The Year 2021

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2020/21

The Year

The Annual Review of Girton College Cambridge


Contents Welcome

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Fellows’ Profiles

A Letter from the Mistress

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Liliana Janik

58

Calendar of Events

102

Heidi Radke

62

Regional Associations

103

Roll of Alumni

Features Profile: Anita Desai

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Global Girton

College Reports

Births, Marriages and Deaths

Alumni and Supporters

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A New Perspective on the Medieval World

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Admissions and Widening Participation

69

A Continental View of Girton

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Bursaries and Grants

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Girton: A Global Brand

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Postgraduate Affairs

71

Library

72

Sidnie Manton, Pioneering Zoologist 27 Diplomatic Affairs in the Holy See

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The Future of East–West Relations 36

Marriages and Civil Partnerships 108

Archive 74 Culture and Heritage

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144

Fellows’ Publications

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Alumni Publications

150

84

Hail and Farewell

86

Girton’s Poets

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Girton Conversations

54

Solution to 2020 Crossword 2021 Crossword

134

Awards and Distinctions

Research Evenings

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Fellows and Officers of the College

144

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Jane Martin Poetry Prize

Lists

Appointments of Fellows and Alumni

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Life Beyond Earth

50

Obituaries 119

Choir

Chapel 82

Ladder of Academic Success

109

University and College Awards 139

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In Memoriam

Music 77

Decolonising Economics

Ivor Gurney: Composing in Lockdown

Births 108

Student Reports JCR 88

Alumni Information Update your Details

151

Alumni Events

152

55

Supporting Girton College

153

56

Giving to Girton

154

MCR 90 Societies and Sports

92

Designed and produced by Cambridge Marketing Limited, 01638 724100 Cover: Detail from Girton’s copy of the Mappa Mundi (donated by Margaret Mountford); by kind permission of Hereford Cathedral Section title images: ‘Blue-Sky Thinking’ by Peter Sparks

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Welcome Welcome to the 2021 edition of The Year. Once again, the pandemic casts a long shadow and, as horizons shrank, we elected to focus on the College’s long and rich engagement with global issues and institutions. We hope this ‘Global Girton’ edition reflects the inclusive, internationalist principles the College holds dear. The Year could not be produced without the help of many people. We are very grateful to all our contributors. Our warmest thanks go to Anne Cobby, Judith Drinkwater, Cherry Hopkins, Gillian Jondorf and Ross Lawther, whose kind help is hugely

appreciated. Hannah Sargent and Rachael Humphrey continue to provide valued administrative support. We also remain deeply indebted to Peter Morrison, Stuart Cleary and Derrin Mappledoram of Cambridge Marketing; we could not wish for more generous collaborators. We are always glad to hear from Girtonians with news or stories to share; please contact the Development Office at Girton College, Cambridge, CB3 0JG (alumni@girton.cam.ac.uk). Martin Ennis and E Jane Dickson, Editors Luke Burton

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Jeremy West

A Letter from the Mistress Dear Friends, There is a new catchphrase to describe the future: ‘radical uncertainty’. This is also a good descriptor of the past year, which required us to anticipate, navigate, and recover from successive waves of a pandemic unparalleled in reach and impact. We are not, of course, alone in this, and we are especially mindful at this devastating time of those in far less privileged positions. That is, indeed, a reason why, here at Girton, we remain determined not only to deliver a first-rate education but also to engage students with values this College has long held dear: inclusion, wellbeing and an ethic of care. To that end, 2020–21 has been a year of firsts, some of which we did not look for, need or particularly want, but all of which we have fully embraced and put to good use. We are, after all, a college whose history is built on grasping victory from the jaws of defeat. Take our financial position. Thanks to lockdown we faced an eye-watering, almost total, loss of rental and business income. Yet, following a valiant costsaving, income-boosting fightback, and thanks in no small part to your support, the Bursar has recently presented a fiveyear rolling budget with a break-even outcome. Now that would be a first!

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This is partly attributable to another first, namely the completion of the first serious endowment campaign since our foundation. You will be hearing much more this year about the success of A Great Campaign. This bold effort to grow the permanent endowment underpinned what the Bursar termed a ‘transformational decade’. Over those ten years, our endowment income increased substantially, and is now on target to fill, sustainably, a structural gap between the cost of delivering a world-class residential higher education and the income received from fees, charges and other business. This transformation represents a milestone rather than an endpoint, because Girton has ambitious plans. In the meantime, however, we shall pause to pay tribute to all who have supported this game-changing project. Going fully online has prompted an array of other firsts. We moved swiftly to survey student needs, invest in overdue IT upgrades and support the introduction of

platforms such as Zoom and Teams. We also launched a new website on 30 September 2020 that met, for the first time, the exacting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1A. We now have a set of clean, accessible pages, with more space for news and events, helping to improve both internal and external communications. I do hope you were able to enjoy the many online events we mounted during the year. These included the entire alumni weekend, as well as virtual tours to the US and to East and South-East Asia. It was uplifting to reach out across the miles to so many friends, as well as to catch up with those of you whom, for one reason or another, I had not met before. For the first time last year, we streamed and recorded the Ceremony for the Commemoration of Benefactors which, in another first, celebrated the life of one of the many men who have shaped our history – Alfred Yarrow. An important reminder of the wisdom, Jeremy West

Filling the Matriculation Dinner hampers

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Jeremy West

foresight, generosity and trust of those who supported our College in the past, this year’s Commemoration was, for the first time, intentionally illustrated with words and music written by women and by people of colour, signalling the wider context of our foundation. This is part of an initiative steered by our Director of Chapel Music, Gareth Wilson, who has enlarged and diversified the choir’s core repertoire, attracting messages of support from all over the world. You may also have enjoyed A Very Girton Christmas, which we owe principally to the creative energies of our Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner, Andy Kershaw. Notwithstanding the cancellation of nearly all live performance, he helped us produce an electronic Season’s Greeting, a musical Christmas Carol, and many other festive treats. If you missed these or any other online, streamed or pre-recorded events, you can still find them in the online events archive at: https://www.girton.cam. ac.uk/events-archive.

Processing through King’s to the Senate House

Within College, it has been especially important for the whole community to remain as connected as possible throughout the pandemic. So we put as much ‘social’ into a year of enforced ‘distance’ as we possibly could. We mounted a #StillGirton campaign to improve COVID communications and secure buy-in to the measures that kept us COVID-free for much of the time. We offered a series of GirtOnline Ents, including jazz club, book club, poetry fortnight and more. We also took the Hammond Science

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Jeremy West

The choir in Ely Cathedral

Communications Prize, the Jane Martin Poetry Prize and the Humanities Writing Competition online to sparkling effect. Finally, we launched a new initiative, ‘Girton Conversations’ – a cross-College venture involving Fellows, students and staff, which this year (and next) has the theme ‘Our Fragile Planet’. Those conversations, active online, resulted in the foundation of ‘GreenSoc’, attracted some first-rate entries to a ‘Signs of Spring’ photography competition, and helped celebrate our Platinum Green Impact Award. Throughout the year, our catering team worked round the clock to produce an array of tasty, nourishing meals that were served to the table, taken away or delivered to the door. Maintaining a sense of occasion, our imaginative chefs packed a magnificent Matriculation ‘dining experience’ into hampers. Then, for the Halfway Event, they created a meal-kit which, thanks to the accompanying online cookery demonstrations, even I managed to assemble. Eventually Easter term dawned. Very gradually, things began to open up as infection rates fell, lateral-flow tests

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arrived, and vaccinations were rolled out. Thanks to an 800m2 marquee and good luck with the weather, we even held in-person ‘feasts’ for finalists. If ever there was a moment for expanding the College song book, this was surely it, and so it was that the Rolling Covid Blues, performed by Malcolm Guite and Tim Boniface (Chaplains ‘Ancient and Modern’), brought the house down. Soon after, we were able to offer graduation ceremonies at the Senate House and normality seemed within reach. This, however, was not to be, because within a few short days, the Delta variant had cancelled the choir tour to Durham and the North East. Still, it did not preclude fine performances in Ely and London, nor prevent the completion of a fabulous new recording. Another victory firmly grasped. An exceptional year has thankfully drawn to a close. Yet in these radically uncertain times this College is thriving. For that, I salute all those Fellows, students, staff and alumni who – inspired by an indomitable Girton spirit – stand ready to embrace whatever the future may hold. Susan J Smith, Mistress


Features


Tales from Two Continents Anita Desai, doyenne of Indian English fiction and Honorary Fellow, reflects on her distinguished career. By E Jane Dickson

‘S

urprises are so rarely wonderful,’ says Anita Desai, ‘but the invitation to Girton was one of the nicest surprises I ever had in my life.’

in the tumultuous years after Partition. In the late 1980s, she emigrated to the US where she is Emerita John E Burchard Professor of Humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a move she attributes to her time at Girton:

In 1986, when Desai arrived in College as Helen Cam Visiting Fellow, she was already a leading figure in world literature, an Indian novelist writing in English with a nearalchemical gift for turning particulars of time and place to lasting, lucent truth. Her 1984 novel In Custody had been nominated for the Booker Prize, as had her 1982 book Clear Light of Day. Yet despite this international profile, Desai had little sense of her own identity.

‘To me, Cambridge was the world described by Virginia Woolf in A Room of One’s Own, a world I thought existed only in books,’ she recalls. ‘Girton gave me rooms in the Grange; I would walk through the apple orchard to College, and everyone was so very welcoming. At Girton I learned what collegiality really meant and it was a wonderful experience, a growing experience, for me. I had no formal duties as Visiting Fellow – I was writing the final draft of ‘One is never an individual in India,’ she At Girton, I became Baumgartner’s Bombay – but talking to says. ‘You are always part of the social my own person students about writing and about Indian web – somebody’s daughter, somebody’s literature, I began to think I might be wife, somebody’s mother. But Girton had able to go and teach in the United States, where two of my invited me for no other reason than that I was a writer, children were already living. And it was Girton that gave me and while I was there I became my own person, with my the nerve to do that.’ identity as a writer.’

Dame Gillian Beer, then Acting Mistress, who extended the invitation, was and remains an admirer of the ‘exceptional lucidity and contained passion’ of Desai’s fiction. In an oeuvre spanning six decades, interior lives are illuminated with miniaturist skill, the colours enamel-bright. And, as in the best realised interiors, the outside world is subtly intimated: sounds of a nation remaking itself drift over high walls; women immured by domesticity scent freedom like a breeze from a far country. ‘Anita does not engage directly with feminist issues,’ points out Beer, ‘but she is an exemplar of a woman writing at full stretch in her own way and on her own terms.’ Born in Mussoorie in 1937, Desai came of age in Old Delhi

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In person as on the page, Desai is supremely poised. Gillian Beer remembers her ‘extreme quiet which was of course very authoritative’, and this soft power is no less impressive in her 84th year. If the early part of her professional life was circumscribed by marriage and motherhood – now widowed, she has four children – she embraced the discipline: ‘I think a lot of women writers have had to write at the kitchen table,’ she says. ‘For me, writing remains a very solitary occupation, almost secretive. But when I was at home and had a family, it really was a kind of secret. I used to write when I was quite by myself in the house, and as soon as anyone came in, I quickly put it away. My children always said they never saw me write when they were


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growing up. Suddenly one day a book would appear, but they never saw me write it.’ It was, she accepts, a lonely way to work, far removed from the festivals and junketing of modern literary life, but the loneliness was turned to good account: ‘Now that I think back on it, I think of this isolated life as a kind of good fortune. I was once asked by an American publisher what it was like to be a writer in English in India, and I said it was like being deep inside a cave, entirely by oneself, where one sees and hears nothing, having to create the life of the book that you are working on. But now I think this is what made me the writer that I am.’

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Baumgartner’s Bombay (1988), the book finished at Girton and dedicated to the College, is in many ways a touchstone text. The compromised hero, Hugo Baumgartner, is a Berlin Jew who travels to India to escape the Holocaust but is at home nowhere. ‘I was writing about someone who was a foreigner in India, as someone who was a foreigner in England, each of us making lives for ourselves in a strange land,’ says Desai. Written, like all her novels, in English, laced with Hindi, Urdu, German and Hebrew, and with refracted rhythms of each language running through the prose, the novel is a monument to polyglot culture: ‘Because of India’s strange history – first the Mughal Empire, then the British Empire – an ear for languages isn’t


Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and R K Narayan – and they uncommon,’ she explains. ‘I think every Indian knows at had enormous, inspiring charisma. So I thought “if these least two or three languages – you can’t get by knowing writers can continue to write in English, I will also try”.’ less. But in my childhood home, it was a little bit strange, because although I grew up in Old Delhi, neither of Less prominent were Indian women writing in English: my parents were Hindi speakers. My father came from ‘There were a few. People like Attia Hosain, who moved Bengal, which became East Pakistan after Partition. So to England in later life, and Kamala Markandaya, but all his Hindi was poor, with a strong Bengali accent. My these writers, male and female, lived in different parts of mother was German and, for her, English was a foreign India and had different backgrounds from mine. We read language, let alone Hindi. My siblings and I didn’t think each other’s work, but we didn’t know each other. And too much about it, we just used whichever language was really there was no great interest in Indian English fiction most convenient or apt at the moment. I didn’t learn either in India or elsewhere. I don’t think it was until English properly until I went to school, which was run by the 1980s that Indian writers were Irish missionaries. But English was the first publishing in English and becoming language that I learned to read and write, known all over the English-speaking and as far as I was concerned, it was the For me, English world.’ language of books.’ was the language

of books The list of books remembered from her childhood is almost an incantation: ‘Dickens, Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters; Hemingway and Steinbeck; and all the books that were translated into English that came to us from Russia – Chekhov and Dostoyevsky. All of us – my parents, my siblings and I – read everything, we read them all. So it seemed only natural to me, when I started writing, to write in English.’ Publishing her first story at the age of nine, Desai went on to take a BA in English Literature from the University of Delhi. By the 1950s, however, post-Independence India was less inclined to revere the literature of the West. ‘Hindi became the national language of India,’ says Desai. ‘We all thought that English was going to disappear, that we wouldn’t be getting books in English any more, but it didn’t happen that way. There were always a few writers, not many, who had chosen to write in English for the same reason as I had: because it was the language of their education. These were very prominent and important male writers – I’m thinking of

Desai did nonetheless find a mentor in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the German Jewish author of Heat and Dust. Married to an Indian architect and living in Old Delhi, Prawer Jhabvala was a regular visitor to the Desai household, where she enjoyed German conversation, coffee and cakes. Presented with a copy of Prawer Jhabvala’s first novel, published years before in London, the younger writer was emboldened to believe that ‘the scribbling one did in one’s hidden corner of the world could be printed, published and read in the world beyond’. Desai’s own first novel, Cry, the Peacock (1963), a Woolfian study of feminine consciousness and alienation, is considered a landmark publication in postcolonial Indian fiction, while Clear Light of Day (1980), set during the India–Pakistan Partition of 1947, is thought to be closest to autobiography. For Desai, however, a watershed was reached with her eleventh book, In Custody, the tragicomic story of a lionised (fictional) Urdu poet and his devoted acolyte:

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‘I think all my early books had women as their main characters, all living very domestic lives, contained by the walls around them, and with doors shut to them. I wrote books about that kind of feminine isolation, and I wrote it so often I grew tired of it. With In Custody I deliberately set about creating a world made up of men and their male friends, their male activities and careers. And that started off a new vein of writing for me. Although I have to say that the book was criticised quite a lot in India by Indians, especially by Urdu readers, who said I hadn’t been respectful enough of this great man, an Urdu poet.’

The Urdu–Hindi culture clash is played out on a decorous, literary level in In Custody, the tension more felt than ‘seen’ by the reader. As so often in Desai’s close-focused fiction, there is a sense of other, equally compelling narratives just outside the scope of the story: ‘I admire writers who take on the whole world as their subject,’ she says. ‘Someone like Salman Rushdie wouldn’t shut anything out of their fiction, but I never had that kind of energy or ambition. I have always thought writing a novel is rather like working on a jigsaw puzzle. Because you go through life and it is fragmentary – all these bits lying

when I ‘ Now return to India, I have become the foreigner, the observer observing from the outside

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around. Then you notice that some of the bits and pieces belong together, fit in to each other. And they make a pattern, and that pattern is your book. But there are so many pieces that don’t fit and that you discard. They are scattered elsewhere, waiting for a time when you will perhaps give them some attention too.’ Settled in the small town of Cold Spring in the Hudson Valley, Desai continues to work, writing every day by hand and corresponding by letter. Her daughter, Kiran Desai, whose novel The Inheritance of Loss won the 2006 Man Booker Prize, lives in New York, and the two writers enjoy a tight affinity: ‘I think it’s wonderful that Kiran decided to write because my children all used to say “You lead the most boring life we know. We would never want to be writers”. Now Kiran and I share our writing, our reading, our travels … we share our inner lives, and it is the closest relationship I have known.’ Desai’s anatomising of Western society and its attitudes to the ‘mystic East’ in books such as Journey to Ithaca (1995) and Fasting, Feasting (1999) is deft (she is never funnier than when skewering the international community of seekers). The Zigzag Way (2004) was a delighted excursion into Mexican culture. But India remains her heartland: ‘No matter how much time I spend in the United States – and in recent years I have also spent a lot of time in Mexico – I don’t belong to them. I don’t share the languages or the religions. And yet when I return to India, which I do from time to time, I have become the foreigner, the observer observing from the outside. This has become more and more so, not only because I have changed, but because India has been changing all the time I have been away. And I have realised that one belongs not only to a place, but to a time, a certain time, and that for me it is the time when India became independent. India is a new country, but I still belong to that past time.’

Too clear-eyed for nostalgia, Desai strikes a soft chord of pride and acceptance: ‘It is,’ she says, ‘my inheritance to be an outsider. My parents were living in India but were from outside. I am from India but living outside, and this split vision has made my writings what they are. India is in every way my native land, but I cannot go back.’

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GLOBAL GIRTON

Casting Light on the Dark Ages Seb Falk, Rosamund Chambers Research Fellow in History of Science (2016–2019), considers the surprisingly cosmopolitan world of John of Westwyk Jason Bye

W

e live, it is often said, in an era of globalisation. The world is smaller every year, as travel becomes easier and cheaper, goods traverse the globe, and a Korean video about a baby shark is watched more times on YouTube than there are people on our planet. Whilst I have been unable to travel to archives this year, I have still given presentations in universities from Princeton to Paris, as well as supervising Cambridge undergraduates, all without leaving my hurriedly converted home office, thanks to technologies developed in my lifetime. When we note any modern phenomenon, it is tempting to exaggerate just how new it is. Of course, everyone knows people could communicate before the internet and could travel before aeroplanes. But we often forget this when we look at earlier centuries. As a medieval historian, I often have to challenge assumptions about the Middle Ages: that there was no book trade before the invention of printing, no travel before the magnetic compass, no interreligious dialogue before the Enlightenment, no astronomy before the telescope. This matters, because we habitually look to the past for inspiration or justification. Belittling earlier eras often masks complacency about our own deficiencies. The Romans were well aware that lead was poisonous, yet until recently we pumped it through our cars and into the air we breathed. This year has showcased the achievements of modern medicine but also revealed its limitations, particularly where it interacts with governments and populations through public-health

Seb Falk with astrolabe

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measures. There was no vaccine rollout against the Black Death – but there were some effective local lockdowns and social-distancing measures. I wrote The Light Ages to challenge common assumptions about the scientific backwardness of medieval Europe. People in the Middle Ages didn’t think the world was flat, for example – we have hundreds of handwritten textbooks proving its sphericity, as well as calculating its size with impressive accuracy using ingenious geometry. And the Catholic Church didn’t stifle science, as is widely believed: in fact, the Church promoted observation and analysis of nature, as a window into the mind of its Creator. Nor were Christians resistant to ideas from other cultures: no less a figure than St Augustine urged scholars to study pagan theories, cultivating scientific knowledge in order to maximise the effectiveness of the evangelical mission. The many scientific manuscripts that survive from medieval monasteries are filled with references to Islamic and even Indian authorities, and when St Albans, England’s wealthiest abbey, commissioned some decorated windows for its new library in 1452, the notable thinkers commemorated in stained glass included the Greek astronomer Ptolemy, the Persian astrologer Abu Ma‘shar, and the Jewish theologian Maimonides. This is why The Light Ages is centred on a reallife monk named John of Westwyk. He was not an exceptional thinker; rather, he was one of a battalion of scientific foot soldiers, each of whom made a small contribution to the

Astronomers using

development of human knowledge. The history of science is too often told as a parade of great men – and in such stories it is usually men – portrayed as isolated geniuses ahead of their time. John had a remarkably adventurous life: he took his vows at St Albans, was exiled to a clifftop priory, went on a disastrous failed crusade, and worked in the smelly streets of fourteenth-century London. But his knowledge and interests were typical of his time, so following his life, learning along with

an astrolabe

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him, gives us a faithful picture of the sciences of the age.

Oxford lecture hall

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In many areas, particularly astronomy and mathematics, medieval science was remarkably advanced. The techniques taught in The Light Ages – counting to 9,999 on your fingers, computing the date of Easter, multiplying Roman numerals or tracking the complex motions of the planets – were studied in medieval monastic and cathedral schools. They were woven into culture too: Geoffrey Chaucer incorporated the latest scientific theories into his poems, and even wrote a manual on the use of the greatest medieval scientific instrument, the astrolabe. Although it was addressed to his ten-year-old son, Chaucer probably always intended it to have wider circulation – a sort of Astrolabes for Dummies. Contrary to the common misconception that the culture was antiinnovation, medieval scholars loved gadgets. Craftsmen competed to invent ever more complex instruments – John Westwyk made a device of his own, an equatorium, to find the positions of the planets in the sky at any time in the past or future. And while astronomy

demonstrated the theories of the celestial spheres, its little sister astrology had a practical purpose, predicting the weather or informing medical care. We may now laugh at the belief that the faraway planets could influence people’s health, but in its own terms astrology was logically founded, mathematically precise, and supported by detailed theories. The most advanced astronomy was taught in the universities that sprang up across Europe in the twelfth century. They met a growing demand for qualified practitioners of medicine, law and theology; but before learning one of those disciplines a student first had to study the compulsory basic liberal arts, which included the mathematical quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. These subjects had long pedigrees, but they were reinvigorated in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by a flood of materials newly translated into Latin. These included ancient Greek texts by Aristotle, Euclid and Galen, as well as works by Muslims such as Averroes, al-Kindi and Avicenna. Most were translated in Spain, where the gradual Christian conquest of al-Andalus brought Arabic-speaking scholars and their books under Castilian rule. If universities today are multinational communities, the same was true in the Middle Ages. Many scholars were able to study and work abroad, often through membership of either the Dominican or Franciscan orders of friars. In the 1240s the University of Paris boasted an array of scholars such as the Italian Thomas Aquinas, the German Albertus Magnus and the Englishman Roger Bacon; they all wrote and taught in the international language of scholarship: Latin.


Despite an intense programme of lectures and disputations, there was still time for an active social life: medieval chronicles are full of stories of student revelry as well as the bad behaviour that sometimes went along with it. It’s hardly surprising that monastic leaders were wary of sending young, impressionable monks to such sites of temptation. And the sources show they were right to worry: several monks went off the rails at university, mortgaging their monastery’s books to buy beer, and doing more hunting than studying. Still, the abbots thought it a risk worth taking in exchange for the educational opportunities on offer, and continued sending their most promising young brothers – possibly including John of Westwyk – to the fast-growing universities at Oxford and Cambridge. The undergraduates I teach, who can take a History of Science course in Part IB of the Natural Sciences Tripos, enjoy hearing about the student shenanigans of former centuries. But it is equally important that they learn to understand the scientific successes and failures of earlier generations. Seeing how medieval scholars were influenced, for better or for worse, by faith or culture should make them better scientists. And as they get inside the heads of people who lived and thought very differently, it should make them better humans too.

God as geometer

Seb Falk is a BBC New Generation Thinker. The Light Ages: A Medieval Journey of Discovery (Allen Lane), written mainly during his Research Fellowship at Girton, was chosen as a Book of the Year 2020 by The Times, The Telegraph, The TLS and BBC History Magazine.

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GLOBAL GIRTON

A View from Abroad Martin Ennis, Director of Music and Co-Editor of The Year, surveys depictions of Girton in nineteenth-century German-language publications Twenty-first-century Girton is a truly global community. Before Brexit, typically well over half our graduates came from abroad. 2018 was possibly the highwater mark, with 78% of graduates classified as EU or Overseas. In 2019, some fifty nations were represented among the student body. As a student of nineteenth-century German music, I often find myself consulting German-language newspapers. And, as any scholar who works with periodicals will know, a roving eye is fatal. Recently, while pursuing a Brahms project, I fell down a rabbit hole and started researching perceptions of Girton in nineteenth-century Germany. The following offers a glimpse of the College in its early decades from a Continental perspective.

O

n 6 January 1875, readers of the Leitmeritzer Wochenblatt, a newspaper from the Bohemian town that nowadays goes by the name of Litomerice, will have found a section on the back page titled ‘Buntes’. A regular feature, this was a potpourri of stories from near and far designed to capture readers’ attention. Between a paragraph on an outbreak of illness in a local school, extracts from the recently published memoirs of the editor of Le Figaro, an account of the burial of a Native American chieftain, and a report on a railyard conflagration, we find a section labelled ‘Weibliche Professoren’ – female professors. Readers learn that two Girton students, ‘Miß Kingsland’ and ‘Frl. Dove’, after passing oral examinations in Physiology and Chemistry, have been offered academic employment. We are told that Kingsland, the daughter of a dissenting cleric from Bradford, was appointed to an assistant lectureship in Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Girton, while Dove, daughter of a Lincolnshire vicar, took up a position at Cheltenham Ladies’ College teaching Physiology. Mary Kingsland and Frances Dove were remarkable people. Kingsland won an OBE in 1937 for her work on homelessness and vagrancy; Dove, who was made a

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DBE in 1928, would probably have become the UK’s first female mayor, had it not been for a vituperative campaign unleashed by antisuffragists in pre-WWI High Wycombe. Both women, however, would surely have been astonished to find their careers chronicled on the back page of a minor Central European newspaper. It is hard to judge why the Leitmeritzer Wochenblatt deemed their story worthy of coverage. Presumably, the very idea of female professors was outlandish enough to make the news. But it wasn’t the first time this paper had featured Girton: three years earlier, in 1872, the ‘National Union for improving the Education of Women of all Classes’ (sic) and its role in the development of the College had been discussed. Quite what the inhabitants of Leitmeritz made of this august organisation and its unwieldy – and untranslated – title is not recorded. In the early 1870s, higher education for women was still a novelty in the UK: only ten students enrolled at Girton in the years before Kingsland and Dove. But the cause of women’s education was also stirring on the Continent. In fact, it would not be long before the university closest to Leitmeritz, the Charles University of Prague (the oldest of all German universities), allowed female students to audit lectures as Gasthörerinnen (guest listeners). This arrangement was institutionalised throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire in


1878. Full matriculation, however, was to take another two decades. The process started in Philosophy in 1897, followed in 1900 by Medicine. The barricades in Law came down only after the First World War, in 1919. Other German-speaking lands moved at a similar pace. Prussia admitted female students as Gasthörerinnen in 1898, though several dozen women had previously been given special permission to attend lectures. Predictably, perhaps, conservative Bavaria waited until 1903 before admitting women. Among German states, Württemberg appears to have been the most enlightened: in a decree dated 16 May 1904, the King of Württemberg declared that ‘female persons belonging to the [German] Reich’ could matriculate at the University of Tübingen ‘under the same conditions and in the same way as male persons’. However, these achievements are put in the shade by Switzerland. By 1874, women already made up over a quarter of the students at the University of Zurich – a curious contrast to the Swiss Federation’s execrable record on voting rights for women. Kingsland and Dove weren’t the only Girton students to attract interest in mainland Europe. Agnata Frances Ramsay featured in several German-language newspapers after gaining the highest marks of her year in Part II of the Classics Tripos. The correspondent of Linz’s Tages-Post, writing in June 1887, noted that her achievement was so remarkable it was recorded in the London Times. The Tages-Post reporter was keen to draw conclusions for his own country. That Ramsay managed to ‘knock all her male competitors for six’ after studying Greek for only four years, while her male counterparts had been learning the language for almost one and a half decades, was proof that boys started Classics too young: they mastered declensions and conjugations only out of fear of the cane and, consequently, developed no affection for the subject. ‘It is very questionable whether

anything valuable is achieved with this method,’ the writer mused, reflecting perhaps on his own education. The Tages-Post makes much of the fact that several of Ramsay’s male relatives were noted Classicists. Vienna’s Die Presse put a very different slant on the story, commenting that Ramsay’s teachers in Latin and Greek were both women – a focus on gender reflected in the headline: ‘On the Question of Female Emancipation’. Many accounts of Girton in nineteenth-century German newspapers address the disadvantages suffered by female students. The famous occasion in 1880 when Charlotte Angas Scott was placed eighth among Mathematics students, only for her name to be suppressed when the list of Wranglers was read out

Leitmeritzer Wochenblatt feature, January 1875

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language papers carried the results of a survey published by the English writer Alice Mary Gordon. According to this, only one in ten Girton students who completed their university education entered into matrimony, a situation apparently replicated at Somerville in Oxford. Most of those who remained unmarried became teachers. Detailed figures are supplied for Newnham. Of the 720 ‘ladies’ turned out by Newnham since its foundation in 1871, 374 worked in some form of education. Two became doctors, two missionaries, one a gardener, and one a bookbinder. In addition, two found work with charities, and the rest – of those in employment, we must assume – became secretaries. Other statistics are even more surprising: of the 85 women who studied Mathematics at Newnham, only five married; and only one of 38 Medieval and Modern Languages students tied the knot – a fact so startling that it is mentioned twice. This story was widely reported; it even appeared in translation in the Kurjer Lwowski (the Lvov Courier). It is perhaps telling that one of the journals that carried the story was Das Vaterland, a noted right-wing publication. Here, scaremongering reports linking higher education with spinsterhood appear alongside an ugly account of Jewish publications carrying antisemitic jokes ‘to gain unfair advantage’ in business.

’Scott of Girton’

in the Senate House, features in numerous publications. Editors delighted in the fact that supporters shouted ‘Scott!’ at the moment her name should have been announced. Not all newspapers were supportive of women’s causes. Perceived incompatibilities between higher education and marriage surface repeatedly. In 1895, several German-

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While most references to Girton in nineteenth-century publications consist of little more than a paragraph, one occasionally finds much longer reports. One such account, ‘Schwester Studio in England’, includes a great deal about the daily life of female students at Girton and Newnham. The author, one ‘M. R.’, is keen to draw distinctions between the two colleges. Girton is portrayed as preeminent in Mathematics and Classics, Newnham in History and Natural Sciences. A more significant difference is logged in entrance requirements: all Girton applicants are required to take a written examination, whereas Newnham students can enrol without an


A ‘day room’ in College

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Girton’s Fire Brigade, 1889 (Archive reference: GCPH 10/2/3)

entrance test or even a school-leaving certificate. Needy students, we are assured, are given scholarships of up to £84 per annum – ‘as far as resources allow’ (a phrase that has surely appeared in Girton literature every decade since the College’s foundation). Of the 70 women in residence at Girton in 1884, no fewer than 22 held scholarships. One financial consideration was deemed unusual enough to merit highlighting. Unlike their male peers who could pay for extra creature comforts, all Girton women were

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charged the same rate for accommodation. The author calculates the cost as precisely 12 Marks per head per day. Domestic arrangements, too, differ between the female colleges. All Girtonians, we are told, enjoy the use of two rooms, a day room and a bedroom, while Newnham students have only one (which, admittedly, tends to be larger and is often divided into two sections by a curtain). The author makes much of the freedoms enjoyed by


students, but points out that certain rules – for example, appearing at the communal evening meal and attendance at lectures – must be observed. Unlike male students at both Oxford and Cambridge, Girton students, it is noted, are not required to attend morning prayers. Students are also free to take breakfast and lunch when they wish; the latter, a cold collation of meat and cheese, is set out from noon until 3.00 pm, allowing great flexibility in the shaping of one’s day. The author is intrigued to note that Girton, like male colleges, has a high table, while Newnham dons mix with their pupils, creating ‘a notably more relaxed tone’. Girton students round off their day with tea, cocoa or coffee at 9.00 pm, while at Newnham this ritual takes place an hour earlier. Silence is required after 10.00 pm, and corridor lights are extinguished at 11.00 pm, by which time all students, including those with permission to go into town, must have returned to their rooms. Contrary to modern practice, mornings are devoted to private study, and most lectures, except in scientific subjects, take place in the later afternoon. This arrangement probably reflected Girton’s freedom to make its own choices; however, it may well have been forced on the College by the need to employ male lecturers, many of whom arrived on their ‘velocipedes’ after fulfilling commitments elsewhere. Free time was given over to reading, conversation, music practice and physical activity. One unusual form of exercise was adopted when the College acquired a fire engine. The author notes that weekly drills have been held since 1882, and Girton students now form ‘probably the only female fire brigade in the entire world’. Interest is also piqued by Girtonians’ passion for cricket. According to the author, until the summer of 1884 cricket had been played only by men. Girton took to its new sport with zest and vigour, employing an expert (male) coach and adopting the traditional flannel trousers.

Most versions of this feature end by observing that the combination of sport, regular walks, a wholesome environment and a good balance between work and play gives rise to an excellent level of health at both Girton and Newnham. However, in one version of the report, the author, one ‘Leopold Katscher’, asks if an academic career, with all its challenges, might not make women a little dull. ‘This question can be answered confidently in the negative’, he replies, explaining himself as follows: ‘Students at ladies’ colleges cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called pedants or bookworms. They take on none of the attributes of bluestockings; they are affected neither in their clothing nor their manners. On the contrary, one could argue that they are happier, more sociable and more communicative than would have been the case, had they been exposed only to the influence of the circumscribed lifestyle that so often marks out, to their considerable disadvantage, the English middle classes.’ This encouraging account of Cambridge life appeared in Vienna’s Allgemeine Zeitung on 16 July 1885. Only a few weeks earlier, a Viennese woman called Ida Freund, who had been studying at Girton since 1882, took a first in Part I of the Natural Sciences Tripos. Her achievement was all the more remarkable as she was severely disabled and had started her university career with very limited English and no knowledge of Latin or Greek. After graduating, Freund went on to take up a position at Newnham, becoming the first female Chemistry lecturer in the UK (and, apparently, a pioneer in the use of fairy cakes as teaching aids). However, German-speaking students were rarae aves in Girton’s early decades. Despite the interest stoked by reports in newspapers such as the Leitmeritzer Wochenblatt, it wasn’t until well into the twentieth century that the College acquired the global standing it enjoys today.

