Floreat Magdalena ISSUE 18 – 2020 Professor Sir David Clary looks back on 15 years as President of Magdalen College 1 PB FLOREAT MAGDALENA When the fritillaries went over in April, they were replaced with buttercups and clouds of frothy white cow parsley. 2 3 FLOREAT MAGDALENA Contents Regulars Features The big picture ................ 4 16 From the President ........ 6 Portrait of a President Your view .......................... 7 Professor Sir David Clary FRS shares Fellows’ news ................... 8 his memories and photographs from Online ................................ 11 15 years as President of Magdalen College news .................... 12 College Events ................................. 14 Donor impact .................. 15 22 The hypervelocity Honourable mentions .. 42 starman Outreach ........................... 44 Starter for ten .................. 46 Floreat Magdalena finds out how Inside job .......................... 48 this stellar astrophysicist went Crossword ........................ 50 stratospheric, one awkward question at a time 26 The linguistic life of an Oxford student Magdalen Fellow in English Professor 9 Simon Horobin sheds light on the often confusing world of Oxford lingo 30 The Hogarth Papers Hogarth Project Archivist, Ben Taylor, shares some of the highlights from the archive’s latest acquisition from Magdalen’s eminent archaeologist 49 34 Women and Power? A Thank you to the alumni, Magdalen Story students, Fellows, and staff A new exhibition exploring the who contributed to this role women have played in shaping issue of Floreat Magdalena. Magdalen throughout the years The opinions expressed in Floreat Magdalena are those 38 of the contributors and do Pathway to Success not necessarily reflect those of A ground-breaking new initiative Magdalen College. to help equip future Black, Asian Magdalen College. Registered and Minority Ethnic leaders with charity number 1142149 the tools and knowledge required to stand for political office 2 3 FLOREAT MAGDALENA 4 The big picture Benjamin Fitkov-Norris (2017) is a third-year Biological Sciences student and winner of the Magdalen College Photography Competition. You can see more of his wonderful work on his Instagram account: magdalen.wildelife 5 FLOREAT MAGDALENA From the President his has been one of the most Dinah Rose elected next President extraordinary terms the College Magdalen College has appointed Thas ever had. Most students, alumna Dinah Rose QC (1984) as tutors and staff are working remotely. its next President. She will take up Lectures, tutorials, classes, collections office in September 2020 as successor and examinations are continuing to Professor Sir David Clary FRS, in an online format. The indication who will have completed 15 years of from our undergraduates is that the distinguished service as President of adaptations have gone quite well and the College. recorded lectures, in particular, have Dinah Rose will be the 43rd been welcomed. However, it has been President of the College since its challenging for some of our graduate foundation in 1458, and the first students who have not been able to use woman to hold the post. the laboratories, libraries and archives Dinah Rose is a barrister and which are central to their research work member of Blackstone Chambers. and projects. The College is determined She has appeared in many of the to make sure no student is seriously This has been one of the leading cases in the fields of public disadvantaged financially by the “ law, human rights, employment law, pandemic. most extraordinary terms and competition law over the past the College has ever had.” thirty years. As an undergraduate, she I know our students are missing studied Modern History at Magdalen the social interactions that are so College and was awarded First Class important to College life. Dining, Honours in 1987. She was appointed sports, music, plays and other activities Queen’s Counsel in 2006, and was have always been prominent at named Barrister of the Year in The I will be handing over the Presidency Magdalen as are the special events like Lawyer Awards 2009. on September 1 to Dinah Rose QC. May Morning, the Commemoration Dinah said, “It is a great pleasure She has told me she is much looking Ball, the Annual Play and Eights Week. and privilege to be returning to forward to meeting our students Our finalists have been hit particularly Magdalen, where I spent three happy and alumni. I know you will all give hard as they will not have the unique and unforgettable years as a student. Dinah the tremendous support I have opportunity to celebrate together the I am determined to do all in my received during my time as President. completion of their degrees in the power to ensure that Magdalen is summer glory of the College. as accessible and inclusive as it is Before the current coronavirus crisis, exceptional.” the College had experienced many This is my last term as President of this major challenges in its great 562 year wonderful College. Many events had history including several previous