ASSOCIATION OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY PENSIONERS NEWSLETTER Spring 2021 Issue 62 Autumn 2019 Autumn Association of Oxford University Pensioners http://www.aoup.ox.ac.uk President: Professor Sir Brian Smith ([email protected]) Chairman: Professor Gilliane Sills ([email protected]) The Map House, Vernon Avenue, Oxford, OX2 9AU The Committee: Secretary: Sheila Allcock ([email protected]) Membership Secretary: Phil Richards ([email protected]) Treasurer: Geoffrey Clough ([email protected]) Newsletter Editors: Lindsay Battle, Colin Sparrow, Anne Walters ([email protected]) Events Administrator: Carole Barr Website Manager: Rosemary Williams ([email protected]) Other Committee Members (* co-opted): David Bicknell, Jim Briden, Wendy Claye*, Rodney Eatock-Taylor, Ulli Parkinson, Jackie Procter. Membership of the Association Staff who have worked in the University or a college until reaching retirement are eligible for AOUP membership in one of two ways. Membership is granted automatically for life to University staff who at the time of their retirement are employed by the University, and also to their spouses or partners. Staff who at the time of their retirement are employed by a College, and their spouses, partners, widows, widowers, may opt for AOUP membership by joining as a Social member, paying an annual subscription which is currently £5. Social membership is also open to University AOUP members who choose to pay the annual subscription. All AOUP members receive the Newsletter twice a year, and are able to attend the winter talks. Social members are entitled to apply to join in all excursions and other activities organised throughout the year. Membership Application forms are available from The Membership Secretary, AOUP, 24 Marlborough Road, Banbury, OX16 5DQ, or download from the AOUP web page (http//www.aoup.ox.ac.uk), or via email ([email protected]). Subscriptions for Social Membership are due on 1 January. However, if no renewal is received by 31 January you will be deemed to have withdrawn from Social Membership. Subscriptions: The Treasurer, 46 Laurel Drive, Southmoor, OX13 5DJ Trips and Visits: The Events Administrator (address on application forms) Newsletter: The Newsletter Editor, c/o The Pensions Office, University of Oxford, 6 Worcester Street, Oxford, OX1 2BX Pensioner Welfare Officer: Julia Powles is based in The Pensions Office at 6 Worcester Street. She can be reached on 01865 616203, where messages can also be left, or by email: [email protected] Changes of name and/or address or notifications of death should be sent to the Membership Secretary either by email or using the form inside the back cover. All opinions are the authors’ own and not those of the editors, AOUP or the University. Table of contents Editorial 2 Chairman’s Report 2 Pensioner Welfare Officer’s Report 3 Spring/Summer Programme for 2021 4 Features The New Chemistry Research Laboratory 5 William Wordsworth’s 250th Year: 11 Walking through Lockdown with the Poet of Nature. Reports of Winter Talks 2020/2021 The Rise and Fall of Opioids 17 Who Was Pleasance Walker? 20 Ladies Can’t Climb Ladders. 23 The History of Nuneham Courtenay 29 Miscellany Book Review: Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under 30 Attack by Richard Ovenden. Ice Skating in Winter 33 University Single Sign-On (SSO) Account 35 Important information for those who use a University email account Obituaries 36 The Editors would like to thank the following for contributing illustrations to this issue: Karl Harrison, Rob Judges, Malcolm Airs, Hannah Britton, Sara Marafini, Wikimedia, Wikipedia 1 Editorial When we produced the Autumn 2020 issue of the Newsletter we were hoping that by the time we produced this Spring 2021 issue we would be back to some kind of normality and be able to have a printed version. Unfortunately that is not the case and again we are able only to produce an electronic version to go on the AOUP website. With the ongoing vaccination programme we are hoping we will be able to print the Autumn 2021 issue and distribute it as normal by post. This edition features Professor Richards’ illuminating account of the ingenuity, tenacity and measure of serendipity which it took to realise his vision for the unique conjoining of academic and commercial interests to fund the new Chemistry Research Laboratory, opened in 2004. The University’s scientific research is very much in the world’s eye at the moment with the ongoing achievements of the team at the Oxford Vaccine Group who have magnificently contributed to a global way out of the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic last spring, even though nature was of solace as never before, one