In Touch Spring 2013 by King's College London

Spring 2013

NO GLASS CEILING OUR AMAZING TWINS DATABASE BILL BRYSON ON LONDON KING’S: YOUR GLOBAL PASSPORT

Leaving a gift in your will

Giving back & looking forward Does King’s hold cherished memories for you? Looking back, did studying at King’s make a difference to your formative years or your career path? If King’s means a lot to you, you can help make sure it will mean just as much to students or researchers in the future. Deciding to leave a gift in your will is a wonderful way to give back to the College. Looking forward, your gift can help shape the lives of future students or support world-class research at King’s for generations to come. To find out about leaving a gift in your will to King’s please visit www.alumni.kcl.ac.uk/legacy

Thank you Postal address: Legacy Manager Fundraising & Supporter Development King’s College London & King’s Health Partners James Clerk Maxwell Building 57 Waterloo Road London SE1 8WA Telephone: +44 (0)20 7848 4700 Email: legacy-info@kcl.ac.uk

In the service of society

Science for all Diana Garnham, War Studies, MA, 1979 michael Donald

illions of Britons view a science career as something for an elite set of brainiacs who will land jobs that require white lab coats. Diana Garnham is working to erase all that: science is not just for future researchers and a science career does not mean you must wear white for the rest of your life. She is Chief Executive of the Science Council, an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Its membership is diverse: from the Institute of Physics to the British Psychological Society to the Institute of Brewing & Distilling. Garnham isn’t a scientist. Rather, as an activist opposed to cruise missiles and Ronald Reagan’s proposed ‘Star Wars’ space shield, she decided to learn about the technology behind those systems to understand those who disagreed with her. That eventually led her to the Science Council, where she devotes much of her time to changing the perception of scientists, in part through the council’s career website, futuremorph.org. The council has compiled surprising data. For instance, while there are 32,000 STEM academics in UK higher education and a further 170,000 in R&D, another 5.4 million UK workers have jobs that involve science; the council breaks science careers into 10 types, including entrepreneur, teacher and communicator. British primary schools are generally doing a good job getting children enthused about science, Garnham says. Unfortunately, many schools drain all creativity from their science

Boys ask, How fast can we go?

classes once students start preparing for their GCSEs. Some secondary school teachers actively discourage students they don’t consider bright enough from taking science courses. ‘If they can’t teach science to all students,’ she says, ‘then the problem may lie with the curriculum and the teaching, and not the pupils.’ Women receive more than half of the 195,000 STEM degrees awarded each year by UK universities but remain under-represented in several areas. ‘A high proportion of the people

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studying psychology are women, and that’s just as worrying as the small percentage of women studying physics and engineering,’ she says. A mix in every profession is beneficial as men and women bring fundamentally different perspectives to their jobs. Garnham cites a 2005 survey of European schoolchildren. ‘Boys tended to have an interest in questions such as, How fast can we go? How can we blow this thing up?’ she says. ‘The top question for girls across Europe was, Why do we dream?’ spring 2013 IN TOUCH

presented at King’s, in November 1953, was Hippolytus, and several alumni who performed in that play will attend this year’s Alumni Weekend. ‘It’s a tradition we should be proud of and therefore hold on to because it really takes a lot of guts to do an entire play in a

gemma mount

Continuing a 60-year tradition, King’s students in February presented the College’s annual Greek play – the only UK production of a play in its original ancient Greek. This year’s play was Oedipus at Colonus, the story of Oedipus’s return to Athens to die. The first Greek play

language that has long been unfamiliar to us,’ said Ian Wong, producer of this year’s show. ‘Upholding this tradition provides an opportunity for classicists at any level to see how metre really works in an actual performance context, whether as spectator, performer or director.’

ancient tradition

IN TOUCH

spring 2013

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Update

THE BIG PICTURE King’s 60th Greek play

UPDATE Battling pirates, favourite blue plaques, Andy Allford Q&A

CAMPAIGN UPDATE More scholarships, cancer and blood vessels, our K+ programme

NO GLASS CEILING Four alumnae in the Gulf talk about the commitment needed to succeed

KING’S TWINS REGISTRY The amazing power of our twins database

BILL BRYSON ON LONDON Reflections on the best-selling author’s favourite city

THE LIFE OF TECH ENTREPRENEURS Two young alumni and their endless chase for investors

