powerful successful llama breeding operation Dr Anders Seim, the Harvard-educated www.petergbourne.co.uk. “Suddenly Saddam got up digital native. nexus between their former singular in Tregaron. head of the Norwegian non- Richardson, fresh from the strengths of medicine and business. and left the room. A nervous His site can read at times like a spy governmental organization Health and unexpected withdrawal of his name A slight and soft-spoken man, Bourne aide quickly explained that thriller, which he winks to as he briefly Bourne is particularly proud of the goal Development International, says their for consideration for US Commerce isn’t outwardly boastful of his close this was a formal audience. analyzes his potential as the true-life of bringing an interdisciplinary focus to efforts were helped enormously when Secretary, declined requests for an relationship with Carter or the role Bill’s lounging posture inspiration for the Bourne series, the human welfare and development to its Bourne agreed to sit on HDI’s board, a interview. of his fateful memo to a relatively was disrespectful and Robert Ludlum books and movie 500 students, all post-graduates. position he still holds. unknown governor of Georgia. Buoyed by success in negotiating the unacceptable,” he writes. franchise. Bourne’s father happened to Students around the world have release of two US helicopter pilots from meet Ludlum and asked him directly, at But his profile quickly grew within long recognized the advantage of “We started with 3.5 million North Korea, Bourne writes, Richardson A shift in posture and plenty of which point Ludlum credited what “he the Carter camp, as did his political interdisciplinary graduate degrees, (infected) people” and now called to ask for help in negotiating the charm helped smooth things over had read and heard about me in the aspirations. He worked as a deputy particularly when it comes to there are just “493 who have release of the two Americans in Iraq, and discussions continued, with one news media,” Bourne writes. “Sadly there campaign manager for Carter in medicine, but that vision isn’t always this disease outside of Ghana David Daliberti and Bill Barloon, who notable moment – in the midst of is no way to copyright your name.” Washington and set up Georgia’s first fostered on the highest levels. and Sudan,” he says. were being detained in the infamous a talk on US-Iraqi relations, Saddam statewide drug treatment program. Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. came perilously close to saying his Passing the torch “Students themselves have always Once Carter was elected, Bourne There was no magic bullet, no vaccine, Bourne’s wife had been executive invasion of Kuwait had been a mistake, There is no medium, it seems, that taken that initiative,” Bourne says, but was appointed Special Assistant to Seim says. “It’s organization. You aren’t director of the US-Iraq Business he writes. Bourne hasn’t found as an intellectual now, at Green Templeton, you have the supposed to be able to do that stuff.” the President for Health Issues – and Forum prior to the first Gulf War and “At the crucial moment,” Bourne writes, outlet for his passions, but his heart institution taking the lead. Director of the Office of Drug Abuse Richardson thought those connections clearly belongs on the Bremia Farms, He describes Bourne as the early leader “he stopped and said ‘Well, that’s There is great potential, he says, in Policy – essentially the nation’s might help. his breeding operation in Wales. of efforts against the disease and another story.’” the types of students drawn to Green first drug ‘czar’. He resigned after a someone who smartly used his role at Discussions dragged but Saddam Bourne is nothing if not a prolific His only regret as he gets older, he says, Templeton, long-appreciated for its prescription drug controversy and in the UN to make a real difference. “It’s a Hussein eventually proffered a deal – writer, authoring over a hundred is that it’s tougher to devote enough diversity.

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