The St Catharine's College Society Notes
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CONTENTS The Society's President Elect 1998-99 1 Editorial 2 Honours and Awards 3 The Middle Combination and Junior Common Rooms 4 Governing Body 1998/99 5 From the Master 8 Mapping the Universe; Twinning with Geologists in Suriname. I A Lunt 10 Montserrat: Paradise Lost. Dr David Pyle 11 The Society President: No Sinecure. Brian Sweeney; Sinharaja '97. Julia Jones 14 St Catharine's Poets in the Master's Lodge. Francis Warner; St Catharine's Field 15 The College Chapel; The Chapel Choir 17 Faith in Music: Inspiration, Transformation and the Holy Spirit. James MacMillan 18 St Catharine's Howlers 20 Does Parliament Actually Control the Executive ? Rt Hon the Lord Naseby 21 A Forgotten Monk of St Catharine's: John Neville Figgis. Rev'd Dr A Wilkinson 22 Publications 24 Reviews 25 Engagements, Marriages and Births 30 Deaths 31 Obituaries 34 Society Notes 40 Branch News.. 45 Society Seminar; Old Member's Soccer Match 47 Engineers' Reunion; The Cambridge Society; Tom Henn Memorial Lecture 48 Fourth List of Donors 49 Gifts and Bequests; American and Canadian Friends 51 Appointments and Notes 52 University Appointments and Awards 56 Awards and Prizes 57 Matriculations and Postgraduates 1997-98 61 College Staff 63 From the Editor's Desk 64 Art Treasures of England 66 Blues; St Catharine's Athletics Cuppers Winners, 1948-49 67 Clubs 70 Societies 75 The Society and Governing Body Dinners; Where Are They Now? 78 Change of Address; St Catharine's Gild 79 Cover: The College Charter, witnessed in the name of Edward, Prince of Wales on 16th August 1475, and bearing the great seal of King Edward IV. The year against a member's name in the text of the magazine is their year of matriculation or fellowship. St Catharine's College Society Magazine 1 The Society's President-Elect 1998-99 The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Pattie Geoffrey Pattie came up to St Catharine's in 1956 from Durham School to read Law under Dick Gooderson. He was awarded his College athletics colours and threw the discus for the Alverstone Club. Although a card-carrying member of the University Conservative Associa- tion, he preferred to hone his skills for presenta- tion and public speaking by appearing with the Midnight Howlers and the Footlights Revue of 1958 and 1959. On coming down, Geoffrey was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn but he had already decided to enter the advertising business and in 1966 became a Director of Collett Dickenson Pearce and in 1969, Managing Director. He was made a Fellow of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. In addition to being a member of the General Synod of the Church of England from 1970-1975, Geoffrey had been a keen T A soldier serving with what is now the 4th Royal Green Jackets. He is currently the Battalion's Honorary Colonel. Geoffrey fought Barking in 1966 and 1970 and was the Member of Parliament for Chertsey and Walton from 1974 to 1997. He was Minister of State for Defence Procurement from 1983-84 and Minister of State for Industry and Infor- mation Technology 1984-87. He is Marketing Director of GEC plc. In 1997, Geoffrey received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Laws at Sheffield University at the hands of Chancellor Lord Dainton (See Obituaries). St Catharine's Ambassadors (left to right): James Glaze (1955), Cameroon, Angola, Ethiopia; Derek Day (1948), Ethiopia, Canada; Fred Mason (1932), Chile, UN Geneva; Brian Barder (1954), Ethiopia, Poland, Nigeria, Australia; Richard Dales (1961), Zimbabwe; Richard Edis (1962), Mozambique, Tunisia. Taken in Hall after the Society Dinner, 1997. Roy MacLaren (1951) and Tony Hurrell (1945) were at the Dinner but are missing from the photograph. 2 St Catharine's College Society Magazine Editorial The cover illustration of this magazine de- (1885) (see p. 22), great scholar that he was, picts the Royal Charter bearing the great seal of could not be found a fellowship in the thirty Edward IV in which is set forth the legal consti- years between gaining a First in the History tution of this College. Two years earlier, on St Tripos and his death, although he was elected an Catharine's Day 1473, in fulfilment of the vision Honorary Fellow in the latter part of his short and and planning of Robert Woodlark, four Fellows sad life; the Titanic took one corrected proof of and certain Fellow Commoners entered com- a considerable book to the bottom of the sea. Yet mons together, and we are grateful to the London last year, scholars gathered in Oxford to study Branch of the Society for bringing to our atten- his thought, and Dr Wilkinson's contribution in tion this 525th