COMMUNITY Your global passport, mascotry memories, stories from the Platanes

LETTERS More war memories, a special thank-you

Alumni benefits and services +44 (0)20 7848 3053 alumoff@kcl.ac.uk

LONDON & ME Riding the tram

IN TOUCH

eaders of these pages are aware that King’s has established a series of Global Institutes, each focusing on an emerging world power. These institutes underscore the unprecedented investment we’re making to expand the College’s international scope. We’re also finding that the Global Institutes are having a ripple effect across our Schools, raising King’s profile, assisting in the internationalisation of curricula and helping us attract staff and students from around the world. Our Global Institutes currently offer degrees at the master’s and PhD levels, and their modules are open to students from all Schools. A public policy student, for instance, might opt for a course offered by the Brazil Institute, or a war studies student might take one module from the India Institute. We’ve found that students at all levels are enthused by the Global Institutes’ offerings. It is immensely satisfying to see so many students turn out for an evening panel discussion about Indian politics or a presentation on Brazil’s economy. The Global Institutes have also had the unexpected benefit of helping us attract outstanding staff members with extensive international experience, as demonstrated IN TOUCH

LOGIC PUZZLE Spilt pills

King’s global outlook is having an impact across our Schools

spring 2013

King’s College London, Ground Floor, Strand Bridge House, 138-142 Strand, London WC2R 1HH © King’s College London 2013

In Touch is published by the College’s Fundraising & Supporter Development office. The opinions expressed in it are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the College. The College will publish the next issue of In Touch in autumn 2013

Editorial +44 (0)20 7848 4703 InTouch@kcl.ac.uk Editor James Bressor Assistant Editor Christian Smith Editorial Assistant Amanda Calberry

by the Film Studies Department’s recent appointment of Professor Chris Berry, an internationally recognised scholar of Chinese cinema. Professor Berry said he accepted the appointment in large part because King’s Film Studies Department is widely regarded as the finest in the UK but also because of the College’s Lau China Institute, ‘whose existence confirms a genuine commitment on the College’s part to the area of the world I work on’. The College’s growing international orientation is helping us attract even more academics and researchers with global reputations, illustrated by the appointment of Professor David Caron as the new Dean of The Dickson Poon School of Law, which has made transnational law a School-wide priority. Currently teaching at the University of California at Berkeley, Professor Caron brings a remarkable breadth of international law experience to the School: he serves as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Rule of Law, the Executive Council of the American Bar Association Section on International Law and the US Department of State Advisory Committee on Public International Law. He is also a member of the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law. s with many of our recent appointments, in Professors Caron and Berry we have academic leaders of international stature who share our institutional focus on fostering greater international understanding and developing solutions to global problems. Appointments such as these will benefit their colleagues, our students and the entire College.

A Contributors Nancy Allison, Luisa Barbaro, Louise Bell, James Bressor, Lucy Jolin, King’s Public Relations, Helen May, Christian Smith, Amy Webb Photography Julian Anderson, Nick Dawe, Suki Dhanda, Michael Donald, Scott Goldsmith, Gemma Mount, Daryl Visscher

Illustrations Marie-Helene Jeeves, James Lambert, Michael Kirkham, Adam Simpson Design Esterson Associates +44 (0)20 7684 6500 Repro DawkinsColour Print Warners

In Touch has been produced using paper from sustainable sources and bleached using an elemental chlorine-free process. The paper is produced at a mill that meets the ISO 14001 environmental management standard and the EMAS environmental management standard. The magazine is fully recyclable.

Battling 21st century pirates Foresight Former naval officer Martin Ewence has been at the front line of the military campaign fighting modern piracy Twenty-first century pirates do not fit the stereotype of the loveable rogues found in film and literature. ‘They are hardened criminals who spread fear and violence,’ says Martin Ewence OBE (MA, Defence Studies, 1997). ‘But now the power is finally shifting away from them – they can no longer operate with impunity.’ In response to the growing number of violent attacks on private and merchant vessels in the Somali Basin during the past decade, Ewence spent his final tour of duty in the Royal Navy in the NATO Counter Piracy Squadron. As Chief of Staff, he was in command of an international team of 20 naval officers from seven European nations – Belgium, Italy, Greece and Turkey amongst them – operating from a Dutch flagship. ‘My main job was to pull together the different strands of the operation, intelligence, communications and logistics, and manage the five warships patrolling this huge area of water,’ explains Ewence. ‘Progress was slow until we moved closer to the coastline and set up a patrol line offshore.’ This strategy allowed the squadron to gain more detailed intelligence on the pirates’ movements. The turning point came in April 2011. ‘We launched a spectacular and unexpected takedown of a pirate mother ship, setting off a chain of events that resulted in lots of arrests and the destruction of several ships.’ There wasn’t a single hijacking in May 2011, and during all of 2012 there were only five successful seizures of merchant ships by pirates, down from 25 in 2011. Ewence continued his anti-piracy work on-shore in the EU maritime force before retiring from the Royal Navy last year. During his 30-year career he studied the MA in Defence Studies as part of the first ever Joint Services Command and Staff course.

