NEWS AND NOTES Updates from Balliol alumni around the world A supplement to Floreat Domus 2020 News and Notes NEWS AND NOTES We are delighted to share news from the Balliol community (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016). My any rate contain one new piece by me 1940s more recent work is currently presented in response to her introduction to the in ‘Papers of Edward Gelles’ on the collection. Another surprise for me has David Grove (1941) Balliol College Archives & Manuscripts been Routledge’s proposal to republish On a sunny day in September my website. I have just added an essay during the course of 2020 my little A grandson Reuben (Exeter College, entitled ‘Some Gelles and Jaffe family Modern Introduction to Moral Philosophy, 2005) drove us to Oxford for one of migrations in recent centuries’ outlining first published by them in as long my rare visits to College. It was good our journey of the past 400 years from ago as 1958 – and so no longer really to meet Stewart Tiley (Librarian) and Prague to Poland and Lithuania, whence justified in bearing the term ‘modern’ Bethany Hamblen (Archivist and branches moved west to Silesia, Berlin, in its title! Records Manager) and hand over three and further into Germany, and south boxes of my papers for safekeeping in via Galicia to Vienna, with members of Sir Jack Stewart-Clark Bt (1949) the Balliol Archives. both these branches ultimately coming In 1999 I retired from the European to England just before the outbreak of Parliament, having served there Edward Gelles (1944) the Second World War. faithfully for 20 years. In 1996 I had Continuing my study of Jewish inherited my family home of Dundas families and their pan-European Derek Abrahams (1946) Castle near Edinburgh. My wife and I migrations – their history, genealogy, Some months ago I fell and broke a big set about a complete restoration and and genetic admixtures being related thigh bone, so now I hobble around on then turned our home into a wedding to the changing political, social, and crutches. I tripped coming out of the and corporate hospitality venue. We economic background of the countries gym. Otherwise, I’m fit and well and now do 60 weddings a year and have a they lived in and the ethnic groups getting quite good at hobbling. turnover of nearly one million pounds they encountered on their millennial per year. We are immensely proud journey. Beginning with the wider William Haines (1947) because for the second year running ancestral background of my own Angela and I have been paying for a we have won the prestigious VOWS family and its connections with many young Indian girl to train as a nurse. award for the best wedding venue in notable rabbis of the past, my study has She has qualified with firsts in BSc and Scotland. Life was exciting at 70 and expanded to represent in microcosm MSc Nursing and wants to pass the continued to 90 and hasn’t ended an outline history of European Jewry. English language exam, which she finds yet! I have founded a new charity My published books are An Ancient a struggle, so that she can work in the called SOHTIS (Survivors of Human Lineage: European Roots of a Jewish Family UK. Her command of English would Trafficking in Scotland) to try and (Vallentine Mitchell, 2006); four be improved if language courses were mitigate the effects of this evil trade. paperbacks: Family Connections: Gelles- transmitted on the local radio, like the Horowitz-Chajes, Gelles-Shapiro-Friedman, British Council and BBC courses on the Ephemeral & Eternal: Josef Gelles, a brief internet. The 35,000 primary schools life; Meeting My Ancestors: Genealogy, in India would also welcome lessons 1950s Genes and Heritage (Shaker Publishing, delivered by an English voice. Can 2008–2012); and my latest book, A Jewish anyone help, please? Roger Corman (1950) Journey: A Passage through European History On 13 July 2017 Roger was given the Alan Montefiore (1948 and Emeritus Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Fellow) the highest honour the French It is nice, if not a little surprising to Government bestows in the arts. me at my by now undeniably distinctly advanced age, to find myself reporting John Mallet (1950) the appearance of a collection of my Since my marriage to Diana Edwards pieces written over the years, and Murnaghan I spend nearly half the year published (some of them at least) in in Baltimore, Maryland. I celebrated one odd place or another, under the my 89th birthday by flying to Turin title Philosophy and the Human Paradox to deliver a lecture in Italian at a (Routledge, 2019). The collection is conference on the collecting of Italian edited by Danielle Sands, and does at Renaissance maiolica for museums. Front cover photo: Phoebe Lowry (née