anniversary of the de facto foun- this magazine encourages us to reflect on The dation of the College. We are further indebted to Divine Right of Kings and subsequently, them for their generosity in commissioning an perhaps, on contemporary issues such as the organ work by Robert Saxton (1972), the first status of the monarchy, the constitution of the performance of which will be given by our Organ Upper House in a "Pluralist State", and the basis Scholar, Robert Ainsley, in Chapel after Even- of the democracy of the House of Commons. song on Friday 25th November (see p. 64). A We may be proud that the exhibition Art work of some nine minutes in duration, it Treasures of England: The Regional Collections concludes with a bright "fanfare-like" ending and at the Royal Academy in London owed its patron- promises to be a worthy commemoration of the age to a member of St Catharine's (see p. 66). The anniversary; the manuscript will be presented to Times commented that "The Victorian Patrons the Master at the Dinner on the same evening. tower over this show. They were grandees un- As the second quarter of the College's sixth known and unsung today, because they did not century begins, there are many things to celebrate, inherit their fortunes but earned them, and most of which were far from the Founder's mind. because they gave not to 'the nation', but to that Two outstanding individual sporting achieve- most unfashionable entity, the British city". Art ments of 1998 must surely have been Nick was promoted under the generosity of, for exam- Walne's fiftieth appearance in CURUFC colours, ple, Walker of Liverpool (brewers), Whitworth of gaining him the first St Catharine's inscription on Manchester (screws), and Kay of Stockport the celebrated Honours Board at the University (medicine), and we may be minded to acknowl- rugby ground on Grange Road; and the century edge that the generosity of one of our members scored by Imran Mohammed for CUCC against stands in this tradition, setting a much to be Yorkshire at Headingley in June. Those interested desired new trend into the twenty-first century in the fortunes of the Boat Club will be relieved relating scholarship, culture and the common life. that the men's First VIII in the Mays rowed its way Prior to the exhibition in Piccadilly, the call back into the First Division, making five bumps. of duty had taken one of our younger resident This is the first time they have taken home blades Fellows, Dr David Pyle, to the island of since 1984. Mention must be made also of partic- Montserrat. In his vivid account of this Paradise ular success in Athletics (see pp. 67,68,70). Other Lost he describes searingly hot flows of lava sporting successes are detailed in the College racing towards the sea at up to a hundred miles clubs' reports (see pp. 70-75), which show an hour (see p. 11). As you turn these pages, I healthy participation in every sport of which you think you may find the isles and continents well have heard, and some of which you may not. traversed, and there are many new tales of Academic prowess also keeps pace. Lisa discovery. When the magazine is completed for Geddes received the top mark in the University the year, as I come to read Deaths and Obituaries as a final year Vet. Tom Halahan was top of all (see pp. 31-39), I never cease to be astonished the 125 third year Engineers, and three first how the impact of so short a time here at St years, Joseph Steele, Bethan Cook and Ben Catharine's can shape the priorities and destinies Lehner, similarly topped the University Lists of so many of us so forcefully. This tiny "island in the Geography (78 candidates), Medical/ site" which Robert Woodlark purchased some Veterinary (325 candidates) and Natural Sci- 525 years past and then set aside for us has ences (567 candidates) Triposes respectively. indeed proved a most precious gift. Furthermore, Richard Ayoade was President of John Mullett the Cambridge Footlights last year, and is to be I am often told that some members keep their copy of succeeded by another Cath's man, Kevin Baker. this magazine for relaxed reading over the Christmas holi- days. May I urge those who do so, first to complete the tear- With such successes and honours abound- off slip relating to the Annual General Meeting and Dinner ing, it does us no harm to remember that times (see p. 41). Please note that this year Evensong will begin were not always so good. John Neville Figgis fifteen minutes earlier than usual. St Catharine's College Society Magazine 3 Honours and Awards Andrew, Professor M R (1964) has been appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor of The Queen's University, Belfast, with special responsibility for Planning and Resources.