Jesus College, Cambridge 1988-2018 by Professor Jean Bacon and Dr Jim Roseblade
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jesus college • cambridge 2019 one hundred and FiFTeenTh annual reporT jesus college • cambridge 2019 one hundred and FiFTeenTh annual reporT The wood engravings in this edition have been specially created for the Annual Report by the British artist Ian Stephens copYrighT This publication is protected by international copyright law. all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without the prior permission of the copyright holders, except in accordance with the provisions of the copyright, designs and patents act 1988. contents message from the Vice-master 5 introducing our new master 7 a Farewell to professor ian White and margaret 11 Fellows and other senior members 2018-2019 13 articles in care of the state Véronique Mottier 21 could an ai machine Write a novel? John Cornwell 24 The remarkable reverend john eliot James Rudolph 27 real avant-garde Rod Mengham 30 crucial cereals and sustainable development goals Shailaja Fennell 32 student signatures: part ii Robert Athol 35 a life in the day of our college receptionist and Fellows’ secretary Haidee Carpenter 39 college news people 43 art at jesus 2018-2019 48 The chapel 52 chapel music 55 The libraries and archives 58 books and articles by members and old members of the college donated to the libraries 2018-2019 63 The intellectual Forum 66 science & human dimension project – science Fiction and artificial intelligence 68 bursary 72 development and alumni relations office 75 societies 81 sports clubs 97 members’ news people 119 births 122 marriages and civil partnerships 122 obituaries 125 awards & results 157 jesus college cambridge society (jccs) 169 college history archbishop Thomas cranmer – a Further note Peter Glazebrook 175 Photo: Jamie Andersen Photography message From The Vice-masTer I Jesus College Annual Report 2019 5 message from the Vice-master any cambridge colleges have m permanent Vice-masters, Vice- principals or Vice-presidents, but in jesus the office of Vice-master only comes into existence in periods when the mastership is vacant or the master is unable to serve. my time in this role bridges the gap between ian White’s departure at the end of lent term 2019 to take up the position of Vice-chancellor and president of the university of bath and the arrival of the new master, sonita alleyne, in michaelmas. by the terms of the college statutes the Vice-master ‘exercises and performs all the functions and duties of the master and has all the powers and authorities of the master (except the right of occupying the master’s lodge)’. When i was elected Vice-master, i was honoured, and not a little daunted, by the fact that the Fellows of jesus had entrusted these powers and authorities to me. i was happy enough not to live in the lodge, particularly so since the break in occupancy allowed the college’s maintenance team to do some much-needed repairs and renovations. nothing, however, had quite prepared me for what the functions and duties of a master actually entail. i was expecting to chair committees and attend numerous dinners, but found that the job also involved such delights as walking in a procession of heads of house to King’s college chapel, presenting awards to choristers in the jesus choir and opening the batting in the annual staff v. Fellows cricket match. after one term in the role i am still reeling from the experience, amazed how much my predecessor managed to do while he was master (i had evidently been given the powers of a master but not the super-powers of professor White). i was fortunate to find the college flourishing when i took up office. The fabric of the college has been further enhanced by the construction of a new porters’ lodge, which combines the position and character of the old lodge with modern facilities and student pigeon-holes large enough to receive small parcels as well as letters. plans for the major redevelopment of the college kitchens are well advanced, together with a proposal for repurposing of the Forum building to enable temporary dining halls for 18 months from june 2020 while the work takes place. The new kitchens promise to be the most sustainable and energy efficient of any oxford or cambridge college, with heating and cooling provided through ground-source heat pumps. The kitchen project will also improve access to hall and upper hall for those requiring step-free access. colleges are about much more than buildings. it was very gratifying during my six months of office to see the achievements of a wide range of jesuans, although here i can only single out a few. We were delighted that, among the Fellows, professor anna Vignoles was awarded a cbe in the Queen’s birthday honours, dr rachel 6 message From The Vice-masTer I Jesus College Annual Report 2019 evans and professor cecilia mascolo won major grants from the european research council, and seven were promoted in the university’s senior academic promotions round. a number of Fellows have new appointments which will take them away from jesus: professor simon redfern departs to nanyang Technological university, singapore, where he will be dean of the college of science; dr michael Waibel leaves us to take up a chair in international law in Vienna; and the rev’d dr paul dominiak will be moving across the road to Westcott house to become its Vice principal. We are also proud of the successes of four of our junior research Fellows, dr dinwoodie, dr dyble, dr greensmith and dr Taylor, in the very challenging academic job market. our pleasure in Fellows’ achievements has been tempered by sadness: in the past year the college has mourned the deaths of an emeritus Fellow, professor david Fieldhouse, and honorary Fellows somnath chatterjee and peter hurford. We also lost a close friend of the college and member of the society of st radegund, sir michael marshall. in mid-august we heard the devastating news of the death of dr stephen siklos, senior Tutor 2002-12, and president from 2017 to april 2019, when he resigned because of ill-health. as one of his last acts as president, stephen gave the speech at ian White’s leaving dinner which is reprinted in this report. jesus college is particularly fortunate to have a truly exceptional cohort of staff working for the college. The development of West court and the future Kitchen development project have had the potential to disrupt the smooth running of the college, but through the immense dedication of all our staff we have only encountered very minor glitches. it is a pleasure to thank our former domestic bursar, simon hawkey, who did much to guide us through these times, and i wish him well in his new job closer to his home in norfolk. his successor, stuart Websdale has shown great skill in meeting the daily challenges which the role presents. The only criticism i can make of the college staff is that they should not feel that they need to carry their excellence in performance over to the cricket field. i am still smarting from having been bowled out for 1 by our chef shaun platt. i have greatly enjoyed meeting so many students and alumni over the course of my Vice-mastership, and i am struck by the great affection for, and pride in, the college that they all show. it has also brought home to me the huge responsibility of the job; in relinquishing office i feel as someone who has been given a highly valuable china vase to hold – relief that i can pass it on intact. i am conscious that i have only managed to do this with the support of a number of deeply dedicated individuals, and i would like to thank here the bursar, richard anthony, the senior Tutor, geoff parks and the presidents stephen siklos and anthony bowen, as well as the excellent administrators of the master’s office, cattie Tuson and Tracey couch. during the last term and over the summer i have had frequent meetings with our incoming master, sonita alleyne. she will be an outstanding master of jesus college and i am greatly looking forward to working with her. i know that she, like me, believes it is a great privilege to serve the college; i am confident that she will discover, as i have done, that the job has innumerable pleasures, rewards and surprises. James Clackson Vale eT salVe I Jesus College Annual Report 2019 7 introducing our new master he college warmly Twelcomes ms sonita alleyne obe, Fra, Frsa, elected 42nd master in succession to professor ian White who has resigned to take up the post of Vice- chancellor and president at the university of bath. sonita, a graduate of Fitzwilliam college, is a leading entrepreneur and advocate for education who is passionate about the value of creative skills. she was co- founder and former ceo of somethin’ else sounds directions ltd, the largest independent producer and syndicator of television and radio programmes in the uK. since 2008 she has been Photo: Damian Paul Daniel widely active – fostering skills and opportunities for the young in the creative arts, while holding major posts in the maintenance of standards in broadcasting. sonita was awarded her obe in the Queen’s 2004 birthday honours list for services to broadcasting. she is winner of The excellence award from the european Federation of black Women business owners, and the carlton multicultural award for radio and Television.