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GLOBAL GIRTON

A Byword for Excellence Dennis Grube, Fellow for Postdoctoral Affairs, considers the influence of Girton on women’s colleges across the globe

G

reen Island is an evocative name. It conjures up an image of some kind of tropical paradise. But in midnineteenth-century New Zealand, Green Island was simply the name of a distant suburb of Dunedin. At the bottom end of New Zealand’s South Island, Dunedin was almost literally the end of the earth. The local school was a single room. In the 1860s, it would not have seemed an especially auspicious place to build an educational dream. But then Caroline Freeman was not your average educationalist. Extraordinarily bright, she topped the school at Green Island and became a ‘pupil-teacher’ soon after completing her studies. She was the first woman to matriculate at the University of Otago, and initially walked the seven miles each day from Green Island to attend classes. For Caroline, education was transformative, and she was determined other girls who followed her would have better opportunities. In 1886, she opened her own school in a musty old hall, with only four girls as her first students. She wanted a name that would capture her desire to improve educational opportunities for girls, and so decided to call her school Girton College in honour of the first residential college for women in the UK. She used the name again eleven years later when establishing a sister school in Christchurch. The fact that Caroline chose to name her school after a college she’d neither seen nor attended speaks volumes about the power of Girton

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Caroline Freeman, founder of Girton College, Dunedin, and Girton College, Christchurch


as a symbol for the value of women’s education. The Girton community in Cambridge has rightly celebrated for many years the pivotal role played by the College in British higher education. What is perhaps less well known is the extent to which the foundation of Girton College spurred action in other places around the world. Across the Tasman Sea from New Zealand, in the Australian colony of Victoria, the influence of Girton as a global catalyst for women’s education was similarly at work. In the 1880s, the town of Bendigo was a booming regional centre, built on the wealth of the goldfields that spread across Victoria in the 1850s and 60s. In 1884 a school for girls was founded in Bendigo by two women, who again named their school Girton College in

honour of the Cambridge institution. The 1930 edition of the school newspaper – appropriately named The Girtonian – pays tribute to the school’s remarkable founders Marian Aherne (née Lander) and Mrs Millward (née Hill). A letter published in The Girtonian that year, from a former student who had been there in the school’s earliest years, recalled Mrs Aherne as ‘a woman one could never forget – a woman who in a higher stratum of life and in earlier times might have influenced destinies’. Mrs Millward was hailed as ‘gifted in mathematical, literary and artistic subjects’, whilst the letter also lauded ‘the sweetness of her nature and her absolute justness’. The letter, written under the pseudonym ‘Old Scholar’, also noted with delight that ‘music was given special prominence in the curriculum, and in later years

Girton College, Bendigo

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Girton Hall (later, Senior Women’s Hall), University of California, Berkeley

the best talent procurable in Melbourne was always secured to give lessons in all branches of music’. How fitting then, that the Cambridge Girton College choir was able to visit Girton Grammar School (as it is now known) as part of its Australian tour in 2006 to showcase the love of music that links these two educational institutions. One of Girton’s great contributions to feminist history is that it didn’t just champion the education of women: it provided a physical space in which women could pursue intellectual debate freely. Women who might previously have felt limited to sharing their ideas through letters, or at gatherings hosted in their own homes, were able to come together for discussion and debate in a set of buildings devoted specifically to women’s education; this remains one of the great functions of universities today, but for too long women were excluded from such spaces. The establishment of Girton marked a pivotal moment in this regard and proved of great symbolic importance well beyond the confines of Cambridge. The breadth of Girton’s influence was again on show in 1909 in the US. The University of California at Berkeley had admitted women to study there since 1870 but, of course,

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inclusion requires more than legal acceptance. What the women of Berkeley felt keenly was the lack of physical spaces in which to meet, debate and share. The University already had a senior hall for the men, and in 1909 Berkeley’s women students began raising money to build an equivalent. Designed by leading architect Julia Morgan, herself an early Berkeley alumna, the building began life as Girton Hall, in tribute to Girton College Cambridge, before becoming ‘Senior Women’s Hall’. Wherever the education of women was initiated, celebrated, or championed in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was an awareness that such opportunities owed a debt to the early advocates for women’s education. It was never an enterprise conceived in isolation. There was a vibrant global community of progressive women and men who sought to further the opportunities available. In that context, the name Girton came to be a signifier that the education of women mattered. It acted as a badge that could be attached to other educational enterprises dedicated to the advancement of women. The Girton name founded a lineage from which descendant institutions could draw inspiration.


GLOBAL GIRTON

Charting a Vanishing World Elizabeth Clifford (1958 Harding), in collaboration with Jeanie Clifford, celebrates the achievements of her mother Sidnie Manton (1921), a pioneering zoologist whose research had a truly global impact

O

ne hundred years ago, the Great Barrier Reef was in crisis: pearl fishers and turtlesoup canners had exploited it almost to extinction. Scientists realised they did not have enough data to determine exactly what was at risk, and an expedition, the first scientific study of a coral reef anywhere in the world, was proposed by the Great Barrier Reef Committee (later the Australian Coral Reef Society). After many years of planning, the members of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition (1928–29) set off. Among their number was Sidnie Manton, who was to become one of Girton College’s most distinguished scientists. In her mid twenties, she joined a group of eminent and intrepid biologists, geographers and oceanographers on the research trip of a lifetime. Their main fields of study were ocean conditions (temperatures, tides, pH levels) and the identity of the corals and associated marine life. Numerous specimens were collected, and Manton’s responsibilities lay mostly in this area. As well as personal effects, she brought with her packing cases containing three hundredweight (150 kilos) of scientific equipment, photographic gear and darkroom equipment. On her way to join the expedition, Manton stopped in Tasmania to look for Anaspides, a primitive form of

freshwater shrimp extinct in the rest of the world. Building on earlier work in Norway, she concentrated during this phase of the journey on studying the feeding mechanisms of crustaceans. She kept her specimens – with variable success, it might be noted – in tanks in a hotel bedroom halfway up Mount Wellington. In her work on Anaspides Manton was greatly assisted by the Australian marine biologist Theodore Thomson Flynn, best remembered today as father of film star Errol. After five weeks in Tasmania, Manton left for Queensland. The expedition team was based on Low Island, some sixteen miles north-east of Port Douglas, in the inner part of the Great Barrier Reef. Here, the scientists had established their laboratories. They led a very isolated existence, relying on weekly deliveries of food and letters. Sometimes, they sailed small boats, mostly ‘flatties’, to study nearby islands and rivers, often camping or sleeping on board to avoid crocodiles and other hazards. In emergencies, their only means of contacting the outside world were messages flashed in Morse code from the top of Low Island’s lighthouse or heliographic communications sent during daylight hours. Much of Manton’s work took place under water. Some techniques had never been used before: ‘nobody has ever made a section of a reef edge before let alone examine

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its fauna with anything other than a dredge’, she noted. When diving, Manton used a primitive helmet that resembled a galvanised dustbin with a window at the front. She relied on an assistant in a boat who hand-pumped air down a length of hosepipe into the helmet. Armed with bucket and hammer, she gathered samples and took notes on a piece of opal glass using an underwater pencil tied to her waist with string. One of the letters contains a humorous account of what happened when she dropped the pencil; unable to look down while in diving gear, she eventually found it floating under her chin inside the helmet. Another describes four alarming days spent at sea in rough weather. The on-board sleeping arrangements during the storm saw three scientists lashed to a deck hatch with a groundsheet over them and a couple of lifelines across their chests to prevent them slipping into the sea. Ever cheerful, Manton described this as ‘a great experience’. The team’s scientific observations were published in several volumes by the British Museum (Natural History) in the 1930s. Recently, ecologists revisited the Low Isles (the group that contains Low Island), and the records made by members of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition 90 years earlier provided them with helpful baselines for comparison. The findings of the expedition team – remarkable people with, by modern standards, remarkably basic equipment – proved to be of lasting importance.

Sidnie with a specimen of brain coral

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Manton’s diary and letters home describe everything from social conventions on ocean-going liners to the practicalities of zoological research on an isolated strip of sand in the middle of a coral sea. Her writings afford fascinating scientific insights, but many readers will be drawn to the human perspective – Manton’s thoughts on her fellow passengers and scientists and her awestruck observations on the natural world. Particularly touching


are her attempts to persuade her anxious parents that she can deal with any problems she might encounter, from sunburn to hostile fauna. (The best technique for dealing with a shark, she claims, is to stick one’s thumbs in its eyes.) Occasionally, Manton waxes philosophical: towards the end of her time on Low Island she concludes that ‘a semi uncivilised life with few conventions is so far preferable to our complex more or less artificial conditions’. In true Girton spirit, she adds that ‘we are all equal – either married or otherwise or of either sex, and there is no fuss or bother about anything’.

Manton’s return journey, through Bali, Java and Sumatra, was made alone. She shares vivid details of village rituals, including a Balinese cremation ceremony in which the corpse is burnt inside a massive wooden cow, while her description of a Javanese volcano offers a characteristically appealing mix of local colour and science: In 1812 the mountain blew its top off and left a crater open on one side with 3 huge vertical walls of rock towering hundreds of feet on the other sides. In the crater the arrangement could not have been

Sidnie’s journey, 1928–29

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Low Island, Queensland

done better at the Earls Court Exhibition – here a pond of boiling spluttering mud with a fountain playing in it […] then a small hole (1–2 yards) deliberately spitting out pats of lava and jets of H2S, the lava forming a rounded cone over a small area just as the subsiding ones do in Vesuvius […] then a huge mound of pure sulphur riddled with holes and caves all formed of sulphur crystals […] in places the yellow sulphur crystals being transformed to the glutinous syrup-coloured form we used to make in the lab – then imagine a fierce tropical sun lighting the crystalline sulphur and the white steam, it’s asking too much of the imagination I fear. Manton was clearly thrilled by all she saw and experienced. Her accounts are all the more affecting as many of the places she described in 1929 have since changed beyond recognition or are now, once again, under threat. Low Island, a remote spot when the scientists stayed there in the Twenties, is now a destination for day trippers. At the time of her visit, Bali had been open for tourism for only three years and admitted no more than 20 visitors a week. Fort de Kock,

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then a small town, is now known as Bukittinggi and, with a population of over 120,000 people, is the third largest city of West Sumatra. Quite aside from their scientific import, Manton’s lively observations help preserve for posterity a world that no longer exists.

Sidnie Manton (1902–1979) arrived at Girton 100 years ago, in 1921, to study Natural Sciences, specialising in Zoology and Comparative Anatomy for Part II. She came top of the class list but was not awarded the associated prize on the grounds that women were not members of the University. After two years as an Alfred Yarrow Research Student at Girton, Manton was appointed Demonstrator in Comparative Anatomy, the first woman to hold such a post. An inspiring teacher, she was particularly remembered for her ability to sketch rapidly on a blackboard using both hands simultaneously. Over the coming decades Manton held many posts at Girton, including Director of Studies in Natural Sciences, Director of Studies in Geography, Lecturer and Governor. Her students took up teaching and research posts throughout the world.


A zoologist of great determination and academic brilliance, Manton would become a towering figure in arthropod biology. A portrait in the Cambridge Zoology Department Library celebrates her achievement as the first woman to receive a Cambridge ScD. She was elected FRS in 1948, one of the first women to achieve this distinction; her sister Irene (1923) was also elected FRS (in 1961), the only example in the history of the Royal Society of sisters serving simultaneously as Fellows. (In 1992, a crater on Venus was named after the two women.) The Linnean Society awarded Sidnie Manton its Gold Medal in 1963, and she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Lund, Sweden, in 1968. The Zoological Society of London awarded her the Frink Medal in 1977 for ‘the advances made by her towards the understanding of arthropod evolution’.

Sidnie on Bali

Sidnie Manton’s Letters and Diaries: Expedition to the Great Barrier Reef 1928–1929, ed. Elizabeth and Jeanie Clifford, was published by Amazon in 2020. Exhibitions are being planned for 2022 in London and Australia to mark the centenary of the formation of the Great Barrier Reef Committee and for 2028 to celebrate the centenary of the expedition to the Reef.

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GLOBAL GIRTON

A Diplomat’s View of the Vatican Maureen MacGlashan (1957) recalls her time as British Ambassador to the Holy See

‘O

ur man in the Vatican is a woman.’ This was the Mail on Sunday ’s reaction to my appointment in 1995 as British Ambassador to the Holy See. My career hitherto had been unconventional and interesting. Just about every one of my jobs, at home and abroad, had given me a place in the footnotes of history, while almost all my overseas postings in Eastern Europe, Israel and Northern Ireland had been physically uncomfortable and

Maureen at the Vatican

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sometimes dangerous. The discomfort hadn’t particularly worried me, and I was rather expecting more of the same for my last posting. As the postings officer ran down the list of possibilities I was making a mental note of places like Albania, Afghanistan, Nepal until he came to the Holy See. We spoke together: ‘That’s not for you’, ‘That’s the one’. My credentials were strong. Most of my postings had had a


religious dimension, and they were to places in which the Vatican had a marked interest. My Foreign Office position at the time was head of Western European Department, which had oversight of the Vatican, so I knew something of what the job entailed. Approval came quickly for my appointment, followed by a flurry of preparations. The highlight, of course, was my audience with the Queen: she was shrewd, witty, relaxed and open. One month later I was in Rome for the presentation of my credentials and my first audience with Pope John Paul II, a splendid occasion complete with Swiss Guards. The audience was a bit of a disappointment, though not a surprise. The Pope held my hand as he spoke at some length of the important role women played as wives and mothers. Perhaps I broke the rules, but eventually I took a deep breath and said that while I was neither a wife nor a mother, I hoped I still had something to contribute. He took pause and the meeting drew to its close. My new surroundings were a delight. I knew something about prestigious addresses having lived on Unter den Linden in Berlin and the Grand-Place in Brussels, but there was nothing to match my Residence (with a capital ‘R’) at the start of the Appian Way and my office (the ‘Embassy’) on Via Condotti. Both were real gems, ideally suited to their purpose but sadly given up a few years after my departure. My office looked onto the Spanish Steps with the Babington Tea Rooms to the left and the Keats–Shelley Memorial House to the right. Villa Drusiana, my Residence, was a lovely house with splendid marble floors that came to life once the fitted carpets had been lifted and died again when my successor restored them. The garden was bounded by the Aurelian wall. Most ambassadorial posts involve a lot of commercial, consular and administrative work, but my lot as

The garden at Villa Drusiana

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Ambassador to the Vatican was quite different. The Embassy website explains it thus: The British Embassy to the Holy See is responsible for promoting the relationship between the UK and the Holy See. The focus of the Embassy is working with the Holy See on the ethical dimension of foreign policy and global challenges, and the role of religion in world affairs. We work with the Holy See in areas where our interests overlap, and maintain a dialogue in areas where our approaches are different.

of changing the Holy See’s mind, but arguments against supporting international terrorism didn’t succeed. The Vatican’s line? ‘Libya has taken steps to protect freedom of religion. Relations could help the Holy See play a role in ensuring peace and stability in the region.’ Not for the first or last time, Rome understandably put concern for its adherents at the top of its priorities.

I fielded almost no political visits. Tony Blair, on his first visit to Rome after becoming Prime Minister, declined to seek an audience with the Pope on the interesting grounds that the British public wouldn’t like it. Ann Widdecombe, at the time Prisons Minister, came, but she saw her visit as a personal rather than political mission. The only other What this amounts to will depend on the circumstances political visitor I recall is Clare Short, Secretary of State for of the time and on the interests of the government of the International Development, who came day. After a dramatic start, when St not to meet the Pope but to engage Peter’s was plunged into darkness by The Holy See was in with the Sant’Egidio community, an a lightning strike during a mass in the some ways my most organisation known for its work presence of the Ecumenical Patriarch demanding political job on conflict resolution. This was the Bartholomew, my two and a half closest I came, by a quirk, to serious years in Rome were relatively quiet. political engagement as I became a I arrived shortly after the 1994 Cairo go-between in efforts to broker an agreement on education Conference on Population and Development and shortly for Kosovo. A fascinating interlude. before the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women, events of considerable importance to both the British Government While there were few political events requiring my active and the Holy See. The best of diplomacy was unlikely to attention, the Holy See was in some ways my most shake minds in these areas, where positions were long demanding political job and certainly the most farentrenched, but diplomacy did help. A forewarning, for reaching. As one of my successors, Nigel Baker, put it: example, from my Vatican counterpart of an upcoming ‘I’ve always seen this job as a chance to plug into that ‘hostile’ announcement made it easier to avert what could global perspective, probably in a way that you can’t do in have been an unhelpful hostile reaction. any other country, or probably anywhere else other than the United Nations.’ Keeping on top of what was going on Another area on which the British Government and the around the world, particularly in respect of regions such as Holy See crossed swords during my time was the latter’s Asia and Africa, was a real (and rewarding) challenge. And decision in 1997, at the height of Gaddafi’s power, to if the Holy See was low on the list of priorities for the British establish diplomatic relations with Libya. This was the only government, this was far from the case for Roman Catholic occasion on which I was instructed to take up an issue countries where there was hot competition among senior with the Vatican. In theory, there was a remote chance

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diplomats for the job of ambassador. This added to the opportunity for significant political engagement for all of us. A major event during my time was the death of Princess Diana in August 1997. This was obviously a huge shock, galvanising us into much the same sort of action as I had been involved in in 1965 when, shortly after my arrival in Israel, Winston Churchill died: formal notification on blackedged notepaper (for some reason we had a stock), a book of condolences to be opened, and a memorial service (in Santa Maria Maggiore) to be arranged. A sombre few days indeed. Clearly, religion punctuated my life in Rome. Time and again I had to explain, sometimes to people who should have known better, that while, as tradition dictated, I was a member of the Anglican Communion, I was not the Ambassador of the Church of England. This was very obvious when the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, and his wife came to Rome. For hints as to what would happen, I looked up the files on previous such visits. My predecessors had all been involved in the arrangements, something it was very clear I would not be. The fact is, the establishment of the Anglican Centre in Rome in 1966 following the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey, and the appointment of its Director as the Archbishop’s Personal Representative to the Pope, had increasingly meant there was no real role for the Ambassador as intermediary. I was often in attendance and gave occasional advice from my perspective, but that was all, and I considered this a very proper arrangement. There were many other aspects to my life as Ambassador in Rome. My preferred style of entertainment at Villa Drusiana was a working meal for an eclectic mix of guests, ideally including a question-and-answer session for the guest of honour over dessert. I also hosted much larger gatherings, perhaps for Church delegations from the UK, or, more

Maureen with His Holiness Pope John Paul II

often, for concerts, such as that given by Girton’s Chapel Choir (for whom I also arranged an audience with the Pope). These were always very popular. Particularly rewarding was my relationship with the Vatican Museums: so often I was on my own in the Sistine Chapel or the Museums, very early in the morning, or enjoying the opportunity to climb the scaffolding in Santa Maria Maggiore. How much I learnt, how much pleasure I got and could share with UK visitors including the likes of Sir Georg Solti. I have to admit I wasn’t always comfortable with Pope John Paul II’s style and didn’t agree with his diagnosis of what was wrong with the world, but he was undoubtedly a very special pope whom it was an honour to know. My real regret is that when I arrived in Rome he was already in poor health, and by the time I left was suffering from fast-advancing Parkinson’s which was leaving him a shadow of his former physical and mental self. Sadly, this meant that my final audience was little more than a poignant leave-taking, which was a shame as I did have one or two questions for him…

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GLOBAL GIRTON

East and West: the Next Chapter Angela Stent (1966) reflects on current East–West relations Angela Stent’s distinguished career spans academia, government and international affairs. Her most recent book, Putin’s World: Russia against the West and with the Rest (Hachette/Twelve Books, 2020), was described by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as ‘an important window into one of the key geopolitical challenges of our time’. As the dust settles from the US presidential elections, The Year invited Professor Stent to explain the likely effect of Joe Biden’s administration on the balance of world superpowers. How does a change of administration in the US affect global geopolitics? The Biden administration has inherited a brittle relationship with Moscow. Russia remains a toxic subject in the US, and prospects for improved ties are limited. One of the administration’s first acts was to extend for five years the New START treaty, the one remaining arms-control treaty between the United States and Russia, which was about to expire. The Trump administration had already pulled out of several others. The treaty regulates the strategic nuclear weapons arsenals of both powers and has robust verification provisions. Had it expired, there would have been nothing limiting the nuclear arsenals of the world’s two nuclear superpowers who between them possess 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons. A new arms race and more proliferation would doubtless have followed. What is the background to Biden’s renewal of the New START treaty? The renewed treaty may turn out to be one of the few accomplishments in US–Russian relations of this Biden term. The US–Russian relationship deteriorated sharply after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and launch of a war in south-eastern Ukraine, in which more than 13,000 people have died. Washington joined with Brussels in imposing rounds of sanctions on Russia, but so far these sanctions have failed to alter Russian policy in Ukraine. Then in 2016 Russia interfered in the US presidential

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election in favour of Donald Trump’s candidacy. It used social media to mobilise the US population and also hacked into email accounts of prominent Democratic politicians and leaked damaging material about them. The Obama administration was slow to respond, eventually imposing more sanctions just before Donald Trump took power. To what extent did Trump’s personal relationship with Putin affect US policy? The Trump administration’s policy toward Russia was contradictory and limited. Trump himself consistently praised Putin and insisted he wanted to make a ‘deal’ with Russia. His executive branch and the US Congress, on the other hand, pursued a tough policy towards Russia, imposing rafts of sanctions in response both to the election interference and to the poisoning of the GRU double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury. Many of the usual bilateral channels of communication atrophied, the State Department downplayed traditional diplomacy, and contacts were limited. The one bilateral summit in Helsinki was controversial because the two presidents had a two-hour conversation with no notetakers present, after which Trump said he believed Putin’s denials of election interference over his own intelligence agencies’ conclusions that Russia interfered. His administration delayed engaging on arms control and, when it finally began talks with Russia, it insisted that Chinese nuclear weapons be included in any new treaty.


China declined this offer, pointing out that it had far fewer strategic nuclear weapons than did either Russia or the United States. Trump invited Putin to visit the United States last year, but the invitation was never taken up. Indeed, the Trump administration was the first since the Soviet collapse during which the Russian and American presidents did not visit each other’s countries. As the November 2020 election approached, stories about a massive cyber attack on both government and privately owned platforms in the United States emerged, suggesting that Russia might be the source. US intelligence officials, on the other hand, downplayed the extent to which they believed that Russia had been involved in election interference. After Biden’s win on 3 November, it took President Putin until 14 December to congratulate him officially and even after the 6 January attack on the US Capitol, state-run Russian media echoed pro-Trump media in the US, claiming that the election had been ‘stolen’ by the Democrats. Biden’s beginning with Russia was not auspicious. How is Biden likely to take US–Russia relations forward? Arms control and redefining strategic stability will remain a top priority for the administration. It is the one area where America and Russia face each other as equals and where there is a long and challenging history of negotiations that have produced results. The New START treaty may well be the last of its kind and a new treaty will have to be negotiated that reflects the reality of warfare in the twenty-first century. New weapons systems will have to be included, as well as discussions about whether the United States and Russia will revisit the issue of reviving the treaty covering intermediate-range nuclear weapons from which they have withdrawn. Another topic will be the Open Skies treaty from which both countries also recently withdrew

(this permits each state-party to conduct short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the others’ entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities). A major problem will be dealing with cyber warfare. Putin has for some time proposed that the United States and Russia sit down to discuss cyber rules of the road. So far the United States has been sceptical as to whether this could be productive. Nevertheless, as the administration reviews what happened last year during the cyber attack on the SolarWinds information-technology firm that compromised so many platforms in the US and elsewhere, it will also have to fashion an appropriate response. It is conceivable that discussions with Russia on cyber issues could be part of this response. A significant part of the Trump administration’s Russia policy consisted of rafts of sanctions on Russia in response to

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Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and to the poisonings of the Skripals and of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. The Biden administration is reviewing all of these sanctions to determine how effective they have been. By now, the Kremlin does not expect sanctions to be lifted and may have calculated that it can expect more sanctions if it continues to clamp down on domestic dissent. Are there any areas where cooperation is possible? The Biden administration’s stated policy is that Washington will work with Moscow on issues which are in the United States’ national interest. Climate change is one of these, as is their joint work in the Arctic, where they both cooperate and compete. Since the United States has rejoined both the Paris Agreements and the World Health Organization, public health during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is also a possible area for cooperation.

Putin and Trump, Helsinki Summit 2018

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The Biden administration has reiterated that human rights and democracy will play an important role in its foreign policy, and this could cause more friction with Moscow. The message from the Kremlin is clear: do not interfere in our domestic politics and do not preach to us, given all the problems you have in your country. The Russian leadership insists that the rest of the world deal with it as it is, not as they would like it to be. It remains to be seen how much the Biden administration will be able to influence what happens inside Russia. The track record of the last thirty years of Western democracy promotion suggests that this remains a major challenge. On balance, are US–Russian relations set to improve? The US–Russian relationship is worse now than it has been since Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985. Neither side believes that it will significantly change in the near future, because of the intractable issues on which the two countries disagree. Washington says that it does not seek a ‘reset’ of relations with Russia but wants to ensure that ties do not deteriorate further. Russia is increasingly looking to China as its main partner and Putin continues to portray the United States as a major threat. The Biden administration has also named Russia as a significant threat, albeit below that of China. Under these circumstances, expectations for a noticeable improvement have to be modest and realistic. Angela Stent directs the Center for Eurasian, Russia and East European Studies at Georgetown University. Earlier writings include ‘Putin’s Power Play in Syria: How to Respond to Russia’s Intervention’ (Foreign Affairs, 2016) and The Limits of Partnership: US–Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century (Princeton, 2014), for which she won the American Academy of Diplomacy’s Douglas Dillon prize (for the best book on the practice of American diplomacy).


GLOBAL GIRTON

Balancing the Books: Decolonising Economics Alina Kisina

Carolina Alves (Joan Robinson Research Fellow in Heterodox Economics) in collaboration with Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven (Lecturer in International Development at the University of York’s Department of Politics) calls for global perspective in the discipline of economics

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he momentum acquired by the Black Lives Matter movement, and events surrounding the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in the summer of 2020, have focused attention on the Eurocentric nature of economics as a discipline and the effect of colonialism on economic inequality. Calls to ‘decolonise the curriculum’ in universities are not new, and economics in particular has been targeted for reform since the late 1960s. The discipline, however, has remained relatively silent, and it is clear that addressing issues of race and Eurocentrism requires a radical restructuring of how economics is taught and researched. I am co-founder, with Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven and others, of a collaborative initiative, Diversifying and Decolonising Economics (D-Econ), whose research leads debate in this field.

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To ‘decolonise’ a discipline, we must first define colonisation. This, for the purposes of our research, can be done by considering three systematic erasures in the field of economics. The erasure of colonialism in the depiction of the development of capitalism In economics, and in large parts of the social sciences, the development of capitalism tends to be depicted as a period of triumph for rationality and scientific inventions such as Watt’s steam engine or Hargreaves’s spinning jenny. This view, which completely ignores the relationship between capitalism, the slave trade and structural racism, allows the emergence of standard economic laws, which

Tunisian banknote celebrating Ibn Khaldoun

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are seen to function uniformly across all social, political and historical contexts. The erasure of non-Western scholars in the history of economic thought Traditional teaching of the history of economics sells us not just an uncontested history of capitalism but also a Eurocentric history. Almost all the economists we study are white, male and Western, with the presentation of Western progress, enlightenment and objectivity set against a perceived lack of civilisation, backward attitudes and obscurity. The history of the development of economics tends to start with Adam Smith and ignores the contributions of non-Western thinkers before him.


Several insights credited to Smith, such as the central role of the division of labour in stimulating growth, were propounded by the Arab historian Ibn Khaldoun some 400 years earlier. The erasure of pluralism and power Since the Cold War, economics has narrowed to a fairly monolithic discipline, selfconsciously ‘depoliticised’ and cloaked in language that suggests economic theory is neutral and objective. This conceals power imbalances and structural inequalities in knowledge production itself. Presenting mainstream economics as a ‘set of principles’ denies space for alternative ways of thinking about the world, especially those emerging from former colonies in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. It also fails to acknowledge that those principles are inherently political and highly contested. Alternative views of economics, called heterodoxy, are more likely to deal with issues such as class, race and imperialism, and can offer important insights. However, these approaches are often excluded from the hierarchical and narrowly focused ’top five’ economics journals. So, in this context, decolonising economics can be viewed as a process where there is an attempt to • acknowledge that capitalism was founded on a colonial and racist project (this has implications for how we theorise about capitalist dynamics today);

• ‘de-centre’ Western ideas in the history of economic thought; • ‘re-politicise’ economic theory and give more space to theories emerging from outside the West. Decolonisation in practice: teaching There are a number of concrete steps that can be taken to decolonise the teaching of economics. One is related to the need to teach alternative (or heterodox) approaches alongside mainstream economic theories, emphasising to students that who and what they are taught is the result of a political battle over ideas. A recent study by Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven and Surbhi Kesar demonstrates that mainstream economists, especially those based in the Global North, are highly unlikely to teach about racial inequalities and colonialism compared with heterodox economists, economists based in noneconomics departments and economists based in the Global South. Unfortunately, the idea that there is a plurality of ways to ‘do’ economics is often lost on students, contributing to further reduction in the diversity of approaches. Moreover, most introductory economics courses today are largely organised around apolitical and ahistorical economic principles. Consequently, historiographical discussion of capitalism, together with its relationship to class struggle, colonialism and imperialism, has been watered down.

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Clearly, the first step towards decolonising economics curricula as they now exist in much of the academic world is to acknowledge the narrowness of the field. It is also necessary to deal with long-term issues of race and racism and bring excluded voices into the conversation. (Economist Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe points to the fatigue of many economists who have been calling for such inclusion for some 60 years.) For example, the American Economic Association’s 2019 survey on race and racism in economics shows that: • only 3% of the profession identifies as Black; • almost half (47%) of Black respondents reported experiences of discrimination in economics; • only 45% of all respondents, regardless of race, believed that economists who are not White are respected in the field. Decolonisation in practice: research In a panel organised by D-Econ for the 2020 Bristol Festival of Ideas, Imran Rasul presented his preliminary findings from a study of the extent to which economists publish research on race. He found that, between 2000 and 2020, only 1.4% of economics papers were on race-related issues, compared with 9% in sociology and 4% in political sciences. All social sciences disciplines have seen an upwards trend in the proportion of papers that deal with race; however, economics today is roughly where sociology was in the 1980s and where political sciences was in the 1990s. We should note, however, that Rasul’s research considers the mainstream of these fields and that alternative strands of race-related economics research exist. In the same panel, Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe drew particular attention to The Review of Black Political Economy as a place outside the mainstream where economists publish on important

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race-related topics such as racial stratification, racial economic discrimination and racial capitalism. In addition to the lack of race-related research, we see other biases in publishing in our field. It remains much more likely that academic work focused on the United States will be published in a ‘top five’ economics journal, compared with research on other countries, a bias that cannot be explained by data or researcher quality. Even within development economics, scholars based in the Global South rarely publish in leading economics journals – for example, only around 10% of 2018 papers in development economics had an author or co-author from the Global South. This indicates a familiar pattern of scholars in the Global North setting the research agenda and carrying out research on issues in the Global South, rather than engaging with local experts. If we are to decolonise the discipline, therefore, we must first undertake a complete overhaul of publishing practice. Next steps The discipline will not develop through research alone: there is a clear need to promote informed discussion of these principles within wider academic circles. (It was singularly unhelpful when, earlier this year, Michelle Donelan, Minister of State for Universities, compared the decolonisation of history to Soviet-style censorship.) Economics students at Girton have proved receptive to arguments for decolonising the curriculum, but there is as yet little evidence of focused, inclusive conversation within the Faculty of Economics. We must hope this conversation will soon be established, for only then can we bring about effective, practical change. Further details on research underpinning this article can be found on the D-Econ Diversifying and Decolonising Economics website: https://d-econ.org/.


GLOBAL GIRTON

The Final Frontier Arik Kershenbaum, Official Fellow in Biological Sciences, envisages life on other planets

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irtonians stand on the edge of the greatest era of exploration in the College’s history. In the coming decades, this generation of students will be the ones to pilot spaceships to Mars, design probes to look for life on the moons of Saturn, even discover signs of extraterrestrial life in the atmospheres of planets in distant solar systems. Our own planet is no longer enough of a challenge for them. Outrageous? Not at all. Even NASA believes that signs of the existence of extraterrestrial life are within our grasp. We can prepare our students for this final frontier. Our knowledge of extraterrestrial life may be speculative and unproven, but it can be based on firm scientific laws: the same laws that govern life on Earth. When I set out to write The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy, it quickly became clear that the laws dictating how living organisms evolve over geological time are in no way special to Earth. Our planet may be hotter or colder than others, may have different chemicals in the atmosphere and the ocean, may be radically different in countless ways, but one thing remains the same: complex life can only become complex through natural selection. No complex organism can just pop into existence from nothing. Evolution by natural selection would be the engine driving the accumulation of complexity on every planet with life. And if the rules of biology are the same on other planets as they are on Earth, why can you not make a whole host of general predictions, just

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as we make predictions from the universal laws of physics and chemistry? The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy is more than just a book about what aliens might be like. It is a book about what life is like in the most general sense. Primarily, it’s a book about life on Earth, which is all we can observe. However, drawing on fundamental laws we know apply to the evolution of life means we can reach out across the Galaxy and identify those things that all life has in common. Not just the wolf and the worm and the human on Earth, but the microscopic creatures that undoubtedly exist elsewhere in the Universe, and also those larger more complex life forms that – while presumably rarer than microbes – nonetheless seem inevitable. Some of the rules governing the nature of alien life are familiar and easily understood. They are the same laws of physics that constrain our everyday lives on Earth. Objects fall because of gravity, not because Earth is special. Friction may seem like a nuisance when we are furiously cycling back from town, but without any friction we wouldn’t be able to cycle – or walk – at all, as is amply demonstrated on those Lent Term days when King’s Parade is a treacherous skating rink. There are only so many different ways to move, and most of those ways have already been exploited by creatures on Earth. For example, dragging yourself along the floor is incredibly slow and wasteful of energy. Slugs and snails secrete a substance to reduce friction, but are rapidly outpaced by the majority of organisms that have evolved that crucial innovation – legs. Legs reduce the energy you waste on friction to the bare minimum: enough contact with the ground to be able to exert a force, but not so much that you are wasting precious energy. Can we doubt that aliens (at least those living on a solid surface) will also evolve legs? Similarly, flight seems like a useful ability, but there are only so many ways you can fly, and the two most efficient – floating and using wings – are also going to be

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efficient on other worlds too. You can’t think of any floating animals? Look again. Fish fly through the water by being neutrally buoyant – there’s really no qualitative difference between water and air in this context. Another field of animal behaviour tightly constrained by physics is communication. Although smell is by far the oldest of ways to communicate, it can only transmit very limited information. Smells get mixed up easily, and travel only very slowly. A smell-based alien language seems extremely unlikely. Vision seems a much more promising way to communicate, and many animals do use colours to signal everything from their species to their mood and their fighting ability. But light is blocked by the smallest rock or bush, not to mention dusty air or murky water. So sound is the dominant way for animals to communicate on Earth. Sound travels fast, travels around things, and can contain a lot of information. Will aliens speak with sound? Almost certainly many will. But there is one other way to communicate that shares all these advantages. Electric fishes communicate with each other by generating electric fields around their bodies which they can modulate to send signals of different kinds. On Earth, no species uses electricity for a fully-fledged complex language, but there’s certainly no reason why electric languages should not exist elsewhere in the Galaxy. Some of the most surprising constraints on alien life have nothing to do with physics or chemistry, but rather arise from the laws of game theory. As long as there is competition (which there must be for evolution to occur), individuals will try to take advantage of each other. This doesn’t always lead to cruelty and abuse! Animals gather in groups because each feels safer (maybe the lion will eat someone else instead of me…), and from this humble beginning, complex societies are formed. I might help my neighbour if I believe they will return the favour in the future. The reasons why chimpanzees and dolphins live in complex societies, zebra


Electrocommunication in fish

NOTOPTERU S CHITALA. (Copied from Dr. Day’s “ Fi shes of Indi a.”) a .”) a.

and wildebeest live in simple ones, and tigers and polar bears live alone are quite easily explained from the details of the niches they occupy. The availability of food, how easy it is to find, and, crucially, how easy it is to hoard, are the factors defining animal sociality on Earth. But because these mechanisms are essentially mathematical in nature, they will apply on other worlds as well. Alien societies will exist. Might some of them be like ours? Quite likely. When I supervise Part IA Evolution and Behaviour, I try to get my students to understand that a few underlying mechanisms drive everything we know about life on Earth. Zoology is not a list of animal names you need to memorise,

but a complex network of interactions that shape all life. The details of life on other planets, their biochemistry, their genetics, even their very physical nature, may be wholly surprising. But today’s students of Zoology will become tomorrow’s astrozoologists, using the same set of tools to explain life on other planets as they do to explain life on the plains of the Serengeti. Arik Kershenbaum’s The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal about Aliens – and Ourselves was published by Viking–Penguin in September 2020. It was featured as an Editors’ Choice in the New York Times.