Karen robinson

From the Principal

The pirates can no longer operate with impunity

‘I keep in touch with many of the students and we keep bumping into each other – a great bonus of service life,’ he says. His daughter Poppy, in the final year of her music degree, is carrying on the King’s connection. After high drama on the seas, Ewence is now working in the role of Head of Maritime Risk Consulting at G4S Risk Management. It is more office bound, although he still travels extensively. ‘The transition has been extraordinarily painless. I am surrounded by ex-military and merchant navy people and it’s fascinating work,’ he says. Despite the success of military operations, Ewence emphasises that piracy has not disappeared. ‘Sadly,

there are still around 160 hostages held in inhumane conditions on several ships off the coast.’ However, the longer-term outlook is promising. After years of clan warfare, the Somalis now enjoy greater political stability, and local communities are no longer tolerating the raucous behaviour of pirates in their villages, he says. In addition, better counter-piracy practices on merchant vessels are improving security. ‘The ships are cruising at greater speed and installing barriers like barbed wire. But, most importantly, many are now employing armed security guards and the pirates are simply not prepared to run the risk of getting killed or captured.’ spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Update

From Pitt to Hendrix

King’s in the media

King’s recommends Dr Emily Cole (English, 1996), Senior Historian and Head of the Blue Plaques Team at English Heritage, shares five favourite plaques Blue plaques are a familiar part of the London streetscape. The scheme was founded in 1866 by the (Royal) Society of Arts, and passed successively to the London County Council, the Greater London Council and, in 1986, English Heritage. To date, there are around 875 plaques in London. My favourites commemorate:

IN TOUCH

scheme’s adoption by the LCC in 1901, and ran it until his retirement in 1914; he was a thorough historian, and the Blue Plaques Team still follows many of the principles that he set out.

spring 2013

William Pitt the Elder (1708-78), Earl of Derby (1799-1869) and WE Gladstone (1809-98), Prime Ministers, 10 St James’s Square This plaque is a favourite for its own sake – the beauty of its craftsmanship is, to me, exceptional. The plaque dates from 1910, and was made by Minton, who continued to manufacture the scheme’s plaques until 1921. As the plaque commemorates three Prime Ministers

(including Pitt the Elder, left), residents in this house at different times, its inscription is unusually long. It proved impossible to make the ceramic roundel any larger – to do so would cause failure in the kiln – and so the laurel-wreath border (a feature used on plaques at the time) was formed out of a series of individual tiles, leaving space for the words on the plaque itself.

Stevie Smith (1902-71), Poet, 1 Avondale Road, Palmers Green This is a favourite plaque for two reasons. Firstly, the length of Smith’s association with this Edwardian house is extraordinary. She was born in Hull, but moved here in 1906 and lived in the house until her death 65 years later. Secondly, the house is so familiar to me: I spent 12 of my earliest years living just around the corner.

david redfern/getty, mary evans (2) English heritage, science photo library

Sir Laurence Gomme (1853-1916), Clerk to the London County Council, folklorist and historian, 24 Dorset Square, Marylebone Gomme has long been an inspiration to me, for his many contributions to London over the course of his long career but specifically for his work on the blue plaques scheme. He oversaw the

Jimi Hendrix (1942-70), Guitarist and songwriter, 23 Brook Street, Mayfair This is a favourite plaque for me, mainly because of its relationship with an earlier blue plaque: that to composer George Frideric Handel, which marks the building next door. This results in perhaps the most remarkable pairing of plaques in the country, although I also love the plaque for Hendrix’s sake, being the daughter of a guitarist and a Hendrix fan. Mary Hughes (1860-1941), Friend of all in need, 71 Vallance Road, Bethnal Green I’ve always been intrigued by the inscription and recipient of this plaque, who clearly made life brighter for a great many people. She ran the teetotal ‘Dewdrop Inn: For Education and Joy’, a refuge for any in need of a roof over their heads. Hughes is an example of someone who is not well known, but who seems entirely deserving of her blue plaque.

