Postmaster and the Merton Record 2019
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Postmaster & The Merton Record 2019 Merton College Oxford OX1 4JD Telephone +44 (0)1865 276310 www.merton.ox.ac.uk Contents College News Edited by Timothy Foot (2011), Claire Spence-Parsons, Dr Duncan From the Acting Warden......................................................................4 Barker and Philippa Logan. JCR News .................................................................................................6 Front cover image MCR News ...............................................................................................8 St Alban’s Quad from the JCR, during the Merton Merton Sport ........................................................................................10 Society Garden Party 2019. Photograph by John Cairns. Hockey, Rugby, Tennis, Men’s Rowing, Women’s Rowing, Athletics, Cricket, Sports Overview, Blues & Haigh Awards Additional images (unless credited) 4: Ian Wallman Clubs & Societies ................................................................................22 8, 33: Valerian Chen (2016) Halsbury Society, History Society, Roger Bacon Society, 10, 13, 36, 37, 40, 86, 95, 116: John Cairns (www. Neave Society, Christian Union, Bodley Club, Mathematics Society, johncairns.co.uk) Tinbergen Society 12: Callum Schafer (Mansfield, 2017) 14, 15: Maria Salaru (St Antony’s, 2011) Interdisciplinary Groups ....................................................................32 16, 22, 23, 24, 80: Joseph Rhee (2018) Ockham Lectures, History of the Book Group 28, 32, 99, 103, 104, 108, 109: Timothy Foot (2011) Departments ........................................................................................36 30, 31, 54: Henry Grub (2016) The Chapel, The Choirs, The Library, The Archives, Development 34, 35: Yegor Grebnev and Alumni Relations, Schools Liaison and Access, Domestic 42, 43, 46: Julian Reid Bursary, Academic Office, The Gardens 50: Charlotte Fields (2017) 56, 57: Sophie Walwin 58, 59, 60, 61: © Studio Edmark, Oxford Hail to New Fellows ........................................................................... 58 61: Elias Nosrati 62, 101, 126, 128, 130, 234: Claire Spence-Parsons 64, 76: © Gillman & Soame (order online at gsimagebank.co.uk/merton/t/ay5fze2019) 84: Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey (2011) 118, 119: Quantized Pixels (OxfordNA) 121: Louise Brown 124, 125: Vanessa Hack 132: Chelsea Chisholm 192: © Bryan Organ 193: © The University of Exeter 196: © UK Parliament (CC-BY 3.0) 221: © St Catherine’s College, Oxford Download a digital copy of Postmaster www.merton.ox.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/publications Unless indicated, content is correct as of 30 August 2019. Features Records Welcome to the Warden-Elect .........................................................62 The Warden & Fellows 2018-19 ...................................................... 96 Helen Barron (Supernumerary Fellow) interviews the Warden-Elect, Professor Irene Tracey (1985) Elections, Honours & Appointments ........................................... 100 Mertonians in… Sustainability .........................................................68 New Students 2018 ............................................................................101 Four Mertonians reflect on their careers in sustainability Undergraduate Leavers 2019 ...........................................................103 Emperor Naruhito of Japan at Merton ...........................................76 Timothy Foot (2011) tells us about Emperor Naruhito’s time at the Undergraduate Results, Awards & Prizes 2018-19 .....................104 College Graduate Leavers 2018-19 ...............................................................108 Immigration and Politics ....................................................................78 Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado (Fellow) reflects on the relationship Graduate Results, Awards & Prizes 2018-19 ................................109 between immigration and political debate College Staff ........................................................................................110 Berkeley Day at Merton ....................................................................80 Publications .........................................................................................112 Writer and broadcaster Tony Scotland gives an account of Lennox Berkeley’s (1922) time at Merton and the recent celebration of his Mertonians music The Merton Society ...........................................................................116 Lost, Little Known and Unbuilt Merton (16) ................................. 82 Alan Bott (1953) takes a look at the summerhouses of Fellows’ Garden MC3: Merton College Charitable Corporation .............................118 Afghan Women’s Orchestra Oxford Residency ........................... 