THE MAGAZINE OF CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE ISSUE 30 | 2018 pelican Dr Richard Henderson Nobel Prize winner Sacha Woodward Hill General Counsel to Formula One Professor Christopher Kelly Master of Corpus Christi College • 1 XX pelican Editor Elizabeth Winter Managing Editor Elizabeth Abusleme Editorial Assistants Professor Christopher Kelly Dr Richard Henderson FRS Sacha Woodward Hill Jane Martin PAGE 4 PAGE 6 By Dr Simon Heffer PAGE 12 Lucy Sparke Somer Greene Design Elizabeth Abusleme Photography Elizabeth Abusleme Phil Mynott Dr Rune Damgaard Professor Judy Hirst FRS The Corpus manuscripts PAGE 20 PAGE 26 PAGE 34 Revd Dr Andrew Davison Dr Melle Kromhout Dr Felicity Hill Michael Griffiths and PAGE 38 PAGE 46 PAGE 52 John Lucas PAGE 58 2 • The Pelican 2018 • 3 other college in Oxford and Cambridge. It is a rare and remarkable piece of world heritage. In short’, he concluded, ‘it is Professor Christopher Kelly something well worth boasting about.’ The Master’s wife, Ms Shawn Donnelley, 52nd Master of Corpus Christi College also knows the College well and her support for his candidacy was fundamental to his decision to stand. ‘The most When Christopher Kelly was elected important conversation about agreeing Master of Corpus, he vowed to ‘tell the to stand for the Mastership was the one I Corpus story’. This small and sixth oldest had with my wife,’ he told Fellows during of the Cambridge colleges is the only his election. Shawn is a Guild Fellow of one founded by the townspeople (the the College, a member of the University’s brethren and sisters of the Gilds of Corpus Guild of Benefactors and an experienced Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary). expert in philanthropy. She is President Corpus, uniquely for an ancient college, of Strategic Giving, a Chicago-based firm had neither a royal nor an ecclesiastical providing consultation on philanthropic founder. But the Corpus story is much giving. She serves on many boards in the larger than that. ‘It is the story’, Professor US, including those of the Art Institute of Professor Christopher Kelly and Dr Christopher Brookes (Senior Fellow) in the College Chapel before the admission ceremony. Kelly pointed out, ‘of a college that Chicago, Northwestern Hospital Memorial houses and cares for the Parker Library, Foundation, American Associates of the one of the country’s greatest heritage National Theatre (in London) and is a past treasures. It is the story of a small, chairman and current life trustee of the tightly-knit community rightly prized Goodman Theatre in Chicago. for its friendliness amongst students, Fellows and staff, and for its broad range Within weeks of Christopher being of achievement in matters cultural, admitted as Master, Shawn had organised a social, sporting and, above all, for its fancy dress Hallowe’en party at the recently commitment to excellence in teaching, renovated dining hall at Leckhampton learning and research.’ It is the story of for the families of Fellows and staff. Its a college where support is offered across With this track record, it is no surprise that The Master’s enthusiasm for the Parker promise immediately enlivened lunchtime the board to both undergraduates and the Master’s attention is sharply focused Library and his desire to see its treasures conversation; where does one get hold postgraduates, and where that clichéd on academic matters. The complex appreciated and understood by alumni of goth make-up/human-sized pumpkins/ claim of being a family matches up to and often troubled landscape currently and an international audience is obvious. white-haired wigs/horns/red cloaks/black reality. occupied by higher education in the UK Loans of manuscripts to museums and silk leggings and garters? The discussion demands an intricate understanding collections around the world will be co- rivalled the most esoteric of discourses: Christopher Kelly is no stranger to of the issues, the funding, politics and ordinated with curated viewings and one senior Fellow was heard asking Corpus. He was elected as a Fellow under people. Professor Kelly is keenly aware with publicity well in advance so that another; ‘So are you going as Garibaldi? Michael McCrum in 1994, having been a of the challenges the College faces in alumni and friends can visit in their own Because if you’re not then I am.’ graduate student at Trinity and Drapers’ the next decade. ‘I firmly believe’, he countries and cities. ‘Simply put’, he Research Fellow at Pembroke. He served Professor Christopher Kelly and Ms Shawn Donnelley. remarked, ‘that it is important for Corpus stated, ‘the Parker Library, alongside Under Professor Christopher Kelly’s as Senior Tutor from 2000 to 2004, and to promote academic excellence at all the chapel of King’s College, is the most Mastership, the College can look later President from 2016 to 2017. levels and to underwrite that success by important international cultural heritage forward to a flourishing new era of increased access and outreach initiatives, asset in Cambridge. This College glories His own academic career stands him sharply focused academic achievement and by securing additional support in one of the best collections in the (amongst both students and Fellows), in good stead for the challenges of the against the rising costs of undergraduate world of medieval manuscripts and early Mastership. As Professor of Classics and increased awareness and visibility of the and graduate education.’ printed books.’ Corpus is committed to treasures of the Parker Library, and ever Ancient History in the University (assigned protecting and preserving the Parker to the Faculty of Classics), Christopher stronger collegiate bonds within the ‘He is passionately committed to Corpus,’ Library, ‘but also to ensuring that its community of the College and its alumni. Kelly has a wide range of interests in the commented Dr Marina Frasca-Spada, collection is shared and enjoyed by a wide ancient world; these include government ‘Let’s remember’, he said recently at Corpus’s Senior Tutor. ‘For more than audience through its dedicated website, Admission of Scholars, ‘that this little and power, its use and abuse, the society, twenty years Christopher has been a the digitisation of its manuscripts, talks religion and culture of the Roman Empire College last year claimed a Nobel Prize major intellectual presence in College and lectures, and frequent loans to winner (Dr Richard Henderson), a Fellow from Augustus to Justinian, the rise of as a Fellow, as Director of Studies in museums around the world.’ Christianity, and Edward Gibbon and the of the Royal Society, three personal chairs, Classics, as a supervisor, as a member of three readerships and more starred firsts Grand Tour. His books include The End key College committees, as Senior Tutor ‘Alongside our small community and of Empire: Attila the Hun and the Fall of than we have had in a generation. It’s not and as President. He is passionately our firm commitment to excellence a bad place to be right now.’ Rome, made especially famous by Prince committed to the welfare and academic in teaching, learning and research, Philip who was photographed clutching it success of both students and Fellows, the Parker Library is one of the most jealously as he boarded the royal train for and to the continued excellence of our distinctive and distinguishing features Follow the Master and his wife on Instagram @themastercorpus Christmas at Sandringham. collegiate University.’ of Corpus. It sets us apart from every The Master dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi at the Hallowe’en party. 4 • The Pelican 2018 • 5 I have been very fortunate in my two days later. I had not realized At MRC-LMB, I joined what we called life and scientific career. I was born that the Cambridge PhD required “the chymotrypsin group”, led by into a normal working-class family in membership of a college. Since I knew David Blow, and helped to determine the borders of Scotland, where my nothing about the colleges, I wrote to the structure and understand the (m1966) father was a baker and my mother another Edinburgh physics graduate, catalytic mechanism of the enzyme Dr Richard Henderson had a variety of jobs. The educational Keith Moffat, who had graduated a chymotrypsin. system worked for me exactly as it year ahead of me and had also been Honorary Fellow and Nobel Prize winner was designed to do in the post-war directed to Perutz by Cochran. Keith expansion of secondary education. wrote back with a wonderful 4-page I went to four schools, each one letter giving a thumbnail sketch of the a step up from the previous one. positive and negative aspects of each The teachers were mostly good, of the then about 20 colleges. some excellent. The various exams, in Scotland the “quali”, that were Keith recommended Darwin and designed to tailor educational level Corpus Christi, largely because Corpus to academic ability placed me in the had just opened new postgraduate most academic stream at Hawick accommodation in 1964 in the George High School. I was academically able Thomson Building. I spent a year living and gradually assimilated knowledge, in the George Thomson building, and somehow appreciating the intrinsic later became a fellow at Darwin and thrill of learning abstract concepts, an Honorary Fellow at Corpus. Keith’s particularly in mathematics and letter said; “Corpus Christi has a truly science. After an undergraduate magnificent post-graduate hostel degree in physics at Edinburgh called Leckhampton, ultra-smooth, University, I made a major effort to full of interesting people, and much explore a variety of career options sought after. No molecular biologists before deciding on a PhD in biophysics. but plenty of chemists, an enlightened Fortunately, our physics professor in attitude towards research students Edinburgh, Bill Cochran, knew about – recommended.