Trinity College Oxford Report 2008 5485 Cover:S4493 Cover 24/10/08 14:19 Page 2
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5485_cover:S4493_cover 24/10/08 14:19 Page 1 Trinity College Oxford Report 2008 5485_cover:S4493_cover 24/10/08 14:19 Page 2 The 2008 Tennis Team —Division I Champions— with the President. Back, left to right: Sam Halliday, Fred Burgess, Russell Jackson. Front: Oliver Plant (Capt.), Sir Ivor Roberts, Matthew Johnston 5485_text:S4493_inner 27/10/08 11:38 Page 1 Trinity College Oxford | Report 2008 | 1 CONTENTS THE TRINITY COMMUNITY .................. 2 JUNIOR MEMBERS .............................. 59 President’s Report ..................................................................... 2 JCR Report................................................................................ 59 The Governing Body ............................................................... 4 MCR Report.............................................................................. 60 News of the Governing Body ................................................... 6 The 2008 Commemoration Ball ............................................... 61 Members of Staff ...................................................................... 11 Clubs and Societies .................................................................. 62 Staff News................................................................................. 13 Blues.......................................................................................... 70 Degrees, Schools Results and Awards 2008............................. 15 ARTICLES AND REVIEWS ..................... 71 THE COLLEGE YEAR ............................ 18 ‘A Gryphon Rampant’............................................................... 71 by Richard Incledon Alumni and Development Office Report.................................. 18 ‘Courting Success: The History of Tennis at Trinity’ .............. 72 Benefactors Hilary and Trinity Terms 2008 ............................. 20 by Matthew Johnston Garden Report........................................................................... 25 ‘A Tortoises’ Tea Party’ ............................................................ 78 Buildings Report ....................................................................... 26 by Linora Lawrence Library Report........................................................................... 28 Book Review............................................................................. 81 The Old Library Cataloguing Project ....................................... 31 Degree Days.............................................................................. 81 Archive Report.......................................................................... 34 Editor’s Note ............................................................................. 82 OBITUARIES ........................................ 38 Derek Steel................................................................................ 38 Albert Greenwood .................................................................... 38 Frank Bush ................................................................................ 41 Members of College.................................................................. 42 Cover photograph by Paul Lawrence, Head Gardener 5485_text:S4493_inner 27/10/08 11:38 Page 2 2 | Trinity College Oxford | Report 2008 THE TRINITY COMMUNITY PRESIDENT’S REPORT The academic year which has just finished brought us 25 Firsts and once again a place in the top half of the fabled Norrington Table. Not quite as good as last year’s stellar performance, but still a very t is a relief to report that after two years of often intense impressive feat, which reflects on the quality of our teaching fellows Iinternecine squabbling, the University has moved into calmer and the hard work of our undergraduates. It is quite sobering for waters. The arguments over governance, if they have not gone away, someone who was an undergraduate in the 1960s like me to note that have at least been conducted with greater decorum and the all but eight of current finalists got a First or 2.1. These impressive perpetually divisive issue of money, how to divide up the money figures ought to counterbalance the Brideshead image of Oxford from the Government between the University and the Colleges, has regularly revisited by the media of our students as champagne- finally been resolved, largely as a result of the work of a group of swilling, plovers’ egg-eating and teddy bear carrying. Unfortunately College Heads without central University interference. The Vice- a new film of Brideshead Revisited is about to appear to give a new Chancellor, John Hood, is standing down at the end of this academic generation a picture of Oxford decadence at a time when we are year to make way for the current Provost of Yale, Andrew Hamilton, investing an enormous amount of effort in ensuring that no one is a distinguished chemist and a highly successful figure at Yale. He deterred from applying to Oxford on any other ground than lack of will come to Oxford as the University’s mega-campaign Oxford intellectual ability. The list of University Prizes won by Trinitarians Thinking, which has grabbed the headlines and which only those in is on page 17. the Fens could ignore, is fully in its stride. An attempt to raise £1.25 billion as a minimum, not a target, may sound ambitious in these We were saddened by the death earlier in the year of Albert doom-laden economic times, but by dint of including benefactions Greenwood, the former SCR steward. His name is extremely well from the quiet period before the campaign was officially launched, known to many generations of Old Members. Another wrench for the University has already reached the half-way mark. As I hope will the college is the departure of Peter Carey, who has spent 42 years have been evident from the literature you have already received, this as an undergraduate, graduate and fellow at Trinity. We cannot but is a combined University and collegiate effort. Giving to the College wish him well as he takes up an exciting new post in Indonesia counts towards the general target, as of course do contributions to working for a charity. It speaks volumes for his boundless energy University institutions. Trinity’s own targets are to endow bursaries that he is able to take on such a daunting task as a second career after for needy students, to secure fellowships, which University funds so many years in his first. Several members of the fellowship have often cannot now provide, and to continue our Forth Bridge distinguished themselves, Peter Read has been honoured by the activities in maintaining and improving the buildings of Trinity and Royal Meteorological Society in recognition of his inter- if possible to provide a new one. I am very conscious of how much disciplinary research contribution, while Justin Wark was one of a space is at a premium on the main College site. We are as a college team awarded a prize for research on high energy density science as remarkably lucky in the generosity of our Old Members but it would a recognition for outstanding research involving collaboration with make an enormous difference if we could encourage a higher Japan. Martin Kemp is finally leaving the Fellowship after eleven proportion of Old Members to support us. At present 18 per cent of years as a highly successful and high profile Professor of the History Old Members whose details we have do so. Some colleges have of Art. Although his successor Craig Clunas has already been with managed to move up to around 30 per cent, which is beginning to us a year, Martin has stayed on to assist with the Research approach US proportions (Harvard, Yale and Princeton manage Assessment Exercise. In our annual rotation, the Fellowship loses a between 41 and 60 per cent). Junior Research Fellow, in this case Alexandra Olaya-Castro, who 5485_text:S4493_inner 27/10/08 11:38 Page 3 Trinity College Oxford | Report 2008 | 3 has won a five-year fellowship grant to be held at UCL, and gains a home in the next few months. I will be meeting Old Members in new one, Philip Booth, who will be researching Classics and Spain in October and those in the south-west and north-west of Christianity in the Therapeutic Culture of early Byzantium. England in the autumn. I have also attended over the last year a series of smaller functions, allowing me to meet Old Members and Trinity’s small size proved no barrier to sporting success this year. to discuss with them in greater depth what the College is doing and The women’s joint soccer team with LMH won cuppers, while the what they can do to help. rugby team has now bifurcated. Some are playing jointly with LMH, but there is in addition an all-Trinity rugby team which has entered We mark on 29 January 2009 the 450th anniversary of the death of the league at the bottom of the table, but is set to rise dramatically. our Founder. No doubt Sir Thomas Pope would be amazed at the The Trinity tennis team won the 2008 league championship title in changes but I think he would be proud of the way so many of his their first season in the top division, being unbeaten for the second ‘flock’ have fostered the sense of a community which projects its year running. This is a wonderful achievement for a team which learning in the wider world and retains an affection for the College entered the bottom division in 2001 and managed four promotions and each other way beyond student days. in seven seasons. The boat club had mixed fortunes in Summer Eights, but their enthusiasm and commitment is compelling. Numbers participating