Passive smoking and dementia The Daily Mail featured an article on an international study led by Dr Ruoling Chen, a senior lecturer in the Division of Health and Social Care Research, on the link between passive smoking and symptoms of dementia. Previous studies had firmly established links between second-hand smoke and cardiovascular problems, respiratory diseases and cognitive impairment, but this report, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, was the first to find a significant link to dementia symptoms. Dr Chen and his colleagues interviewed 5,921 people and found that

A link between second-hand smoke and dementia

10 percent of the group had severe dementia symptoms, which were significantly related to exposure level and duration of passive smoking. Muscle repair breakthrough Several media outlets including the Daily Express reported that researchers from King’s, Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital had identified a key factor responsible for declining muscle repair during ageing and discovered how to halt the process in mice with a common drug. The finding provides clues as to how muscles lose mass with age, which can result in weakness that affects mobility and may cause falls. Published in the journal Nature and led by Dr Albert Basson of the Dental Institute, the study looked at stem cells found inside muscles, which are responsible for repairing injury, to find out why the ability of muscles to regenerate declines with age. A dormant reservoir of stem cells is present inside every muscle, ready to be activated by exercise and injury to repair any damage.

The lasting legacy of India A month brimming with activity in India opens up a world of opportunities for young people Students who have participated in a summer cultural immersion programme operated by King’s in India are encouraging more young people to explore this diverse nation rich with unexpected opportunities. ‘Hearing about our experiences helps to broaden young people’s horizons,’ says Chloe McLauchlan, a final-year German student at King’s. ‘During my time in Mumbai, I worked for an NGO that gives street children a space where they can relax and enjoy themselves. We kept them entertained by organising fun activities like dance workshops.’ She has continued her NGO work during the academic year by setting up Project Chirag UK, which is helping provide solar lighting to rural villages in India. McLauchlan faced competition from applicants across the country to win a place on the 2012 programme, which the College manages on behalf of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative. She joined 40 other King’s students and nearly 120 students from other UK universities. Based in Delhi or Mumbai, the group studied courses on contemporary India – its politics, economy and culture – and visited tourist attractions before their oneweek work placement. The internships, supported by the multinational company Tata, are a

highlight of the programme: students can choose to work in a range of consultancy roles or at NGOs or charities. The scheme has now been running for four years. Tayyeb Shah, Director of Executive Education, is keen to encourage its growing band of alumni to network and share news about how the experience continues to impact their lives. ‘Being in India changes students’ thinking,’ he says. ‘It also gives them a competitive edge in the job market: multinational companies are interested and often pick up on this in interviews.’ Max Waldron (MA International Relations, 2011) travelled to Delhi in 2009 and now works for the international consulting firm Bain & Company. ‘It’s a good thing to talk about when you go for jobs,’ he says. ‘The strongest part of the programme for me was working at the British Council. I did some research and wrote blogs for their Low Carbon Futures project.’ On their return, all students receive a training session from teachers before going into schools to spread the message to the next generation. ‘We want to encourage as many young people as possible to think about globalisation and what India can offer,’ says Shah. ‘It’s a great place for work and study.’

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Update From our libraries top

borrowed books

01: Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology HP Rang et al., 7th edition

06: The Cardiovascular System at a Glance Philip I Aaronson, 3rd edition

Reggie’s round-up

02: Tort Law: Text and Materials Mark Lunney, 4th edition

07: Central Issues in Jurisprudence: Justice, Law and Rights NE Simmonds, 3rd edition

03: Ander’s Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function Eric P Widmaier, 12th edition

08: Cases and Materials on International Law DJ Harris, 7th edition

King’s to create maths specialist school The College is planning a specialist school for talented young mathematicians as part of the government’s plans to improve maths education in the state sector. King’s has received a grant from the Department for Education and the College-sponsored school is expected to open in September 2014. The specialist school initiative involves the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Education & Professional Studies.

04: Aulton’s Pharmaceutics: The Design and Manufacture of Medicines Michael E Aulton, 3rd edition 05: Essential Cell Biology Bruce Alberts, 3rd edition

09: Essentials of Dental Radiography and Radiology Eric Whaites, 4th edition 10: Wheater’s Functional Histology: A Text and Colour Atlas Barbara Young et al., 5th edition

Andy Allford Q&A Promoting students’ health and wellbeing Andy Allford is the Head of Sport & Active Lifestyles at King’s, a position created in 2012. He joined King’s immediately after the Olympic Games. What was your role as part of the Team GB badminton team?

I have worked with the Team GB badminton squad for the past six years, mainly as a strength and conditioning coach with the English Institute of Sport. I was asked to be the Olympic Team Leader for London, which was an honour. What attracted you to King’s?

First and foremost, it was the actual role. It is a new position for the university and obviously that gives you a certain amount of scope to direct future strategy in this area. I knew nothing in performance sport would quite top London and having enjoyed working in the University sector before, the job at King’s looked perfect. The fact that King’s is such a great institution was a bonus!