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A Different Kind of Lockdown Kate Kennedy (Research Fellow, 2011–15, and former Editor of The Year) considers the interior struggle of poet and composer Ivor Gurney

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ontrary, perhaps, to expectation, few of us have produced great volumes of work in lockdown. Whilst many academics might previously have craved a moment out of time, for the world to stop and for them to have time to think, it doesn’t seem to have prompted the hoped for avalanche of creativity. Not so for the poet and composer Ivor Gurney (1890 –1937), who found himself locked down against his will for the last 15 years of his life. His lockdown, in a lunatic asylum, prompted literally hundreds of manuscripts: letters, poems, essays, play scripts, chamber works and songs. Though largely unpublished, this late outpouring contains some of his best work. Gurney had been studying at the Royal College of Music in 1914 when, as his fellow student and composer Arthur Bliss put it, ‘the crash of a European war on our beaches pulled us all into its undertow’. Gurney enlisted and survived Ypres and a winter on the Somme, but only just. He was shot, and gassed, and came close to breakdown. By the time he was invalided back to the UK, he was a physical and emotional wreck. However, it wasn’t the war that triggered his mental health problems. The sights and sounds of the Western Front were hardly conducive to stability, but Gurney had already suffered a breakdown at music college; in fact, he had enlisted to try to cure himself of his ‘neurasthenia’, as he called it. The structure of army life had held him together, and the routines and physical exhaustion were, perversely, better for him than

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Ivor Gurney in uniform, 1915


his solitary existence as a composition student. The new and intense experiences of warfare and camaraderie prompted a stream of poetry that formed the basis for his first two collections of verse, Severn and Somme (1917) and War’s Embers (1919). His return to civilian life saw, in his words, a ‘white heat’ of creativity, as he took advantage of safety to write songs, poetry and chamber works. But his behaviour was becoming increasingly alarming. By 1922 he would sit with a cushion on his head to ward off the rays of electricity he believed tormented him, and walk from police station to police station asking for a revolver with which to shoot himself. And so in September 1922 he found himself locked in a lunatic asylum. Barnwood House was a genteel establishment on the outskirts of his home town of Gloucester. The staff quickly found they couldn’t cope with Gurney’s repeated and dramatic escape attempts, so he was transferred to the infinitely less comfortable vast county asylum in Dartford. The City of London Mental Hospital (also known as Stone House) resembles a great, red-brick Victorian prison which, in many ways, is exactly what it was. Gurney’s life at the centre of the literary and musical circles of London had ended. He was cut off from his colleagues, from his friends, and from live music making. He had access to a wireless, but hospital staff changeover times meant that the patients were put to bed at an unreasonably early time, so he missed the evening concerts on the BBC, including broadcasts of his own compositions. His most famous works, such as the song ‘Sleep’ and the song cycle Ludlow and Teme, were performed

at the Wigmore Hall, but he was never in the audience. In his little cell-like room, with an iron bed and barred window, he had a bookcase of music scores, but could not bear to read them. To Gurney, without the possibility of hearing them performed, they were ‘poor, unmouthed creatures’ – a metaphor perhaps, for his own predicament. And yet, he was not silenced. He wrote, and wrote, and then wrote some more. He had unlimited access to paper, and whilst he was initially denied a pen – a pen nib, mental

The City of London Mental Hospital, Stone House, Dartford

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hospital manuals from the time inform us, was a prime object with which a patient might slit his wrists – he did at least have a pencil. Gurney was, in effect, writing for his life. He wrote in order to hear his own voice when, as far as the external world was concerned, he had been silenced. He wrote to affirm who he had been, who he still was, and to ward off the madness that threatened to consume him. The voices in his head tormented him, but while he could still create, he could keep the voices at bay. The institution in which he was held was as much a threat to his fractured sense of self as his illness. On admission, his identity had changed from Ivor Gurney, acclaimed war poet and composer, to patient no. 6420. His medical notes record his achievements with a note of suspicion, as if they were symptoms of his delusion rather than the facts of his life. ‘The patient is said to be musical,’ his doctor writes. ‘The patient prays for death. He claims to have been assistant organist at Gloucester cathedral.’

A late composition written in the asylum

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For me as his biographer, one of the most fascinating aspects of Gurney’s tragic life is this long eventless period of creativity. How does one write when no one is listening? What kind of terrible liberation does an asylum afford, when the artist doesn’t have to worry about publication, or the critics’ response to their work?


Dartford patients on an outing

There is only one previous biography of Gurney, written in the 1970s, and his life in incarceration is skimmed over in a handful of pages. Biographers like to move from one event or date to the next. And for the greater part of Gurney’s adult life, there are few, if any, events to punctuate the monotony. During my time as a Research Fellow at Girton, I spent many months immersed in asylum archives, looking through everything from scrapbooks kept by the superintendent to record visiting entertainments, to the committee minutes, where the minutiae of asylum life were recorded. As I examined records of the deaths, the escapes, the treatments, the Christmas pantomimes, and the prizes won by the poultry on the asylum farm, a more nuanced picture of Gurney’s time in Dartford gradually emerged. After some time, I found I

could situate his often strange, frequently brilliant writing and composition against a backdrop of light and shade, and start to understand his creative response to his new and extreme permanent lockdown. The result is, I hope, a more detailed understanding of the only great writer to speak on behalf of a generation of damaged exservicemen incarcerated after the war. A man who, with his ability to write and compose, could tell us, in two genres, what it meant to be deprived of the landscape of home, what his suffering felt like, and could demonstrate the power of creativity to fight back against the bleakest of situations. Kate Kennedy’s Dweller in Shadows: A Life of Ivor Gurney, the first comprehensive study of Gurney, written mainly during her Research Fellowship at Girton, was published by Princeton University Press in June 2021.

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Plus Ça Change…

First published in the 1951 edition of the Girton Review, the Ladder of Academic Success was devised by Muriel Bradbrook (Mistress, 1968–1976). Perhaps it was a distraction from her authoritative critical study, Shakespeare and Elizabethan Poetry, which was published the same year. Seventy years on, Fellows and students may recognise the steps in the ladder (and many of the snakes) in the ascent from Fresher to Chancellor.

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Jane Martin Prize for Poetry 2021 The Jane Martin Poetry Prize is awarded to poets aged 18–30 who are resident in the UK. Now in its eleventh year, this national competition was established in memory of Girton alumna Jane Elizabeth Martin. This year’s winner, Sam Harvey, was born in Indianapolis but has lived in Edinburgh for the last four years while studying for a degree in English at the University of St Andrews

Texte Intégral The torque of the car had me until midday, so I rendered my letters to you in the toilet: There was a time when I found myself in the interior of a disposition, and there in the face of its institution and the battlements that served it, and the dirty classes which formed its outer border – with care, I tried not to disturb the files. Undoing the squall might apprehend the song . (travelling again) entirely in the car and the peace of that flight from the precise vocabulary of sadness, from the language tiring in its books, V. the inquietude of the thought returns. But like the time before its passing, lengthens. That he stops before the door of the demand, wanting to polish off the bread: in the quiet, he thinks of returning. Divers in an ancient town. The very air has the evangelists rejoicing. © Sam Harvey

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Celebrating Poetry at Girton Malcolm Guite, Life Fellow, explains the background to a new collection of verse

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ast year the poet Grevel Lindop (2018; Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner) and I had the honour of editing and publishing an anthology titled Celebrating Poetry at Girton. The immediate purpose of this publication was to mark the tenth anniversary of the Jane Martin Poetry Prize, for which Grevel and I have both acted as judges. This has grown to be an international competition for poets at the beginning of their careers and has acquired considerable reputation and momentum. As we settled to our task, however, we realised the prize was just one aspect of poetry at Girton. Looking back, we discovered a rich and diverse poetic tradition. There must have been poets in College from the very beginning, but sadly it is not known who they were. We first hear of a Girton poet in 1896, when 19-year-old Sarojini Naidu transferred to Girton from King’s College, London. Born in Hyderabad, India, she had written since childhood and quickly made her way in the London avant garde where she was taken up by members of the Rhymers’ Club such as W B Yeats, Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley. (Yeats was particularly struck by her mellifluous and distinctively ‘oriental’ poetry.) Naidu soon abandoned her promising literary career and returned to India where she became an activist for independence and, ultimately, the first woman President of the Indian National Congress. However, her books, The Golden Threshold (1905) and The Bird of Time (1912), remain to show a deeply romantic side to her personality. Another poet of great distinction was Kathleen Raine (1926), who first arrived in College as a student of Natural Sciences. Her first book, Stone and Flower, appeared in 1943, her last, Collected Poems, in 2000. Raine returned to Girton as a Fellow from 1955 to 1961 to write her critical

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study Blake and Tradition, which appeared in 1966. The Scottish poet Olive Fraser (1933) won the Chancellor’s Medal for English Verse in 1935, and, in her short life, Veronica Forrest-Thomson (1968) achieved fame as both poet and theorist of postmodern poetics. Forrest-Thomson is particularly remembered for two posthumously published volumes, Poetic Artifice: A Theory of Twentieth-Century Poetry (1978) and Collected Poems and Translations (1990). This is not to mention the large number of Girton poets flourishing today. A leading light among them is Gwyneth Lewis (1978), who has served as National Poet of Wales and whose work continues to move and inspire so many. We were honoured when Gwyneth returned to College in 2011 as Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner, spending time nurturing and teaching the younger poets here. Other acclaimed contemporary Girton poets include Vahni Capildeo (Research Fellow 2000), Adam Crothers (2002), Yvonne Reddick (2005) and Seán Hewitt (2009). Finally, Girton hosts a thriving poetry group, some of whose work is also included in our anthology. I have no doubt the group will nurture many more excellent poets in the coming years. Celebrating Poetry at Girton, edited by Malcolm Guite and Grevel Lindop, was published in 2020. Copies, priced £8.99, are available from the Porters’ Lodge and online at: https://shop.girton.cam.ac.uk/.


IN THE BAZAARS OF HYDERABAD What do you sell, O ye merchants? Richly your wares are displayed. Turbans of crimson and silver, Tunics of purple brocade, Mirrors with panels of amber, Daggers with handles of jade. What do you weigh, O ye vendors? Saffron and lentil and rice. What do you grind, O ye maidens? Sandalwood, henna, and spice. What do you call, O ye pedlars? Chessmen and ivory dice. What do you make, O ye goldsmiths? Wristlet and anklet and ring, Bells for the feet of blue pigeons, Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing, Girdles of gold for the dancers, Scabbards of gold for the king. What do you cry, O ye fruitmen? Citron, pomegranate, and plum. What do you play, O musicians? Cithar, sarangi and drum. What do you chant, O magicians? Spells for the aeons to come. What do you weave, O ye flower-girls With tassels of azure and red? Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom, Chaplets to garland his bed, Sheets of white blossoms new-garnered To perfume the sleep of the dead. Sarojini Naidu

MAPPA MUNDI The thirteenth-century world-map in Hereford Cathedral Shaped like a spread cloak, as Strabo would have said, or for us like an envelope with the flap up, this trimmed squareyard of sheepskin nailed to its wooden stretcher is space for a round world of ragged continents, ocean-rimmed, mermaid-hymned, spoked with a cross of seas, pivoting like a wheel on Jerusalem, nave of creation. Here are Babel and Rome, the strait of Gibraltar and the Earthly Paradise on its island out at the sun’s East Gate with a wall of fire to deter trespassers like us; Ararat, where in clear weather the Ark may be seen by the sharpeyed, timbers firmly stove on the first mountain-tip given up by the Flood; the cannibal Essedones, and here dogheaded Lapps, the crocodile and centaur. Here is a mirror, and the world inside it no stranger than your eyes, the palm of your hand or your stressed heart bound by its rivers of blood, home of boredom and madness the journey in the body’s battered coracle towards the imagined garden. Think kindly, then, of Richard the Clerk, who dared place his own Clee Hill in this corner, not so far from Jerusalem but a man might hope to walk there once in a lifetime, covering the earth with no finer vellum than the soles of pilgrim feet. Grevel Lindop Taken from Selected Poems (Carcanet Press); more information is available on Grevel Lindop’s website: www.grevel.co.uk

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Girton Conversations 2021 saw the inauguration of Girton Conversations, an interdisciplinary initiative to engage all members of the College in discussion of world issues. This year’s theme, ‘Our Fragile Planet’, invited us to think more deeply about the strengths and vulnerabilities of the world we inhabit. A competition celebrating ‘Signs of Spring’ showcased the work of talented photographers in our community and captured the special atmosphere of Girton in lockdown. Winner in the Black and White category: Tessa Doubleday with ‘Reflections of Spring’

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Winner in the Plants category: Kasia Drabek with

Winner in the Wildlife category: Romain Baron with ‘Canada Goose on the Pond’

‘Crocuses at Girton College’

The Year 2019/20 Crossword Solution Up to Date by Lex

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C 12 D 13 M 15 A R 20 M A 27 L 31 A D 34 E

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A E O N I A N 28 I R E S

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M E L O N 21 E F T E S T

A P E D 17 O L 24 M A D 33 D U

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S T E Y 18 D I O N A E A

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S H E N D 22 D U Y K E R

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F R E E M A S 29 O N R Y

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E O T 16 H E 23 N 25 I N O F 35 F

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L A C U N A E 30 A L O E

L T 14 O M T N R G 32 T R I

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A B S U R D 26 F E R E S

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H I S S 19 D O U R E S T

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Twenty clues must have CL removed before solving (2019 having marked the College’s 150th anniversary). The squares omitted in wordplay in the remaining clues contain ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE, and symmetrically form the number 151. Winner: John McCabe (1989)

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Crossword GC Breakthrough by Lex 1

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Name................................................................................................................................................... Address.............................................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................... Postcode..................................... Email........................................................................... Year of Matriculation....................... Entries must arrive by 3 December 2021, and should be sent either by post to The Editors, The Year, Girton College, Cambridge, CB3 0JG (a photocopy is acceptable), or in scanned form to theyearcrossword@ girton.cam.ac.uk. Senders of the first two correct entries drawn will each receive £50. Details of the solution and winners will be given in The Year 2021/22. Wordplay in eight clues ignores any unchecked letters; remaining clues each contain a superfluous word, to be removed before solving. Initially the grid is to be filled with the top row left blank. First and fourth letters respectively of the superfluous words spell out three instructions to be applied successively to the unclued row (in each case moving one or two letters to fill blank squares), and the role of what results. Ignored unchecked letters must then be moved to the top row (at the end, solvers must think outside the box), producing real words or phrases throughout. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary reference.

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Across 11. In recess, refute empty erudition (4) 12. Lasso spinning in defiant manner (5) 13. Grave lanky German’s gone fishing (7) 15. Unclued (12, two words) 16. Emerge from egg in kestrel’s eyrie (6) 17. Poles found in ocean waves falling on enlightened ears have these results (5) 18. Witty sardonic remarks confused lass about press (7) 20. Give preliminary payment to carer losing extremities (4) 22. Yes, cycling produces inflamed swelling (4) 23. Beards chewed in Government section (7) 25. Upset seat rapidly entangled to some extent (5) 28. Banishing hint of gloom, halogen circles surround icon with ring of light (6) 29. ‘Violently rams, snagging handbags’ – it describes crude robbery (12, hyphenated) 32. Ribbons trade indicates earflaps, oddly (7) 33. Rascals almost getting free (5) 34. Over-hasty, comical collision after losing head (4) 35. Changeable prisoner in urgent extradition (12)

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Down 1. Crashing gears noisily in instances of uncontrolled anger (5) 2. Will’s equally likely on vacation to pursue base tarty girl (6) 3. Railroads, initially extremely luxurious, raised somewhat (3) 4. Embassy position is edifying Simon (7) 5. Formerly sharp, cone’s tip needs replacing (4) 6. Architectural mouldings? Go see both tomorrow – uplifting (5) 7. Preposterous air’s outmoded musical form (3) 8. Making enquiries at heart of nature (4) 9. Hundreds found in abject despair on Saturday (4) 10. A bird of prey endlessly soaring, gripping seaweeds (5) 14. Open country in part entertains fold (5) 17. Communist rising? Within? Without? False reports (8) 19. Edmund’s to lose part of humble estate (5) 21. With pound replaced by shilling, earlier abandoned sterling’s come into view again (7) 22. Futile outside session holds up plant (6) 23. Free male deer jumps up (6) 24. Old boy wearing tie’s climbing – necessary’s provided (6) 26. At first, cured meat’s not exactly good for Asian wild sheep (5) 27. Fellow strike-breaker (?) returning Labour card (5) 28. Even as a friend, I mean trouble (5, two words) 30. Local chap’s way to make hot food not! (4) 31. Mosquito’s biting torso – smell’s mounting (4)


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Liliana Janik Official Fellow in Archaeology and Postgraduate Tutor Throughout my life, I have taken risks, seized opportunities, and benefited from the generosity of others. I first arrived in the UK from Poland in the mid 1980s. My best friend and I had raised the money needed to study at Cambridge by sending over 500 letters asking for support. Supplemented by a studentship from New Hall, these funds enabled me to begin my PhD. Coming to the UK was not an arbitrary decision. I started to learn English in my nursery school in Gdynia, close to ´ Gdansk. When I asked my grandmother why I was made to learn the language, I was told that, one day, I would appreciate its value. My infant school, Primary School No. 30, was very mixed. The fathers of the most privileged pupils worked in the merchant navy, and their children had Western clothing and access to bananas and oranges, delicacies we enjoyed only at Christmas and Easter. Other parents worked in the shipyards or on fishing trawlers. At my secondary school, III Liceum ˛ Ogólnokształcace, many of the pupils were taught in English; others, myself included, spent six hours a week ‘perfecting’ their language skills. I had difficulties reading, and at primary school developed strategies to hide my problems. I could memorise a full page after hearing it twice and so

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appeared to be able to read flawlessly. At secondary school, however, my shortcomings rapidly become apparent and I was thrown out of one class by a teacher for my ‘disgraceful’ Polish spelling and grammar. Language troubles continued when I entered Nicolaus Measuring the chemical composition of pottery in Japan, 2019


´ a beautiful Copernicus University in Torun, medieval city. Most of the exams were oral, and I had no problems there. The exception was Latin, where I struggled a lot. Gdynia was one of the places where, in 1970, workers took to the streets, some never to return home. I remember periods of lockdown at school, convoys of tanks moving towards the shipyards, and the eerie silences that characterised martial law – the same quietness I experienced in Girton during COVID lockdown. Later, at university, we went on strike and demonstrated against the government. One evening the streets leading to the main square of Torun´ were closed; the police moved in and our male colleagues were beaten and imprisoned. My most painful memory of the 1980s is of my mother’s extended absence. She was high up in Solidarity and disappeared to avoid arrest. We never talked about it. My Cambridge PhD was on the origins of agriculture in what were still, in those days, the Baltic Republic States of the Soviet Union. It wasn’t an easy time to carry out field research: perestroika had started, and the Baltic Republics became three independent states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). It was a period of shortages and ethnic tensions but, most importantly for me, it was a time when I built wonderful friendships that have lasted to this day. I also got to experience my first ‘White Nights’, those northern summer nights when the sun never leaves the sky. My fieldwork was undertaken in St Petersburg (then Leningrad), studying pottery and other

Liliana aged about 10

materials excavated from the Pskov region. This gave me privileged access to the Hermitage’s galleries as well as the attic storerooms, once the quarters of the Tsar’s servants. Library research took place in the palace of the last Tsar’s grandfather, a few blocks away from

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Liliana in her early twenties in Gdynia

the Hermitage itself. Why was I conducting research in Leningrad when my real focus was the archaeology of the Baltic coast? Because all the books I needed, even if they were about Lithuania, were in Leningrad, rather than

Vilnius or other Baltic centres. However, I did get to spend time in Lithuania, during which I was greatly impressed by the archaeology, in particular spectacular amber sculptures. When I finished my PhD, my first job was as manager of the George Pitt-Rivers Laboratory for Archaeological Science in the newly opened McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. I first came to Girton in October 2007 as Director of Studies in Archaeology and Bye-Fellow and, three years later, I was also appointed Graduate Tutor for Arts. Working with postgraduate students is tremendously rewarding. I take particular pride in the achievements of those whose route to Cambridge, like mine, has not been straightforward, and I enjoy providing encouragement and helping sort out financial and other difficulties. My research continues, for the most part, to take me eastwards: to Russia, as before, but also to Japan and Korea, where I have worked on prehistoric art and heritage. I focus on ancient figurines created by communities from the Central European Plain and Siberia, as well as 5,000-year-old Japanese figurines. I have investigated the relationship between materials used in the creation of female figurines (mainly mammoth tusk) and materials used for images of mammoths (mainly stone), establishing that the female figurines are always found complete, while the stone figurines are always found broken. Only fragments were left at settlements, suggesting that people took them outside their residential areas into the wider landscape. A similar process is seen in Japan, where many of the clay figurines were apparently designed to be

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easily broken, probably during festivals associated with seasonal changes. I have also studied prehistoric rock art around the White Sea in Karelia, near Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s notorious gulag archipelago. My research has focused on three aspects of this rock art: representations of skiing, whale hunting and seeing in 3D. Depictions of ski marks on the rock surfaces reveal a technique now known as traditional Nordic skiing. If we follow the contours of the rock with our hand, we can feel, as well as see, that the morphology of the carved surface resembles the morphology of the landscape where the carver skied. We begin to appreciate how skiers’ experiences in the physical landscape informed their representations. I have established that these images are in fact the earliest known depictions of skiing. A dominant trope of White Sea rock art is marine hunting scenes. These show the hunting of whales, mainly beluga, and include early depictions of harpoons, suggesting that exploitation of the deep ocean goes back much further than was previously thought. My analysis of the carvings also reveals a greater focus on towing the whale to shore than on the kill itself. This, together with other evidence, suggests that this extraordinary art was intended to celebrate the whole community rather than the individual who delivers the kill. One of the most exciting outcomes, for me, is a deep appreciation of how flat, two-dimensional imagery can embrace multiple standpoints, as in Cubism. In the rock art of the White Sea we find ourselves in various parts of the landscape simultaneously. This way of seeing allows the

Recording an image of

possibility of polyphonic narration, with prehistoric White Sea rock art resembling a story told by several individuals.

an elk in Zalavruga, Northern Russia, 2010

Recently, I have taken on a new role as Deputy Director of the Cambridge Heritage Research Centre, and I am looking forward to my next sabbatical when I hope to study the part archaeological sites play in the construction of identity in post-Soviet Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Siberia. I also want to contribute to a project that uses machine learning to assess emotional potency in faces depicted by prehistoric and contemporary artists. A new challenge for me, but I hope for exciting new insights!

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Heidi Radke Official Fellow in Veterinary Medicine and Tutor Have you ever had an animal as a friend? Animal lovers are my clients and colleagues, and for people like us, there is no doubt that pets are part of the family. I find this very grounding, a solid base for learning what an individual – human or animal – really needs. As a specialist in Small Animal Orthopaedic Surgery, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine and Tutor at Girton, I have a wide variety of roles, and this is precisely what I enjoy about my work. A large part of my time is spent helping others to achieve their very best, and I’m always keen to create effective and stimulating learning opportunities for clinical vet students and veterinarians. The clinical work means busy days assessing patients (perhaps a limping dog with joint problems or a cat with bone fractures), speaking with pet owners and carers so that we can develop a treatment plan together, and discussing cases with registrars and students. This may be followed by hours of concentration in the operating theatre. These aspects of my work are very hands-on. Good planning and preparation, and calm, precise and timely execution of surgery are critical. A lot of practice is required, as well as continuous, honest and critical self-reflection, in order to minimise the risk of complications. Orthopaedic surgery requires a large range of equipment and I get to play with expensive tools and cleverly designed hardware. Working in a dedicated team with nurses, anaesthetists and other colleagues is key to the success of my surgical work. Patients and their owners form the centre of my research, as I want to know what really matters to them. This knowledge is invaluable when, for example, comparing different surgical treatments based on the quality and the speed of recovery of patients. For this, we use OROMs (owner-reported outcome measures), which are specifically designed and validated questionnaires. My goal is to refine these tools and improve

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the quality of patient-centred outcome data in small-animal orthopaedic surgery in order to optimise treatment options. This kind of research plays a major role in contemporary evidence-based patient care. Professor Matthew Allen, another Girton Fellow, is an important collaborator and, as part of a wider project, I am working to develop a Veterinary Outcome Registry with AO, the world’s leading educational and research organisation for trauma and musculoskeletal treatment. (Over the coming years, AO Global Data aims to develop repositories of data on orthopaedic patients for all clinical, human and veterinary divisions of the AO Foundation.) Unlike many veterinary students, I didn’t know from a very young age that I wanted to be a vet. Looking back, though, it would appear that what I do today allows me to combine many things I have loved and enjoyed all my life. Early on, I was fascinated by animals. When I was a child, my favourite books were Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopaedia, a volume on dinosaurs, and a book we had in our kitchen about ‘cakes of the world’ – I particularly favoured the photo of the British pineapple-and-cherry cake, which was violently green with white icing and silver balls. From a toddler riding ponies at the weekend, I grew into a full-blown horse-riding teenager. I remember school being stressful; this was not related to the work, but to my attempts to hide the fact that I spent my afternoons reading books or talking with my friends, rather than doing homework. Despite this, I sailed through school with relative ease, relying on my memory and

really only engaging in things I found pleasurable such as the arts and maths. I was born in Munich into a family that cherished broad interests in (Social Democratic) politics, arts, sciences and practical life skills. Education was seen as something precious: it had not been easily accessible for earlier generations for financial and other reasons. My father, a physicist, was the first in his family to study. My grandfather on my mum’s side was manager of the workshop at the Institute of Machine Tools and Industrial Management of the Technical University of Munich, so there was a lot of respect for the practical innovations and teamwork found within a university setting. With all my grandparents having moved – indeed having been forced to move – during the Nazi regime and World War II, there was an unspoken understanding of what it means to be foreign in a new place and a deeply rooted feeling of being European. When I first started to prepare to travel beyond Europe with friends, I became hooked on medical survival books. My favourite procedure was how to reposition a luxated shoulder joint. After toying with the idea of becoming an artist, and realising I would only ever be a mediocre one with no prospect of making a living, I looked into the idea of combining my natural interest in animals with medicine. My first emergency surgery in the early hours of a Saturday morning during work experience in small-animal practice absolutely enthused me. Vet school taught

Winter swimming near Munich

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highlights such as the Jesus Green Lido and the Newnham Riverbank Club.

Consultation with patient and student

me what it means to study hard, and becoming part of this veterinary world, with working hours that are often extremely punishing, felt exciting but slightly daunting. Veterinary placements in Vienna, Zurich and Budapest and working trips to South Africa, Australia and India made me realise that working with colleagues all over the world was the ultimate way of travelling. After a stint in private practice, and a period of research and clinical specialist training at the universities of Zurich, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Berne (adopting Switzerland as my second home country along the way), I moved to Cambridge in 2006 to join the Department of Veterinary Medicine, with the initial intention of staying only a year. My clinical appointment brought with it no college affiliation, but in my very first week in Cambridge I enjoyed a visit to Girton. I had been talking about my passion for swimming with my first group of vet students, and a student from Girton immediately invited me over for a swim in the College pool. Subsequently, I explored other water-lovers’

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In 2011, to my delight, Andrew Jefferies invited me to join the veterinary team at Girton. Only then, with great support from Andrew, Josh Slater and Kate Hughes, did I come to realise the full extent of the wonders of the collegiate system and, in particular, the quality of undergraduate teaching here. Girton is the college with the largest number of veterinary students, and we also have a large number of veterinary Fellows. There has long been a close-knit, yet open and welcoming community of vets current and past. It has been absolutely wonderful to be part of this family and, together with my colleagues, to drive it forward. The term ‘family’ holds true for all my dealings with Girton. There are so many opportunities for learning and for stimulating exchanges on all levels. Every conversation has the potential to open your horizon or draw your attention to some new detail, and that is heaven for me. I’m an enthusiastic admirer of Girton’s musicians and visual artists and I appreciate, too, how family and friends are welcomed to the College. As a tutor, I have the honour to learn what matters to students beyond purely academic concerns and I feel privileged to provide pastoral support. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought manifold changes and uncertainties to all our lives. I have been very impressed with Girton’s response and its handling of all the challenges during this time. The spirit of Girton has, I think, shone very powerfully, benefiting the whole College community, and I have been very grateful to be part of it. To all at Girton – thank you very much!


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Alumni and Supporters This year, continuing uncertainty over COVID restrictions meant the Development and Alumni Relations Office had to pivot online for many of our usual activities, events and visits. Initially, staff members worked full-time from home, with a few people furloughed, but as the year progressed, more of the team were able to work a rota in the office. We did our best to recreate all our normal activities online, although alumni told us they were, understandably, less keen to attend virtual reunions.

There was also an exciting career networking event. This involved five OGs – Kathryn Langridge (English, 1977), Guy O’Keefe (Natural Sciences, 1990), Yahia Boussabaine (Law, 2010), Ella Walters (Management Studies, 2010) and Serena Hopkins (Law, 2013) – who advised students on career choices in law and finance. And our Artist in Residence, Luke Burton, ran the Girton Art Club from September 2020 to September 2021, with popular classes for students and alumni. Thank you to everyone who volunteered.

Students Old Girtonians, as ever, rallied round. Many asked us how the students, especially the freshers, were coping with studying and making friends during lockdown. Then, for the first time in its 151-year history, Girton had to shut its doors. (Even two World Wars had not succeeded in closing the College!) Girton, however, remained home to the small number of students who were unable to return to their families. As the year progressed and restrictions eased, more and more students were able to come back to College; by Easter Term nearly all our students were in residence.

Regular development activities, including the Telethon, continued throughout the lockdowns. The College has also signed up to be one of the pilot colleges taking part in University-wide initiatives to broaden access to Cambridge and encourage more applications from under-represented groups. These new schemes include the Foundation Year, which offers up to 50 aspirant students the opportunity to study an Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences subject, and STEM SMART, which provides mentoring for around 750 students who intend to apply for a science subject. (Dr Julia Riley, one of our Fellows, was very involved in the initial discussions on the STEM SMART initiative.) We have also taken part in the Harding Challenge, an initiative to unlock matching funding for the poorest students of any College, and the newly extended Cambridge Bursary Scheme, which is designed to help students from families who fall into the ‘squeezedmiddle’ category. We very much hope for your support. It is an ambitious and challenging goal to ensure that Cambridge and Girton are accessible to all those talented enough to receive an offer, regardless of financial circumstances.

A number of you gave donations to student hardship funds; these were very welcome, and crucial in helping students with emergency travel, IT connectivity and unforeseen expenses. Many of you also volunteered to help in other ways. Those who generously gave of their time include: • Ann Fullick (Natural Sciences, 1974), Jenny Chase (Natural Sciences, 2001) and Miha Pipan (Natural Sciences, 2012), who addressed the Natural Sciences Society; • Dr Nikhil Shah (Mathematics, 2003), who spoke to the Cartwright Mathematics Society; • John Aitchison (Geography, 1984), who gave a talk for the Geography Society; • Lady Hale (Law, 1963), who took part in a stimulating UCLA/Girton debate focused on constitutional differences between the UK and the US.

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In the course of A Great Campaign, we received generous donations enabling the endowment of 13 named bursaries; additional donations led to the endowment of a further 19 bursaries. Each of these 32 bursaries offers £3,500 per year to those students whose family incomes are £25,000 or less, with a tapering grant to families with incomes up to £42,500 per year. We are so grateful to all who have contributed to


Members of the MCR meet al fresco

our bursaries over the course of A Great Campaign and to the many alumni from 12 matriculation years who have been working together to raise enough to endow ’Class of X‘ bursaries. Students are so touched to receive these bursaries, and thanks are due to everyone who contributed – in particular, to those generous donors who offered matching donations – as well as to all the ‘Class Champions’ who have been persuading their friends to donate. Our international networks Alumni volunteers include our committee in Hong Kong, ably chaired by Chadwick Mok (Engineering, 1984), supported by Treasurer Franklin Heng (Management Studies, 1985) and Secretary Kevin Chan (Engineering, 1986). In Singapore,

Karen Fawcett (Economics, 1982) worked tirelessly with other alumni, including Yong Nang Tan (Economics, 1980) and Marian Sng (Law, 1985), to help set up a charity that will enable alumni from all 31 Cambridge colleges to make tax-efficient donations to Singaporeans attending Cambridge. Thank you to all those involved. Our international alumni communications and networks flourished during the pandemic. Thanksgiving was celebrated with our US alumni; greetings were sent over the Christmas period to all alumni; and, for the first time, an electronic Chinese/Lunar New Year card was sent to alumni in the Asia– Pacific countries. The Mistress and I were unable to undertake our customary visit in December to meet Old Girtonians in

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North America; instead, we set up 26 virtual meetings with alumni. We also staged a wonderful Transatlantic Conversations event featuring alumni from both the US and the UK (see www.girton.cam.ac.uk/events/transatlanticconversations-and-celebrations).