84 Alumni Groups and Events ..............................................................120 Dr Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey (2011) tells us about Ensemble Zohra, Merton Golf Society, Town & Gown, Merton Lawyers’ Association, Afghanistan’s only all-girls orchestra Merton in the City, Merton Mathematics Reunion Day, Merton Society London Lecture, 1959 Reunion, 1968 Reunion Book Reviews ......................................................................................86 News of Old Members .......................................................................134 In Memoriam In Memoriam....................................................................................... 192 Former Warden: Sir Rex Richards; Honorary Fellow: Sir Peter Tapsell; Former Fellows and Lecturers: Professor John Black, Dr David Pattison, Professor George Rigg; Former Registrar of the University: Dr Geoffrey Caston Events Forthcoming Events ..........................................................................234 FROM THE ACTING In my year as Acting Warden I haveWARDEN enjoyed meeting about my research over dinner in the august surroundings Mertonians of many generations. The incoming of Lambeth Palace at the Merton Society London Dinner. undergraduates were excited, those on course resolute Spending time with so many of you, students of the present and the graduands cheerful. Rightly so, as they have taken and students of the past, and hearing how much the College us back to the top of the Norrington table. The graduate means to you has been the most pleasurable part of the job. students ranged from those newly arrived from all parts of the globe and setting out on intriguing projects across the Our Fellows have continued to make world-leading span of human knowledge to those completing doctorates, contributions to research and scholarship. Many, as you heading off to new challenges and often winning prizes on will read, have been rewarded with medals, prizes and other the way. Undergraduates and graduates alike contributed awards. The College’s remarkable representation in the to the year’s sporting successes, as the Merton team won membership of learned societies expanded further with the Athletics Cuppers, two men’s eights won blades in Torpids elections of Vincenzo Cerundolo, Véronique Gouverneur, and the women’s first boat won blades in Eights Week for Andrew King, Anant Parekh and Tim Softley as Fellows the first time in 20 years. of the Royal Society and of Béla Novák as a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. One particularly I have met alumni who joined the College 60 years and newsworthy achievement was the first use of gene 50 years ago, those here more recently who have come therapy surgery for age-related macular degeneration, the to Gaudies and those who brought their families to the commonest cause of untreatable blindness in the developed Merton Society’s sunny garden party. I have travelled to world, by Robert MacLaren and Peter Charbel Issa. meet Mertonians in Boston, Toronto and Washington and received the warmest of welcomes. A surprising number of A stimulating novelty in the life of the College has been the alumni were even patient enough to listen to me talking inauguration of our scheme for Research Fellowships in the 4 Creative Arts. This year two painters in succession, Rebecca meet many students and had no need to imitate his medieval Fortnum and Kieran Stiles, have occupied the summerhouse predecessors in telling the College to pull its socks up. This in the garden, now freed from its role as a music room by autumn we are greeting with flying flags and peals of bells arden the construction of the music practice rooms in St Albans the formal enthronement of a Mertonian Emperor of Japan. W Quad. As well as pursuing independent projects, they have In July we were sad to hear of the death of Sir Rex Richards, created works related to the College, portrait drawings of Warden from 1969 to 1984. A fuller tribute appears on page CTING the younger Fellows and views of the garden. They have 193, but those of us who remember his wardenship will know A also led us in thinking about art and its social contexts and how well he served the College, combining outstanding HE T in practical workshops much enjoyed by students and staff. scholarly achievement with humane leadership. Next year we shall welcome three poets and novelists and OM we look forward to their company. As I write we are preparing to welcome Professor Irene R Tracey as our new Warden. This edition of Postmaster | F We have continued to raise support for graduate scholarships includes an interview with her, which I hope will make clear EWS to equip the ablest students to study here whatever their why the Fellows are delighted that she