Issue 07 2021
Return to Contents
Events
Eat Medieval in collaboration with Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle
Return to Contents
Events
A Lockdown Lunchtime Tour of the Botanic Garden Head Gardener Mike Hughes took us on a virtual tour of life in the University’s Botanic Garden, which had been closed to the public for Mike Hughes most of the year due to the global pandemic. We learnt about the mushroom archway, Durham mustard, the ‘playing dead’ plant and much more, including the badgers, butterflies, trees and plants found in the garden.
Eat Medieval Professor Giles Gasper of Durham’s History Department talked about research into medieval food, with a reconstruction of a Christmas feast from 1296 in a very unusual research collaboration with Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle (pictured opposite).
Past Events Bill Bryson in Conversation with Alison Gowman Author and former Durham Chancellor Bill Bryson interviewed Alison Gowman (Law, Van Mildert College, 1974-77), Alderman of the City of London (pictured below), who is tipped to become one of the two Sheriffs of the City of London in September 2021.
26 Dunelm
In a whirlwind tour through the history of gin, Jon Chadwick from Durham Distillery covered the Thirty Years’ War, the 18thcentury gin craze and the rise of British sea power, through to the modern growth of craft gin. Along the way, Jon showed us some classic gin cocktails to make at home.
DunelmOTTAWA St Patrick’s Jeopardy Happy Hour The fun-loving DunelmOTTAWA alumni group (pictured above) celebrated St Patrick’s Day with a Jeopardy-style quiz extravaganza. Alumni and friends were encouraged to join the happy hour with a green beverage in hand and to test their knowledge on topics as varied as Durham, Irish culture, and the meaning of Ottawa in the Algonquin language.
In November 2013, two mass graves were discovered during construction work at Durham University’s Palace Green Library, on the City’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. This discovery generated an extensive period of analysis led by experts in our world-leading Department of Archaeology. This analysis concluded that the remains were indeed those of the Scottish soldiers from the Battle of Dunbar; a finding that helped solve the near 400-year mystery of their last resting place. Dr Arran Johnston, Director of the Scottish Battlefields Trust, gave us an overview of the Battle of Dunbar itself, the legacy of the battle site and how the Trust is preserving its memory. Professor Chris Gerrard, project lead from our Department of Archaeology, told some of the fascinating stories from those who fought, survived and went on to lead full lives in distant lands, and how their descendants today are shaped by their Scottish identities.
Feisty 50 Fitness Challenge For the first 50 days of 2021, Durham alumni, family and friends set out to test their fitness, hang on to those New Year’s resolutions, and come together in the name of health and wellbeing. As a community, we’ve rekindled our motivation, inspired one another, smashed goals and personal records, lost weight, had a little break in our lockdown routines, and worked out with our Durham friends around the world.
dunelm.org.uk/F50roundup
Honouring Mary Thoits, the legend of Long Beach, California
Mary Thoits
Vatican Museum Lecture Series In partnership with the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, we were pleased to offer our alumni, benefactors and friends access to a special three-part lecture series: •
‘In Conversation’, with Dr Barbara Jatta, Director of the Vatican Museums, and Dr Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery in London;
•
‘The Cult of Raphael’, with Professor Stefano Cracolici (Durham University);
•
‘Unlocking a Hidden Heritage: Developing the Historical Collections of the Venerable English College in Rome’, with Professor Maurice Whitehead (Durham University).
Durham Gin
Alison Gowman
Getting the Most From Your LinkedIn Profile Sam Waterfall (Entrepreneurship, 19992000) and Charles Hardy (Psychology, St John’s College, 1993-96) from LinkedIn joined us to explain what the platform can do for you.
Gin-gle Bells: An Evening with Durham Gin The Battle of Dunbar and the Scottish Soldiers: People and Place, Now and Then
2020 marked a year we will never forget. During the pandemic, we delivered 57 virtual events featuring esteemed academic, professional and guest speaker experts from across the campus and the global Durham community.
DunelmOTTAWA Zoom event
Durham University Alumni Magazine
Mary Thoits led an incredible life, learning to fly planes at just 16, before going on to teach other women to fly in the Second World War as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). Studying initially at DePauw University in Indiana, USA, Mary decided to come to the UK for a year abroad at Durham, immersing herself in English literature and forming a lasting affinity with the region. Mary’s career as a recreation director for the military took her across Europe and to Korea, before returning to the States and settling in Long Beach, where she became a pillar of her community as the manager of the Senior Studies Program at Long Beach Community College. Mary’s zest for life and passion for lifetime learning were infectious, and she revamped the Program with classes in world affairs and politics. She also become somewhat of a celebrity in the Long Beach area for her funloving approach to life, going skydiving to celebrate her 85th birthday. In 2020, Mary was nominated posthumously for an Honorary Doctorate at Durham in recognition of the outstanding impact she had made in her community, and for her role as a wonderful supporter and ambassador for Durham in the USA. We conferred degree posthumously with Mary’s friends, family, and alumni in an online ceremony in her memory.
Catch up on any events you have missed: dunelm.org.uk/events/online/recordings Dunelm 27