• the presentation on 13 May of the 2021 Jane Martin Prize to the two winners, Sam Harvey and Louis Klee; • remembrance events for Giulio Regeni, who was murdered in Egypt five years ago, and for Dr Frank Wilkinson and Dr Carlo Acerini.

Rather later than usual, the Mistress and I also held virtual meetings with 20 alumni in Singapore and Hong Kong, hosting on 12 June ‘Fruits of the Vine: a Celebration’, a virtual wine tasting for alumni across the Asia–Pacific region (alumni from Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, USA and Singapore joined us) as well as the UK. We are very grateful to our speakers: Master of Wine Sarah Jane Evans (Classics, 1972); Dr Alex Thom, Girton Fellow in Chemistry; and Sophia Bergqvist (Geography, 1978). Thanks to our alumni from the Asia–Pacific region, Girton can now offer in perpetuity two postgraduate scholarships of £10,000 per year to applicants from Hong Kong and China, while two one-off postgraduate scholarships for Singaporeans are in the pipeline. We are thrilled to be able to build our student community in these regions, where we have a tradition of illustrious alumni.

Video recordings from many of these events can be viewed on the Events Archive on the Girton website; see www. girton.cam.ac.uk/events-archive.

The usual Alumni Relations events either moved online or were postponed for a year. Our first online Roll of Alumni event was held on 26 September 2020; we welcomed more than 100 alumni from Girton and the wider Cambridge University community for a full programme of our usual events. Other online events included: • the launch on 5 November 2020 of a volume celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Jane Martin Poetry Prize; • the annual Law and Finance Networking Reception, with keynote speaker Baroness Denise Kingsmill, on 3 March 2021 (thanks, as ever, go to our sponsors, Slaughter and May);

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Successful completion of A Great Campaign At the online Ceremony for the Commemoration of Benefactors last October we turned our attention to Alfred Yarrow, a key figure in Girton’s history who was a scholar, educationalist and philanthropist, as well as a prolific inventor and engineer. He supported the ambition of women who wanted to go to university, and in 1913 donated £12,000 to Girton. Ingeniously, Yarrow gave his gift as a time-limited matching donation; this encouraged vigorous fundraising, and by 1 January 1914 the College was able to pay off the entirety of its debt for the first time since its foundation in 1869. Moreover, the residual balance formed the basis of Girton’s permanent endowment – a fund that is absolutely critical to the operation of the College today. Indeed, it underpins the ambitious aim of A Great Campaign to grow Girton’s permanent endowment capital by £50 million through a mixture of donations and the promise of future legacies. Thanks to all your support, A Great Campaign had, by the end of June, raised £25.4 million in donations (including write-offs) and £29.3 million in pledged future legacies. This exceeds the original targets by nearly 10%, making it the most successful campaign ever undertaken by the College. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has played a role in this extraordinary achievement. Deborah Easlick, Development Director


Admissions and Widening Participation Following the changes in the awarding of A-level grades in the summer of 2020, we welcomed 158 new undergraduate students to Girton, around 10% more than usual. Of this number, 43% are studying a science subject and 51% are female; of the Home students 72% are from maintained schools. Of our new students, 70 (44%) came to us through the Winter Pool, three (2%) through the Summer Pool and four (3%) through the Open Offer or Adjustment schemes that support applicants from under-represented backgrounds who perform well in their A-level examinations. During the first lockdown in 2020 Chloe Richardson, our Schools Liaison Officer, began developing new and exciting online outreach activities, given the impossibility of meeting people face-to-face. Adapting existing presentations for an online world has been challenging as we have had to rethink how we deliver talks, how we interact with our audiences and how we can evaluate the success of our interventions. Understandably, it has also been difficult to provide events for individual schools when pupils have been studying at home and are unable to travel, and we have not been able to welcome visitors to College. However, by using online webinar platforms we have been able to offer more outreach talks and workshops than in previous years, reaching larger audiences than normal from a wide geographical spread across our link areas and beyond. Those attending have also benefited from being able to re-watch recordings of presentations and webinars. The use of these platforms has extended to the College’s support for the University Open

Days, as well as other collaborative Oxbridge outreach events. We look forward to receiving school groups on site once more, where they can meet us and, more importantly, our students and see our beautiful surroundings; however, in the light of our experience over the past year, we are currently in the process of planning a blended approach to outreach where online activities work alongside in-person events. We thank Chloe for all her hard work in developing resources and adapting to this brave new world. We also thank the Head of Tutorial and Admissions, Angela Stratford, and her staff for their hard work this year supporting undergraduate admissions. The entirety of the December round of interviews and intercollegiate moderation processes took place online; the continued care and dedication of Angela and her team have been essential to ensuring this process ran smoothly, and we are enormously grateful to them. Stuart Davis and Julia Riley, Admissions Tutors

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Bursaries and Grants Bursaries Twenty-seven holders of Emily Davies Bursaries (worth up to £3,500 per year) were in residence in 2020–21. The subjects read by the bursary holders were: Biological Sciences; Classics; Engineering; English; Geography; History; Human, Social and Political Sciences; Land Economy; Law; Modern and Medieval Languages; and Veterinary Medicine.

There were four holders of Ellen McArthur Bursaries (worth £1,000 in the first year and £1,500 in subsequent years) and one holder of a Jean Lindsay Memorial Bursary (worth £800) in residence in 2020–21, all reading either History or Human, Social and Political Sciences. One Sybil Lewis Bursary (worth £500) was awarded to a student reading English.

Three Margaret Barton Bursaries for Undergraduate Medicine and one Elma Wyatt Bursary for Clinical Medicine were held by students in residence in 2020–21. Three Paresh Patel Bursaries were awarded to students reading Engineering and Biological Sciences, and two Christine McKie Bursaries to students reading Physical Sciences. One Class of 1958 Bursary was awarded to a student reading Architecture, two Class of 1985 Bursaries to students reading Biological Sciences and Law, and one Class of 1990 Bursary to a student reading Chemical Engineering. Four new bursaries, made possible by generous alumni donations, were awarded for the first time this year: the Northcroft Bursary, the Elizabeth Brown Bursary, the Margaret Fulcher Bursary and the Juliet Dusinberre Bursary were awarded to students reading Engineering, Biological Sciences, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, and English respectively. All 17 of these awards are worth up to £3,500 per year.

Five Rose Awards (totalling £8,500) were made to nonfirst-year students who were in receipt of a full Cambridge Bursary and who demonstrated the intention to benefit society and serve the community in a practical way. Four Girton Pioneer Awards (totalling £500) were awarded to students who had contributed to College life through participation in student societies, forums or welfare initiatives.

Eighty-two Cambridge Bursaries (worth up to £3,500 per year) were given to Girton undergraduates in 2020–21. Thanks to the generosity of a Girton alumna the College was also able to participate in the University Pilot TopUp Bursary Scheme which provided additional financial support to 70 undergraduates from middle-income households. Thirteen Digital Gateway Grants (worth £1,000 each) were awarded to first-year students who either had Care-Leaver status or had been in receipt of free school meals while at school, to help with IT and other essential start-up costs.

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Grants Twenty-four undergraduate students received hardship grants from the Buss Fund totalling £8,510. Twenty-one postgraduate students received grants amounting to £5,881 from the Pillman Hardship Fund. Grants for academic purposes totalling £2,682 were made from the Student Academic Resources Fund to 14 undergraduates. Five postgraduate students received grants amounting to £557 from the Pillman Academic Fund. Two grants totalling £1,000 were made from the Harry Barkley Fund to Clinical Medical students undertaking elective periods of training. We remain extremely grateful to alumni for their generous financial support which allows students not only to take up their place at Girton, but also to participate in all that a Cambridge education has to offer. Angela Stratford, Head of Tutorial and Admissions Office


Postgraduate Affairs Girton’s 2020–21 postgraduate intake consisted of 145 new students. This figure included six Girton undergraduates who progressed to postgraduate studies. In addition, there were seven postgraduate students who went on to higher degrees such as the PhD. With this combination of new postgraduates and students returning to study, we had an overall total of 152 for the 2020–21 cohort. These figures are very similar to last year’s; considering the extremely difficult circumstances this year, this is a positive outcome. Of the 145 new postgraduates, 87 were men and 58 women; 45 were PhD students, 78 were studying a Master’s course and

the rest were on other one-year courses; 73 were Overseas students and 72 Home/EU. The statistics for full or part funding for these students give a useful indication of the sources available: Research body/Department 20 Trust 10 Gates 2 College 3 External bodies (Business/Government) 3 Loans 21 Self-funding 86 The total number of Girton postgraduates now stands at 287 and they represent a truly international community. We are happy to have students from the following countries: Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, China (Taiwan), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, UK, US, Venezuela, Yemen and Zambia.

Swirles Court

Swirles Court Swirles Court has now established its identity as an important but separate part of Girton. Its occupancy levels have increased in line with the growth in postgraduate numbers, and the themed ‘pop-up’ suppers offered by the Catering service remain very popular. In the absence of many opportunities for face-to-face encounters, the postgraduates have worked hard to create a sense of online community, including virtual ‘afternoon tea’, film nights and other social activities.

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Postgraduate Student Achievements Girton postgraduate students are conducting research on a wide range of topics, and at a joint SCR/MCR research seminar in the Michaelmas Term, and Pecha Kucha evenings in the Lent and Easter Terms, talks from MCR members gave a good glimpse of the breadth and depth of the work undertaken. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to be a challenge for our postgraduate students, with very little face-to-face learning taking place and access to library and laboratory facilities restricted throughout the year. All have been affected in various ways by the enforced restrictions on their lives and research, but have been commendably creative in finding ways to overcome isolation and maintain focus on their studies. Postgraduate Administrator Jenny Griffths retired, for a second time, from the role of Postgraduate Administrator at the end of June; Wendy Klein has been appointed as her successor. Paula Harper assists with all aspects of postgraduate administration.

Postgraduate Tutors The four Postgraduate Tutors are: Dr Liliana Janik, who is Assistant Director of Research in Archaeology and Director of Studies in Archaeology; Dr Sophia Shellard, who is College Lecturer in Medical Sciences; Dr James Riley, who is Lecturer and Director of Studies in English with research specialisms in modern and contemporary literature; and Dr Hilary Marlow, who is Director of Studies in Theology and teaches in the Faculty of Divinity. They continue to uphold our strong tradition of postgraduate support, offering assistance to postgraduate students on personal, academic and financial matters. Circumstances permitting, they meet their postgraduate students individually and at social gatherings throughout the year and enjoy their company at weekly Formal Halls. Liliana Janik, Sophia Shellard, James Riley and Hilary Marlow, Postgraduate Tutors

Library It’s a library... but not as we know it. If last year was a year of two halves, 2020–2021 had the merit of being more consistent. Apart from a couple of weeks in early January, when the entire country went into lockdown, Library staff have been on site daily since the start of Michaelmas Term. We even found ourselves designated ‘essential workers‘! We were able to open the Library to College members from late September 2020, had to close again for January and February 2021, but reopened in March. Much of summer 2020 went into assessing what we would be able to do and how we might do it. Out went most of

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our upholstered furniture, to be replaced by a single, easy-clean, wooden or plastic chair at each table. In came hand sanitiser, disinfectant wipes, posters about facecoverings and social distancing, and bracing air from permanently open windows that would have brought back memories for many Old Girtonians. Another throwback was that we used the double doors that had been the main entrance until 2005 as part of a temporary oneway system. The biggest difference, however, was that students had to pre-book to enter the Library and its study rooms. They deserve our thanks for abiding by the new requirements.


The Library has always relied on the help of other departments within College, and this year more than ever we owe them our thanks. Librarians from across the University have also met regularly online to pool advice and support each other. As Girton’s Librarian, I wish to thank our whole Library and

Archive team, who have coped so brilliantly with furlough, working from home and lone-working when on site. We have welcomed the new baby daughter of our Assistant Librarian, Kasia Drabek, and a maternity-cover Assistant Librarian, Ruth Long. The Senior Library Assistant, Gosia Jenny Blackhurst

Social distancing in the Library, with view to Campbell Court

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Archive The Archive has been exceptionally busy throughout this unprecedented year. Dividing my time between College and home, I have continued to answer enquiries, offered a free-of-charge copying service and, where possible, assisted enquirers with their research. At times I could offer only a limited service, and it is still taking longer than usual to respond to enquiries, so I am grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding. I have also spent time trying to capture life in College during the pandemic. Weekly updates, ever-changing protocols and guidance, and online event information have all been archived as a record of this unpredictable year.

Ruth Long

Cherry blossom in Campbell Court

Drozdowska, and our team of Graduate Library Supervisors have kept us as open and as welcoming as COVID has allowed. The hard work of the Archivist is very clear from her own report. Sadly, this year has seen the death of Archivist Emerita, Kate Perry. She will be much missed, but her memory lives on in the Archive. At the time of writing (July 2021), it is impossible to predict when we will be able to welcome alumni back to the Library. If you are missing us in the meantime, the photos on the Library’s Facebook page may help: https://www.facebook.com/ GirtonCollegeLibrary. Jenny Blackhurst, Librarian and Fellow for Life and Study Skills

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Our reopening on a limited basis for visiting researchers in March 2021 marked a huge step forward. With three air purifiers, the introduction of new Reading Room procedures, an enhanced cleaning regime and a sanitising station, we are now open two afternoons a week. I am hoping to increase our opening hours as and when the pandemic recedes. Despite the limitations it is wonderful to have people back in the Reading Room making use of our collections. I am pleased to report the sessions have so far been fully booked. A major accession this year was the personal papers of Peter Sparks (1991; Fellow); this includes documents relating to his work in the Department of Architecture. We also received additions to existing collections, including postcards sent to Helen Cam (1921; Fellow), a typescript of a novel by Helen Grant (1954; Fellow) and a photographic record of some of Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon’s paintings. One unusual item which has added to our record of the Girton experience is a journal of a choir tour in 1978. Their visit to the Netherlands and Germany is thought to be the first overseas tour undertaken by the choir. Researchers have also been generous in donating their research articles.


I am grateful to Joan Bullock-Anderson, our Consultant Cataloguer, who has worked hard, remotely, tidying the data in our new catalogue as well as working on our new accessions. She is now on site one day a week dealing with our cataloguing backlog. ArchiveSearch, our new online catalogue, is available here: https://archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/19.

Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to welcome back our Archive volunteers, Hilary Goy (1968 Corke), Cherry Hopkins (1959 Busbridge) and Anne Cobby (1971), but I very much hope we shall be able to do so soon. Hannah Westall, Archivist and Curator (Pictures)

Choir tour journal, 1978 (Archive reference: GCAS 8/1/5)

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Culture and Heritage On the surface, this has been a quiet year for our collections, with the People’s Portraits and the Lawrence Room closed since the first lockdown in March 2020. Additionally, some planned projects and conservation have not been able to go ahead, and some additions to the collections are not yet on display. Despite these limitations we have continued working hard, managing, caring for and celebrating our collections.

and the social and historical context of her lifetime. The annual Humanities Writing Competition, for which Year 12 school students write about one of six objects chosen from the Lawrence Room collections, was also entirely online, attracting a record number of 52 entrants. The winners submitted creative work and essays on an eye idol, a Greek Tanagra figurine representing Demeter and Persephone, and a string of Egyptian beads. They were congratulated by the Mistress in an online award ceremony in May.

Phil

The online alumni weekend showcased the diversity of our collections. Dr Gordon Barrett (Lecturer in Modern Chinese History and Among additions to the collections we Politics, University of Oxford) gave were delighted to accept: a bequest from the Library talk about Dorothy Needham Felicity Strong (1954 Ranger) of two untitled (1915 Moyle) in China, drawing from paintings by Abraham Manievich; a gift from Dorothy’s diaries held in the College Archive Daphne Todd of her portrait of Simeon and now digitised; see https://cudl.lib.cam. Barclay (2018; Artist in Residence); and ac.uk/collections/. The Lawrence Room a bequest from Beverly Griffin-Dougall talk by Dr Augusta McMahon (Reader in (1965; Former Fellow) of a sculpture by Mesopotamian Archaeology, University the Zimbabwean artist, Luke Mugavazi. of Cambridge, and Fellow of Newnham We rediscovered a carved wooden College) examined the enigmatic eye pelmet that used to hang in Chapel; idols from Tell Brak, Syria. The People’s this has been cleaned up and it is Portraits reception saw the unveiling planned to return it to its original of 92 years, a portrait by Tim Benson location. We also welcomed back of his grandmother painted towards our nineteenth-century Caucasian the end of her life when she had Sumac rug which has been dementia. David Dibosa (1986; One of the Lawrence Room’s eye idols from extensively repaired in Iran. Reader in Museology, University of Tell Brak, Syria (Archive reference: GCPH 11/26/11/2) the Arts London) spoke about the At the time of writing, we are planning to reopen the power of a name, and the Zoom format allowed a tour People’s Portraits imminently and the Lawrence Room as of Tim’s studio. soon as feasible. Although we will continue to share our collections online, we are very much looking forward to The Lawrence Room also went online for Open being able to share them with visitors again. Cambridge, producing a short film in which Dr Dorothy Thompson (1958 Walbank) was interviewed by Caroline Hannah Westall, Archivist and Curator (Pictures) Brett (1978) about the College’s mummy, Hermione, Myn

ott

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Music Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben! It was drummed into me, as a student in Germany, that ‘delayed is not the same as cancelled’. And so, I hope, it will prove. In last year’s magazine, I reported that the final concert of Girton’s 150th anniversary series – a violin recital to be given by Charlie Siem (2005) – had been postponed. As I write, plans are being hatched for the concert to take place this year. Of course, we have learned in recent months not to count chickens, but it would be wonderful to complete the anniversary celebrations with a visit from one of the most exciting violinists of his generation. The 2020–21 season began in the usual way with a Concert for the Roll. Less usual was the format: the

current holder of the College Music Scholarship, Kevin Loh, supplied a series of videos of guitar music recorded at his home in Singapore. Global Girton indeed! Kevin is rapidly establishing a reputation as a distinguished soloist – he has already served on the juries of international competitions – so it was no surprise that this was a highly accomplished sequence of performances. Over recent months Girton’s musicians, like most professional musicians, have tired of performances created by layering separately recorded tracks. While this technique enabled us to retain a semblance of ensemble music during the first lockdown, such artificiality has proved trying in the longer term. Students came back

Socially distanced Freshers’ Concert, October 2020

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to Girton last October with great plans for performances although, in the event, we managed only one live concert in Michaelmas Term: the Freshers’ Concert, the traditional upbeat to the Sunday lunchtime series, took place with a small socially distanced audience in the Stanley Library. Shortly afterwards, restrictions were reimposed, and a planned orchestral concert, directed by Robert Jones, had to be reimagined, sans audience, as a programme of string music recorded in the Great Hall. We are fortunate to have an unusually high number of excellent string players at Girton this year – in fact, I’m not sure Girton has ever

had more holders of University Instrumental Awards than at present (seven) – and strength in numbers proved invaluable for two reasons. First, we were not permitted to bring in players from other colleges (the salvation of many a Cambridge concert); second, some of the students had to withdraw at short notice as a result of COVID alerts. Robert worked marvels with his forces, producing some very appealing performances, including a Vivaldi concerto with Kevin Loh as soloist. Observing a dozen masked musicians standing far apart as they played was a strange and moving experience. Fortunately, however, not everything was overshadowed by the pandemic: rehearsals, Robert noted, ‘ran like normal, albeit with a conspicuous lack of tea and biscuits’. The string orchestra appeared again in Easter Term as part of the May Week Concert – this time with an audience and added wind instruments. The orchestra’s contributions included concerto movements performed by flautist Lloyd Hampton, trumpeters Rachel Armitage and Ailsa Critten, and pianist Nicholas Maier who only two days earlier had given a rousing performance of Liszt’s B Minor Sonata in the Stanley Library. The orchestra also premiered short pieces by Felix Elliott, Robert Jones and Alice Rivers which, together, made up A Cambridge Triptych. These miniatures offered witty portraits of undergraduate life, not just as experienced in a pandemic. Girtonians of every generation would surely identify with Robert’s ‘The Orchard at Dusk’ or Alice’s ‘When the Traffic Light at the Bottom of Castle Hill is Green’. As for Felix’s ‘Week Five Blues’, the title told only half the story: markings in the score reflected a typical day in the life of a student. Starting ‘sleepy’, this jazzinflected piece took us through ‘internal guilt’ and (the presumably linked) ‘last minute essay cram panic’ to end with ‘collapse in bed’.

Jeremy West and Andrew Kershaw

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Other highlights of the May Week Concert included a cameo appearance from tenor Robert Forrest in Strauss’s


String orchestra, November 2020

‘Morgen’, two delicious miniatures by Cevanne HorrocksHopayian (2004), later recorded by Girton Choir, and the first movement of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet, featuring Madeleine Morris and a (largely) Girtonian string quartet. No account of music at Girton would be complete without mention of the marvellous work that Jeremy West, one of our Musicians in Residence, has done over the past decade to foster brass music in College. He was supported in recent months by Andrew Kershaw, a highly respected tuba player who has spent time with us as Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner. Jeremy and Andy have coached (and performed in) Gir-Ten, an ensemble that takes advantage of the large

number of talented brass players currently associated, one way or another, with the College. Gir-Ten provided the roof-raising final items of this year’s May Week Concert and a concert of their own in Penelope Hobhouse’s wonderful Fellows’ Garden, as well as many short performances at dinners and other College events. As I write, the pandemic still holds Girton in its clutches: an outbreak of infections has thrown the choir tour into doubt. Like the prisoners in Fidelio, we can only long for release and the light. Martin Ennis, Austin and Hope Pilkington Fellow in Music, and Director of Music

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Choir The Chapel Choir has used the past year to build on our tradition of introducing new repertoire, and we have been particularly proud to produce a large quantity of home-grown works. As a leaving present to the retiring chaplain, Malcolm Guite, we distributed eight of Malcolm’s poems among current and former Girtonians with a brief to set them to music and record them. The composers were Cevanne HorrocksHopayian (2004), Rhiannon Randle (2011), Milly Atkinson (2016), Rachel Hill (2017), James Mitchell (2017), Louie McIver (2018) and Tom Williamson (2019). One piece was set by Libby Croad, not a Girtonian but a composer who, having written for us several times, has strong links with the choir. Some were done as virtual choir videos (or ‘Girtual’ choir videos, as we call them) over the summer vacation; some were performed live in Michaelmas and Easter terms this academic year. Most are now available to watch on the choir’s YouTube channel. During Lent Term we were lucky to have a household of choir members eager to provide music in Chapel, and two current Music students, Alice Rivers and Joe Wardhaugh, composed new pieces for our reduced forces – further testament to the resolve and creativity of the Girton spirit! We were also delighted to welcome two new organ scholars this year, Felix Elliott (Music) and Emily Nott (Classics); Felix provided a striking new setting of the Ave Maria for the Advent Carol Service. While new music has been a regular feature at Girton for several years, we recognise that our search for good-quality repertoire should extend further, so that more people from a wider range of backgrounds can look at our music programme and see themselves represented there. We have therefore determined that every one of our services should feature at least

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one piece by a female composer and at least one by a non-White composer. This will allow us to present new names and faces, expanding our view of what might be considered core repertoire. It has required some research, but our efforts have been rewarded by the discovery of some fantastic music, and we have made new friendships via electronic correspondence with composers, many of whom live in the US. In doing so, we have shied away from terms such as ‘diversity’ and ‘diversification’: we see this initiative simply as looking in different places for what we have always sought, namely excellent new music. Nevertheless, we have been very surprised and moved to receive messages of support from people all over the world (including some of the composers in question) who express gratitude for seeing such wide representation in our music-making. Our hope is that this may go some small way towards refreshing the popular view of classical music, and that more people will be encouraged to feel there is a place for them at that wonderful table. Our joint ventures with other choirs and visits to far-flung venues have, of course, been curtailed by the pandemic, but we are currently gearing up for a tour to Durham Cathedral and the surrounding area. We plan to follow this with a further set of recording sessions to produce a sequel to our successful CD of music by the Italian composer Marc’Antonio Ingegneri. Our pioneering of this significant, but largely forgotten, composer has led to important new research into his life and work in his home town of Cremona. To our delight this resulted in an invitation to Italy where, in 2023, we will help lead celebrations of the 380th anniversary of Claudio Monteverdi, Ingegneri’s most distinguished pupil. Gareth Wilson, Director of Chapel Music


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Some of the composers performed in Chapel this year 1

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

4

Dobrinka Tabakova

8

Moses Hogan

9

5

2

Morfydd Llwyn Owen

Milly Atkinson

David Hurd

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6

3

Trevor Weston

Florence Price

7

Undine Smith Moore

Rachel Hill

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Chapel Following the retirement of Malcolm Guite, Chaplain for nearly 20 years, Girton took a punt on a priest/jazz musician, and I began as Malcolm’s successor in September 2020. There were, for a brief period, two College Chaplains, but nothing untoward happened, and I’m delighted that Malcolm remains in our midst as a Life Fellow. Early impressions of a welcoming, creative and ambitious College have proved truer than I imagined, and I’m deeply grateful to all who have welcomed me so warmly and placed their trust in me as I take up the role. Of course, there have been limitations on the ways we have been able to operate in Chapel this year, but ingenuity, determination and good humour combined to allow choral services to take place safely in both Michaelmas and Easter Terms. We are all longing for services without the Perspex screens that divide members of our superb choir from one another and from the congregation; however, such provision has enabled them to sing safely together and meant that our services have been enriched by the impressively diverse repertoire that the Director of Chapel Music pulls out of the bag each week, much of it hitherto unheard pieces, and with an impressive sprinkling of works by Girtonians too. Lent Term was a much more limited affair – with only myself, an organ scholar and the frankly heroic Jeremy West (who continues to manage the live streaming of almost all our services) present in a rather chilly Chapel with windows flung wide. Sizeable online audiences convinced us of the value of these services, however, and thanks are due to the donors to the Friends of Girton Chapel Fund, whose generosity

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enabled the purchase of necessary equipment. Next year we will continue to stream major services and events to our YouTube channel, although we hope the screens can be ushered into a discreet hiding place and the congregation will no longer be limited or separated. The COVID restrictions in the first two terms made for a rather constrained programme of speakers, and I am especially grateful to the then Dr (now Revd Dr) Charlie Bell and Dr Hilary Marlow for their contributions to the Michaelmas sermon series; this spared the congregation an unbroken stream of sermons from me. With a little more possible in Easter Term, we were delighted to welcome four guest preachers: the Rt Revd Martin Seeley, Revd Reid

Humble, Revd Laura Luz and Dr Elizabeth Phillips, who each brought freshness and insight to our services. There is more to the Chapel than services, of course, and even with the temporary addition of screens, it has continued to provide a space, and indeed a community, in which staff, Fellows and students of all faiths and none can find room for reflection, meditation and prayer. The Chaplaincy plays a key role in the multi-layered welfare structures of College, and it is a privilege to be able to offer a non-judgmental and confidential ear to members of every College constituency. Tim Boniface, Chaplain

Tim Boniface Jazz Quartet with Irene Serra on vocals

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Research Evenings Determined not to let COVID-19 spoil the interdisciplinary adventure that is the Fellows’ research seminar series, the SCR (and MCR) maintained a full programme of events this year, navigating deftly across a mix of in-person, online and hybrid events. Here are some highlights. A series of three presentations of ‘new work by new Fellows’ began with a glimpse of the social and economic history built into a unique collection of nineteenth-century brass instruments owned by, and introduced by, Andy Kershaw, Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner. As Christmas approached, with no end in sight to the COVID pandemic, newly elected Fellow in Economics Dr Collin Constantine reminded us we are simultaneously experiencing a regime of economic inequality unmatched in living memory. He used the example of Iran and Thailand to show how even quite different kinds of capitalism can converge on similar patterns of inequality. Finally, the new incumbent of the Brenda Hale Fellowship in Law, Tom Hawker-Dawson, presented findings from an exploratory study of videolink sentencing in crown courts – a cautionary tale amidst myriad other challenges currently facing the criminal justice system. The research record of the Girton Fellowship includes a remarkable list of excellent books in progress, in press or recently published, and a second strand to this year’s seminar series was devoted to profiling these. We began with an insider’s view of how the latest (potential) bestseller from the Secretary to Council, Dr Caroline Shenton, came to life. Described by its author as ‘the true story of how an unlikely bunch of men and women saved London’s museums and galleries in World War II’, National Treasures seems sure to be a page-turner. Then, Life Fellow and

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former Chaplain Revd Dr Malcolm Guite offered, with characteristic generosity, ‘two for the price of one’, reflecting on the many ways in which Girton’s poets have, over the years, provided a written response to crises of all kinds. Examples can be found in the recently published collection (edited with Grevel Lindop) marking ten years of the Jane Martin Poetry Prize and in a new anthology David’s Crown – a 150poem response to the 150 Psalms that references both the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. This presentation was followed rather neatly by an introduction from Life Fellow in Computer Science Professor Stephen Robertson to his new book B C. This refers to a world ‘Before Computers’ and is a study of innovations in information technology from early forms of writing to digital data. To round off the series, Dr Frances Brill, inaugural Margaret Tyler Research Fellow in Geography, introduced her book project on ‘London: The Privatised City’, while Drs Helen Van Noorden and Hilary Marlow talked about their collection (coedited with Karla Pollmann) Eschatology in Antiquity, reminding us that editing, no less than writing itself, is an art, a craft and a labour of love. We also enjoyed several themed panel debates during the year. The opening round of Girton Conversations – ‘Our Fragile Planet’ – included provocations from geographer Dr Amy Donovan, physicist Professor Chris Ford and zoologist Dr Arik Kershenbaum; this was chaired by Dr Hilary Marlow who skilfully positioned this cross-College effort at the heart of a new strategic priority, ‘Green Girton’. The same theme inspired the first joint SCR/MCR seminar of the year in which Frances Brill, speaking for the SCR, addressed the theme ‘Climate change in my back garden’ (linking the climate and housing crises) and, in so doing, partly answered a question posed by Maximilian Hepach for the MCR: ‘Where is climate (change)’?


The second themed SCR/MCR event took place close to the fifth anniversary of the death of Giulio Regeni, which we marked with a wide-ranging discussion of human rights. This was much enriched by Laure Boulanger Dongan’s paper ‘Beyond the gay neighbourhood, towards the queer community: rethinking queer geographies, identities, activism and methods’ and Dr John Hendry’s account of ‘Emily Davies and the women’s movement: identities, activism, methods’. Finally, inspired by two MCR members (George Cowperthwaite and Sam Khan) and two SCR colleagues (Dr Teng Cao and Dr John Wills), we turned to the challenge of ‘Talking Science’; the speakers introduced us to ‘Secure quantum communication’, ‘Canine intervertebral disc disease’, ‘Tornadoes in turbomachinery’ and ‘Immune cell perception at the intestinal frontier’. There followed a wide-ranging discussion chaired by Professor Evis Sala. It is an indicator of the dynamism of the series that well after the end of term, with the graduation marquee still in place, one last SCR/MCR seminar was convened to draw the year to a close. Jack Davis, Alisa Maring and Austin Tripp gave another glimpse of the MCR’s vibrant and inspiring research programme. For the SCR, Emma Brownlee spoke about her research on burial practices in early medieval Europe. The last word in a long year, however, surely belonged to Professor Jochen Runde, who spoke to the title ‘Uncovering unknowns’. Susan J Smith, Mistress

Amy Donovan discusses ‘Our Fragile Earth’

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Hail and Farewell This year the Fellowship sadly lost Life Fellow and eminent economist Dr Frank Wilkinson and Kate Perry, Archivist Emerita and member of the SCR. Karen Lee stepped down as Vice-Mistress after seven years’ sterling work, the last eighteen months in particularly difficult circumstances, and Dr Hilary Marlow was elected to this key College office. Dr Collin Constantine was elected as an Official Fellow in Economics, and Tom HawkerDawson as Brenda Hale Official Fellow in Law. Dr Colm Durkan, Official Fellow in Engineering for many years, became a Professorial Fellow on gaining a University chair. Professor Abby Fowden was elected to a Life Fellowship after a distinguished University career and nearly 50 years as a member of Girton. Two of our Official Fellows have taken up named fellowships thanks to funds raised by A Great Campaign: Dr Henrik Latter has become our inaugural Bertha Jeffreys Fellow in Applied Mathematics, and Dr Alex Liu the inaugural Christine McKie Fellow in Natural Sciences. As reported last year, Dr Frances Brill and Dr Emma Brownlee joined us as Margaret Tyler and Ottilie Hancock Research Fellows respectively, and we look forward to welcoming William Barker, Rosamund Chambers Research Fellow in Astrophysics, in 2021–22. Meanwhile, Dr Seb Falk, a former Rosamund Chambers Research Fellow, will rejoin Girton this autumn as a Bye-Fellow, having been elected as a University Proctor for the next three years. Luke Burton, our Artist in Residence, continued working with the College throughout the pandemic to provide online art workshops and other sources of inspiration, while Andrew Kershaw, a specialist in music for historic brass, entertained and

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educated us with live and online performances through three lockdowns as Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner. The artist Carol Adlam has been elected as Andy’s successor for 2021–22. We will be welcoming our first Cavendish Arts–Science Artist in Residence next year. Dr Birgit Buergi has been our Bye-Fellow for Study Skills for the past year, and we were also joined by Dr Katie Burton and Dr Jonathan Fuld as Directors of Studies in Clinical Medicine, as well as by two new Postdoctoral Teaching Associates: Dr Elena Maters (Natural Sciences) and Dr Eimear Dunne (Geography). We said a fond farewell to Dr Teng Cao, one of our Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Senior Research Fellows, who has taken up a lectureship at Imperial College London. We wish him well with his plans for the future. Among College staff, Sandra Airewele joined us as Human Resources Manager, as well as Caroline Luker as Executive Assistant to the Bursar and Angela Newman as Personal Assistant to the Senior Tutor. Rachel Lloyd replaced Lisa Jones as one of our College nurses, and Carol Clarke and Ji Soo Kim provided additional administrative support for the College’s response to the pandemic. Hena McGhee joined the Development Office, and Barry Haylock arrived as IT Specialist. Ruth Long was our temporary Assistant Library Supervisor, and Richard Reeve is our new plumber. Natalie Thomas departed from Admissions and Tutorial. Odean Davids, Dee Hathiramani and Scott Johnson left the Catering team, and Dragos Reit, Oskars Akulis and Marius Varlan our House Services team. We also said farewell to Jenny Hewitt, who served as an apprentice painter and decorator, and Chris Moseley, Relief Porter. Caroline Shenton, Secretary to Council


Student Reports The Year

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JCR The JCR Committee has been characterised this year by its adaptability, with the team showing determination, innovation and enthusiasm despite the unprecedented setbacks caused by COVID-19. The goal of the JCR in the face of shifting rules, regulations and guidelines was to uphold the interests and realise the Charlotte Howdle

LGBTQ+ Progress Flag flown for the month of February

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aspirations of the undergraduate body we are elected to serve, and to support all students, even when we were miles – oceans – apart. The first area for JCR innovation was communication: how were we to connect with students and make sure the Girton community was still thriving throughout successive lockdowns? The JCR met this challenge with a host of online events designed to engage students and bring Girton into their homes; these ranged from fortnightly ‘Great Girtonian Kahoot’ quizzes and bake-along livestreams to our very own ‘Girt-Online Garden Party’. Our ‘Humans of Girton’ Instagram posts highlighted the outstanding achievements of Girton undergraduates and reinforced the community spirit that makes College so special. Diversity and inclusivity, two guiding principles of the JCR and the College, were clearly demonstrated in a range of initiatives. The JCR introduced the role of Socio-Economic Inclusivity Officer, providing the first direct representation for working-class students, and addressing issues such as financial hardship, impostor syndrome and everyday classism. The JCR Liberation Officers made amazing progress, founding the Girton Liberation, Inclusivity, Diversity and Equality (GLIDE) society; this hosted thought-provoking and topical discussions, and there are plans for more in the future. For the first time in Girton’s


Riva Kapoor

Girt-Online Garden Party

history, the JCR flew the LGBTQ+ Progress Flag throughout February, as well as the Trans Flag on the Trans Day of Visibility. Also, following the murder of Sarah Everard, we set up a Sexual Violence Subcommittee to improve the College’s response to instances of sexual violence. Congratulations are due to those who organised the few in-person events we were able to hold

this year. The largest of these was the 2020 Freshers’ Week, headed by JCR Vice-President Heather Hawkins who, along with the Freshers’ Committee, worked tirelessly to give first-year students as normal a Freshers’ Week as possible. Thank you to everyone at Girton for their incredible work, and for maintaining buoyant spirits despite the year we have all had! Katie Clark, JCR President

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MCR The last year may have turned normal life on its head, but the MCR certainly rose to the challenge. The community had to adapt to a completely new way of working – from Zoom meetings to quarantine events – and the process was not without its ups and downs.

