The Master the New Master

ISSUE 2 MICHAELMAS 2005 GONVILLE & CAIUS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE The Master The New Master THE AUSTIN SEVEN on the Senate House Roof Benefactors’ Privileges Recipes from Caius Kitchen From the Director of Development Caius was placed second in the 2005 Tompkins Table ranking Cambridge colleges according to their exam success, has been Head of the River in both Lents and Mays for the past four years, the Caius Choir is widely regarded as one of the best adult choirs in the country… The College has much to be proud of as we celebrate the brilliant Mastership of Neil McKendrick over the past nine years. At the end of September Neil retires and we wish him and Melveena every happiness in the future. We look forward to welcoming Sir Christopher Hum in January 2006, when he will become the new Master of this great College. Sir Christopher has enjoyed a distinguished diplomatic career culminating in his present vital role as British Ambassador to China. We have every reason to thank you, the Caian community, who continue to show outstanding generosity in the support you give your College. Since the beginning of 2002, we have raised nearly £8million towards the cost of the splendid new student accommodation now being built on West Road. I encourage you to follow the exciting progress of this building via the webcam on the College website. Alongside the new building appeal Caius has been seeking funding to secure the future of our College Supervision System (we are well on the way to funding a College Lecturer in History), to restore our Research Fellowships from two appointments per year to four, to support Student Bursaries and to maintain our great Architectural and Cultural Heritage, notably the buildings in the Old Courts and our magnificent Library. These objectives will be the focus of the Caius Campaign which forms part of the Appeal to be launched by the Vice-Chancellor, to celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the University in 2009. All gifts to Caius will also count towards the total funds raised for the Cambridge 800th Anniversary Campaign. The first issue of ‘Once a Caian…’ received an enthusiastic response. We very much hope that you will continue to enjoy this new magazine brought to you each spring and autumn under Mick Le Moignan’s inspired editorship. Dr Anne Lyon (2001) Fellow “A gift to Gonville & Caius College is a gift to the Cambridge 800th Anniversary Campaign” ...Always a Caian 1 Contents 2 4 6 8 12 14 2 The Master – a Profile of Neil McKendrick 4 The New Master – a Profile of Sir Christopher Hum 6 Benefactors’ Privileges – by Dr Anne Lyon (2001) 8 The Austin Seven on the Senate House Roof – the inside story of the most famous student stunt of all 12 Caius Stained Glass – celebrating Caian scientists 14 Photographs by Dan White – an American visitor captures scenes of College life Dan White 16 Dick’s Greatest Gift – by Rita Cavonius (2005) 18 Caius Lost – by Michaela Weber 22 CaiMemories 25 CaiMusic – Choral Evensong on BBC by Celia Cobb (1997) 26 CaiKitchen – Recipes by Tony Smith 28 CaiSport – Jubilant scenes as Caius Boat Club embarks on what may just be our Clock Tower Year Cover Photo by Eaden Lilley 2 Once a Caian... eil McKendrick, who retires as Master on 30 September 2005, has led this College to unprecedented success, academically, financially and Nin sport and music. The architectural heritage of Caius has also been greatly enhanced in recent years, with the completion of the Cockerell Library and the Bateman Auditorium, The the complete refurbishment of many of the public and combination rooms in Gonville Court and the ongoing construction of the splendid new building at West Road. In the planning of all these projects, Neil McKendrick has been a central figure, first as chairman of crucial committees and for the past nine years as Master. All his life, McKendrick has been a passionate believer in the value of hard work and the pursuit of excellence. The results are Master now clear to be seen. Caius was placed second in the Tompkins Table of academic A profile of Neil McKendrick achievements this year and the Master admits to a tinge of regret that he was unable to stay by Mick Le Moignan (2005) another year or two to finish the job. First and foremost, Neil McKendrick was and is a great teacher of History, as the exam results and subsequent careers of his students show. While he was Director of Studies, Caius maintains that as well as ensuring good arrived on the scene later) – and set about had the best results in the University for 29 results, he was preparing students to deal with carving out a place for himself. out of 35 years. He has launched countless challenges they would face after university. In the event, four historians from his year students on glittering careers in academic, As a politician or administrator, they would at school applied for