The new school will open in September 2014

top

borrowed e-books

01: Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology HP Rang et al., 7th edition

06: Neuroanatomy Alan R Crossman & David Neary, 4th edition

02: Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics edited by Tom Lissauer & Graham Clayden, 4th edition

07: Kumar and Clark’s Clinical Medicine edited by Parveen Kumar & Michael Clark

3: Gray’s Anatomy for Students Richard L Drake, A Wayne Vogl & Adam WM Mitchell 04: British National Formulary Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain 05: Oxford English Dictionary Online Oxford University Press 8

IN TOUCH

spring 2013

08: Wheater’s Functional Histology Barbara Young et al. 09: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography edited by HCG Matthew & Brian Harrison 10: Easy Guide to OSCEs for Specialities: A Step-by-Step Guide to OCSE Success Muhammed Akunjee, Syed Jalali & Shoaib Siddiqui

IoP leads global mental health project An international consortium of scientists, led by the Institute of Psychiatry, has launched the EMERALD global mental health project to improve mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries. The project is funded with €5.8 million from the EU. Working with healthcare professionals in Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, the EMERALD Project will seek to establish adequate, fair and sustainable resourcing, integrated provision of physical and mental health and improved coverage of care.

What’s your vision for sport and fitness at King’s?

suki dhanda

marie-helene jeeves

‘We are committed to extending our existing outreach activities with the aim of improving standards of maths education,’ says the Principal, Professor Sir Richard Trainor. ‘Our new maths specialist school will provide vital support for sixthformers in London to enable them to achieve their aspirations of studying STEM subjects, such as mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science, at leading universities.’

At the present time, our sport offer is quite traditional and only really serving the students that enjoy sport via our representative teams. We have a bigger job to do in expanding our sport offering to a greater number of King’s students so they can be physically active and help look after their health and wellbeing. We will be trying very hard to get physical activity space on each of the campuses so we have facilities on the doorstep, which will make it easier for people to incorporate exercise into their daily schedules.

Are today’s students – who’ve had computers, Xboxes and handhelds their entire lives – more or less fit than previous generations?

It is hard to make a sweeping generalisation, but it’s likely that the whole of the population is less fit than our previous ones. I was speaking to my father about this the other day and he was saying that you simply didn’t have the choices you have today when you had spare ‘play time’. His only option was to go out and play football, not simulate a game on an Xbox. Do today’s students have different attitudes about fitness?

I don’t think so. There has been a massive amount of educational work done on what are healthy choices but it is the behavioural change aspect that is the truly hard bit. Finally, which sports do you participate in when you’re away from work?

My main sport was basketball but I don’t play that anymore. I just train in the gym and run now.

We need to expand our sport offering

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Campaign Update

‘Peace of mind’

Chain Reaction

Scholarships, bursaries and grants With the help of alumni, King’s is putting extra funding in place

to ease the financial pressure on today’s students

Scholarships Sporting

opportunities help busy students ‘switch off, socialise and have fun’ Rowing on the Thames helped the eminent heart transplant specialist Professor David Cooper (Guy’s, Medicine, 1963) to relax from the demands of his intensive medical training half a century ago. ‘Being in the boat club meant I could switch off, socialise and have fun,’ he says. 10

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spring 2013

Learn more about our campaign at kcl.ac.uk/ kingsanswers

of the International Economy degree. Synthia Enyioma receives the STEM Enterprise Scholarship, which encourages applications to degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by waiving the full fee of £9,000 as well as providing an annual cash bursary of £1,000. A biochemical sciences student, Enyioma says the high fees could have put her off studying. ‘I was starting to think, “How am I going to pay this back?” So I am very happy that King’s

Professor Cooper is now donating $50,000 to today’s King’s College Boat Club – specifically, to provide scholarships for students in the club. He is calling on all alumni to make a gift with whatever they can afford to help secure the future of rowing or any other sport at King’s. After a long career at the forefront of transplant surgery, Professor Cooper is now leading a research team at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has fond memories of his days on the water in Chiswick and is keen to ensure King’s can continue to offer a thriving sports scene. ‘I hope my gift

Above, Professor David Cooper, second from right in the front row, from his days at Guy’s; now an internationally recognised expert in xenotransplantation and a generous donor, left

offers these opportunities.’ Postgraduates can also apply for support. For professionals returning to education and undergraduates who want to extend their studies, King’s offers a range of scholarships awarded on merit. A database on the College website (kcl.ac.uk/graduate/funding/ database) summarises all sources of postgraduate funding. Alumni are making a significant difference in the lives of students. In addition to supporting scholarships, their donations are topping up a special fund that helps students – with awards ranging from £100 to £3,000 – who face unexpected financial hardship during the academic year. ‘We have already received some very generous funding from alumni to set up schemes in a variety of areas,’ says Javed. ‘We welcome any donation that will allow us to extend some of the most popular scholarships and help even more students.’ To help students with financial needs, please email giving@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 4701