This year saw an increased focus on communication, collaboration and creativity within the Girton community, and the MCR stood at the forefront of that effort. The termly Pecha Kucha and SCR/MCR research seminars were swiftly moved online. We

Postgraduates enjoying a Bridgemas meal in their Swirles Court flat. From left to right: Malvina Constantinou, Florentin Kerschbaumer, Yasmeen Al-Mufti, Conor Gleeso

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Halloween at Swirles Court

have hosted a diverse range of speakers, with talks on sustainability, linguistics, and even quantum science. There has been increased collaboration with the JCR to organise events, household dining treats and welfare initiatives. The MCR Committee has demonstrated its creativity, adapting traditional ideas so that they work for household groups or in a digital setting. This spirit of resilience has characterised the efforts of the postgraduate community throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so, we hope, for years to come. New members of the MCR found ways to get involved in committees, sports teams and volunteering roles. Quarantine and self-isolation were, for many students, a sad necessity, but they also demonstrated the altruistic spirit of the postgraduates, many of whom volunteered to deliver food, collect shopping, and provide support to struggling housemates.

The MCR is sure to bounce back with a return to inperson activities as soon as is possible. The restrictions of the last year have thrown into sharp relief what we miss most about normal life, so now is a good time to look to the future and the many exciting opportunities waiting just around the corner. A huge vote of thanks goes to this year’s MCR Committee members, who have worked hard to organise events and schemes to help support postgraduates through an incredibly difficult time. Their dedication has not gone unnoticed, and their efforts truly represent the spirit of our community.

George Cowperthwaite, President

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Boat Club (Men’s and Women’s) Keeping the Boat Club afloat (excuse the pun) during the pandemic has been no easy feat, but GCBC has spent the last year working hard to keep the club spirit alive, despite limited access to the water. Easter Term 2020 was filled with virtual circuit sessions, a virtual Bumps race (involving running rather than rowing), and a virtual Boat Club Dinner to celebrate the end of an unusual year. Michaelmas Term 2021 brought signs of hope, with crews getting back on the water (in accordance with strict guidance), and we started training some

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GCBC is feeling positive about Easter Term 2021 and is keen to get back into action. Several of our rowers found themselves in Cambridge over

the Easter vacation and were back on the water as soon as restrictions allowed. Now our crews are starting to train for the end-of-term Regatta that will replace Bumps this term, and we are excited to get racing again. COVID-adapted training has included lots of outdoor erg, circuit sessions, boat washing – and refreshing novices’ memories of their first outings back in Michaelmas Term. We are delighted by the prospect of spending the term ahead rowing in the summer weather, and hope for a return to normality next academic year. Katherine Cleary, President

Simon Green

First Men’s Crew rowing at sunrise

novices. However, these activities were shut down again during the second lockdown. In Lent Term 2021, training and events once again took place mainly online. On Easter Sunday, the 2021 Boat Race revived our spirits, with some close and exciting races on the Great Ouse near Ely culminating in wins for the Light Blue Men’s and Women’s boats, the latter captained by Girton’s very own Sophie Paine.


Christian Union There is an almost imperceptible difference to the buzz your laptop makes while you stare at the words ‘Please wait, the meeting host will let you in soon’, knowing that somewhere beyond the white wall of your screen is a crowded Zoom call, full of the familiar faces of the Girton Christian Union (GCU). While in some colleges Christian Unions chose to meet in groups of six when restrictions allowed during Michaelmas Term, GCU continued all together online, as they had in Easter Term 2020. Eager new freshers were welcomed to the community and formed firm friendships despite rarely meeting in person. Screen-tired eyes and varied internetconnection speeds did not put GCU members off studying the Bible and praying together every week. When each 40-minute instalment of a Zoom meeting came to an end (often rather abruptly if nobody watched the clock), a race would ensue to see who could be the fastest to join the next call. As time flew past and the final call shut down, mobile phones would flash across Girton College, Swirles Court and beyond as unfinished prayers and a chorus of ‘Amens’ pinged onto the group chat. In Lent Term, the Cambridge InterCollegiate Christian Union held its annual events week, connecting with people across the world through online watch parties. This year’s title was ‘Story’, and we explored our own stories, the story

Girton Christian Union evening meeting on Zoom. Clockwise from top left: Timothy Lee, Alice Rivers, Claire Coates, Thomas Wright, Caitlin McCracken, Elisha Roberts and Ben Pymer

of the world, and how our stories fit together. Guest speakers and Cambridge students shared how the Bible’s account of Jesus shaped their lives, while a series of talks by Peter Dray and Dr Rebecca McLaughlin unpacked how God might have an impact on the way we cope with the plot twists of life. With restrictions easing in Easter Term, we eagerly look forward to meeting regularly in person and catching up on time spent apart. Now that the period of enforced hibernation is at an

end, we can’t wait to put on events for the College again and, of course, reinstate the famous ‘Text-a-Toastie’, an opportunity for people to chat about the big questions of life and faith over a free toastie. As Ben Pymer and Emily Moore step down from a brilliant period of service as College representatives in a whirlwind of changing restrictions, we are excited to see what the coming year will hold for us. Alice Rivers, Representative for the Christian Union

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Feminist Society Despite the disruption of the pandemic, Girton Feminist Society (FemSoc) has powered through, creating and maintaining safe spaces for women and people of marginalised genders. Our committee comprises two Co-Presidents, Temitope Longe and Olivia Daly; a Treasurer, Katie Clark; an Events Officer, Elizabeth Dearden-Williams; an LGBTQ+ Rep, Ella Dane-Liebesny; and a BME Rep, Shamem Faizi. One of our most significant achievements has been collaborating with the former JCR Women’s Officer, Katie Clark, and former JCR Sustainability and Ethical Affairs Officer, Olivia Daly, on a scheme to provide free alternative sanitary products. For the second year in a row, we provided free menstrual cups and reusable pads for those in College. This last round allowed us to distribute these products to 33 people, and we hope to build on this as the years go on. During Michaelmas and Lent Terms, we managed to put on a total of 14 events. Most were online, with two held in-person during Michaelmas Term. Our focus as a committee was to embrace intersectionality in everything we do and to support our community. For example, Shamem and I hosted an event centred on ‘White

The FemSoc’s new logo and the 2020–21 Committee

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Feminism and Religion’. This event was crucial in helping others explore how a particular stream of feminism may be harmful to some groups and can be exclusionary. One of our most popular events was our final session of Lent Term, hosted by Elizabeth. It was a support-and-solidarity event in response to the death of Sarah Everard. We wanted to create an environment that would allow women and nonbinary people who feel comfortable in spaces centred around women to express their anxieties and frustrations. Events like this are critical in supporting the community on a holistic level. Finally, we have been doing lots of work to connect with the Girton community and with other FemSocs across the University. Ella worked hard to put together an event with Newnham College to discuss deradicalising feminist legacies in Cambridge. Given the histories of the two colleges, this event was particularly special; it allowed us to connect and learn about feminist histories in Girton and Newnham and around the University. Overall, after a successful and insightful year, I could not be prouder of the committee and all they have achieved despite the pandemic. Temitope Longe, Co-President


Football (Men’s)

From left to right: (back row) Sam Allen, Henry Waugh, Kieran Russell, Oscar Parry Wingfield, Nadir Sharifu, Dan Miller, Matthew King; (front row) Dan Bacon, Jeffrey Tan, Juan Rodgers, Michael Arthur, Christopher Butters

GCFC has been significantly, though not uniquely, affected by the restrictions placed on us this academic year. Following a successful season last year, when we lost on penalties to St Catharine’s in the plate final, all of us were raring to enter the new season with fresh talent, hopeful about the silverware we could win. This, however, did not materialise, and we were extremely limited in terms of both players’ availability and matches. Positive COVID-19 cases meant we were unable to play throughout the whole of Michaelmas Term. In order to keep our fighting spirit alive, we held four training sessions on the assumption that later in term we would be able to give Cuppers a good go. Unfortunately, the

November lockdown was a final blow to our hopes of success in Michaelmas Term. With no games during Lent Term, and no opportunities to train as a team, all we could do was hope for an Easter Term in which we might reach our full potential as a team. At the time of writing, Cuppers has resumed, and we have games coming up against Robinson and Gonville and Caius, two very strong teams. Even if we do not end up having much success this season, what we can take from it is the resilience that was required to push through such a difficult time for everyone. Luca Scrase, Captain

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Lacrosse (Mixed) Girton’s mixed lacrosse team, the Cloud Leopards, has thrived this year in Division One. Fresher recruitment reached an all-time high, and despite most being new to the sport, the freshers have brought enthusiasm and skill to the team, as well as an eagerness for training sessions that was previously absent. Their role in the team has been greatly appreciated, especially as they continue to grow as players. The inter-collegiate league was unfortunately cancelled halfway through Michaelmas Term, but not before we became the (self-declared) victors, having won all four matches we played, while collecting all available bonus

points (for scoring at least three goals in each match). A lot of work went into engineering and perfecting the team strategy, which could be summed up as ‘having no skill and only doing long passes’. We are particularly proud of this achievement, since we were promoted out of Division Two only last year. Clearly, the bold decision to actually do some training sessions is paying off. This year, the society was also given funds to purchase a new goal, which is being used to hone our skills, ready for a time when Cuppers and the inter-collegiate leagues can safely resume. While plans for social events were largely cancelled in response to changing

government guidelines, this did not affect the team’s on-pitch cohesion. Our players maintained, as ever, a warm and humorous attitude – even after the cycle ride to an away game at Homerton. We remain hopeful that some more traditional Cloud Leopards socials and friendly matches against other colleges will take place after the examination period, to ensure the team bond remains strong as we go into the next academic year. While neither George Jackson nor I will be at Girton next year, we remain confident that the Cloud Leopards will continue to go from strength to strength. Mia Reisser-Weston, Co-President Thom Harris

A line-up at home, after a 4–1 victory over Queens’. From left to right: Henry Waugh, Matthew Davies, Ben Cudworth, Jeffrey Tan, Mia Reisser-Weston, George Jackson, Allegra Ayida, Nina Wittmann, Holly Duke, Phil Jiang, James Thompson, Ruyi Rix, Zhenhao Lu, Heather Hawkins, Sophie Richardson

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Natural Sciences Society Girton College Natural Sciences Society is the society for all those who study a science subject, or who take a keen interest in the scientific world. In a normal year, the primary focus of our activities would be the social events that allow students in different years to mix, share ideas and advice, and engage in a variety of science-related activities. It was therefore inevitable, as for so many societies, that this year we should find ourselves in a rather difficult position, unable to fulfil many of our core functions, and with our reach significantly curtailed. For example, as yet we have been unable to organise a student social that introduces the new Part IA students to other scientists. Events such as these are key, both on a social level and as support systems, ensuring that no scientist feels alone. These are, however, different times and, for that reason, the Society has had to adapt. We have significantly increased our online presence, in particular making use of the Society’s Facebook page as a way of maintaining engagement. Our focus has shifted to encouraging cooperation and scientific discovery online.

In Michaelmas Term, the President posted a weekly message to all members of the Society with a list of interesting talks and events due to take place. This ensured that, even though our capacity to function was reduced, students did not miss out on extracurricular scientific activities. Then, at the start of Lent Term we had the good fortune to host two OGs, Miha Pipan (2012) and Jenny Chase (2001), who gave talks on their careers after Girton. The talks were well attended by Fellows and students. We benefited hugely from learning what people who were once in our position have been able to achieve since graduating. We are now looking forward to co-hosting in Easter Term another talk in collaboration with the Cartwright Society and Girton Green Society. We also look forward to releasing a set of Society-themed stash in the coming weeks. Finally, we hope that after the exams we will be able to organise our first in-person event of the year; this will allow the ‘new’ IA students finally to meet other members. Joshua Tall, President

Netball Having lost many of our strongest players – some had graduated, some were on a year abroad – and with the looming threat that the pandemic would prevent us from playing altogether, the 2020–21 colleges’ mixed netball league got off to an uncertain start. Fortunately, the 2020 fresher cohort yielded several enthusiastic and talented players, without whom we would have been lost. Particularly noteworthy are Jack Davis and Izzy Clarke who, from the very start, have shown consistent dedication to the team. We are grateful to have been able to play four matches this year, three of which we won, often by significant margins; this is a credit to the unwavering Girton team spirit. Because of the unconventional start to the year, our opening match in Michaelmas Term, against Hughes Hall, was the first time we had met many of our newest players, and the first time we had played together as a team. Despite this, we managed to score twice as many goals as our opponents, chalking up an impressive 16–8 result, which speaks to the natural ability and skill of our players new and old. We have continued to build on our cohesion as a team, and our most recent match against Selwyn was testament to this. Despite the temperamental weather, and the intimidating number of Selwyn players, we had another comfortable victory with a score of 16–6. This would not have been possible without the power duo of Jonah Gibbon and Dan Bacon.

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With the resumption of the league in Easter Term and the new academic year, I look forward to more triumphs from the Girton mixed netball team and to the return of an active and thriving community. Eva Murray, Mixed Netball Captain

Girton mixed netball team after victory over Selwyn. From left to right: (back row) Emily Moore, Daniel Bacon, Eva Murray, Izzy Clarke, Ailsa Critten, Ruyi Rix; (front row) Jonah Gibbon, Phil Jiang, Izzy Porter

Poetry Group The College Poetry Group has continued to thrive despite the restrictions imposed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year. In early Michaelmas Term, my co-leader, Esther Shambira, and I took advantage of comparatively relaxed government guidelines to organise two in-person meetings. We were able to provide beverages for all those who joined us in person, and College kindly lent us a 360° webcam so that at-risk individuals could join us via Zoom rather than miss out on the meetings. Of course, later on in Michaelmas Term we were plunged back into another lockdown, and the Poetry Group had to return to the online format we used

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in Easter Term 2020. Nonetheless, over the course of the past four meetings we have received a steady stream of poems, including some of my all-time favourite submissions: a fusion of a villanelle and a haiku, a long, free-verse meditation on racism and identity of place set in the Botanic Garden, and a parodic account of the infamous Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting. We are planning to hold one further meeting via Zoom in Easter Term before exams begin, and another one after the exams which we hope will take place in the Fellows’ Garden some sunny afternoon.

Organising the Poetry Group this year wouldn’t have been possible without the help of James Wade, whose Zoom account I used for the majority of our meetings, and who provided all kinds of support and encouragement along the way. Likewise, Esther has been instrumental in coming up with themes, prompts, and ideas for how to go about running the group in a pandemic. Finally, many thanks should go to everyone who has attended meetings this year. It’s been a strange and difficult time for all of us, and I hope our discussions sparked a little bit of joy. Francesca Weekes, Co-Leader of the Poetry Group


Rugby (Girton and Hills Colleges Women’s Team)

Hannah Samuel, CURUFC Women’s Team Secretary

Matthew Impey

COVID-19 put the December Varsity Match on hold, and it is now due to be played on 4 July 2021. However, we took part in training throughout Michaelmas 2020. The sessions, adjusted in line with COVID regulations, provided a well-earned break from studies and gave a sense of normality to a period filled with uncertainty and unrest. Training took a back seat during Lent Term 2021, but we were able to carry on with the Strength and Conditioning programme provided by the club’s personal trainer. This enabled us to stay fit, strong, and ready to come back raring to go in Easter Term 2021. With such capable and skilful players in contention for starting places on the Varsity Team, we are excited to develop and form the team with a view to beating Oxford in early July.

Matthew Impey

We lack a women’s college rugby tournament, but Girton continues nonetheless to be well represented at University level, with three Girtonians (Alice Elgar, Laura Bleehen, Hannah Samuel) training and playing for the Blues, and one Girtonian (Hannah Taylor) training and playing with the development side. Laura Bleehen, who started playing rugby only in Michaelmas Term 2019, was selected to train with the Welsh Rugby squad ahead of the Six Nations and, although yet to be capped, she hopes to continue training and playing with them ahead of the Women’s World Cup next year. We are all keeping our fingers and toes crossed for her!

Alice Elgar (with ball)

From left to right: Kate Marks, Coreen Grant, Hannah Samuel, Laura Bleehen

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Rugby (Pirton) Since joining forces with Pembroke College two years ago to become ‘Pirton RFC’, the rugby club has been on an upward trajectory both on and off the field. Our year started in the summer vacation during the first national lockdown. Collectively, we ran more than 400 miles, raising more than £2,000 for Show Racism the Red Card. This initiative brought us together at a time when so many needed support, and it will doubtless stand us in good stead at the start of next season. With an influx of freshers from Girton and Pembroke, our squad felt strong going into Michaelmas Term, when we had to play an adapted form of touch rugby, Ready4Rugby. We are a physical team, so it didn’t suit us perfectly, but we came together to put in some huge performances and lost only one match all term. Lent Term was spent communicating on a groupchat with the occasional Zoom event such as a quiz. This meant that when Easter Term arrived, we were chomping at the bit for some action. As in Michaelmas, Easter Term started with touch rugby. We were unbeaten against Fitzwilliam and Emmanuel in the first round of matches, which

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showed that as a team we were ready to continue our season on a winning streak. Easter Term also saw Pirton venture into mixed touch rugby for the first time, with female students from Girton and Pembroke putting on a good show against more experienced opponents. As I write this, we are preparing to return to contact rugby in the form of rugby sevens, hoping to bring home silverware in a colleges sevens tournament. We also look ahead to a tour in the summer, as we are set to head down to

Dorset for the North Dorset 7s Festival. We look forward with excitement to next year and, in particular, the opportunity finally to play in Division 1, following our promotion last season. I would like to thank all our players who made it so enjoyable to be a part of this rugby club, even in the most trying of times. We would also like to thank Head Groundsman Steve Whiting for once again providing us with such excellent playing fields this season. Tom Allen, Captain

Pirton after the mixed touch tournament. From left to right: Lucy Holland, Bradley Mhangami, Max Murphy, Henry Denegri, Callum Finnigan, James Brownsey, Toby Brown, Oscar Robinson, Alek Radic, Imogen Duncalf, Hannah Taylor, Elise Goddard, Fred Taylor


Roll of Alumni The Year

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2022 – Calendar of Events Hosting events is an important way for the College to stay connected with alumni and supporters, and we look forward to resuming our regular activities as soon as is advisable. Our provisional schedule for 2022 is set out below. We very much hope that events planned for 2022 will be able to go ahead, but please note that all events are still subject to official Public Health guidelines and changes may still be made. To ensure you receive your invitation, and the latest news and information, please update your contact details by using the form on page 151 or on our website. All events take place in College, unless otherwise stated. February

July

10th: Mountford Humanities and Arts Communication Prize

2nd–3rd: Donors and Supporters Thank You Event

19th: Biennial Geography Event

9th:

21st: Hammond Science Communication Prize

Alumni Reunion Dinner for 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011 and 2012

25th: Alumni Formal Hall Founders’ Memorial Lecture and Guest Night (date TBA)

September 10th: Alumni Reunion Dinner for 1980, 1981 and 1982

March

17th: Alumni Reunion Dinner for 1989, 1990 and 1991

12th: Girton Alumni Sports Association Sports Matches and Dinner

Roll of Alumni Weekend:

Law and Finance Networking Reception (date TBA)

24th: Lawrence Room Talk (all welcome)

College Ball (date TBA)

24th: People’s Portraits Talk (all welcome)

24th: Library Talk (all welcome)

24th: Concert for the Roll (all welcome) April

MA Dinner (date TBA)

24th: Roll of Alumni Dinner (all welcome, especially matriculation years 1960, 1961, 1962, 1970, 1971 and 1972)

MA Congregation (date TBA)

25th: Gardens Talk (all welcome)

30th: Spring Gardens Walk October 18th: Autumn Gardens Walk

May 5th:

Jane Martin Poetry Prize

22nd: Commemoration of Benefactors and Foundation Dinner

Alumni Formal Hall (date TBA)

27th: Alumni Formal Hall

June 18th: May Bumps and Boat Club Dinner 21st: May Week Concert Summer Guest Night (date TBA)

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Bookings for the Roll of Alumni Weekend and Dinner can be made using the form on page 152. Details of other events in the calendar can be found in due course on our website at www.girton.cam.ac.uk.


Regional Associations An overview of the activities of regional associations at home and abroad Cambridge Local Girton Association Over the past year, the CLGA has successfully moved its activities online. Thanks are owed to a supportive committee and, especially, to Hilary Goy who generously made her Zoom account available to the Association and acted as host. • The first virtual event was a talk in October by Martin Rose whose 30-year career with the British Council included a period in Baghdad during the First Gulf War (1989–90) when he was held as one of Saddam Hussein’s human shields. Initially, he was relatively free to travel in the country; this allowed him to record archaeological monuments and contemporary life in some remarkable photographs. • The Association’s AGM in November was followed by a talk by Ursula Hartley, who recently retired from her position as a strategic planning adviser with a major oil company. She discussed the concept of energy transition and potential pathways to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, pointing out that optimal solutions are likely to vary between developed and emerging economies. • The Revd Malcolm Guite, recently retired College Chaplain and now a Life Fellow, was warmly received in January. He spoke about his experiences at Girton over a period of almost 20 years, his family’s arrival in Cambridge as political refugees from Rhodesia, and his studies in English poetry. (He has published eleven books of his poetry and is now set to become a full-time poet.) • Douglas Kent, Technical and Research Director of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, gave a talk in March entitled ‘Saving

Old Buildings: An Introduction to the SPAB’. He described the Society’s formation in 1871 and the wide variety of activities it undertakes today, concluding with an account of the repair work he carried out to the pargeting (decorative plasterwork) on the Old Sun Inn in Saffron Walden. Despite the novelty of online events, these have been well supported by an encouraging number of our 46 members; we were also happy to welcome members of the LGA among our guests.

Recently conserved seventeenth-century pargeting on the facade of the Old Sun Inn, Saffron Walden

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Two recent events featured publications that have attracted critical acclaim: • In May Dr Seb Falk, until recently a Research Fellow at Girton, spoke on his award-winning book The Light Ages: A Medieval Journey of Discovery, entitling his talk ‘Monks, Manuscripts and Machines: Science in the not-so-Dark Ages’. • In June Dr Arik Kershenbaum, Director of Studies in Biological Sciences, spoke about his recently published The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal about Aliens – and Ourselves. We hope, when conditions permit, to make a visit led by Catherine Anscombe to the University Library’s exhibition on palimpsest manuscripts, ‘Ghost Words: Reading the Past’, and to reschedule visits to the David Parr House postponed from last year. Looking farther ahead, we hope to hear from single-handed yachtswoman Pip Hare, who recently completed the Vendée Globe race, and even, perhaps, to enjoy an actual, rather than a virtual, wine tasting. Email: clga@girton.cam.ac.uk Website: www.sites.google.com/site/cambridgelga London Girton Association The LGA Book Circle, set up at the beginning of lockdown in March 2020, has thrived, with monthly online meetings to discuss a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Other activities include the following: • In July 2020, we held an online webinar in conjunction with the University of California, Los Angeles. Girton’s Visitor, Baroness Hale of Richmond, and Professor Adam Winkler of UCLA had a fascinating discussion about constitutional law in the UK and US; this was

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moderated by Girton’s Dr Dennis Grube and introduced by Dean Jennifer Mnookin of the UCLA Law School. • In December 2020, author George Goodwin gave an online talk about the intriguing origins of our Christmas festivities. • In February 2021, the LGA Quiz took place, held for the first time on Zoom. • In April 2021, we had an online talk from Dr Ben Griffin, Official Fellow in History, on co-curating the University Library exhibition, ‘The Rising Tide’, about the history of women at Cambridge. (This talk was originally given at Girton’s 150thanniversary celebrations.) The exhibition focused on the lived experience of women at Cambridge, the fight for equal educational rights, and the careers of some of the women who shaped the University and the world. We held our first post-COVID, face-to-face outdoor event at the end of May – a visit to gardens on Kew Green. Email:lga@girton.cam.ac.uk Website: www.girton.cam.ac.uk/london-girtonassociation Facebook: www.facebook.com/ LondonGirtonAssociation Oxford Region Girtonians The ORG took the sad decision to cease formal operations in 2019. We do, however, keep in touch informally, continuing the friendships developed over the years. Anyone in the Oxford area wishing to have contact with fellow OGs is very welcome to get in touch. Contact: Meg Day (1967) Email: org@girton.cam.ac.uk Tel: 01865 375916 Website: www.oxfordregiongirtonians.org.uk


Jeremy West

Manchester Association of Cambridge University Women Like everyone else, we were disappointed that we have not been able to move forward as we would like. For the first time, our Annual Dinner was cancelled. Also, the summer meeting at Southern Cemetery focusing on prominent women, which

was rescheduled from last year, is once again on ice. For the moment, we are limited to Zoom. We held the AGM in January fairly successfully and hope that the AGM due at the beginning of October will actually happen in person. Fingers crossed! • On 27 April David Sigee gave a talk entitled ‘Oxford and Cambridge Post’ (he is the author of a book on

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the subject). The talk was very well received, and it was followed by break-out groups where we caught up on news. • We decided to join forces with the Newnham College scheme to plant 150 trees across the world for its 150th anniversary. Our contribution to The Global Tree Planting Project is all about honouring Cambridge women and their outstanding connection with, and contribution to, the Manchester area. We have offered trees to Manchester High School and Withington Girls’ School who, we are delighted to say, are thrilled to be included. Once the trees have been chosen and planted, MACUW will be inscribed on the tree plaques. Let’s all hope that existing and new members can enjoy many meetings in person next year. Our WhatsApp group is organised by Helen Brown (St John’s), and you can be included by contacting her at: helenbrown070@gmail.com. New members of all ages are warmly welcomed. Come and join us. Email: Macuw@cantab.net Wales and the West Girtonian Association The association – more than 100 strong – was founded in 1998 by an energetic group who graduated in the 50s and 60s and who live in an area of 36,000 square miles. We welcome any new members, and their partners, in the region. When partners come, there is a significant number of men from St Catharine’s! • Mindful of social distancing, we postponed all events for 2020. • A questionnaire was sent to gauge enthusiasm for events in 2021, and to enquire about areas of interest, available venues and volunteer speakers. • Last year, Fiona Hallworth took over the

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reins from Barbara Hird who has run the region’s events indefatigably for many years. The continued existence of the WWGA is down to her imaginative programme, fantastic efficiency and thoughtfulness. Her choice of Dr Jenner’s House, ‘the home of vaccination’, for our meeting last year was uncannily prophetic. She also masterminded the transfer of bank signatories (a process that required the skills of an MI5 operative). • In 2019–20 our bank account had a sum surplus to needs, and we voted unanimously to donate this to A Great Campaign. • The plan for 2021 includes just one event – a guided tour on 12 October of the new and excellent exhibition at the Wiltshire Museum of the work of Eric Ravilious. More details can be found here: wwga@girton.cam. ac.uk or www.girton.cam.uk/wwga. New York Girton Association The New York Girton Association has been unable to meet in the last year. We hope to continue with our programme of events once it is safe to do so. Please contact us to be included in our email list. Email: newyorkga@girton.cam.ac.uk Hong Kong Committee We would be delighted to hear from any Girtonians based in Hong Kong. You can reach us via the College or by following our Facebook page. You can join the group here: https://facebook.com/gr oups/539478213416164?view=group.


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Births Galvin. In June 2020, to Belinda (1998 Lewis) and Anthony, a girl, Frances, a sister to Isabella. Kikira. On 23 April 2021, to Eleonora Po (2019; Fellow) and Kostas Kikiras, a girl, Anna Penelope. Stockler. On 1 June 2020, to Alexander (2006) and Catherine (2005; Murray Edwards), a boy, Frederick Charles Daniel.

Anna Penelope Kikira

Marriages and Civil Partnerships Gale – Gailey. On 24 August 2020, Jessica Gale (1981) and Calum George Gailey. Kaplan – Harris. On 4 October 2019, Claude Kaplan (1990) and Sarah Harris.

Jessica Gale (1981) and Calum George Gailey

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Frederick Charles Daniel Stockler


In Memoriam ADCOCK. On 5 August 2020, Alison (Dewar) MA (1937 Classics) Alison helped in her husband Arthur’s parishes, supported overseas students, taught in schools and was active in the Women’s Institute. She took a BD, became one of the first women Readers in the Oxford diocese, and represented the Oxford laity on General Synod. She was committed to the Movement for the Ordination of Women and to ecology, and enjoyed courses in architecture, art, history and religion. ASHTON. On 1 August 2020, Christine Gillian (Bourne) MA (1950 Music) From her time at Girton Gillian remembered the huge opportunity to be involved in musicmaking along with the long and frequent rides to and from the town. She became a self-employed teacher of instrumental music and was interested in choral singing and field botany. She married David (Christ’s). ATKINSON. In 2020, Christine Claire MA (1960 Economics) Christine returned to her native South Africa and taught at the University of Cape Town. She then took a diploma at the London School of Film Technique and worked in South Africa as a self-employed/freelance scriptwriter and producer. She transformed lives by sponsoring children, and supported animal welfare. BALDING. On 18 September 2020, Joyce Annie (Hetherington) MA (1946 Modern and Medieval Languages) After Girton, Joyce qualified as a teacher at Hughes Hall and spent her career in teaching, becoming a deputy head. She married Robert,

also a teacher. All her life, Joyce retained a close connection with and interest in Girton. BARNARD. On 13 September 2020, Jean Rosemary Curtis (Bain) MA MB BChir (1950 Natural Sciences) Jean did her clinical training at King’s College Hospital, London, and spent her career as a general practitioner, mostly in Hampshire. She married Robert, a fellow GP, and had two sons. She had good memories of Girton and regularly came for weekends with her year group.

Alison Adcock

BARNETT. On 17 November 2017, Barbara (Hurlock) MA (1947 Natural Sciences) Barbara became a research scientist in medical schools in London and the United States, where she remained after marrying Michael. After giving up her career to bring up their two children, she worked with her husband, developing instructional materials for computer programs. She loved gardening, the performing arts and country walks, and was committed to charities for the homeless. BEVAN. On 20 July 2016, Isabel Elinor (Brightman) MPhil (1958 English) After a first degree in Edinburgh, Elinor came to Girton to do research on gentlemanly life in the sixteenth century as reflected in English and Italian literature of entertainment. Subsequently she did a PhD in Classical Archaeology, and lectured at the Universities of Malta, Khartoum and Oran, before returning to Edinburgh. She married Christopher (St John’s) and had a daughter.

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BIRCHALL. In April 2020, Kathleen Mary (Young) MA (1953 Natural Sciences) Kath became a teacher and taught for many years at Withington Girls’ School, Manchester. She married John (Queens’) and had four children. Her memories of Girton included the very cold winter of her first year, when the river froze and there was skating on the pond, and the Queen coming for tea. Susan Mary Blacker

Diana Penelope Elizabeth Boatman

Mary Elizabeth Budleigh

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BLACKER. On 5 April 2021, Susan Mary (Mrs Bence, formerly Mrs Brenton) MA (1969 History) Sue was one of the first women to become a member of the London Stock Exchange. She developed two environmental charities, served on the local health board, became a sheep farmer, and created a wool mill capable of scouring, spinning and dyeing; she also championed British breeds and quality yarn. With her husband Douglas she had a son. BOATMAN. In March 2021, Diana Penelope Elizabeth (Coles) MA (1959 Natural Sciences) After working for the Royal Institute of Chemistry Diana developed a career as indexer and editor of scientific publications. She was a primary school governor for over thirty years, seven of them as chair or vice-chair. She and Michael (St John’s) founded a dynasty of Girtonians: daughters Christine (1984) and Helen (1989), a son-in-law, a nephew and a niece-in-law. BOLT. On 7 December 2020, Shirley Anne (Mrs Moles, later Mrs Coleman) BA MB BChir (1952 Natural Sciences) Born in Hong Kong, Shirley returned there with her husband Mike after her clinical training at St

Thomas’s, London, and brought up four children. When they came back to Britain, she became a GP and psychosexual therapist in Hampshire. In retirement she became an accomplished potter and a gifted maker of embroidery and quilts. BROWN. On 29 August 2018, Mollie Astill BA MB BChir (1940 Natural Sciences) Mollie spent all her career as a GP in the Midlands, first in Castle Bromwich and then, for forty years, in Lichfield. BUDLEIGH. In April 2020, Mary Elizabeth MA MB BChir (1948 Natural Sciences) Mary was among the first cohorts of women to graduate and was deeply proud of her degree. She spent her career in general practice, initially in Brighton and then, from 1966 until her retirement in 1988, as a partner at a practice in Sittingbourne. She was a keen ornithologist and a gifted violinist. BULLOCK. On 20 December 2020, Elaine Mary (Pomeroy) BA (1949 Mathematics) Elaine did a PGCE at Hughes Hall and taught at Portsmouth High School both before and after bringing up her two children with her husband Anthony. She was active in her local church and community, a member of the Deanery and Diocesan synods, and chair of management of a charitable nursing home. BUTLER. On 10 July 2021, Margaret Christine (Wilson) BA (1955 Economics; 1956 History) Christine was the younger sister of Kathleen (1949). She married Barry (Jesus) and they had two children. She was for many years an archivist at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.