been organised throughout the world epidemics, a civil war, two world wars for me to meet our alumni for the and the expulsion of the President last time as President. Unfortunately, and Fellows by James II. However, it has been necessary to cancel these Magdalen is a proud and resilient meetings but I wanted to take this college which always emerges wiser opportunity to thank you all for your and stronger after a crisis. I am sure friendship and tremendous support this will be the case in 2020. you have given during my time as President. This Floreat gives an Floreat Magdalena! interview that enables me to provide some very happy reflections over the Professor Sir David Clary FRS last 15 years. President of Magdalen College 6 7 FLOREAT MAGDALENA Your view Not only did I meet my now husband at Magdalen, “we still have the most amazing group of Magdalen friends.” Online romance On Valentine’s Day we asked on Facebook…did you meet at Magdalen? Not ‘at’ but ‘because of’...Donna Greschner (1981) and I met a few years after we’d graduated (she several years after me), discovering we’d lived in the same Daubeny flat. Today we’re celebrating our 25th Anniversary! Alan McHughen (1976) I met Christoph Erben when he moved across from St Hugh’s in 2003 to do his Thank you! DPhil. I was staying on to do my MSt We recently sent an anonymous Of those who have made a gift to and we were put in Rose Lane together. survey to members of the Magdalen Magdalen, people are most interested We actually got together working on community to collect your thoughts in: the MCR bar for Valentines cocktails, on the College and the work of the and now we are married and have two Development Office. Thank you to 1 Student Support 448 daughters. everyone who completed it. Here’s 2 College’s Greatest Need 325 Emily Stamoulis (2000) what you said: 3 Access & Outreach 288 Number who responded: 4 Buildings & Grounds 257 1257 Your comments “I really enjoyed a dinner in Hall with Percentage who responded: the student who is benefiting from my regular gift, connecting us to 17% current students in our subject is very Positive or very positive current enjoyable.” association with Magdalen: “I enjoy the donor calendar, it 88% connects me back to College all year round. I always have it in my office.” Positive or very positive association I met my husband, Dougal (1988) when they were at Magdalen: “I am pleased to be able to give back. during our first year at Magdalen back It was a privilege and honour to study in 1988. Still going strong 30+ years at Magdalen.” 75% later. Kim Crisp (1988) Percentage who had attended a “I feel very connected to the College, Magdalen event: which gives me great satisfaction.” Not only did I meet my now husband 72% “I’m currently a mentor on your Paul King (2006) at Magdalen over Percentage who had made a gift to BAME access to Parliament initiative 10 years ago, we still have the most Magdalen in the past year: [see page 38] and it’s one of the most amazing group of [Magdalen] friends, exciting mentoring opportunities I’ve who we see regularly and all of whom 85% been involved in (and I do a lot of I feel know me almost as well as I mentoring!). It feels truly meaningful know myself. Of that group, there are Percentage who give to charity: in every sense and I’m proud to two other married couples who met at 85% be associated with it - and that it’s Magdalen too! Magdalen leading the way on this.” Philippa King (2006) 6 7 FLOREAT MAGDALENA Fellows’ news Clare Harris and Laurence museology. In her analyses of art, Brockliss elected Fellows of the photography, museums, collections British Academy histories, colonial and post-colonial We are delighted to announce constructions of knowledge, and the that Professor Clare Harris, Tutorial politics of representation, she has Fellow in Anthropology, and Professor pioneered new approaches to the study Laurence Brockliss, Emeritus Fellow of Tibet, past and present. Clare is in Modern History, have been elected also internationally recognised for her Fellows of the British Academy (FBA). collaborations with Tibetan artists, The British Academy is a fellowship innovative exhibitions, digital projects, of around leading national and and award-winning publications. international academics elected for Laurence Brockliss was our Tutorial Constantin Coussios elected their distinction in the humanities and Fellow in Modern History from 1984 Fellow of the Royal Academy social sciences. until 2017. He is one of the leading of Engineering Clare Harris is Professor of cultural historians of early modern Magdalen Fellow in Engineering Visual Anthropology at the School Europe. He engages with a number Science Professor Constantin Coussios of Anthropology and Museum of different disciplines: intellectual has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Ethnography, and Curator for history, history of medicine, history of Academy of Engineering (RAEng) in Asian Collections at the Pitt Rivers science, history of education, history recognition of his outstanding and Museum.