will inspire other alumni to give something back. If we want to see our university do well and maintain its high standards, I feel we need to support it,’ says Professor Cooper. If you want to support sports at King’s, please email giving@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 4701

adam simpson

Stress relief

The Desmond Tutu Scholarship, named in honour of King’s most beloved alumnus, is open to students who show a strong commitment to improving the lives of people in developing nations

donors each giving

provide first-year medical students with an interactive training programme, in which students ‘treat’ lifelike manikins in a simulated clinical setting

jillian edelstein

Following the introduction of the UK’s new tuition scheme, King’s is increasing its provision of scholarships and bursaries to ensure that access to the College is not compromised by financial concerns. ‘We want the brightest students to continue to come to King’s regardless of their background or financial resources,’ says Sam Javed, Senior Assistant Registrar, who manages the College’s student funding initiatives. For all students who receive maintenance grants, the new Living Bursary tops up their budgets with £500 or £1,000 a year to improve their financial stability. This will increase to £1,000 and £1,500 from this autumn. There is also a growing list of specialist scholarships. One of the most popular is the Desmond Tutu Scholarship, which provides an annual fee waiver or cash bursary of £7,500. ‘The fee waiver is taking an enormous amount of financial pressure off me as I will probably want to do further study in America when I graduate,’ says Ellie Howard, studying on the new Politics

100 £70

Raising aspirations K+ gives sixth-formers a taste of university life More than 500 sixth-form students from across London are enjoying a taste of higher education at King’s and improving their chances of getting into the country’s top universities. The College’s K+ widening participation programme attracts some of the capital’s most promising students, with 990 applicants this year. The programme aims to ensure that students feel confident enough to apply to a university that matches their academic abilities. Successful applicants receive online mentoring from undergraduates, attend study sessions and can attend cultural events. ‘K+ students have great academic results and handfuls of A*s at GCSE but need support in getting to a highly selective university,’ says Anne-Marie Canning, Head of Widening Participation at King’s. ‘Often they are first-generation entrants into higher education and their home addresses are in locations where HE participation is relatively low.’ K+ includes taster sessions that enrich the sixth-formers’ subject knowledge beyond the A-level curriculum and help them make their degree choice. Many of these students attend a summer school that includes sample lectures and field trips. ‘The classes helped me realise that law was the right subject for me to pursue,’ says Abigail Kolawole from Christ the King Sixth Form College in Lewisham. Her classmate Alfredtina Boaitey adds, ‘There was a lot of practical advice on how to make the transition from sixth form to university.’ The extra-mural activities can be equally important, says Canning: ‘Travelling around the city and going to cultural events helps build the confidence of our K+ students. A group of them came to the student-run King’s Opera event in Brixton recently and had a great time.’ In its pilot year, all 142 K+ students applied to university, with 57 hoping to study at King’s. spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Campaign Update

An ancient society looks to the future

Why I give to King’s

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spring 2013

julian anderson

From left, EMDP Co-Director Dr Alison Stenton and students Jermaine Wright and Kate Tew

Learn more about our campaign at kcl.ac.uk/ kingsanswers

many regularly graduating in the top 10 per cent of their year group. Outreach for Medicine is a natural fit for the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, whose members – like the Barbers’ Company – include doctors, pharmacists, dentists and veterinary surgeons. ‘The Society of Apothecaries has been involved in medical education and standard setting for nearly 400 years,’ says Dr Timothy Chambers OBE (KCSMD, Medicine, 1969), a former master apothecary. ‘It welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the Outreach for Medicine programme, which has enlarged access to undergraduate education in an imaginative and successful way, allowing young people to achieve more than they might have dreamed of.’ The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries has agreed to fund some

of the programme’s high-cost equipment needs for the coming year. This equipment is used in the interactive workshops to allow pupils to take turns in role-playing, carrying out key clinical skills such as taking blood pressure, taking blood samples using a prosthetic arm and stitching wounds using prosthetic suturing pads. Because the equipment gets used nearly every day, many expensive items need replacing by year’s end. ‘Our outreach scheme has been successful because of the wonderful support we have received from the Barbers, Apothecaries and other donors. The generosity of our donors inspires students in the programme and transforms their lives,’ says EMDP Co-Director Dr Alison Stenton (English, MA, 1998; PhD, 2004). To learn about supporting the Outreach for Medicine programme, please call +44 (0)20 7848 3407

Tim Palmer is a GP principal working in a large urban practice and a forensic physician for the Met and Kent Police. As a student, he says, ‘most of my social life revolved around sport, particularly the rugby club’.