CARROLL. On 14 February 2020, Vera Mary (Jordan) MA (1954 Mathematics; 1955 Natural Sciences) Vera, sister of Jean (1953), met her husband John (Queens’) in first-year lectures, and they had three sons in Harlow. She specialised in psychology and joined the NHS in Cambridge, retiring as Senior Principal Psychologist. She died 65 years after receiving her first valentine from John. CARY. On 28 September 2014, Elizabeth Mary (Simon) MLitt (1958 Moral Sciences) Elizabeth came to Girton from University College London to work on Plato’s Cratylus. She remained in Cambridge, working in data processing as a research assistant in several organisations. She married Peter and had two daughters. She had wide artistic, literary and cultural interests, and enjoyed yoga and swimming. CHURCHILL. On 14 October 2020, Pamela Ruth (Harwood) MA (1942 Economics) Pamela took a two-year wartime degree, and recalled listening to the aircraft flying to Europe on D-Day. Her working life was spent as Assistant Secretary of the Royal Schools of Music. In 1988 she married Peter. A member of the College choir, she continued to support it and to sing. COOPER. On 26 November 2019, Elizabeth Patience (Gray) MA (1953 History) After working for an advertising agency, Elizabeth became a history teacher, first at London University’s Extra-Mural Department and then at several schools, eventually becoming headmistress of St Hilda’s School, Bushey. She published works on local history. With her husband David (Downing) she had two daughters and a son.

COVENEY. On 31 October 2020, Margaret (Beaton) MA (1945 Economics) Margaret came to Girton from the London School of Economics as an affiliated student. She married Peter (Downing); they were wardens of a hall of residence in Hull University, where she also taught social studies, then moved to the University of Nottingham. DEVLIN. On 27 September 2020, Diana Mary MA (1960 English). Obituary on p. 119.

Vera Mary Carroll

DOE. On 18 February 2021, Vanessa Schwabe (Parker) MA (1956 History) Vanessa began her career recording historic buildings in London, notably the Euston Arch. After a PhD at Sheffield on the development of King’s Lynn she taught architecture at Leeds; however, she found that her real interest lay in local history and moved to the Sheffield ExtraMural Department. After her husband Brian (St John’s) died, she rekindled that passion in Rutland, publishing her final book in 2018. DROMGOOLE. On 26 July 2020, Jean Elizabeth (Vallis) MA MB BChir (1950 Natural Sciences) Jean did her clinical training at St Mary’s Hospital, London, then specialised in anaesthetics. She worked for many years at Kingston-upon-Thames Hospital. She married Peter, a surgeon.

Vanessa Schwabe Doe

ELLIOTT. In May 2020, Barbara Mary (Gowdridge) MA (1949 Tucker-Price Research Fellow). After six years at University College of North Wales, Barbara came to Girton to work on the genes that control pigment production in the fungus Neurospora crassa. She then spent a

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year in California before taking up positions in Scotland. There she married Charles, a fellow botanist at the University of Glasgow, with whom she had a son and a daughter, Alison (1976). In later life she was active in the Mothers’ Union.

Diana Mary Farley

Ann Josephine Goosey

FARLEY. On 21 May 2020, Diana Mary MA (1974 Natural Sciences) A lifelong physics educator, Diana taught in a secondary school on the Wirral for 34 years before moving to the Institute of Physics. She shared her passion, experience and enthusiasm for her subject with physicists and nonphysicists alike until the very end of her life. She married Stuart White and they had two daughters. FENNELL. On 2 December 2020, Rebie Elizabeth (Farleigh) MA (1950 Geography) Liz spent her life volunteering in Africa where her husband Ron (Gonville and Caius) worked for the World Bank; she was awarded an MBE for services to UK/Tanzania relations. Her impressive achievements relied on a gift for prompting compassion and generosity from others by ‘just asking’. She had three children and adopted Cambodian twins; her grandchildren include Katherine (2011). GAUTREY. On 2 January 2021, Richard (1994 College staff) Richard came to Girton in 1994 as a carpenter/ handyman, and stayed in the Maintenance Department until his retirement in 2000. He enjoyed doing unusual jobs which made use of his talents, in a post that gave him pleasure and happiness.

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GIDNEY. On 1 January 2021, Cordelia Margaret (Jones) MA (1962 Architecture and Fine Art) Cordelia studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and in Rome before coming to Girton as an affiliated student. Here she was introduced to wood engraving, which became her life’s work. She wrote and illustrated children’s books, had exhibitions in Japan, taught at Norwich Art School and married Louis, artist and toymaker. One of her paintings hangs in the College Library. GOOSEY. On 16 February 2021, Ann Josephine (Alexander, formerly Mrs Chamberlin) MA (1957 Modern and Medieval Languages) Ann spent much of her life working as a primary teacher for the European Schools in Brussels and Munich, where she taught English as a foreign language and remedial classes. After retirement she devoted herself to musical interests, reaching Grade 8 in piano, and singing in the Ludlow Choral Society. GRUBB. On 28 October 2020, Anne Isabel (Bath) MA (1948 Classics) Anne taught Classics and English for some years, then took the Law Society exams and became a solicitor. She married Martyn and had three sons and a daughter. She retained her interest in Classics, and in retirement taught Greek courses for the University of the Third Age and co-ordinated its National Classics Network. HALL. On 26 June 2020, Susan Elizabeth MA (1971 Modern and Medieval Languages). Obituary on p. 121.


HALL. On 18 November 2020, Sonia Rohini (Dias Bandaranaike) MA MB BChir (1951 Natural Sciences) Sonia (sister of Yasmine, 1959) came to Girton from Sri Lanka. After clinical training at the Royal London Hospital she specialised in paediatrics, returning briefly to Sri Lanka to practise at Colombo Hospital. She then married Digby, a fellow doctor, and they moved to Edinburgh. After bringing up their four children she returned to medicine as a consultant haematologist and dermatologist at Ipswich Hospital, where she remained for 47 years. HARDEN-CHATERS. On 23 November 2020, William James Henry (2018 Engineering). Obituary on p. 123. HARRIS. In September 2020, Patricia Mary (Siddons-Wilson) MA (1943 Geography; 1945 Moral Sciences) Pat had happy memories of wartime Girton, where she was a hockey blue and sang in the chapel choir. She trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London. After moving to Australia, she worked devotedly for the Red Cross and was awarded Sale Citizen of the Year on Australia Day 2001 for her work. HAWLEY. On 26 January 2021, Mary Tatyana (Ounsted) BA (1959 History) Tanya trained in social work and worked in probation and educational welfare. She married Peter (Magdalene) and had a daughter. In long service as a school governor and on charitable committees including, notably, the Mercers’ Company, she brought deep human insight rooted in her experience in social work. She

played a significant role as Peter developed international links for his firm. HILL. On 23 February 2021, Molly Mavis (Bell) MA (1945 Mathematics; 1946 Economics) At Girton, Molly studied under Dame Mary Cartwright, of whom she spoke often and fondly. A tennis and squash blue, she maintained her love of sports throughout her life. She married Alistair and they had three daughters. She was an avid bridge player and enjoyed travelling, reading and gardening.

Mary Tatyana Hawley

HITCHCOT. On 13 May 2020, Jane Elizabeth MA PGCE (1971 Theology and Religious Studies) After working in administration at the Open University, Jane took a PGCE and taught for many years in schools and colleges in the West Midlands. A knowledgeable gardener, for a while she ran a specialist plant nursery. She also obtained a postgraduate qualification in law, and was an accomplished poet. HITCHIN. On 11 May 2020, Janet Doreen (Muston) MA (1955 English) Janet took a PGCE at Hughes Hall and taught, before marrying David (Emmanuel), a headmaster. They had a daughter and a son. Girton always meant a great deal to her.

Molly Mavis Hill

HOLT. On 17 February 2021, Mary BA (1943 Law). Obituary on p. 124. HORNE. In November 2017, Caroline MA MB BChir (1996 Medical Sciences; 1998 Archaeology and Anthropology; 1999 Medical Sciences (Clinical)) The daughter of two doctors, Polly (as Caroline was known in College) won the Edith Neal Prize and

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the Edith Lydia Johns Scholarship for academic excellence in examinations. She married David and they had a daughter. Polly died in a car crash which her young daughter survived.

Wynell Mary Hunt

Sheila Florence Lesley

HUNT. On 3 April 2020, Wynnell Mary BA (1946 History) Wynnell’s mother Tillie (1914 Kent) graduated alongside her in 1949; Anne (1972) was one of Wynnell’s three children with her husband Paul (Corpus Christi). Her love of history continued throughout her life; she taught in Norwich, Cheam and Guildford, and learned medieval Latin to research the history of Cradley. She also loved music, poetry, writing and gardening. IPRI. On 26 July 2020, Averil (Vickers, formerly Mrs Crossley) MA (1958 Mathematics; 1959 Natural Sciences) Averil did a PGCE at Hughes Hall and taught at the Perse School for Girls. She then moved to Princeton and taught maths and physics. She remained in the United States for the rest of her life, with her second husband Alfred. She had a daughter and a son. KERR. On 20 March 2021, Cicely Mary (Fillmore) MA (1945 Natural Sciences) Cicely taught biology at St Mary’s School, Cambridge, where she became deputy head. After retirement she spent two years teaching in Uganda with VSO. Her memories of Girton included the feast in 1948 to celebrate the entry of women into the University; the college pigs were slaughtered for the occasion. She had two daughters and a son.

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KINDERSLEY. On 11 March 2020, Anne Sarah (Karminski) MA MLitt (1946 English; 1953 Ottilie Hancock Research Bye-Fellow) After graduating Anne studied at the Sorbonne, then returned to Girton as a research student working on nineteenth-century writers in Manchester. She was a Bye-Fellow for a year before marrying Richard and teaching in London, Belgrade, Oxford and New York. At Girton she loved music, dancing, the Library and especially the gardens. LESLEY. On 22 November 2019, Sheila Florence MA (1950 Natural Sciences; 1952 Law) Sheila was the third woman ever to qualify as a Chartered Patent Agent, and the first for 29 years. She was the first woman President of the Institute of Trade Mark Agents, and later became an Honorary Fellow thereof. Awarded an OBE in 1988, she was a Freeman of the City of London. LOASBY. On 21 August 2019, Judith Ann (Robinson) BA (1946 Natural Sciences) Judy worked as a research scientist at the universities of Oxford and Aberdeen before moving to Stirling and marrying Brian (Emmanuel), an economist. They had two daughters. MacGREGOR. On 20 June 2020, Diana Bivar MA (1946 History; 1948 Archaeology and Anthropology) Bunch (as Diana was known) qualified in both nursing and teaching, and worked by turns as a nurse and a history teacher. A half-blue for fencing and lacrosse, she rowed, rode and spent a happy time working on farms after the College arranged a summer farming job. Her Girton days


gave her friends and freedom, and were the happiest of her life. MAXWELL. On 27 October 2020, Christine Mary (Davison) MA MB BChir (1945 Natural Sciences) Christine did her clinical training at St Bartholomew’s Hospital as women were starting to be accepted by the London hospitals; she qualified in 1951 and then trained for general practice. She married Derrick, had three sons and was a pioneering working mother. Her sister Margaret (1939) and a brother, son and grandson also graduated from Cambridge. MIDGLEY. On 18 May 2020, Cecilia Mary (Pelmear) BA (1943 Natural Sciences) Celia worked on the crystal structure of concrete at the Building Research Station, Garston, where she met her husband Midge. After the birth of her daughter, she took up local politics, becoming a Watford councillor. She retired to Somerset where she enjoyed a more relaxing life, gardening and walking. MILLER. On 3 March 2021, Edith Joan (Wilson) MA (1941 Geography) After teaching in Yorkshire and London, Joan moved to Indiana University for five years; this brought marriage to George. Thirty years at Illinois State University followed. With a PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, she demonstrated that folk materials could be used in scholarship. She was an excellent and prolific letter writer and an avid gardener. MILNE. On 3 November 2020, Shelagh Elizabeth (Marmion) BA MB BChir (1945 Natural Sciences)

Shelagh did her clinical training at University College Hospital, before marrying Kenneth (Trinity Hall) and having three sons. On Kenneth’s death she resumed her microbiological training and became Consultant Microbiologist to Colchester hospitals, overseeing the redevelopment of the labs and their establishment in the new hospital. She delighted in her grandchildren, travel, music and gardening. MORGAN. On 29 July 2020, Margaret Hilary (Retter) MA MB BChir (1953 Natural Sciences) Hilary did her clinical training at the London Hospital and practised there and in Bristol, becoming consultant in clinical neurophysiology and electroencephalography. She married Gethin (Trinity) and had two daughters. An active member of Wales and the West Old Girtonians, she kept her links with College and was delighted, at a reunion, to find it the warm and smiling place she remembered. NALO. On 17 January 2021, Caroline Jane (Mischler, formerly Mrs Leaney) MA (1956 Archaeology and Anthropology) Caroline spent all her life after leaving Cambridge in the South Pacific, mainly in the New Hebrides, now the independent nation of Vanuatu. She used her many interests and abilities to serve her adopted country in a variety of ways which gained her widespread recognition and appreciation. OWEN. On 11 August 2020, Frances Josephine Susan (1977 Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic) Frances withdrew from Girton after two years, but was pleased to stay in touch. She worked for some time for an insurance company.

Christine Mary Maxwell

Cecilia Mary Midgley

Shelagh Elizabeth Milne

Caroline Jane Nalo

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PAUL. On 8 February 2021, Elizabeth Derryan BA (1957 Classics) Elizabeth took a diploma in archive administration at University College London and was an archivist with the Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire Record Offices, the National Army Museum and Royal Holloway College. She became a lecturer at the College of Librarianship Wales, later University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, while doing a PhD in English local history at Leicester. Mary Raeburn Poole-Wilson

Firouzeh Rastegar Diba

PERROW. On 19 February 2021, Rosemary Ann (Saunders) MA (1973 Geography) Rosemary taught geography at secondary and further education level. She initiated Trinity Learning in Abingdon, a partnership between her church and local schools whereby the church gave its time, talents and space to enhance the quality of life for school students and staff through smallgroup workshops. She married David and had a daughter. PERRY. On 16 December 2020, Kate (1986 Archivist; 1997 Bye-Fellow; 2009 Archivist Emerita). Obituary on p. 125. POOLE-WILSON. On 10 August 2020, Mary Raeburn (Gemmell) BA (1961 Classics) Rae won a scholarship to Girton as an affiliated student after graduating from Glasgow. She was a teacher for some years, and from 1987 twice served as a councillor for the London Borough of Haringey, in a troubled era that included the Broadwater Farm riots. She married Nicholas (Trinity) and had two sons. RASTEGAR DIBA. On 2 July 2020, Firouzeh (Rastegar Isfahani) BA (1963 Oriental Studies;

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1965 Archaeology and Anthropology) Firouzeh brought Persia with her wherever she went. After graduating she returned to Iran to work in social services, but the family was forced by the 1979 revolution to live in exile. Firouzeh and her husband Farhad first settled in London but then moved to Spain, where they built an airy house on a hillside overlooking the sea and created a paradise garden. ROBERTSON. On 12 August 2020, Margaret Anne MA (1961 Law; 1963 History) Anne taught for a year in the US and then practised as a solicitor in London. She spent many years in trade-union work, first for the Greater London Council Staff Association and then as regional organiser for the GMB Union. She retained her connection with Girton and attended many events. ROBERTSON. On 4 September 2020, Una Adelaide (Spearing) BA (1958 History) Una was a freelance historian and lecturer whose books included The Illustrated History of the Housewife and Coming out of the Kitchen: Women beyond the Home. She was active for many years in heritage organisations in Edinburgh and was also President of the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association. She married David and had two sons. ROSE. On 10 January 2020, Joan Naomi (Rabson) MA (1943 Natural Sciences) Joan taught, married Benjamin and had a son. She greatly enjoyed her time at Girton, recalling that her year was distinguished by having a double-size intake.


ROWE. On 18 April 2021, Helen Josephine (Peeters) MA (1957 Mathematics) Helen was an early computing professional. She took a diploma in numerical analysis and automatic computing, and thereafter was a computer officer and lecturer in computing at Leicester University and Essex Institute of Higher Education. With her husband Arthur she published papers on the application of computing techniques to biophysics. They had four children. SCOTT. On 30 November 2020, Julia Mary (Boulton) MA (1952 History; 1954 Law) Julia married John and they moved to New York, where John worked for the United Nations. They renovated and lived in an old mill. Her interests included gardening, horses, music, literature and travel. Julia was a qualified social worker and a committed volunteer who served numerous organisations committed to mental health. She had two sons and a daughter. SHAW. On 24 August 2020, Jennifer (Moat) (1959 Natural Sciences) Jenny followed her sister Anne (1950) to Girton, but left after one year. She was married for exactly 57 years to David, with whom she had three children. A devoted grandmother and a committed charity worker, active in her community, she led a full and positive life. She enjoyed golf, bridge, tennis and gardening. SHIPLEY. Before June 2020, Joan (Leeman) BA (1953 Natural Sciences) With her husband Stephen, Joan founded and was trustee of the Crabtree Charitable Trust, Tunbridge Wells, which for many years

supported local charities and individuals through trustees’ personal awareness of needs, as well as some national and international charities. STEPHENSON. On 4 September 2020, Barbara Ellen MA (1951 Classics) Barbara taught Classics in several schools, culminating in the headship of Durham High School for Girls, where she was remembered as the most dedicated of heads. She recalled being part of a guard of honour, and singing the Tongan national anthem, during the visit to Girton of Queen Salote of Tonga.

Julia Mary Scott

TANNER. On 13 October 2020, Elizabeth Irene MA MB BChir (1948 Natural Sciences) Elizabeth qualified as a doctor at St Thomas’s Hospital. She specialised in bacteriology and microbiology and spent most of her career at the Epsom Public Health Laboratory, as consultant bacteriologist and Deputy Director and then consultant microbiologist and Director. She retired to Salisbury and always kept in touch with Girton. TAYLOR. On 9 April 2020, Enid (Wheldon) MA MB BChir (1951 Natural Sciences) Enid completed her medical training at the London Hospital and specialised in ophthalmology. She became a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital and other London hospitals, and published papers on diabetic retinopathy. She was a Liveryman and eventually Master of the Society of Apothecaries. She married Thomas and had two sons.

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Susan Elizabeth Tilby

Irene Josephine Blanche Wainwright-Snatt

Patsy Jeanne Moncaster Watney

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THOMPSON. On 6 June 2019, Dinah Deborah (Webb, later Mrs Molloy) MA MB BChir (1943 Natural Sciences) Dinah did her clinical training at King’s College Hospital, London. She worked for most of her career as a consultant psychiatrist at Severalls Hospital, Colchester, with periods in Paris and the Congo. She married David and they had two daughters. She enjoyed music, gardening, and arts and crafts, and kept her connection with Girton all her life.

WATNEY. On 5 November 2020, Patsy Jeanne Moncaster (Lachelin) MA MB BChir MD (1950 Natural Sciences) Patsy, sister of Gillian (1958), qualified at St Thomas’s Hospital and specialised in obstetrics and gynaecology, becoming registrar there and later consultant at Sandwich District General Hospital. She married Christopher and had one son. In the 1990s they sailed round the world. At the age of 80 she graduated in Fine Art from the University of Chichester.

TILBY. On 3 November 2020, Susan Elizabeth (Wharton) PhD (1973 Modern and Medieval Languages) Susan came to Girton with a degree from Bedford College, London, to work on a critical edition of a medieval French allegorical romance. She had a passion for medieval literature and became the continental manuscripts expert at Sotheby’s. Later she worked freelance for several auction houses and edited scholarly monographs. She married Michael (Corpus Christi, then Selwyn).

WATSON. On 26 January 2021, Rosemary Dawn (Clarke) MA (1957 Mathematics) Rosemary, sister of Linda (1962), taught maths in Derbyshire, Cheshire and Kenya, before returning to Cheshire as Head of Mathematics at Westlands High School as it changed from a girls’ grammar school into a mixed comprehensive. She married James and had three sons. A member of the College and the Great St Mary’s choirs, she retained her interest in music; she also enjoyed embroidery.

WAINWRIGHT-SNATT. On 6 February 2021, Irene Josephine Blanche (Snatt) MA (1940 English) Irene won the Chancellor’s Medal for Verse and was the first woman to win the Seatonian Prize. On graduation she joined the Ministry of Agriculture and continued in the Civil Service after the war. Working at her job throughout, she read for the Bar. She married Derek in her eighties, and was an inveterate traveller and a published poet.

WAY. On 1 August 2017, Margaret Graham MA (1958 English) Margaret went to Bryn Mawr College to work for a PhD and stayed in the United States for the rest of her life. She had a career first in teaching and then in editorial work, running companies in New Hampshire, and finally retired to golf and gardening.

WARNE. On 23 March 2021, Caroline Anne (Mrs Thomas) BA (1960 Natural Sciences). Obituary on p. 127.

WILKINSON. On 24 March 2021, Samuel Frank MA (1977 Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Economics; 1996 Life Fellow). Obituary on p. 129.


Obituaries WILLIAMS. On 20 October 2018, Susan Brent (Reed) MA (1952 Mathematics) Su was a Christian missionary in Canada and taught, latterly on Merseyside. When the Merseyside Churches Unemployment Committee was created in the mid 1980s to monitor the effect of government policies in the region, she became Development Officer; thereafter she worked with the unemployed. With her husband Richard she had three children. She published books of poetry and prayers. WINEGARTEN. In or before October 2020, Renée Cecile (Aarons) MA PhD (1940 Modern and Medieval Languages) After doing war work at the Foreign Office and marrying Asher, Renée became a freelance author of books, articles and reviews on French literature and civilisation, including studies of George Sand, Madame de Staël, Benjamin Constant and Simone de Beauvoir. She enjoyed theatre, travel and gardening. WOODHEAD. In 2017, Rachel Isabel MA (1950 Mathematics) Isabel, sister of Margaret (1946), qualified in statistics and became an early specialist in information technology. She worked for over thirty years in management positions at International Computers Ltd, finishing as Divisional Director and Group Controller. WRIGLEY. On 19 May 2020, Barbara Avery (Adams) BA (1943 English). Obituary on p. 131.

DIANA DEVLIN (1941–2020) My friend Diana Devlin, who died aged 79 of mesothelioma and pneumonia, was a key figure in the development of Shakespeare’s Globe, the London theatre created by the American actor, director and producer Sam Wanamaker. Wanamaker’s idea was to establish a permanent working memorial to Shakespeare by building a replica of the original Globe on or near its Bankside site in Southwark. In 1972 he invited Diana to run a six-week summer study course on Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Theatre for 50 graduate students, to complement the first Bankside season of plays, which were performed under a canopy structure borrowed from the Royal College of Art. For the rest of her life Diana was involved with the Globe as an adviser, board member or teacher. In 1985 she became the theatre’s administrator. Crucially, she held the fort while Wanamaker was fighting a court case that threatened to kill off the project. She became a Globe trustee when the theatre opened in 1997, and from 2013 she acted as deputy chair of the council. In June 2019 she received the Sam Wanamaker Award, given to honour work that increased the understanding and enjoyment of Shakespeare. This coincided with the launch at the theatre of her authorised biography Sam Wanamaker: A Global Performer. Theatre was the lifeblood of Diana’s family. She was an only child, born in Porthmadog (then Portmadoc), Wales. Her father, William Devlin, was a leading Shakespearean actor. Her mother Mary, an actress and musician, was a daughter of the celebrated theatrical couple Sybil Thorndike and Lewis Casson. Diana was educated in London, at

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Beaufort House Primary School in Fulham, and Carlyle Grammar School in Chelsea, where she was head girl. From 1960 to 1963 she attended Girton, obtaining a 2:1 in English. She acted in many Cambridge productions: she played Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gertrude in Hamlet, and Sylvia in Bernard Kops’s The Dream of Peter Mann. The director of this last play, Alan Knight, felt she was less confident and less flexible than he expected, given her background. A cousin observed: ‘Her approach to drama was

essentially academic’. But as a fellow-student I remember vividly her fine performance as Saint Joan in Anouilh’s The Lark, a moving echo of Sybil Thorndike’s creation of the title-role in Shaw’s Saint Joan. After Cambridge she spent several years in the US, where she married the actor Will Graham in 1968. Thanks to a Fulbright Scholarship she gained a doctorate in theatre arts in 1972 from the University of Minnesota. Back in the UK, she was made a lecturer in drama at Goldsmiths, University of London. Teaching and theatre were Diana’s great passions. In 1993 she was made Head of Theatre Studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She taught there until she retired in 2013, following keenly the careers of her former students, and attending scores of their performances. Diana wrote extensively about theatre. A Speaking Part: Lewis Casson and the Theatre of His Time (1982) was an illuminating biography of her grandfather, which combined her interest in her family with her deep knowledge of theatre history. Her book Mask and Scene: Introduction to a World View of Theatre (1989) was a fresh and very readable overview of global theatre history. Her final book, The Casson Family in North Wales (2019), was an exploration of her family’s Welsh roots. She was very close to her famous grandparents, and attended many of their performances, as well as those of others in the family, to which she was devoted. She devised and directed plays for her young cousins and created poetry readings and recitals for the adults.

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Diana’s first marriage ended in divorce and in 1989 she married David Ogden, a member of Lloyd’s; that marriage also ended in divorce. A woman of incisive intelligence, abundant energy, immense enthusiasm and great humour, Diana had a wide circle of friends. Her relative Dirk Campbell described her as ‘a warm, interesting and much-loved cousin with a real talent for maintaining friendships all around the world. She was the one with all the family knowledge, and she bound us all together.’ She is survived by 14 cousins. A memorial event for Diana was held at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Jonathan Croall

SUE HALL (1952–2020) When Sue Hall arrived at Girton in September 1971 to read German and Russian, there was no particular intimation that she would become one of the outstanding figures of her generation in the Probation Service. Immediately apparent, however, were her energy and exuberance, her exhilarating feel for life, her generosity of spirit, her vivid sense of humour and her capacity for huge and many enthusiasms. Several of these she retained, not least her love of Russian literature (Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons remained a favourite) and her love of music. Her musical tastes were eclectic and extensive, from the Fairport Convention and Incredible String Band of her youth to the Russian folk tunes and klezmer music discovered in later years. The constant throughout was her love of

classical music. She sang with the St Margaret’s Society (MagSoc) at Queens’, notably in concerts of Mozart’s Requiem and Bach’s B Minor Mass at Great St Mary’s. Significantly, in the summer break at the end of her first year, she went for several weeks to Germany with other Cambridge language students to work with a group of deprived children in Wiesbaden. Then there was the year abroad in Berlin: a fascinating experience that led

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to her growing in so many ways, rising to the challenges not only of living in a country with a different language and culture, but in a city with a particular history and troubling politics. The memories of this time stayed with her. After graduation, Sue spent a year living with friends on a remote farm in the north of the Netherlands, where she gained a decent grasp of the Dutch language that helped reinforce her deep feelings for Europe and being a member thereof. Then there was a year sharing a house in York with friends. During this time, she worked in a care home, cycling off in the early hours, come rain or shine, to do her daily shift. This experience, together with the time spent in Germany looking after troubled and disaffected youngsters, confirmed her decision to make a career in the Probation Service. In 1979 she gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work at University College Cardiff and began her career with Humberside Probation Service. She became Deputy Chief Probation Officer in West Yorkshire in 2000 and achieved an MBA in 2002. In 2004 Sue was appointed Chief Probation Officer of the South Wales Service. She returned to West Yorkshire Probation as its Chief Executive Officer in 2005 and remained there until her retirement in 2014. She was awarded an OBE in 2010 in recognition of her services to probation. In addition to her day job, Sue served as Chair of the Probation Chiefs Association (England and Wales) from 2009 until its dissolution in 2014; this was a period of great upheaval in probation services when she was placed in the

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uncomfortable position of having to speak truth to governmental power. She later became a Non-Executive Director of the Probation Institute and a trustee of the charity Prisoners Abroad. From 2010 to 2016 Sue was Vice-President of the Confederation of European Probation. During this period, she chaired the CEP Planning Group for the first World Congress of Probation held in London in 2012. In 2014 she was honoured to deliver the Bill McWilliams Memorial Lecture at Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology. After her retirement, Sue remained constantly on the go, consolidating many of the interests that had been so evident in her undergraduate years: all matters cultural, singing in a choir, travel, gardening, a delight in food and wine, friendships new and old, and rediscovering the wonders of German and Russian. She was devoted to her family, who were an unbelievable support during her final illness, and she revelled in being a grandmother. Diagnosed with an extremely aggressive brain tumour, Sue remained optimistic and exuberant despite the ravages of her illness and the treatment she had to endure. She continued to take delight in life itself. Certain things acquired special resonance, such as the dawn chorus which Sue, always an early riser, would awake to hear. Her own recording of this was played at her funeral, along with her beloved Mozart and Bach. Sue had a wonderful life, full of vibrancy and achievement and joy. Sadly, it was brought to a halt far, far too soon. Alison Duncan (1971)


WILLIAM HARDEN-CHATERS (1989–2020) It was with great sadness that Girton learned of the death of William Harden-Chaters. William was a PhD student in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Graphene Technology. He died on 23 November 2020, and a service of remembrance was held in the College chapel on 11 December. William grew up in Jarrow, South Tyneside. Before joining the University of Cambridge he studied at Leeds and, prior to that, Newcastle College. He was deeply interested in fashion and the engineering possibilities of design technologies. I had the privilege of working with William in my role as Postgraduate Tutor. I found him to be a young man of great ambition and even greater talent. He was a committed student, very much dedicated to his work and passionate about putting his research to social and cultural use. Many of the postgraduates I meet go on to great careers. Some stay in academia; some go into industry; others embark on more creative, independent journeys. They take their training and feed it into all kinds of brilliant and innovative projects, many of which become part of our daily lives. I had the distinct impression that William, with his interest in design and excellent technical skills, would have taken the creative route. He seemed to be someone who didn’t just excel in his work but would make a significant and lasting impact far beyond his immediate field of research. In addition to this academic ability, something else became very clear as soon as I met William: he was very well liked. His sunny, friendly demeanour made him very easy to get along with. He

was that rare sort: someone with the potential to change the world by making it better and someone who could change your world by making you feel better. Like the rest of the Girton community, I was terribly sorry to hear of his death. I remain thankful, though, that he was here among us. James Riley, Official Fellow and Postgraduate Tutor

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MARY HOLT (1924–2021) ‘A pearl of rare quality not to be missed’. So wrote the headmistress of the Park School, Preston, in 1942, recommending her deputy head girl to Girton. That pearl was Mary. Born on 31 July 1924, the only child of Henry and Sarah Holt, Mary had a happy childhood and acquitted herself well at school. She came up to Girton in 1943 to study History, a subject she loved all her life. However, when she saw it

would not offer career opportunities to suit her, she changed courses to study Law. Despite the privations of wartime, illustrated by letters home pleading for home baking, Mary enjoyed life at Cambridge and worked hard. She gained first-class honours before going on to study for the Bar as an Atkin Scholar at Gray’s Inn. Of those called to the Bar in 1949, Mary was the only woman. She was also the only female Chancery barrister on the Northern Circuit. She forged a successful practice, earning the respect of both the Bar and the Bench. Outside the law, Mary was a keen supporter of Preston North End FC, of which her uncle was a director. Ultimately, however politics took precedence. She had canvassed for the Conservative Party from her student days, and her work for the Preston Association led to her becoming its Vice-Chairman. Then the Labour Party’s radical tax measures prompted her to speak out and caused her profile to be raised. A contemporary of Margaret Thatcher, another taxation specialist, Mary was chosen to open the taxation debate on the second day of the 1967 Conservative Party Conference. With a speech decrying Labour’s tax policy – publicly commended by the Party and described in the press as ‘lively’ – Mary was on her way. Out of 79 prospective candidates for the Preston North constituency Mary, the only woman on the shortlist, was selected. Defeating the Labour candidate in 1970, she became one of just 26 women in the House of Commons. With strong opinions, Mary was a conscientious MP, speaking in the House on matters of national interest and on matters of particular concern to her constituents. She did not think of herself

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as a feminist but simply believed in fairness and justice, supporting women’s financial and domiciliary rights and employment opportunities. She travelled to India and throughout Europe as part of British parliamentary delegations. She also continued to work as a barrister, and on the defeat of the Heath government in 1974 was free to concentrate on her legal practice. In 1977 Mary was appointed to the Bench as a Circuit Judge on the Midland Circuit, one of just seven women to achieve this distinction. A year later she transferred to the Northern Circuit where, with her experience in Chancery, she was also able to sit as Deputy ViceChancellor in High Court sittings in Manchester. Mary retired in 1995. She travelled widely and delighted in spending more time with family and friends in the UK and abroad. Always interested in and knowledgeable about art, history and antiques, she loved visiting art galleries, museums, palaces and historic houses worldwide. She devoured history books. She also made great meringues. Duty and dedication coursed through Mary’s veins as a lawyer, as an MP, and as a person. She expected high standards of herself and others and respected any job well done. She was quick to encourage and praise. Diligence, she said, paid dividends and she was always interested in dividends. She took genuine pleasure in other people’s success and was generous in thanks for anything done for her. She was a private person and had a good sense of fun, traits illustrated in a tale she liked to tell of a holiday where she kept fellow high-fliers guessing as to what she had done for a living.