Cambridge. The Deputy commercial and public life. The apotheosis be asked to give crisp, effective, relevant, Head told them this was a disgrace and could came in 1992-3, when out of 20 graduates, informed opinions in one page, often based on only bring dishonour on the school! When 14 gained First Class degrees (4 of them incomplete evidence – and the work would McKendrick was awarded a Scholarship and the starred) and the remainder 2:1’s. have to be delivered to a deadline. There is other three Exhibitions, the Deputy Head At first, he says, his approach earned both rarely the luxury of time: precisely the same refused to be impressed: admiration and enmity. He insisted on skills that enabled his students to excel in “Don’t expect any congratulations from employing specialist supervisors in each area of exams would help them to succeed in their me – standards at Cambridge have obviously the subject and his students were required to chosen careers. fallen to an abysmally low level!” work, rather than merely to demonstrate “the It was thanks to a remarkable History Undaunted, and showing a ruthless effortless superiority of the English master at his school that McKendrick came to pragmatism that his students would recognise gentleman”! Other Colleges thought this unfair Cambridge. Herbert Howard persuaded him to all too well, McKendrick worked “ferociously and accused him of being “too professional”. drop his intended A-levels in Maths, Physics hard” and made sure he achieved the top McKendrick’s historians were expected to and Chemistry by threatening he might end up History First in the university. There were hand in prodigiously long weekly essays, as an accountant at the Leicester Gas Board. sacrifices: despite being a county rugger player, covering all possible angles of a subject. His mother stormed up to the school to he gave up all sport when he came to Some of them objected to the amount complain. The Maths master said McKendrick Cambridge and never played another of work required and expressed their was the best mathematician in the school, but competitive game. He admits to being indignation: a forty-foot long graffito admitted when pressed that none of his competitive in every other way – wanting the “SMASH McKENDRICK’S PRUSSIA” appeared students had ever gone to Cambridge. best exam results, best wife, best children, best on a wall at the back of the College and has Mr Howard’s students, on the other hand, college – but insists that he is neither not to this day been completely expunged! regularly won Cambridge Scholarships, so the personally ambitious nor desirous of honours In the Easter terms, when examinations change of course was agreed. and awards. loomed, the emphasis changed completely and No-one in the McKendrick family had ever He graduated at 20, having jumped a year speed became paramount. Instead of stamina been to university. He was 8 when his father at school, and was offered a Drosier Research work and marathon training, students were was killed in the War. His mother brought up Fellowship at Caius when he was 22. His suddenly expected to sprint: 45-minute essays four children by herself, running a pet-shop, undergraduate College, Christ’s, also offered were practised in exam conditions. and money was scarce. So when he came to him a Research Fellowship, but Caius raised the Always keen on presentational skills, he Cambridge to meet an old boy of his school, offer to a full Fellowship and a College advised them to read Bertrand Russell or AJP Sir John Plumb, a history don at Christ’s, he Lectureship. Professor Philip Grierson (1929) Taylor and learn to catch a reader’s attention cycled all the way from Leicester after playing went on sabbatical, leaving McKendrick in with the opening paragraph. He was accused, rugger one Saturday morning. He fell in love at charge as Director of Studies and the rest is he says, of examination mania, but he once – (only with the architecture – Melveena (Prussian) History. He found “promising ...Always a Caian 3 Dan White material” like Professor Quentin Skinner he could find to fill the key roles of Bursar and 250 graduates and 150 staff, but also nearly (1959) and Kenneth Clarke (1959) applying via Development Director. 10,000 alumni and friends of the College. He the late, lamented Scholarship Exam, and the He knew he could achieve academic decided that, as Master, he would reach out to steady stream of Firsts and Starred Firsts successes across the board, as he had in the greater Caian community and invite them began. History. He believed he could match those to be more actively involved in supporting, He always discouraged his more brilliant achievements in sport and music, and he was strengthening and simply belonging to this students from being “swallowed up in the determined also to leave his mark on the great and historic institution.

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