I count myself lucky. As a student I did not have to rely on my parents for financial support while I was at Guy’s. I was supported completely by the Local Authority Grant and left Medical School as a doctor with no burgeoning student loans. Students today are under enormous financial pressure, with an extended training duration leading to heavy borrowing. It is reducing the opportunities for some groups of students. Universities should offer opportunities for people from all backgrounds to avail themselves of the opportunity for tertiary education. Unfortunately, there are many barriers for some worthy candidates, some of them social and some of them financial. Because of this, and knowing that there are many students now who face financial hardship, I felt that I could afford to make a small contribution to help those future students a little.

Widening participation The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries generously supports an innovative programme that aims to inspire talented pupils The 395-year-old Worshipful Society of Apothecaries is the latest venerable organisation to support King’s award-winning programme to introduce children from underperforming schools to possible careers in medicine. By contributing to the popular Outreach for Medicine programme, the society joins the programme’s principal sponsor, the Worshipful Company of Barbers, in helping thousands of young students realise they may well have the potential to become doctors. Thanks to its supporters, Outreach for Medicine is able to work with school children in more than 500 non-selective state schools and sixth-form colleges in Greater London and Kent annually, providing tailored educational and mentoring activities related to medicine. These students also learn about the Extended Medical Degree Programme (EMDP), initiated a dozen years ago by Professor Sir Cyril Chantler, former Dean of the GKT Medical & Dental Schools, to widen access for pupils from disadvantaged schools. Through the EMDP, pupils with potential, but with A-level grades which may be lower than those normally expected of prospective students, gain admission to King’s Medical School. These students have an extra year to complete the first two phases of the course but must pass all assessments at the same level as other students. From the third phase onwards, the course followed is exactly the same as the standard five-year degree. The programme has proven to be a great success and students have performed above expectations, with

Tim Palmer Guy’s, Medicine, 1982

Cancer and blood vessels King’s researchers discover a link King’s researchers have uncovered a protein that allows cancer cells to spread, a significant breakthrough in cancer research following five years of intensive lab work at the College. Researchers on the team behind this discovery have been looking at how cancer cells form new tumours in other parts of the body. Most deaths are due to cancer metastasis, which develops most commonly in the lungs, bones or liver, yet there are few treatments that prevent this from happening. Their work has shown for the first time that a protein found inside cancer

cells, called Cdc42, helps cells to attach themselves to blood vessel walls so they can spread to other parts of the body through the blood. ‘This could lead to the design of new treatments in the future to reduce metastasis,’ says Professor Anne Ridley, who heads the team. Although she is the project’s public face, she emphasises that its success is grounded in collaboration. ‘Much of the work was done by our former research fellow Dr Nicolas Raymond, now back in France, who joined us in 2005 and started the whole project,’ she says. ‘But a lot of other people have contributed, including Ruth Muschel and colleagues at Oxford University who helped us with techniques that we couldn’t carry out in our lab.’ This work complements many other research projects across the UK and abroad that are looking at how to stop

More than 1,000 alumni and friends of King’s have supported the College’s cancer research with donations. To join them, please email giving@kcl.ac.uk, call +44 (0)20 7848 4701 or visit the website alumni. kcl.ac.uk/cancer to learn more

cancer growing, although the King’s group is unique in investigating the disease’s interaction with blood vessels. For Professor Ridley, this research also has a personal element. ‘Around 10 years ago, my sister’s husband died of cancer,’ she says. ‘He was only 44. This motivated me to work on metastasis as it caused his death.’ Research of this kind has been funded through the generosity of the College’s supporters – cancer is one of the priorities of the World questions| King’s answers campaign – as well as by grants from charities such as Cancer Research UK. Professor Ridley hopes this latest advance will attract additional funding to move the research forward quickly. ‘I’m really excited about what we’re going to do next,’ she says. ‘We are recruiting two new people to continue the research but would really like to grow the team to push it forwards.’ spring 2013 IN TOUCH

daryl visscher

‘i hope there is no

glass ceiling

on my daughter’s ambitions’

Commitment and passion are essential for women making their mark in the Middle East By Nancy Allison

Alanoud Al Sharekh English, 1996 Author, activist, consultant UNIFEM, Freedom House, United Nations Development Programme

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spring 2013

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

daryl visscher

Farah Foustok Mathematics, 1992 Chief Executive Officer ING Investment Management Middle East

Rising to the top of your profession isn’t easy for anyone in any culture. It’s an even greater challenge if you’re a woman in an overwhelmingly male-dominated society. For these four King’s alumnae in the Gulf – two in Dubai, two in Kuwait – anything less than success simply isn’t an option. Although they have chosen different career paths, they share an unshakeable faith in hard work, equal rights and representation for women and the freedom to pursue their goals. ‘Nothing will come to you on a silver platter’