At the end of the trip, in desperation, they declared she must be a spy for MI6. As she walked away, she said ‘You can look me up in Who’s Who’. To her great amusement, their jaws dropped. On top of all this, Mary was stylishly elegant: immediately noticeable for her striking hats and for her lovely, ready smile. A remarkable lady. A rare pearl indeed. Susan Stone

KATE PERRY (1948–2020) Katherine Munro Perry was Girton College Archivist for 23 years, from 1986 to 2009. She was instrumental in bringing together and organising from scratch the Archive of Girton College, a collection of national importance in terms of Girton’s unique place in the history of women’s higher education. Her dedicated professionalism raised the profile and reputation of the archive to international levels, and she always went above and beyond in her expert assistance to researchers, as myriad citations and acknowledgements testify. Kate was born in Cheshire, but spent her early childhood in Glasgow and her teens in Nottingham, where she met John whom she married in 1969. Kate trained as a teacher at the Froebel Educational Institute in London and taught first in South Wales and later in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Various attempts to catalogue some of Girton’s archive collections had been made over the years, and indeed Kate herself had catalogued the papers of Bessie Parkes between 1983 and 1986 after

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joining the Library staff. But the College decided that it was time for proper coordination and in 1986 appointed Kate to the newly created post of Archivist. Among her many achievements Kate initiated the Girton oral history project; this collected first-hand accounts from Girton alumnae, not only of their experiences at the College but also of their lives, careers and aspirations. Much later the Library and Archive department obtained external funding to digitise the results. As part of that project team, Kate returned, after retirement and in spite of illness, as a Research Associate. Widely respected among Cambridge University archivists, Kate played a key role in the development of CANTAB, the first shared cataloguing tool for Cambridge archives. This later developed into JANUS, the online archival resource that is used today. One of Kate’s many roles was working with the Curator to organise and promote the College’s rich collection of pictures and artefacts, but it was Kate’s initiative to mount, in 1991, a centenary exhibition of the works of Barbara Bodichon. This was an ambitious and hugely successful venture, borrowing works from public and private collections, attracting external sponsorship and publishing a catalogue (not to mention taking over the Mistress’s flat as the perfect venue). In the late 1980s the archive collections were housed in a cramped section of the Hyphen. Thanks to the growing reputation of the archive we were able to establish a firm argument for a dedicated building to house both the Archive

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and the Special Collections. That particular campaign took ten years to bring to completion and the new building was officially opened in 2005. The award-winning building provided not only environmentally controlled space for the collections and a reading room for researchers, but also added key resources to the main Library, thereby assuring the security and function of Girton’s collections for many years to come. Involved in every aspect of the project, from fundraising talks to exhibitions and detailed consultation with the architects, Kate played a major part in the success of the campaign. Girton recognised Kate’s contribution to the College by electing her to a Bye-Fellowship in 1997. When she retired in 2009, she was given the richly deserved title of Archivist Emerita, and life membership of the SCR. ‘Tough’ is one


term used by Kate’s sons in their own memorial tribute, and Kate was one of the toughest and most determined people I have ever encountered. This was belied by her diminutive stature, which may have given people the impression that she was diffident or easily persuaded. Nothing could have been farther from the truth: Kate’s determination and single-mindedness were without equal. It was a cruel blow that she was diagnosed with cancer shortly after retiring. But she fought her illness with immense bravery and stoicism and lived life to the full, even though she also had to face John’s final illness and death in that time. She was always able to give – with the utmost generosity – rich emotional and practical support to her friends and family, to be vibrant, funny, kind and joyful. Kate’s family was her heart and soul and she is survived by her sons, James and Edward, and by her grandchildren Ben, Hannah, Isobel and Olivia. Frances Gandy, Life Fellow, former Librarian and Curator

CAROLINE WARNE (1941–2021) My wife Caroline, who died aged 79 of cancer, was an applied psychologist who worked on safety and accident prevention, championing the role of consumers in the development of standards. She played a pivotal role in consumer safety and accident prevention over six decades. Her career began with research into industrial and household accidents and culminated in chairing the Consumer Policy Committee of the

International Organization for Standards (ISO). She was appointed OBE in 2005. Caroline was born in Manchester, the daughter of Molly (née Walker) and Glynn Warne, Senior Lecturer in Botany at Manchester University and co-author of the seminal textbook Practical Botany. Raised in a scientific household, she was taught to think freely and to have an inquiring mind. After leaving Withington Girls’ School in Manchester, Caroline – like her mother before her – gained admission to Girton where she read Natural Sciences, specialising in Experimental Psychology in Part II. Her father died during this time and Caroline took a year out. She had been close to her father and felt obliged to care for her mother and siblings in his absence, something she discharged admirably but at some personal cost. Although liberally minded all her life, Caroline joined the Young Conservatives in Cambridge because of their support for joining Europe. She mixed socially with several aspiring politicians, a number of whom became prominent ministers in the Thatcher and Major governments. In her final year, Caroline was in lodgings with the late Gillian Clarke and Melveena Jones (1963). She introduced Melveena to her future husband Neil McKendrick. (Melveena would later become a Pro-ViceChancellor of the University, and Neil the Master of Gonville and Caius College.) Caroline was vivacious and sociable; she had a wide network of Cambridge friends, and maintained contact with many of them over the years. Caroline graduated in 1964 and began her career at the National Institute of Industrial Psychology; during this period she spent time on shop floors

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observing industrial practices. She became a Chartered Occupational Psychologist. Six years later she joined the consultancy firm Scicon where we met. She worked on the design of antibandit screens and other projects that required a multidisciplinary approach. In 1973 she took three months’ unpaid leave to join an overland expedition to Nepal, travelling in an ex-army Bedford truck. In 1975 Caroline moved to the Department of Consumer Protection, led by Secretary of State Shirley Williams. Caroline developed the Home Accident Surveillance System (HASS). Information collected from 20 hospitals enabled researchers to build a groundbreaking database recording accidents in the home. For 25 years this provided vital data to improve consumer safety standards, such as those for infant cots. It is currently being modernised and revived. In 1977, we settled in Ealing, West London, married and had two daughters. After leaving the Civil Service in 1983, Caroline worked freelance at the British Standards Institute (BSI), the Tavistock Institute, and as a lecturer in Applied Psychology at Thames Valley (now West London) University. In 1987 she became a magistrate; compassion, understanding, a reluctance to jump to conclusions and a wish to be fair characterised her style. From 1998 to 2019 she was a trustee of the Child Accident Prevention Trust. Having chaired BSI’s Consumer Policy Committee for several years, Caroline was in 2002 elected chair of ISO’s Consumer Policy Committee. She was instrumental in instituting international standards on consumer guarantees and warranties,

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and on second-hand goods. Committed to inclusivity and diversity, she encouraged the participation of developing countries. After her term as committee chair ended in 2006, Caroline remained involved with ISO as a mentor. Caroline had many talents and was colourful and stylish. The imposing Victorian villa we restored in Lyme Regis with the help of a local architect reflects her impeccable sense of style. She was an accomplished seamstress, could conjure up delicious meals, and was a keen gardener, creating delightful gardens in Ealing and Lyme Regis, as well as working with me on our small allotment. She was a member of the Royal Horticultural Society and Kew Gardens. Caroline loved to be active outdoors. With friends we started a walking group in 1994. Despite a diagnosis of Parkinson’s in 2012, Caroline managed the monthly walk up to March 2020. She is survived by me, our daughters, Charlotte and Verity, four grandchildren and her two sisters. Godfrey Thomas

FRANK WILKINSON (1934–2021) Frank Wilkinson was a rare kind of economist: he cared about how economies work and about how people’s lives are affected by the way that economies work. Frank was born into a Derbyshire mining family. He chose not to follow his siblings into the pits and, after some time on a farm and two

years as an army cook, he worked in the steel industry. With the assistance of his union, Frank gravitated towards adult education, first studying at Nottingham University, on day release from Stanton Ironworks, then full-time at Ruskin College, Oxford, and finally at King’s College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1966. Frank then became a researcher in the Department of Applied Economics, where he remained until he retired. Frank’s background, particularly his relationship with the trade-union movement, influenced much of his research. He questioned, for example, whether trade unions caused inflation and whether social contracts might be an effective response to inflationary pressures. He also strongly advocated minimum-wage legislation on grounds of efficiency.

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Such issues led him to a lifelong preoccupation not only with the workings of labour markets but with institutions and organisations more generally, and their impact on economic performance. Frank’s work involved detailed case study, as well as aggregate macro-level explanation and socio-legal analysis, especially of labour regulation. He wanted to know the details and mechanisms of everyday working life, but also how everything fitted together into what he termed ‘productive systems’. Frank felt that much had been improved by the Keynesian revolution, and he was saddened and angered by the realisation that so much of the progress he witnessed turned out to be so fragile. In response, he not only sought a better understanding of economic processes but was active in setting up progressive academic institutions to facilitate such work. Frank was a founder member of the Cambridge Journal of Economics (CJE), now the most successful heterodox economics journal in the world, which provides a home for important academic work neglected by more mainstream journals. In 2018, he became a Patron of the CJE, joining an illustrious list that includes Nicolas Kaldor, Piero Sraffa, Amartya Sen and Frank’s good friend, Joan Robinson. Frank was also a founder of the Cambridge Political Economy Society (which channels profits from the CJE to fund projects ranging from studentships to conferences on heterodox economics) and a founder member of the International Working Party on Labour Market Segmentation (concerned with the workings of labour processes throughout the world). Frank helped set up courses on labour economics and industrial relations at the

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University of Notre Dame in the US as well as a BA degree at Birkbeck in Industrial Relations and Economic Law, which was designed to provide an honours degree for trade-union leaders and activists. Frank was a very committed member of Girton, living in College for several years and contributing to the Fellowship in many ways. He will be particularly remembered for his good humour, his cooking skills (Sunday lunches a speciality) and his dislike of formality (for example, he insisted that dinner jackets should not be required for formal occasions). I was lucky enough to know Frank in several capacities: he was my Director of Studies when I was a Girton undergraduate, he was an advisor when I held a Junior Research Fellowship in the Department for Applied Economics, and he was a colleague at Girton and on the editorial board of the CJE. I was always struck by Frank’s fondness for his students and colleagues and his willingness to give of his time. I had arrived at Girton quite ill, after a gap year in Central America. Consequently, I spent my first weeks in sick bay and, as a new student, knew nobody. Frank would come each Monday evening and sit with me, watching television (he always arrived in time for Blake’s 7) and chatting. We had longrunning discussions about issues such as how it might be possible to coordinate an economy of cooperatives. He was good company – fun to be with and never giving the impression he was in a rush to be elsewhere. Later, I would go to his house (along with the other 30 or so Economics undergraduates) where Frank would cook for us. He made us all feel that he was genuinely interested in us; the happiest I ever saw him was when he received news of our achievements.


Frank was an unusual economist who made a lasting impact on his subject and his colleagues. I think he was at his best when someone went to him with a question about how things worked, whereupon he would always have important and unexpected things to say. But Frank will also be remembered for the encouragement and support he gave. He championed many of us, often ‘robustly’, especially those who had not had the advantages enjoyed by most Cambridge students. He will be missed by many. Clive Lawson, Official Fellow, with contributions from John Davies, Sue Konzelmann, Tony Lawson, Roland Randall and Dorothy Thompson

BARBARA WRIGLEY (1924–2020) Barbara Avery Adams was born in Bristol on 27 August 1924. Her father was a surgeon and her pioneering mother, a strong-minded woman who was a great influence on Barbara’s life, was also a practising doctor. Barbara went to Badminton School and then Clifton High School, with an interruption during the bombing of Bristol docks when she was evacuated to Dorset. Even as a schoolgirl she was serious-minded and appreciated intellectual rigour. At the age of 12 she devoted a whole page of her history book to decorating the phrase laborare est orare, a sentiment that stayed with her all her life. Despite her early fascination with Classics, when she went up to Girton in 1943 it was to read English.

Cambridge was a very different place during those war years, with blackout, rationing and so many men away at the war. But Barbara loved her time there, and rowing was a special pleasure. She was lucky that her elder brother Arthur was up at the same time. It was Arthur who brought John Wrigley into her life. The story has it that

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when Arthur, who was left disabled by polio, announced that he wanted to go to Girton to visit his sister, John, who was at Gonville and Caius to take a postgraduate degree, offered to take him there. Barbara came out to say ‘thank you’, and the connection was made. The three of them dreamt of a brave new post-war world and campaigned for the Labour Party. Looking back in later life, Barbara spoke of her Girton years as ‘being in a safe, stimulating and sympathetic community and developing contacts with the dons, from fear to respect and perhaps to friendship’.

The following year they moved to Oxford and Barbara remained there when John died in 2006, often hosting Quaker meetings in her comfortable house. She took great pleasure in her beautiful garden and her grandchildren, and was particularly proud when one granddaughter became captain of women’s rowing at Nottingham Trent University. A notably kind and loyal person, she was a faithful member of the Oxford Region Girtonians. When she was in her nineties, her memory began to fail, and her son Martin and his wife came back from Thailand to look after her. She was immensely grateful.

After Girton Barbara taught for a while but then got married and devoted herself to bringing up a family – two sons, Simon and Martin, and a daughter, Joanna. For a number of years John worked for the Ministry of Health in London and Edinburgh. But what Barbara used to describe as ‘the glory days’ came in 1963 when John got a job with the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. As she explored Italy, her interest in the classical world blossomed. The Quaker faith which she had inherited from her mother was also very important to her. She belonged to various faith and study groups for which she wrote closely argued papers on subjects as diverse as notions of love in Dante’s Divine Comedy, the Christian philosophy of Plotinus and the Italian Risorgimento. In 1976 John moved to a senior job in the UN, which took them to Geneva, until he finally retired four years later. They then lived for several years in the Manor House at Merriott in Somerset. Tragedy struck in 1997 when Joanna died, aged just 44, from a debilitating illness.

Sometime in the early 1990s Barbara formed a desire to establish an annual prize for a poem about love. John’s undergraduate college in Oxford, when this was put to them, said that they would really rather have money for something more tangible. The offer was put instead to Girton where it was gladly accepted. Barbara would have been delighted to hear that the prize was recently awarded to a Classics student for a poem in Latin. But that was not the end of the Wrigleys’ generosity to Girton. The Wrigley Fellowship in Classics was established in 1996, with Dorothy Thompson the first holder. Two years later John, who shared Barbara’s belief in the power of education to transform lives, established the Emily Davies Bursary Fund ‘for able students from non-privileged backgrounds’. When the College inaugurated the Bodichon Fellowships to recognise major benefactors, the Wrigleys were among the first recipients. Juliet Campbell, Life Fellow and former Mistress


Lists The Year

133


Visitor: The Rt Hon Baroness Hale of Richmond, PC, DBE, MA, Hon FBA, Hon LLD, Hon FRCPsych Mistress: Professor Susan J Smith, BA, MA, DPhil (Oxon), PhD, AcSS, FBA, FRSE

Fellows and Officers of the College, June 2021 Honorary Fellows Professor Anita Desai, CBE, BA (Delhi), FRSL The Rt Hon the Lord Mackay of Clashfern, KT, PC, Hon LLD, FRSE HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Hon LLD Miss E Llewellyn-Smith, CB, MA Dame Bridget Ogilvie, DBE, AC, PhD, ScD, FIBiol, FRCPath, FMedSci, FRS, Hon DSc (Nottingham, Glasgow, Bristol, Dublin, Durham, Kent, ICL, Leicester, Manchester, St Andrews) Professor Dame Gillian Beer, DBE, MA, LittD, BLitt (Oxon), Hon DLitt (Liverpool, Leicester, London, Sorbonne, Queen’s Univ Belfast, Oxford, Harvard, St Andrews), FBA, FRSL The Rt Revd David Conner, KCVO, MA The Rt Hon Lady Arden, PC, DBE, MA, LLM, Hon LLD (Liverpool, Warwick, Royal Holloway, Nottingham, UCL) The Rt Hon Baroness Perry of Southwark, MA, Hon LLD (Bath, Aberdeen), Hon DLitt (Sussex, South Bank, City), Hon DEd (Wolverhampton), Hon DUniv (Surrey), Hon DLitt Hum (Mercy College NY), FRSA Dame Rosalyn Higgins, GBE, QC, LLB, MA, Hon LLD, Hon DCL (Oxon), Hon LLD (LSE), FBA

Dr Margaret H Bent, CBE, MA, MusB, PhD, Hon DMus (Glasgow), Hon DFA (Notre Dame), Dr hon c (Montreal), FBA, FSA, FRHistS Dame Elizabeth L A Forgan, DBE, BA (Oxon), Hon FBA Professor Dame Frances M Ashcroft, DBE, MA, PhD, ScD, FRS Professor Dame Athene Donald, DBE, MA, PhD, FRS The Rt Hon Dame Elizabeth Gloster, PC, DBE, MA Professor Dame Madeleine J Atkins, DBE, MA, PGCE, PhD Professor Sarah M Springman, CBE, MA, PhD, FREng, FICE Ms Daphne Todd, OBE, Hon PhD (De Montfort) HIH Hisako, The Princess Takamado of Japan, MA, PhD, Hon LLD (Alberta, Prince Edward Island), Hon EdD (Hannam), Hon PhD (Josai) Professor Dame Pratibha Gai, DBE, BSc, MSc, PhD, FRS, HonFRMS, FRSC, FREng Ms Sandra B Toksvig, OBE, MA, Hon DLitt (Portsmouth, York St John, Surrey, Westminster, Leicester) HE Dame Karen E Pierce, DCMG, MA, MSc Dr Suzannah C Lishman, CBE, MA, BChir, MB, Hon FRCPI, Hon DSc (Swansea)

Dame Ann Bowtell, DCB, MA, PhD (London) Professor Dusa McDuff, BSc (Edinburgh), PhD, FRS, Hon DSc (Edinburgh, York, Strasbourg)

Barbara Bodichon Foundation Fellows

Viscountess Runciman of Doxford, DBE, BA

Mrs Margaret Llewellyn, OBE, MA

The Rt Hon Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, PC, MA

Mrs Veronica Wootten, MBE, MA

Lady English, MA, MB, BChir, MRCP, FRCPsych

Miss C Anne Wilson, MA, ALA

Ms J Rachel Lomax, MA, MSc (London)

Dr Margaret A Branthwaite, BA, MD, FFARCS, FRCP

134

The Year

Mrs Sally Alderson, MA


Dr Ruth Whaley, BA, MA, PhD (Harvard)

Martin D Brand, MA, BSc (Manchester), PhD (Bristol), Life Fellow

Sir Laurence W Martin, DL, MA, PhD, DCL (Hon)

John E Davies, MA, BSc, PhD (Monash), Life Fellow

Miss Sarah C Holt, MA

David N Dumville, MA, PhD (Edinburgh), Life Fellow

Mr Colin S Grassie, MA

1

Mr Leif O Høegh, MA, MBA Ms Gladys Li, MA Mr Colin D Tyler, MA

Abigail L Fowden, MA, PhD, ScD, Professorial Fellow (Biological Sciences) Juliet A S Dusinberre, MA, PhD (Warwick), Life Fellow Thomas Sherwood, MA, MB, BS (London), FRCR, FRCP, Life Fellow Richard J Evans, MA, PhD, MRCVS, Life Fellow

Fellows Enid A C MacRobbie, MA, PhD (Edinburgh), ScD, FRS, Life Fellow Dorothy J Thompson, MA, PhD, Hon DLitt (Liverpool), FBA, Life Fellow Melveena C McKendrick, MA, PhD, LittD, FBA, Life Fellow Nancy J Lane Perham, OBE, MA, PhD, ScD, MSc (Dalhousie), DPhil (Oxon), Hon LLD (Dalhousie), Hon ScD (Salford, Sheffield Hallam, Oxford Brookes, Surrey, Heriot Watt), Life Fellow Joan Oates, BA (Syracuse), PhD, FBA, Life Fellow Gillian Jondorf, MA, PhD, Life Fellow Betty C Wood, MA, PhD (Pennsylvania), Life Fellow Jill Mann, MA, PhD, FBA, Life Fellow

Alastair J Reid, MA, PhD, Life Fellow Sarah Kay, MA, DPhil (Oxon), LittD, FBA, Life Fellow Howard P Hodson, MA, PhD, FREng, Life Fellow Peter C J Sparks, MA, DipArch, RIBA, Life Fellow Stephanie Palmer, LLB (Adelaide), SJD (Harvard), LLM (Harvard), Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Law

3

Frances Gandy, MA, MCLIP, Life Fellow 1

Charity A Hopkins, OBE, MA, LLB, Life Fellow W James Simpson, BA (Melbourne), MPhil (Oxon), PhD, Life Fellow Anne Fernihough, MA, PhD, Life Fellow Angela C Roberts, PhD, Professorial Fellow (Behavioural Neurosciences)

1

Ruth M Williams, MA, PhD (London), ScD, Life Fellow

3

Julia M Riley, MA, PhD, Life Fellow, Tutor for Admissions and Director of Studies in Astrophysics

3

A Marilyn Strathern, DBE, MA, PhD, Hon DLitt (Oxford, St Andrews), Hon ScD (Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Durham), Hon Doctorate (Panteion), Hon DPhil (Papua New Guinea), Hon DSocSci (Queen’s Univ Belfast, Yale), FBA, Life Fellow and Former Mistress Roland E Randall, MA, MSc (McGill), PhD, Life Fellow

Christopher J B Ford, MA, PhD, Professorial Fellow (Physics)

Hugh R Shercliff, MA, PhD, Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Engineering Martin W Ennis, MA, PhD, FRCO, KRP (Organ; Köln), KRP (Harpsichord; Köln), Austin and Hope Pilkington Official Fellow, Director of Studies in Music and Director of College Music John L Hendry, MA, PhD, Life Fellow

1

Jochen H Runde, MPhil, PhD, Professorial Fellow (Economics)

Dennis Barden, MA, PhD, Life Fellow

The Year

135


Andrew R Jefferies, MA, VetMB, FRCPath, MRCVS, Life Fellow Juliet J D’A Campbell, CMG, MA, Life Fellow and Former Mistress Peter H Abrahams, MBBS, FRCS (Edinburgh), FRCR, DO (Hon), Life Fellow Deborah Lowther, MA, ACA, Life Fellow Clive Lawson, MA, PhD, Frank Wilkinson Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Economics Julian D Slater, PhD, BVMS (Edinburgh), Supernumerary Fellow (Veterinary Science) A Mark Savill, MA, PhD, FRAeS, Life Fellow Per-Olof H Wikström, BA, PhD (Stockholm), FBA, Professorial Fellow (Criminology)

1

S-P Gopal Madabhushi, PhD, Professorial Fellow and Director of Studies in Engineering

1

P Mia Gray, BA (San Diego), MRCP (Berkeley), PhD (Rutgers), Supernumerary Fellow (Geography)

3

Neil Wright, MA, PhD, Official Fellow (Classics) Ruth M L Warren, MA, MD, FRCP, FRCR, Life Fellow

K M Veronica Bennett, MA, BSc (Leicester), PhD (CNAA), Life Fellow Harriet D Allen, MSc (Calgary), MA, PhD, Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Geography and Education

3

*11 Shaun D Fitzgerald, MA, PhD, FREng, Official Fellow (Engineering) and Dean of COVID-19 Discipline Stephen Robertson, MA, MSc (City), PhD (London), Life Fellow The Revd A Malcolm Guite, MA, PhD (Durham), Life Fellow *8 Stuart Davis, BA, PhD (Birmingham), Jean Sybil Dannatt Official Fellow, Tutor for Admissions, Tutor and Director of Studies in Modern and Medieval Languages Benjamin J Griffin, MA, PhD, Official Fellow and Director of Studies in History

4

*7 Fiona J Cooke, MA, BM, BCh (Oxon), PhD (London), MRCP, Official Fellow and Dean of Discipline Ross Lawther, MA, PhD, Olga Taussky Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Mathematics *Karen L Lee, MA, Vice-Mistress and Official Fellow (Law) Stuart A Scott, MA, PhD, Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Chemical Engineering

2

*Alexandra M Fulton, BSc, PhD (Edinburgh), Official Fellow, Senior Tutor and Director of Studies in Biological Sciences

3

Maureen J Hackett, BA, MA (Southampton), Official Fellow, Tutor and Junior Bursar

5

Crispin H W Barnes, BSc, PhD (London), Professorial Fellow (Physics)

2

Judith A Drinkwater, MA, Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Linguistics, and Modern and Medieval Languages

3

*1 Colm Durkan, BA, PhD (TCD), FRIET, Professorial Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Engineering

3

1

9

Edward J Briscoe, BA (Lancaster), MPhil, PhD, Professorial Fellow (Computer Science)

1

136

The Year

Stelios Tofaris, MA, PhD, Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Law Liliana Janik, MPhil (Torun), PhD, Official Fellow, Tutor for Postgraduates and Director of Studies in Archaeology Samantha K Williams, BA´ (Lancaster), MSc, PhD, Official Fellow and Director of Studies in History Nik J Cunniffe, MA, MPhil, MSc (Bath), PhD, Official Fellow (Biological Sciences) Katherine Hughes, BSc, BVSc (Liverpool), MRCVS, PhD, Dip ACVP, Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine


Helen A Van Noorden, BA, PhD, Wrigley Official Fellow in Classics

Teng Cao, BEng (BUAA, Beijing), PhD, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Senior Research Fellow in Turbomachinery

7

Morag A Hunter, MA, PhD, Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Physical Sciences

Deborah J Easlick, BA (Bristol), Official Fellow and Development Director

Heidi Radke, DVM (Ludwig Maximilian University), DrVetMed (Zurich), Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine

6

3

Emma J L Weisblatt, BA, MB, BCh, MRCP, MRCPsych, PhD, Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Psychology, and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences *Sophia M I Shellard von Weikersthal, BSc, PhD (Freiburg), Tutor for Postgraduates and Official Fellow (Pharmacology) Henrik Latter, BA, BSc, MSc (Sydney), PhD, Bertha Jeffreys Official Fellow in Applied Mathematics

4

Matthew J Allen, MA, VetMB, PhD, Professorial Fellow (Veterinary Medicine)

1

*James Wade, BA (Boise State), MA (York), PhD, Jane Elizabeth Martin Official Fellow and Director of Studies in English R James E Riley, BA (Lancaster), MA (Lancaster), PhD, Muriel Bradbrook Official Fellow, Tutor for Postgraduates and Director of Studies in English Simone Maghenzani, BA (Turin), MA (Turin), PhD (Turin), Marilyn Strathern Official Fellow, Director of Studies in History and Praelector

8

Andrew Irvine, BSc, PhD (Sussex), Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Physics Alexander G S C Liu, MA, MEarthSci (Oxon), DPhil (Oxon), Christine McKie Official Fellow in Natural Sciences

4

Aaron Hornkohl, BA (Biola), MA, PhD (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Claire E White, BA, PhD, Brenda Stacey Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Modern and Medieval Languages

4

John W Wills, BSc, PhD (Swansea), Hertha Ayrton Research Fellow in Biological Sciences

10

Shona Wilson Stark, LLB, LLM (Aberdeen), PhD, Official Fellow (Law)

4

Jenny K Blackhurst, MA (St Andrews), MA (UCL), MCLIP, Official Fellow for Life Skills and Librarian *Carolina C Alves, BSc (UNESP), MSc (UNICAMP), PhD (SOAS), Joan Robinson Research Fellow in Heterodox Economics and Director of Studies in Economics *Hilary F Marlow, BA (Manchester), BA (KCL), PhD, Official Fellow, Tutor for Postgraduates and Director of Studies in Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion 1

Samuel D Grimshaw, MEng, PhD, Mitsubishi Senior Research Fellow and Director of Studies in Engineering

4

*Amy R Donovan, BA, MPhil, MSc (UCL), PhD, Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Geography

3

Arik Kershenbaum, MA, PhD (Haifa), Official Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies in Biological Sciences

Evis Sala, MD (Tirana), PhD, FRCR, Professorial Fellow (Medicine)

Diana Fusco, BPhys (Milan), MPhys (Milan), PhD (Duke), Official Fellow (Physics) Thomas J Roulet, MSc (Audencia, Nantes), MPhil (Sciences Po, Paris), PhD (HEC, Paris), Official Fellow and Director of Studies in Sociology and Management Studies

The Year

137


The Revd Charles J M Bell, MA (Durham), MA, PhD, MB, BChir, John Marks Official Fellow, Director of Studies in Medicine and Praelector Dennis C Grube BA (Tasmania), LLB (Tasmania), PhD (Tasmania), Grad Dip Ed (Canberra), Official Fellow for Postdoctoral Affairs

2

Alexander J W Thom, MA, MSci, PhD, Official Fellow (Chemistry)

4

Anna J Nickerson, MA, PhD, Katherine Jex-Blake Research Fellow in English David Arvidsson-Shukur, BSc (Durham), MASt, PhD, Sarah Woodhead Research Fellow in Physics Christian Keime, BA (Sorbonne), MPhil (Strasbourg), PhD, Eugénie Strong Research Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics *James S Anderson, MA (Oxon), Official Fellow and Bursar Frances N Brill, BA, MSc (LSE), PhD (UCL), Margaret Tyler Research Fellow in Geography Emma C Brownlee, BA, MA (Sheffield), PhD, Ottilie Hancock Research Fellow in Archaeology Collin M Constantine, BSc (Guyana), MSc (SOAS), PhD (Kingston), Official Fellow (Economics) Thomas C Hawker-Dawson, MA, MPhil, Brenda Hale Official Fellow in Law Bye-Fellows The Revd Timothy R Boniface, BA (Exeter), MA (Nottingham), PhD (Durham), Chaplain Caroline J A Brett, MA, PhD, Director of Studies in AngloSaxon, Norse and Celtic

4

Birgit R Buergi, MSc (University of Urbino Carlo Bò), MPhil, PhD (Singapore), Bye-Fellow for Study Skills

138

The Year

Stephen A Cummins, BSc (Durham), PhD (Durham), Director of Studies in Computer Science Claudia Domenici, BA (Pisa), MA (Lancaster), Director of Studies in Modern and Medieval Languages

12

Margaret Faultless, MA, Hon FBC, FTCL, ARCM, Hon RAM (Music)

13

Sarah L Fawcett, BA, BM, BCh (Oxon), MRCS, FRCR, PhD (Medical and Veterinary Sciences) Marie-Aude A C Genain, DVetMed (ENVA), MSc (Université Paris-Est), Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine

14

John Lawson, BA, PhD, Director of Studies in Politics, International Relations and Sociology, and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Linda L Layne, BA (USC), MPhil, PhD (Princeton), Director of Studies in Social Anthropology Ian Lewis, BSc (London), PhD (Computer Science) Eleonora Po, DVM (Bologna), MS (Illinois), Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine Mark Smith, LLB (Reading), LPC (Law), MBA (Henley), MSc (Henley), Bye-Fellow for Workplace Transition Gareth F Wilson, BMus, MA, PGCert, DipPGPerfRAM, DipRAM, Director of Chapel Music and Assistant Director of Music External Teaching Officers Katie J Burton, MB, BChir, MRCP, MD, FRCPH, Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine Jonathan Fuld, MB, ChB (Sheffield), PhD (Glasgow), FRCP, Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine Richard Jennings, PhD, Director of Studies in Philosophy, and History and Philosophy of Science


Musicians in Residence

Notes

Andrew Kennedy, MA, PGDip (RCM)

* Member of Council

Nicholas Mulroy, MA, PGDip (RAM), ARAM Jeremy West, BA (Durham), Hon FRWCMD Visiting Fellows 2020–21 Luke Burton, Artist in Residence Andrew Kershaw, Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner

1

University Professor

2

University Reader

3

University Senior Lecturer

4

University Lecturer

5

University Assistant Director of Research

6

University Senior Research Associate

7

University Teaching Associate/Associate Lecturer

8

Faculty Affiliated Lecturer

9

Secretary A, Department of Veterinary Medicine

Lectrice

10

Charline Dossat (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon)

11

University Herchel Smith Research Fellow

Director of Research in the Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University Senior Language Teaching Officer

12

Secretary to Council Caroline Shenton, MA (St Andrews), DPhil (Oxon), PGDipARM (UCL)

Director of Performance, Faculty of Music

13

Clinical Radiologist, Department of Veterinary Medicine

14

University and College Awards Cambridge University Further Degrees and Awards University Higher Degrees PhD: A Amodia-Bidakowska, T V Ball, D Carver, K U Choi, S Dasgupta, I M Dickson, J L Douthwaite, B M Edao, B V Ganchev, S S Ghosh, X Han, A M M Jäger, P Koehler, A F Lake, Z Li, J Liang, C S Lindberg, Y Y F Liu,

M Llavero Pasquina, Y Luo, S Mistry, T H T Moqbel, S J Owen, S Palate, D G Safronov, O Siddiqui, K K Takaki, B Villa, G J Wheeler, S A Woodcock LLM: S S Lilova, H Sukhija, A Tamta MRes: J E E Arumemi-Ikhide, B Zhang MPhil: M Abdelfattah Ibrahim Mohamed, I Ahlers, T D Arvan,

E Beaumont, T Benowitz, V Bergomi, N A Bizziocchi, D A Borkowski, N I Brocksom, H S Cesarani, A D Countryman, J H Dark, K Degiorgio, M De Oliveira Mendonca, D Deslis, O Forsyth, E A Hart, I Henderson, L A Hirst, J Howe, R J Hutchinson, R Irvan, E K Itan, A C Iyeku, R Kowalczyk, H S Lee, J Lee, K M J Lee, P Luetgerath, K Luo, C J W McKie, T Mheryan, H D Mohamed Sarif Mohamed Iqbal,

The Year

139


M Moldan, M E Moore-Keish, J G Mullan Lipman, N J Ng, P P Nowakowski-Tutkowski, N C O Ntow-Aninkora, T D Parkinson, R L Peralta, R Piao, S U Pillay, D C Price, A M D Rees, N H Sauter-Cooke, V Sazaklidis, E Spadavecchia, F J Sylwestrowicz, J A Thorn, S Tomouk, N TranholmMikkelsen, J F Y Tsang, F A Vargas, R Viljoen, L B Wain, X Wang, A M Williams, B Xie, X Xie, Z Xiong, Y H D Yeung, Y Yin, Z Yuan, L Zhan, Z Zhang MASt: H Li, T B Martinov, Á Muñiz Brea, M Woolley, B Yang

Highly commended: Jack Lawrence and Flora Prideaux Jane Martin Poetry Prize: Sam Harvey (First Prize) and Louis Klee (Second Prize) Ridding Reading Prize: R K Armitage (Overall Prize), H Camp (Best Individual Performance), E C Healy (Audience Prize) Rima Alamuddin Prize: L F McIver Tom Mansfield Memorial Prizes: L F McIver and M M Morris

Postgraduate Scholarships College Scholarships Barbara Bodichon: V Haeberle (Law), K S Lau (Law), S Lilova (Law) Mathematics M T Meyer: Á Muñiz Brea, M Woolley Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Edith Lydia Johns: K A Romain Postgraduate Prizes History, Law and Economics Lilian Knowles: V Haeberle (Law), K S Lau (Law), S Lilova (Law)

MEd: J W Baird Graduate Research Awards College Awards College Competition Prizes Hammond Science Communication Prize: A C Kelly (Judges’ Prize), S W Allen, E C Healy and S Sinclair (Runnersup), E C Healy (Audience Prize), S Sinclair (Abstract Prize), E C Healy (Pathology Prize), E M Birt (Runner-up, Pathology Prize) Humanities Writing Prize: First prize: Natalie Isabella Warren; Second prize: Eloise King; Third prize: Giorgia Kuropatwa;

140

The Year

Rhona Beare Award: A Tandon Joyce Biddle Scholarship: P Ralbovsky Bryce-Tebb Scholarship: J Wang Ida and Isidore Cohen Scholarship: I Rosen M M Dunlop Scholarship, Doris Russell Scholarship: R Jamieson Irene Hallinan Scholarship, Stribling Award, Doris Woodall Studentship: E Chatfield M T Meyer Scholarship: L Liu Pfeiffer Scholarship, Ruth Whaley Scholarship: F Zheng Maria Luisa de Sanchez Scholarship: L Selle Arocha

