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RHODES NEWSLETTER Old Rhodian Union December, 1983 _________________ ___________________ J BUTLER RECEIVES FESTSCHRIFT Tribute was paid in July to Professor Guy Smith and Don MacLennan of the Rhodes Butler when he was presented with a English department, features 19 essays on “festschrift”, a book written in his honour, Southern African literature, including “Olive Schreiner and After”. contributions by contemporary critics in At the presentation author Lionel Canada, America, England, Australia and Abrahams praised Professor Butler’s South Africa, as well as two poems written “marvellous contributions to our literature for Professor Butler by David Wright and and life” while a message read on behalf Douglas Livingstone. of Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Two of South Africa’s leading writers, Derek Henderson, described Professor Nadine Gordimer and Alan Paton, have Butler as “a man who has stood unfailingly contributed their responses to the challenge for artistic integrity as a provoker and Schreiner made to them as future writers. generator of literature; someone who Also included are a dedication by Athol believes in literature as a redeeming human Fugard and a select bibliography of force” . Professor Butler’s publications. The presentation coincided with the Professor Butler, 65, was due for retirement centenary year of the publication of Olive this year, but the university council has Schreiner’s “Story of an African Farm” and unanimously voted that he be invited to was attended by members of the continue his professorship in the English Association of University English Teachers department. of South Africa, who were at Rhodes for “Olive Schreiner and After” took three a conference. years to plan and produce and was financed Professor Guy Butler with SA author Lionel The book, edited by Malvern van Wyk by the University. Abrahams. Most experienced registrar Hugh Chapman ScholarshipTed Shields, Registrar at Rhodes during Dr Thomas Alty’s era, has written to us from Australia, where he has retired from his post of Registrar at the University of Adelaide. On his retirement, Peter Etherington of the Association of Commonwealth Universities recorded that Mr Shields had the longest service of any University Registrar in the British Commonwealth - twelve years at Rhodes, thirteen at the University of Sussex, UK and nine at Adelaide, a total of 34 years in all. Quite an achievement. Hugh and Jean Chapman. available at Rhodes. It can be held for more A number of Old Rhodians who remember than one year. the late Professor Hugh Chapman with Judging by the number of letters we particular affection have asked the Rhodes received from OR’s expressing regret at the University Foundation to start a fund for news of Chappie’s death last year, his a scholarship in honour of “Chappie”. impact on many lives has not been The Foundation’s board of governors is forgotten. If you would like to assist in the going ahead with this proposal and it has establishment of the Hugh Chapman been decided to raise the money through Scholarship, either by helping to generate a series of personal approaches among those support from OR friends, or simply by believed to be interested in supporting such making a donation, please write to: a fund. The Editor The intention is to set up a scholarship at Rhodes Newsletter The good oP days . Rhodes University for post-graduate P O Box 94 We have had a wonderful response to our students. The value will be R3 500 per 6140 Grahamstown appeal for memorabilia for the Rhodes annum and it will be open to students from Cheques should be made out to “The Museum. There are still lots of blank walls any university to pursue any field of study Hugh Chapman Scholarship”. waiting for your souvenir photos etc., etc. OR’s in Geomagnetism and Aeronomy The new president of the International Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources Association of Geomagnetism and who received his doctorate in Physics from Aeronomy (IAGA) which met recently in Rhodes in 1959, was elected as chairman Hamburg, West Germany, is Dr Ian of Division 1 and Professor Jack Gough, Director of the Geophysics Gledhill, who received his doctorate in Research Institute at the University of Physics from Rhodes in 1947 and is now Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. head of the Rhodes Department of Physics Dr Gough who graduated from Rhodes and Electronics was re-elected as Chairman with the Master of Science degree with of the Inter-Divisonal Commission on distinction in Physics in 1947 was joined Antarctic Research. by two other office bearers with Rhodes It is not every day that three office bearers connections; Dr Michael W McElhinny, of an international association of this type chief of the Division of Geophysics of the