event that was easily overshadowed was the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Wordsworth: amends are now beautifully made in our second article. We would welcome contributions from members: either as feature articles or shorter pieces on perhaps an aspect of your career or any other topic of interest. The Editors’ email address is inside the front cover. The Editors Chairman’s Report What a lot can happen in a year! Looking back at my report a year ago, I was concerned about climate change and wondered whether I could give up using the car so much. Come the pandemic, and it’s been easy not to fly, and tiered restrictions and lockdown have reduced my car usage – we no longer have the weekly drive between Oxford and Woodstock for choir rehearsals, and we’ve had fewer longer journeys to the south coast to sail our boat. As I write, we’re locked down again, but the vaccination programme is well under way and things will go on changing for the better – we’ll be able to meet family and friends again and go on holiday. It’s a time of opportunity, both personal and worldwide – a time to reset priorities to the things that really matter and, hopefully, a time to build a new world, with investment in green energy, in the reduction of air pollution and a re- distribution of wealth. I desperately want to believe this – there have been times of progress in the past, so why not now? However, I’m also realistic – so even small steps in the right direction would be welcome. AOUP continues to be house-bound, though not inactive. We had to cancel all our planned winter outings, but the series of winter talks has gone ahead, on Zoom. Our speakers have risen to the challenge magnificently and members of the audience no longer need to live near the Engineering Science Department, with its lecture theatre that’s been the venue in the past. Judging by the number of ‘views’ of the recording of each talk, members have taken the opportunity to catch up on talks that they couldn’t attend live. We’ve discovered other uses for Zoom – the annual reception for new pensioners in November and a Christmas quiz, to take the 2 place of the Christmas lunch in Exeter College. The quiz was a team event, with people allocated to groups containing five or six members to tackle the challenge. It provided some social interaction, as well as making sure that no-one felt individually defeated by the questions! And our conversation groups – French, German, Spanish – are flourishing by Zoom, and the AOUP Ramblers are just biding their time until the lockdown eases. We’ve accepted that the coming of spring doesn’t yet ensure the right conditions for our usual summer outings, and the first one planned is in July, when we hope to visit Highclere Castle and gardens, and the Egyptian exhibition there. We also expect to mark the beginning of the summer ‘season’, in April, by another quiz. None of this would be possible without input from an active committee and I really appreciate all the effort from so many people that has made these activities happen. We’ve found ways of discussing ideas and plans for action, so there is still the sense of joint activity and achievement. It continues to be very rewarding to be part of AOUP. Gilliane Sills Pensioner Welfare Officer’s Report I am writing this in mid-February, still in national lockdown and uncertain about when things will begin to change. Parts of the university remain open, for example laboratories and a few libraries, but much is closed. Staff are working from home wherever possible and of course the students are also learning from home, having online lectures and tutorials and even virtual practical sessions. How things have changed! I was delighted to be able to visit a few of you during the summer when the rules were relaxed, but I have largely continued to be in touch by phone and email. Lately it’s been great to hear your stories of getting vaccinated; it sounds as if in many cases there has been a real celebratory atmosphere in the vaccination centre. At the same time, I sense this latest lockdown has been particularly challenging; I think we are all feeling the burden of isolation more painfully in these winter months. As it’s said, the darkest hour of the night comes just before the dawn... So how to keep going? I think exercise can really help, and of course this is one thing we are all allowed to do! It’s great for our physical health: it helps us to maintain a healthy weight, strengthens our muscles, bones and joints, it’s good for our heart and circulation. And perhaps particularly important at the moment, physical activity is good for our mental health too, boosting our mood and helping to combat anxiety and depression.