Mathematics Gertrude Mather Jackson: Á Muñiz Brea, M Woolley Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Thomas and Elizabeth Walton: K A Romain Undergraduate Scholarships College Scholarships Sir Arthur Arnold: J L Fletcher (Computer Science), T Lowe (Natural Sciences, Physical), E McMullan (Natural Sciences, Physical) Lilias Sophia Ashworth Hallett: D Alexandridis (Engineering), M Chakrabarty (Engineering),


H G Jenkinson (Engineering), I Rennie (Archaeology), E D Saunders (Engineering) Barbara Bodichon: E Chatfield (Economics), Y Kim (Land Economy), I Lamba (Economics), R Omenetto Arcella (Economics) Emily Davies: S W Allen (Geography), M E Cooper (HSPS), E S Dane-Liebesny (HSPS), E C Dearden-Williams (HSPS), J McDermott (Geography), E Moore (Geography) Angela Dunn-Gardner: O Daly (HSPS), J Humphries (Natural Sciences, Physical), H M Khodabocus (HSPS), K Lane (HSPS), T Manser (HSPS), R Smith (HSPS) Sir Francis Goldsmid: P D Dimitrov (Natural Sciences, Physical), R M McNeill (Law), T Niu (Natural Sciences, Physical), A C Parr (Architecture), J Tall (Natural Sciences, Physical), T A Williamson (Natural Sciences, Physical) Mary Graham: R K Armitage (English), O Freeman (English), C Hong (Engineering), E J Jones (HSPS), L Nicholls (Engineering), J A Slimmon (Engineering) Mary Higgins: C Coleman (Law), S T Jones (Natural Sciences, Physical), T Patterson (Computer Science), A Veronese (Natural Sciences, Physical) Alice Violet Jenkinson:

R Duffy (Management Studies), W A Gilchrist (Economics), T K Rich (ASNC), N D T Testa (Economics) Mary Ann Leighton: S E Watkins (Archaeology) Ellen McArthur: S W Allen (Geography), J Blackwood (History and Politics), A J Breare (History), O Challen Flynn (History), J E Lee (History), E Moore (Geography), N D T Testa (Economics), E Thomas (History) Mary Sparke: A Gkolanta (Chemical Engineering), K J Kettnaker (Natural Sciences, HPS), C H Y Lau (Engineering), J S Rodgers (Engineering), K I M Surquin (Philosophy), H J S Waugh (Chemical Engineering) Henry Tomkinson: S J Davidson (Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion), M Earle (Natural Sciences, Physical), J N Hawkes (Land Economy), D A H Lindebaum (Natural Sciences, Physical), J G MacDonald (Natural Sciences, Physical), R Marques Monteiro (Engineering), E Prager (Engineering), E Suresh (Engineering), M Wang Almeida E Silva (Engineering), J G Wong (Natural Sciences, Physical)

Classics Jane Agnes Chessar: L Stabile Amelia Gurney: S Bor Mary Gurney: I M Gander History Russell Gurney: B L Borbely (History and Politics), A J Breare, O Challen Flynn, B Cudworth, R P Dennis (History and Politics), J E Lee, E Young Florence Ethel Gwyn: J Blackwood (History and Politics), J Coffey, C Dartnell-Steinberg (History and Modern Languages), E Thomas Mathematics M T Meyer: R Azhar, T Pietrzycki, J M Smith Medicine and Veterinary Medicine John Bowyer Buckley: Y Guo (Medicine), N L A Wittmann (Veterinary Medicine) Edith Lydia Johns: S O Anyanwu (Medicine), B C Davison (Medicine), A P John (Medicine), G Scrase (Medicine), M S Wickramarachchi (Medicine) Modern and Medieval Languages Maria Degani: D P Bui, C Lussiana, K McGreevy Jean Hunter: E F Gomersall, E J Roberts Todd Memorial: P M Drummond, G Fielder, G Jackson, S J Kennedy, A Langridge Brewer, T Normanton, J D Webb

The Year

141


Music Sophia Turle: R Jones, L F McIver, M M Morris, E L Scott, J Wardhaugh Natural Sciences (Biological) John Bowyer Buckley: T Allen, J T Brabin, C Doyle, M M Graczyk, A Islam, A Khalaf, A R Somers, B W Z Tan Undergraduate Prizes Senior College Prizes Thérèse Montefiore Prize: D A H Lindebaum (Natural Sciences, Physical) Laurie Hart Prize: J M Smith (Mathematics) Tutors’ Prize (joint): M M Graczyk (Natural Sciences, Biological) and B N Ryan (Natural Sciences, Biological) College Prizes Christina Barnard: M E Cooper (HSPS), E S Dane-Liebesny (HSPS), E C Dearden-Williams (HSPS), A Gkolanta (Chemical Engineering), L F McIver (Music), M M Morris (Music), H J S Waugh (Chemical Engineering) Isabella Crawshaw: O Daly (HSPS), H M Khodabocus (HSPS), C H Y Lau (Engineering), T Manser (HSPS), J S Rodgers (Engineering), R Smith (HSPS) Jane Catherine Gamble: J L Fletcher (Computer Science),

142

The Year

K Lane (HSPS), A C Parr (Architecture), K I M Surquin (Philosophy) Beatrice Mills: D Alexandridis (Engineering), M Chakrabarty (Engineering), J N Hawkes (Land Economy), H G Jenkinson (Engineering), R Jones (Music), E D Saunders (Engineering), J Wardhaugh (Music) Raemakers: C Hong (Engineering), E J Jones (HSPS), L Nicholls (Engineering), T Patterson (Computer Science), J A Slimmon (Engineering), S E Watkins (Archaeology) Phyllis Tillyard: R Duffy (Management Studies), Y Kim (Land Economy), E Prager (Engineering), T K Rich (ASNC), E Suresh (Engineering), M Wang Almeida E Silva (Engineering) C B West: K McGreevy (MML), I Rennie (Archaeology), E L Scott (Music), J D Webb (MML) Classics Hilda Richardson: S Bor, I M Gander Alice Zimmern: L Stabile Economics, History and Law Mary Arden: R M McNeill (Law) Anita Banerji: I Lamba (Economics) Margaret Hastings: J Blackwood (History and Politics), E Thomas (History) Lilian Knowles: B L Borbely (History and Politics), E Chatfield

(Economics), J Coffey (History), C Coleman (Law), R P Dennis (History and Politics), W A Gilchrist (Economics), R Omenetto Arcella (Economics), N D T Testa (Economics) Eileen Power: A J Breare (History), O Challen Flynn (History), B Cudworth (History), J E Lee (History), E Young (History) Engineering Satyanarayana Madabhushi: R Marques Monteiro English Charity Reeves: R K Armitage, O Freeman Charlton Award: R K Armitage Geography Margaret Anderson: S W Allen, J McDermott, E Moore Mathematics Gertrude Mather Jackson: J M Smith May Smithells: R Azhar, T Pietrzycki Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Appleton Cup: A P John (Medicine) Leslie Hall: N L A Wittmann (Veterinary Medicine) Ming Yang Lee: Y Guo (Medicine) Thomas and Elizabeth Walton: S O Anyanwu (Medicine), B C Davison (Medicine), A P John (Medicine), G Scrase (Medicine), M S Wickramarachchi (Medicine)


Modern and Medieval Languages Joseph Brandebourg: P M Drummond Fanny Metcalf: A Langridge Brewer, T Normanton Mary Ponsonby: G Jackson, C Lussiana Johanna Stevenson: D P Bui, E F Gomersall, S J Kennedy, E J Roberts Lilian Amanda Thomas: C Dartnell-Steinberg (History and Modern Languages), G Fielder Natural Sciences (Biological) Marion Bidder: T Allen, C Doyle, A Khalaf, B W Z Tan Ellen Delf-Smith: A R Somers Ming Yang Lee: J T Brabin Edith Neal: M M Graczyk, A Islam Natural Sciences (HPS) Ida Freund: K J Kettnaker Natural Sciences (Physical) Layla Adib: P D Dimitrov, J Humphries, T Niu, J Tall, T A Williamson Gwendolen Crewdson: T Lowe, E McMullan Ida Freund: M Earle, S T Jones, D A H Lindebaum, J G MacDonald, A Veronese, J G Wong

Music Awards

Sports Awards

College Music Scholarship: A A Rivers (oboe) London Girton Association Award: K K W Loh (classical guitar) Organ Scholarships: F Elliott, E E Nott Daphne Braggins Organ Award: T A Williamson University Instrumental Awards: V Baycroft (viola), A Critten (trumpet), L A Hampton (flute), C J Howdle (violin), R Jones (viola), K K W Loh (classical guitar), M M Morris (clarinet) Daphne Bird Instrumental Awards: A Critten (flugelhorn), L A Hampton (flute), R Jones (viola), N Maier (piano), L F McIver (piano), S O’Neal (piano), E L Scott (piano), J R Starling (piano) University Choral Awards: J Newbold, J J Robinson Jill Vlasto Choral Awards: L F McIver, M M Morris Siem Prize: M M Morris

Sport-specific Awards Acrobatic rock and roll: A Veronese American football: C W Ashling, S J Gadomski, C J Runyan Basketball (Women’s): A Chandrawat, A M G Loubens Cricket (Men’s): U Modhwadia Cricket (Women’s): A Maxwell Cycling: E H Grace Dance Competition: T Irigoyen López, A R Nicholson Field Hockey: T A Fairhurst Ice Hockey: F Hrncirík, S J Kennedy Lacrosse (Men’s): S W Allen Lacrosse (Women’s): A Ayida Open Water Swimming: E C Honey Rugby (Women’s): A E Elgar Rugby Union (Men’s): T Allen Rugby Union (Women’s): H B Samuel, H M Taylor Squash: T A Williamson Swimming: A H J Collins Tennis: D Bacon, E C Healy Volleyball: J S Kim

Travel Awards No competition was held this year because of the restrictions on travel imposed as a result of COVID-19.

Named Sports Awards Diana Lees-Jones Award: E H Grace Joan McGrath Sports Award: U Modhwadia Robin Sports Award: A H J Collins, A E Elgar

Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion J Y Gibson: S J Davidson

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Appointments of Fellows and Alumni BATES, S N (1990) elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, with effect from 2021. BELL, C J M (2018; Fellow) appointed Visiting Senior Fellow at the Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, March 2021; ordained deacon in the Church of England, June 2021. FRASER, J N (1985) appointed Chief Executive Officer of Citi, becoming the first woman to lead a major global bank, with effect from March 2021.

MOHADDES, K (2008; former Fellow) appointed Co-Director of the King’s Entrepreneurship Lab, with effect from June 2021. PANDA, S K (1987) elected Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, for contributions to iterative learning control of motor drives, January 2021. ROULET, T J (2018; Fellow) appointed Co-Director of the King’s Entrepreneurship Lab, with effect from June 2021.

GALVIN, B (1998 Lewis) appointed British Ambassador to Kuwait, with effect from April 2021.

Awards and Distinctions ATKINSON, H V (1978 Bavister) appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for services to engineering and education.

BUBBEAR, T B (1981 Allen) appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List (Overseas and International List), for services to British foreign policy.

BARBER, K J (1968) appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List, for services to the study of African cultures and languages.

CONTRACTOR, D (2011) awarded Professional Achievement Award at the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards (India), March 2020.

BEASLEY-MURRAY, C (1964 Griffiths) appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for services to HM Coroners’ Service.

CUNNIFFE, N J (2009; Fellow) awarded the American Phytopathological Society’s Syngenta Prize, for outstanding research contributions in the field of plant pathology, 2021.

BLEEHEN, L (2016) selected to represent Wales (Welsh Rugby Union) for the Women’s Six Nations, November 2020.

DEMPSEY, J (2018) selected for England Athletics team for the Men’s 1,500m at the Loughborough International, May 2021.

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DEVLIN, L (2019) awarded a Kennedy Scholarship by the Kennedy Memorial Trust for postgraduate study at Harvard University, June 2021.

budgets, and thermal energy flow in the Arctic; and for excellence in program building, international collaborations, and mentorship in the cryospheric sciences’, March 2021.

GRAY, P M (1997; Fellow) awarded the Regional Studies Association’s Prize for the Best Paper 2020; the paper, ‘The double crisis: in what sense a regional problem?’ explores the ’double crisis’ of climate change and inequality.

RANDALL-SMITH, J (1971 Cockburn) awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2020.

LEWIS, M I (1969 Powell) awarded a Travellers’ Choice Award by TripAdvisor, for her business The Vibrant Vine, run jointly with her husband, in British Columbia, Canada, 2020.

REA, J (1992) awarded the Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for services to music in Northern Ireland.

LOH, K (2019) winner of the London International Guitar Competition, 2020.

ROBERTS, A C (1989; Fellow) awarded the 2020 Goldman-Rakic Prize by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (US) for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience, October 2020.

MENADUE, C B J (1987) awarded a Dean’s Medal for Excellence in Higher Degree Research by James Cook University, for his PhD thesis titled Science Fictions, Cultural Facts: A Digital Humanities Approach to a Popular Literature, June 2020.

ROULET, T J (2018; Fellow) awarded a Teaching Prize by the Judge Business School for his teaching on the Cambridge Master of Business Administration (MBA), June 2021.

MENSAH, P (2012) awarded a Kennedy Scholarship by the Kennedy Memorial Trust for postgraduate study at Harvard University, June 2021.

RUNDE, J H (1991; Fellow) awarded a Faculty Activity Award by the Judge Business School for his participation in a variety of initiatives in economics and organisation, June 2021.

MICHAELS, A R (1950 Isenstein) awarded the Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for services to education.

SCHELLHORN, M T (1995) awarded the Cross pro Merito Melitensi by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, for charitable work.

MONAGHAN, A A (1991 Sowerbutts) appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List, for services to geology.

TOKSVIG, S B (1977; Honorary Fellow) awarded the Marsh Award for Anthropology in the World by the Royal Anthropological Institute, 2020.

OHMURA, A (2005; Brenda Ryman Visiting Fellow) awarded the 2021 IASC Medal by the International Arctic Science Committee for ‘outstanding achievements in understanding complex climate and glacier relationships, global energy

TYLER, S J (1962 Monk) appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List, for services to nature conservation in the UK and Africa.

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Further Academic and Professional Qualifications GALVIN, B (1998 Lewis) MA in Global Diplomacy, from SOAS University of London, May 2020. HAYWARD, M (1991 Baker) BA, from Sheffield University, July 2020; ordained deacon at Chelmsford Cathedral, September 2020. HEADLEY-RAEBURN, L D (1987) DBA (Doctor of Business Administration), from the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management, University of the West Indies, December 2020. MENADUE, C B J (1987) PhD, cum laude, from James Cook University, Queensland, Australia, December 2019. WOOD-ROBINSON, V (1957 Ginman) BA, with merit, in Language and Related Studies (Spanish), from Leeds Beckett University, July 2020.

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WHITAKER, J A (1954 Stewart) awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Buckinghamshire New University for services to community nursing, September 2019.


Fellows’ Publications Recent publications by Fellows and Officers of the College include: P H ABRAHAMS. (All joint) Atlas Clínico de Anatomía Humana, 8a edición (Editorial Médica Panamericana, 2020); Atlas de Anatomía Humana por Técnicas de Imagen, 6a edición (Elsevier Barcelona, 2021); Gray’s Anatomy Review, 3rd edition (Elsevier, 2021). F J COOKE. (Joint) ‘Healthcare-associated bacterial infections in the paediatric ICU’, JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance 2(3) (2020). N J CUNNIFFE. (All joint) ‘Will an outbreak exceed available resources for control? Estimating the risk from invading pathogens using practical definitions of a severe epidemic’; and ‘An ecophysiological model of plant-pest interactions: the role of nutrient and water availability’, J of the Royal Society: Interface 17(172) (2020); ‘Optimising risk-based surveillance for early detection of invasive plant pathogens’, PLOS Biology 18(10) (2020); ‘Use of mathematical models to predict epidemics and to optimise disease detection and management’, Emerging Plant Diseases and Global Food Security, ed. J B Ristaino and A Records (APS Press, 2020). A DONOVAN. ‘Experts in emergencies: a framework for understanding scientific advice in crisis contexts’, International J of Disaster Risk Reduction 56 (2021); ‘Colonising geology: volcanic politics and geopower’, Political Geography 86 (2021); (joint) ‘Assemblage theory and disaster risk management’, Progress in Human Geography (2021).

Emergencies, Environmental and Modelling Group (2020); ‘The ventilation of buildings and other mitigating measures for COVID-19: a focus on wintertime’, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 477(2247) (2021); ‘Modelling uncertainty in the relative risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus by airborne aerosol transmission in well mixed indoor air’, Building and Environment 191(5) (2021). M GRAY. (Both joint) Debt and Austerity: Implications of the Financial Crisis (Edward Elgar, 2020); ‘When machines think for us: the consequences for work and place’, Cambridge J of Regions, Economy and Society 13(1) (2020). S D GRIMSHAW. (Both joint) ‘Super aggressive S-ducts for air breathing rocket engines’, J of Turbomachinery 143(6) (2021); ‘Student research projects with industrial impact’, Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2021, Track 8 Education Issues (2021). D C GRUBE. (All joint) Institutional Memory as Storytelling: How Networked Government Remembers (CUP, 2020); ‘NotMinister? Australia’s bespoke system of government’, The Oxford Handbook of Australian Politics, ed. J M Lewis and A Tiernan (OUP, 2020); ‘Constructivist approaches to the study of political executives’, The Oxford Handbook of Political Executives, ed. R B Andeweg, R Elgie, L Helms, J Kaarbo and F Müller-Rommel (OUP, 2020). J L HENDRY. The Rationality of Christian Belief (Little Rowarth & Co, 2021).

M W ENNIS. ‘Shades of the past in Bruckner’s sacred music’ (an essay to accompany Sir Stephen Cleobury’s final recording with King’s College Chapel Choir), King’s College Recordings (2020).

L JANIK. (joint) ‘XRF analysis on the pottery sherds from Tsukumo Shell Midden’ [in Japanese], Kasaoka City Excavation Report 6: General Research Report of the Tsukumo Shell Midden (Kasaoka City Board of Education, 2020).

S D FITZGERALD. (All joint) ‘Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and mitigating measures’, Scientific Advisory Group on

A KERSHENBAUM. The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy (Viking-Penguin, 2020); (joint) ‘Shannon entropy as a robust

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estimator of Zipf’s Law in animal vocal communication repertoires’, Methods in Ecology and Evolution 12(3) (2021); ‘Sister species diverge in modality-specific courtship signal form and function’, Ecology and Evolution 11(2) (2021). K L LEE. (Joint editor) International Law Reports: Volumes 191 to 196 (CUP, 2021). J MOHER (2015; former Mary Amelia Cummins Harvey Visiting Fellow Commoner). Walter Citrine: Forgotten Statesman of the Trades Union Congress (JGM Books, 2021). S PALMER. (Both joint) ‘Who gets the ventilator? Important legal rights in a pandemic’, J of Medical Ethics 46(7) (2020); ‘Public health emergencies and human rights: problematic jurisprudence arising from the COVID-19 pandemic’, European Human Rights Law Review 5 (2020). H RADKE. (Joint) ‘Reshaping surgical specialist training in small animal surgery during and after the COVID-19 pandemic’, Veterinary Surgery 50(5) (2021). T J ROULET. (All joint) ‘Microfoundations of institutional change in the career structure of UK elite law firms’, Microfoundations of Institutions (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, vol. 65A), ed. P Haack, J Sieweke and L Wessel (2019); ‘Blame game theory: scapegoating, whistleblowing and discursive struggles following accusations of organizational misconduct’, Organization Theory 1(4) (2020); ‘How organizations can promote employee wellness, now and post-pandemic’, MIT Sloan Management Review (2021). J RUNDE. (All joint) ‘Heuristic methods for updating small world representations in strategic situations of Knightian uncertainty’, Academy of Management Review (2020); ‘Ontology and the history of economic thought: an introduction’, Cambridge J of Economics 44(5) (2020);

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‘The Elbphilharmonie and the Hamburg effect: on the social positioning, identities and system functions of a building and a city’, European Planning Studies (2021). S J SMITH. ‘Mortgage debt in an age of austerity’, Debt and Austerity: Implications of the Financial Crisis, ed. J Gardiner, M Gray and K Moser (Edward Elgar, 2020). M STRATHERN. ‘A clash of ontologies? Time, law and science in Papua New Guinea’, HAU: J of Ethnographic Theory 9(1) (2019); ‘Timescales of intervention: a postscript to “Agricultures in the Anthropocene”’, ed. M Skrydstrup and H-G Park, Nature + Culture 14(3) (2019); ‘A conversation’, Intimate Entanglements: The Sociological Review Monographs, ed. J Latimer and D López Gómez 67(2) (2019); (joint) ‘In relation: an interview with Marilyn Strathern’, Disparidades 74(1) (2019); Relations: An Anthropological Account (Duke UP, 2020); ‘Refletindo de volta’ [‘Reflecting back’, trans. J Tatim], Maloca: Revista de Estudos Indígenas, Campinas: Sao Paulo 3 (2020); ‘Underestimation/ complacency: two comments on the language of warfare’, Forum on COVID-19 pandemic, Social Anthropology/ Anthropologie sociale 28(2) (2020); ‘Regeneração vegetativa: um ensaio sobre relações de gênero’ [‘Vegetative regeneration: an essay on gender relations’, trans. B N Guimarães], Mana 27(1) (2021). ¯ D J THOMPSON. ‘After Aršama: Persian echoes in early ¯ Ptolemaic Egypt’, Aršama and his World: The Bodleian ¯ Letters in Context. Volume III: Aršama’s World, ed. C J Tuplin and J Ma (OUP, 2020); ‘Foundation deposits from thirdcentury BC Egypt’, The Epigraphy of Ptolemaic Egypt, ed. A Bowman and C Crowther (OUP, 2020). S TOFARIS. ‘The regulation of unfair terms in Indian contract law: past, present and future’, Studies in the Contract Laws of Asia III: Contents of Contracts and Unfair Terms, ed. M Chen-Wishart and S Vogenauer (OUP, 2020); ‘The


Luke Burton

transplantation of trusts law in India’, Asia-Pacific Trusts Law I: Theory and Practice in Context, ed. Y Liew and M Harding (Hart Publishing, 2021). H VAN NOORDEN. ‘Hesiodic rhapsody: The Sibylline Oracles’, Reception in the Greco-Roman World: Literary Studies in Theory and Practice, ed. M Fantuzzi, H Morales and T Whitmarsh (CUP, 2021). P G VITEBSKY (1978; former Research Fellow). Living without the Dead: Loss and Redemption in a Jungle Cosmos (U of Chicago Press, 2017). W T WALLER (2017; former Helen Cam Visiting Fellow). (Joint) ‘Feminist institutionalism and neoliberalism’, Feminist Economics (2021). R M L WARREN. (Joint) ‘Mammographic density change in a cohort of premenopausal women receiving tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention over 5 years’, Breast Cancer Research 22(101) (2020). C E WHITE. ‘The republic of novels: politics and late nineteenth-century French fiction’, The Cambridge History of the Novel in French, ed. A Watt (CUP, 2021); ‘Back to her sheep: the commune and peasant politics in George Sand’s Nanon’, Nineteenth-Century French Studies 49 (2021). M V WRENN (2011; former Joan Robinson Research Fellow). (Joint) ‘Feminist institutionalism and neoliberalism’, Feminist Economics (2021). Music M FAULTLESS. Bach, Johann Sebastian, Four Suites BWV 1066–69 arranged for string quartet (Fountayne Editions, 2020); (orchestral leader) Bach St John Passion, film for OAE Player (2021).

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Alumni Publications Recent publications by alumni of the College include: ARNOLD, S J (1995). Pocket Calm (Suzanne Arnold, 2020). CAWOOD, I J (1985). ‘Corruption and the public service ethos in mid-Victorian administration: the case of Leonard Horner and the factory office’, English Historical Review 135(575) (2020). FORSMAN, M (2005). ‘30 years of combating money laundering in Sweden and internationally – does the system function as intended?’, Sveriges Riksbank Economic Review 1 (2020). GOLDENBERG, A (2009). I belong to Vienna (New Vessel Press, 2020). LAU-GUNN, C W (1948 Gunn). Waves of Independence: Memoirs of a Malaysian Doyenne (Epigram Books, 2020).

MENADUE, C B J (1987). ‘George Miller’s Mad Max (1979–2015) and Ryan Griffen’s Cleverman (2016–2017) – Australian science fiction’, Sci-Fi – A Companion, ed. J Fennell (Peter Lang, 2019). MOORE-KEISH, M E (2019). Cherokee Rose (Finishing Line Press, 2021). O’KEEFFE, M-L (1970 Frawley). (Joint) As We Were: The First World War: Tales from a Broken World, week by week (2021). SANDERS, V R (1975). Margaret Oliphant (Edward Everett Root Publishers, 2020). SILVER, A J (1986 Fineberg). The Rapunzel Act: A Burton & Lamb Case (Lightning Books, 2021). STROUTS, H (1962). ‘Uncovering the story of early British modernism’, RIBA Journal (2019); ‘An oligarch’s faith’ and ‘Trust’, East–West Review: J of the Great Britain–Russia Society 55 (2020). Luke Burton

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Update your details

Awards, degrees and honours, with dates

Please complete both sides of this form and return to: The Alumni Officer, The Development Office, Girton College, Cambridge CB3 0JG.

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Alumni Events

Roll of Alumni Dinner and Weekend Booking Form

Roll of Alumni Dinner and Weekend

Dinner ticket(s) @ £60 per person

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The Roll of Alumni Dinner is open to all Girtonians and their guests.

Rooms @ £70 per person per night for the night(s) of: Friday / Saturday / Sunday (circle)

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If you would like to help organise a reunion for your year or for any special group such as a particular subject or society, please get in touch with Dr Emma Cornwall, the Alumni Officer, for assistance. Draft Programme of Events 24 September 2022 Library Talk There will be a talk for Girtonians and their guests at 11.00 (details TBC later in the year). Lawrence Room Talk There will be a talk for Girtonians and their guests at 14.00 (details TBC later in the year). People’s Portraits Talk There will be a talk for Girtonians and their guests at 16.00. In addition, a new portrait for the Girton People’s Portraits exhibition will be unveiled (details TBC later in the year). Afternoon Tea From 15.30. Concert A musical performance will follow afternoon tea at 18.00 (details TBC later in the year). Dinner in the Hall 19.00 for 19.45 We are pleased to be hosting reunion tables for those who matriculated in 1960, 1961, 1962, 1970, 1971 and 1972.

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25 September 2022

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Gardens Talk There will be a talk for Girtonians and their guests at 10.30 (details TBC later in the year).

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I enclose my cheque for £ ............................. made payable to Girton College. Please return by 12 September 2022 to: Emma Cornwall, Alumni Officer, The Development Office, Girton College, Cambridge CB3 0JG

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Payment by credit/debit card: Card payments can be taken over the phone. Please call +44 (0)1223 764 935.


Supporting Girton College Thanks to the generosity of no fewer than 3,895 alumni and friends, this academic year saw A Great Campaign exceed its goal to raise £50 million in donations and pledges of gifts in wills. This has significantly helped secure the financial future of the College. The continued support, affection and goodwill of the whole Girton community has made this campaign the most successful ever, with donations of more than £28 million, and a further £29 million pledged in legacies. We send our warmest thanks to everyone who has supported Girton in A Great Campaign. The impact of your support for A Great Campaign is already evident at Girton. Most donors have given to the endowment (both restricted and unrestricted), ensuring that the spendable annual investment under the College’s current total-return spending rule is available in perpetuity to support Girton’s strategic goals. The growth of the endowment not only protects the College in the long term but also provides an invaluable financial safety net, helping the College to cope with emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The Campaign’s core aim was to grow the capital of the permanent endowment sufficiently to guarantee the College’s financial sustainability. The 150th Anniversary phase also focused on the talented people at the heart of Girton’s unique and transformative educational adventure: • Our Undergraduates, who represent many nationalities, cultures and backgrounds. They are here on academic merit and because they want to learn. Girton’s fundamental commitment to diversity and inclusiveness means we must be able to support the many bright applicants who could not otherwise afford to take up the offer of a place at the College. Undergraduate bursaries help with the living costs of around one in four students each year. One of our Campaign goals, however, was to secure endowment for a further 20 full undergraduate bursaries as part of our commitment to the Cambridge Bursaries Scheme. Thanks to your support, this target has been exceeded: 13 named bursaries have already been endowed, and we have received enough donations to endow a further 19 full bursaries. This impressive total of 32 endowed bursaries will ensure that excellence in diversity continues to thrive at Girton. • Our Graduates, whose next-generation research helps solve the problems of our complex and ever-changing world. The superb accommodation at Swirles Court in the North West Cambridge development at Eddington presents an opportunity for Girton to grow its postgraduate school, which will eventually, we hope, achieve parity with undergraduate numbers. To this end, we need to attract the best applicants from around the world, and we have been working for some time to endow five partial postgraduate scholarships. Thanks to your help, these partial awards have now been endowed, ensuring that original thought will continue to thrive at Girton.

• Our Fellowship, which brings inspiration, encouragement, knowledge and wisdom to students each day of their educational journey. The Cambridge collegiate system, with its emphasis on smallgroup teaching, is widely acknowledged as world-leading, and the ability to attract and invest in the world’s most talented academics is key to its continued success. To ensure the highest educational offer is maintained at Girton, we aimed to endow 12 teaching fellowships. Thanks to the support of our alumni and friends, all 12 fellowships have now been permanently endowed. Six are College Teaching Fellowships in Economics, English, History, Law, Mathematics, and Modern and Medieval Languages. The other six are intended to fund University Teaching Officers in Applied Mathematics, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, French, International Studies and Physical Sciences. Thanks to your help, inspirational teaching will continue to thrive at Girton. Donations have encouraged widening participation; they have also enhanced the quality and breadth of the student experience at Girton. They have helped fund bursaries and scholarships, provide hardship grants, and increase all-round educational experiences by providing support for the Art Club (including classes given by our Artists in Residence), the Music Performance Fund, the gardens, and the Thrive programme, which teaches the skills needed to study, to enhance careers, and for life management. A Great Campaign is now complete, and we send all supporters and alumni our heartfelt thanks as well as warmest wishes from all at College. We hope to celebrate the success of the Campaign with all of you during the coming year. However, the need to continue endowing bursaries and scholarships, to provide hardship grants, and to continue growing the permanent endowment is as important as ever if we are to ensure that support for our students will be available whatever happens. If you have benefited from your studies at Girton, please consider supporting the College; this will enable future generations of Girton students, educators and researchers to flourish. We shall be very grateful for your gift, at whatever level suits your circumstances. Gifts may take the form of cash, shares or financial instruments; alternatively, you could remember Girton in your will. Please note that the College is a registered charity, which means giving can be tax-efficient. Those living in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and certain European countries can find information on tax-efficient giving at www.girton.cam.ac.uk/supporters/giving/tax-matters. Donations can be made using the form overleaf or online at: www.girton.cam.ac.uk/giving. For more information about supporting Girton College, or to talk to us about a specific fund or gift, please contact the Development Office on +44 (0)1223 766672 or email us at development@girton.cam.ac.uk.

The Year

153


Giving to Girton

Card number (16-digit number on card) ....................................................................

I wish my donation to support Girton College Unrestricted Permanent Endowment Capital Undergraduate Bursaries

Expiry date

........ /........ /........

Valid from date

........ /........ /........

Issue no. (Maestro/Switch)................................................................................................ Security number (last three digits on reverse of card) ...........................................

Postgraduate Scholarships

Signed ................................................................................................ Date ........ /........ /........

STEM SMART

Donors to Girton College will be listed in a College publication. If you do not wish your name to appear, please tick this box.

Music Performance Fund Other (please specify)................................................................................................... Leave a Legacy I would like to receive more information about leaving a gift to Girton College in my will. I have already included a gift to Girton College in my will. Regular Gift By Standing Order (PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THIS FORM TO YOUR BANK; RETURN TO THE COLLEGE) To the Manager, (insert name of bank) .............................................................Bank Bank Address .........................................................................................................................

IMPORTANT: Please also sign the Gift Aid form if you are a UK taxpayer. Gift Aid Declaration Boost your donation by 25p of Gift Aid for every £1 you donate Gift Aid is reclaimed by Girton from the tax you pay for the current tax year. Your address is needed to identify you as a current UK taxpayer. In order to Gift Aid your donation you must tick the box below. Please check all information is correct before signing and dating. I want to Gift Aid my donation of £ .....................................................and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years to Girton College (Registered Charity Number 1137541) I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference.

.....................................................................................................................................................

Signed ................................................................................................ Date ........ /........ /........

Account number ................................................................ Sort Code ............................

Please note that HMRC require charities to have the donor’s home address on the Gift Aid declaration. Please notify the Girton College Development Office if you want to cancel this declaration, if you change your name or home address, or if you no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.

Please pay the

Monthly

Quarterly

Annual sum of £.........................

commencing on ............................................... ending on ............................................... To Girton College, Cambridge, Account number 40207322 at Barclays Bank PLC, St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge CB2 3AA (sort code 20-17-68) Signed ................................................................................................ Date ........ /........ /........ Regular Gift – Direct Debit You can set up a direct debit online by visiting www.girton.cam.ac.uk/giving One-off or Regular Gift – Bank Transfer To donate via bank transfer, please add your last name and first name (space permitting) to the payment reference and transfer to the following: Account Number: 40207322 Sort Code: 20 -17- 68 Barclays Bank PLC, St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge CB2 3AA SWIFTBIC: BARCGB22 / IBAN: GB75 BARC 2017 6840 207322 Please notify the College when you have made your donation. One-off Gift I enclose a cheque for ....................................... made payable to Girton College, Cambridge Or I wish to make a donation by credit/debit card: Please debit the sum of .......................................... from my account. Card type (Visa, MasterCard etc) ...................................................................................

154

The Year

Name .............................................................. Year of matriculation

.............................

Address ..................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................... ..........................................................................

Postcode

.....................................................

Telephone ................................................................................................................................ Email .......................................................................................................................................... If you are a higher-rate taxpayer, please contact us for more information on tax-efficient giving. Please return the completed donation form and Gift Aid declaration (if appropriate) to The Development Office, Girton College, Cambridge CB3 0JG. Alternatively you can email the form to development@girton.cam.ac.uk. Girton College likes to keep in touch with all our alumni and supporters and data held by the College will be used for alumni relations and fundraising purposes. For more details about how we use this information, please visit www.girton.cam.ac.uk/gdpr.


Girton College Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0JG 01223 338999 www.girton.cam.ac.uk


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