are graduates of the same university. Beau Sutherland, Chairman of the Rhodes Board of Governors, shows how it’s done.D iarm id O ’Sullivan (1955)has entrusted us with some of his OR souvenirs. This pic was taken in College House in 1955. Left to right: Unknown, Pete van Zyl (LL B), Diarmid O’Sullivan, Eddie Baart, Bud Rosseinsky, Tony Cameron and Michael McElhinny (allM Sc). Alumni Golf Carnation Club 25 and still Old Rhodians living on or near the Reef blooming who enjoy the sporting and social contacts Carnation Club members - those Rhodes/UCT Double Trouble! to be made while playing golf, are invited sartorially impeccable young men in their to tell Carmel Yates at our Johannesburg dark suits and white carnations who office (telephone 788-5543) whether they frequent a well-known public house in New are available for the first game of the year. Street once a month - celebrated the club’s This is on Saturday morning, 25 February 25th anniversary in September. It is the 1984 and is an “Old Rhodian” golf day. oldest social club on campus. At least 60 Carmel says that particularly on this members, six of whom were foundation occasion all OR golfers, old and young and members, came to Grahamstown to mark of varying handicaps, get together for a the occasion in typical Carnation Club morning’s pleasant and friendly golf. style. Players meet at intervals of about 5-6 weeks The Carnation Club started in 1958 when to play intervarsity golf against alumni from Rhodes sent a hockey side to the SA Wits, Tukkies, Natal and Maties. The Universities trials and an SAU “A” team keenest players are chosen to represent was chosen. The rejects, most of them Rhodes at the Intervarsity Golf Rhodians, formed their own team, Tournament held annually between six challenged the “A” team and won the universities. match. When they returned to Danie (left) and Gerrit Fourie. Golfing dates are great occasions, with Grahamstown they formed the Carnation sponsored prizes and a chance to play good Club. Annual membership averages 12 and golf in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. is strictly by invitation. Grahamstown inhabitants were bewildered Contact Carmel if you would like to be put recently during the Public Relations on her golf mailing list. SEE YOU AT “THE ISLAND Officials of South African Universities conference in September, when the familiar QUEEN” face of Mr Gerrit Fourie, retired liaison Old Rhodians living in or near London are officer to the Vice-Chancellor, began to pop Classical tour of Greece invited to gather at “The Island Queen” up twice as frequently as before. It wasn’t 87 Noel Road, Islington, London N1 (near long before Gerrit’s brother, jovial Danie Warren Snowball (1970),a lecturer in the Angel tube station) on Friday 18 May Fourie was claiming responsibility for the the Rhodes Classics department is leading 1984 at 6.30 pm. The Reunion is being confusion. Danie, who retires this year, has a tour of classical Greece in January. The organized by the Rev Norman Cliff been in the same post as Gerrit, but party will be seeing the antiquities of the (1949), who is Deputy Accountant for the attached to the University of Cape Town. classical age, as well as much else of United Reformed Church. Prof Eddie Although not officially twins, the brothers fascination. Interested? Telephone Warren Baart (see OR news section) has been are astonishingly similar in manner and at 0461-4157. invited to speak at the UK Reunion. behaviour. Truly a case of double trouble! Honorary degrees April 1984 Rhodes will award honorary degrees to three prominent South Africans at the graduation ceremonies in Grahamstown on April 13 and 14 next year. They are Mr J A Chubb, of East London, Dr C J F Human, chairman of Federale Volksbeleggings, and Mr D S Kingwill, Director of Information and Research for the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria. Mr Chubb led the drive to establish a university presence in East London, and it was largely due to his efforts that Rhodes University East London Division came into Dr C J F Human being, through the support of many local donors, including the East London beleggings in 1947 and is now at the head Municipality. Rhodes University opened its of an organisation which is active in Margaret Henderson (1981). doors in East London in February, 1981. virtually every business sector in the It now has its own premises in 50 Church country. It was mainly due to Dr Human Street and an enrolment of 154 for its part- that the Federale group entered a financial time Bachelor of Commerce degree. Most commitment to Rhodes University, which Hendersons at of Mr Chubb’s involvement in the made possible the establishment of a chair community has been through his of electronics in the Department of Physics Rhodes Scholars’ membership of Rotary, of which he is a and Electronics.