Postmaster & the Merton Record 2017
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Postmaster & The Merton Record 2017 Merton College Oxford OX1 4JD Telephone +44 (0)1865 276310 www.merton.ox.ac.uk Contents College News Features Records Edited by Merton in Numbers ...............................................................................4 A long road to a busy year ..............................................................60 The Warden & Fellows 2016-17 .....................................................108 Claire Spence-Parsons, Duncan Barker, The College year in photos Dr Vic James (1992) reflects on her most productive year yet Bethany Pedder and Philippa Logan. Elections, Honours & Appointments ..............................................111 From the Warden ..................................................................................6 Mertonians in… Media ........................................................................64 Six Merton alumni reflect on their careers in the media New Students 2016 ............................................................................ 113 Front cover image Flemish astrolabe in the Upper Library. JCR News .................................................................................................8 Merton Cities: Singapore ...................................................................72 Undergraduate Leavers 2017 ............................................................ 115 Photograph by Claire Spence-Parsons. With MCR News .............................................................................................10 Kenneth Tan (1986) on his home city and its best-kept secrets thanks to Dr Petra Hofmann and Emma Sillett. Undergraduate Results, Awards & Prizes 2016-17 .....................116 Merton Sport .........................................................................................12 Squash, Croquet, Karting, Hockey, Rugby, Rowing, Tennis, Blues & Spybiotech – the Secret to Next-Generation Vaccines .............. 74 Graduate Leavers 2016-17 ................................................................120 Additional images Professor Simon Draper on his biomedical spinout company 4, 5, 6, 45, 48, 56-59, 106, 113, 121, 127, 130: Haigh Awards Graduate Results, Awards & Prizes 2016-17 ................................. 121 John Cairns (www.johncairns.co.uk) Finding Hope in an Egyptian Mud-Brick Village ...........................76 Clubs & Societies ...............................................................................20 In a follow-up to his 2014 Postmaster article Dr David Salter (1975) 4: Des Dubber Biology Society, Chalcenterics, English Society, Neave Society, reports on encouraging developments in Egypt College Staff ....................................................................................... 122 4: Ryan Lothian History Society, Mathematics Society, Poetry Society, Roger Bacon Publications .........................................................................................124 5, 34: Gwyneth Hanson Society, Bodley Club, Christian Union Highfield Remembered .......................................................................80 5, 42, 50, 116: Dan Paton (www.danpaton.net) Emeritus Fellow Philip Waller pays tribute to Dr Roger Highfield Mertonians 12, 16, 17, 24, 28, 118: Bertie Beor-Roberts (2014) Interdisciplinary Groups ...................................................................30 Ockham Lectures, History of the Book Max at Merton ....................................................................................86 19: Roy (flickr CC BY-NC 2.0) In honour of Dr Roger Highfield, a special reproduction of his 1960 The Merton Society ............................................................................131 27: Catherine Hale (2011) Departments ........................................................................................34 feature on Beerbohm 29: Daniel Kim Schools Liaison and Access, The Library, The Chapel, The Choir, The MC3........................................................................................................132 30: Anders Sandberg (flickr CC BY-NC 2.0) Gardens, The Archives, Development, Academic Office, Bursary Baker Remembered .............................................................................90 Alumni groups and events ...............................................................134 31: Valerian Chen (2016) Professor Michael Baker, as remembered by Mark Newton (1986) Merton Lawyers’ Association, Merton Golf Society, Merton in 32-33: Emma Sillett Hail to New Fellows ............................................................................56 Manhattan, 2017 Oxford Town and Gown, Merton in the City, 1966 Suez Demonstration in 1956: a Mertonian’s Tale .........................94 Reunion 37: Cathy Lewis (www.cathylewisphotos.com) Richard Thomas (1956) on his eventful matriculation year 38: Colin Dunn (Scriptura Ltd) News of Old Members ......................................................................140 40, 44: The Anglican Centre in Rome Nine Centuries of Merton History ................................................. 96 47: Charlie Hopkinson David Greene (1958) examines the history of Merton Priory In Memoriam 54, 55: Simon Cope Lost, Little Known and Unbuilt Merton (14) ................................. 98 57, 64, 70, 132, 133: Todd Photography Alan Bott (1953) looks at the historical footprint of Merton’s Gardens Tributes and obituaries ....................................................................196 65: Caroline Furneaux 72: Hak Liang (flickr CC BY-NC 2.0) Farewell to Dave ............................................................................... 100 Events Much-loved College barman, Dave Hedges, bows out 94: Jo Naylor (flickr CC BY-NC 2.0) Forthcoming Events ......................................................................... 226 110, 120: John Rux Burton 138: Louise Brown Book Reviews .....................................................................................102 You can download a digital copy of Postmaster online at http://www.merton.ox.ac.uk/alumni- and-friends/publications Merton in Numbers Regatta win for the1 Countries visited by7 on the Norrington Table New lift in Patey’s Quad1 women’s crew the Warden New Fellows7 Merton Society events16 Fellows receiving Honours26 Publications by Mertonians39 University prizes17 Blues and Half Blues19 Guest speakers21 and Appointments gifted to the Library Outreach events in College53 Services sung 120by the College Choirs New students156 JCR members286 Meals served in Hall300 daily MCR members310 Plant species in1,500 Gardens achievements. Sir Andrew Wiles (1971) received the Copley Closer to home we are on the cusp of change at Merton and Medal for his proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. The medal was have had exciting improvements in College – including the first awarded in 1731 and when you see who has won in the new music practice rooms, lights in Chapel, and conservation past – Einstein and Gauss – it truly places him amongst the on the stained glass in the Upper Library. We have most greats. This is the second time in three years that a Mertonian recently had a wonderful addition to the perfectly coherent has won the medal, an almost unheard of feat. Professor style of Merton’s old buildings: the new lift to Hall looks Hugh Watkins has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society superb and is a great facility, marking a very significant for his work on the genetic basis of inherited heart diseases. addition to the College and illustrating our forward Moreover, Professorial Fellow Ulrike Tillmann, already an thinking. We have also had significant change in College FRS, has been elected as a member of the Leopoldina, the in terms of people and have welcomed new colleagues in German National Academy of Sciences. It is truly a fantastic the Development Office, Academic Office, Conference and time for Merton – we seem to be getting a Fellow of the Events Office and elsewhere: already their impact is felt in Royal Society elected every year at the moment, typifying our activities. For the next year we will be undertaking a size and shape discussion, assessing the teaching needs and our excellence as an institution. Extending this achievement THE WARDEN NEWS | FROM COLLEGE to the humanities, we were delighted that our new Merton student needs. The results of this will inform our strategy Professor of English Literature, Lorna Hutson, was elected for the next few years and will link my Wardenship with that a Fellow of the British Academy. We have also heard great of Merton’s incoming Warden. Together we will build on the news about medical firsts and breakthroughs, one of which momentum of these past few years to ensure that Merton is featured later in this edition in Dr Simon Draper’s article continues sustaining excellence. Unusually, IFROM have to begin with very sad news, THE the deaths of its firstWARDEN year topped with a performance at the Passiontide about his spinout company, SpyBiotech. As we welcome two of our Emeritus Fellows, Dr Roger Highfield and Professor Festival in April, a wonderful example of the community eight new Fellows to the fold we know that this excellence Sir Martin Taylor FRS Michael Baker. Roger Highfield was beloved by the entire outreach in which Merton is firmly invested. will prosper in the years to come. Merton Family. To paraphrase Dr Steve Gunn (Fellow; 1979) – Roger was the man who gave modern Merton its sense of As ever, our students have outdone themselves academically But it is not just here at Merton that our community