Grant-Smith) (2012) 1 FLOREAT DOMUS MAY 2020 on the day of her marriage to Dr Andrew Lowry NEWS AND NOTES Weland Stone (1950) Professor Ian Macdonald (1952) Gospel until after the chance fishing At 87 and physically considerably ‘My way of life/Is fall’n into the sere, trip, when the disciples engaged in weaker, my main news is of continued the yellow leaf;’ so said Macbeth and so it could think of nothing better to existence. Alumni from my year seem thought I as I passed my 90th birthday. do. Following Richard Bauckham, I mostly to have died before their time. However, I am pleased to report on two am using the Fourth Gospel as first- However, I try to maintain my post- new honours that have come my way in hand witness, although it was written retirement hobbies of Latin classes, recent months. First, after many years by, possibly, John the Elder (as the embroidery and inexpert bridge and to of service, I was named an Honorary witness, who had probably been the maintain our acre of garden through Director of the Toronto branch of preserved fish delivery lad to the the labours of others. Enjoying a the Royal Commonwealth Society. I high priest’s household, was almost medical student and a classicist-cum- highly prize my relationship with the certainly illiterate). musician as two eldest granddaughters Commonwealth, having served for provides continuing interest and ten years as the volunteer chair of the Richard Tilney-Bassett (1955) motivation to keep going. Commonwealth of Learning. Second, After graduating some 50-plus years on 5 December last, I was inducted into ago, I’m still going! Still an avid reader Richard Wheadon (1951) the York University Sport Hall of Fame of Oxford and Balliol news as well as On Tuesday 15 October 2019 our in the Builder category. This recognised, New Scientist weekly. Living quietly now youngest son, Tristan, married Kirsty in particular, my role during ten years as in the south of France near Montauban in the church of St Pierre du Bois, President of York University, Toronto, – any visitors welcome. As some of you Guernsey, before a congregation of in creating the National Tennis Centre will know, my daughter is also a Balliol about 100. The following Sunday at York and in persuading Metro scholar and now lives in France near 20 October at the Chateau de Saint Toronto to establish the Metro Toronto Manosque. My son, who graduated Michel, St Girons, Ariège, in the Track and Field Centre at the university. from Exeter and the Open University, presence of a similar number, albeit On the personal athletic side, I continue lives near us close to Toulouse. The differently constituted, I conducted to play with our York Professors ice next generation after are just getting a service of blessing in which Tristan hockey team after 45 years. started, with one in Durham and and Kirsty reiterated their vows, their another in the University of Science plighting of troths and their exchange Robert Kernohan (1953) and Technology in Hong Kong. of rings. Unaccompanied, we all sang Old age is hard going, but it was together ‘Brother, Sister, let me serve worthwhile to struggle out to the David Benedictus (1956) you, let me be as Christ to you …’ Balliol reception at the Royal Society I have been commissioned to write to the tune ‘Servant Song’. It was a of Edinburgh. I am most grateful. My a new children’s book, subsequent to beautiful occasion. For me this was broadcasting and my writing are now Return to the Hundred Acre Wood (Egmont, not only an honour and a delight, but very limited but I still managed bits 2011), but details are not available as it also happened to complete the full and pieces on BBC Radio Scotland I am subject to an NDA. Watch this spectrum of my 25 years of service as a and some contributions to The space, guys! reader in the Church of England. That Scottish Review, mainly about the latest service has embraced not only leading Balliol Prime Minister’s impact on John Stabler (1956) and preaching at morning and evening the party which I have belonged I am pursuing a second career as a services, but also the conducting to for 70 years and to which (after mole-catcher in my Norfolk garden. I (with dispensation) of services of a little hesitation) I still belong. endeavour unsuccessfully to keep up communion by extension on Christmas with my wife Marjorie on our daily nights and services of baptism (one on John Ford (1954) dog walks on the coast at Holkham, Christmas morning); also, sitting with His book Rudolph Ackermann & the and I try to activate my few remaining the dying and the bereaved, conducting Regency World (Warnham Books, 2018) neurones by doing battle with the funerals and administering home has been widely praised as being a Listener Crossword every week.