Farah Foustok rarely has time for practice polo matches, but when she does, she never misses the ball. Being one of a handful of women on a polo field in Dubai daunts the CEO of ING Investment Management Middle East about as much as being one of the few women in finance in the United Arab Emirates – which is to say, not at all. Born in Beirut to a Saudi mother and Palestinian father, Foustok and her parents moved to the UK when she was five. She wanted to return to the region, ‘when I had something to give back’. After receiving a BSc (Hons) at King’s and an MBA in Finance at Imperial College, working in equity strategy at Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley, engaging in a private venture in Argentina and managing a real estate business in Spain, she felt ready. Arriving in the UAE in 2005, Foustok found Arab men more respectful to women in many ways than their western counterparts in the boardroom. However, tacit exclusion from men-only meetings came as a bit of a shock. In Arab society, men have been networking for centuries, but it’s a new concept for women. This is something Foustok has been involved in since coming to the Gulf, mentoring women at the Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia, at the Carnegie School of Mellon, Qatar and through ING Investment Management’s BiD Network in Dubai. ‘I never believed I could not achieve something I set out to accomplish,’ she says, but understands that self-belief is not a given, especially for women in the Arab world. ‘More women here are graduating from university than men, their marks are higher, they are more prepared and more focused. But even so, when they enter a room filled with men they lose confidence.’ Sports mad and school sports captain at Francis Holland at age 17, Foustok is convinced that taking part in athletics early fostered the drive and competitiveness she’s needed in her career. ‘If it’s embedded in your DNA, you will always push yourself.’ But she also took seriously her father’s admonition that ‘nothing will come to you on a silver platter; you have to make your own success.’ Foustok says women entering careers in 16

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spring 2013

finance have a natural skill that can help them succeed. ‘Networking and social capital are very important here. People rely on trust for the majority of business they do. To develop good relationships with clients you have to listen. One of the greatest strengths women have is listening.’ ‘Business is in my blood’

Angel investor Shimi Shah excels at listening, but admits to having a selective ear. ‘I am deaf to the word no,’ she texts, summing up nicely one of the reasons for her success just before boarding yet another plane. After spending 15 years in venture capital, managing investments in the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, she likes to ‘think big, and I expect my portfolio to reflect this.’ It wasn’t as easy in the beginning. Sheer determination saw her through her first venture capital assignment looking after manufacturing, steel stockholding and chemicals in the Midlands. ‘I’ve always faced challenges being an Asian woman in what is still a male-dominated world. But I earned respect from working hard and taking the time to understand the job and the businesses around me, rather than focusing on discrimination.’ Growing up in Kenya, Shah was involved in the family business from an early age. Greatly influenced by her parents’ hard work and commitment, she had not only achieved a first-class honours degree from King’s and a master’s in management from Cambridge, but also had founded, grown and sold her first business by the age of 26. When she turned 40, she tried to retire. ‘It lasted for a week before I was climbing the walls. Business is in my blood and I love it.’ After moving to Dubai five years ago, Shah became CEO of Forsa, LLC, an investment company owned by the government of Dubai, operated for women by women. In 2010, she decided she could be more useful advising start-up companies with Carousel Solutions, a consultancy she operates with her husband that helps enterprises develop and thrive. Shah devotes half a day each week to mentoring women who want to become entrepreneurs. ‘My overall message to them is that they’ve got to be committed and passionate. It’s an all-consuming job, and

Women have to be committed and passionate

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

julian anderson

daryl visscher

women especially need support from the family for the long hours it will require.’ Long hours don’t bother Shah: she sleeps only three to four hours a night. ‘Being a natural insomniac gives me the luxury of long days and many different time zones to work in.’ She spends three to four months per year in Dubai and also has homes in Miami, London and Mumbai. With business interests in the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, each week is filled with conference calls, evening events and travel, but Shah likes it that way. ‘The day I wake up to a routine is the day I know something needs to change.’

Fouz Al-Sabah MA, Cultural & Creative Industries, 2011 Publisher Khaleejesque

‘No glass ceiling’

Change is a word that drives Kuwaiti activist and author Alanoud Al Sharekh. In 1999, she began participating in protests and lobbying full-time in print and in person, responding to the National Assembly’s rejection of an Emiri decree granting voting rights to women. Soon to give birth to a daughter, Al Sharekh vowed ‘to do everything I could to bring her into a country where her voice mattered’. Al Sharekh holds a BA from King’s and a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies in comparative feminist literature. She has worked as a consultant on human rights and gender for UNIFEM, Freedom House and the United Nations Development Programme. Author of several books and articles on gender and kinship policies in the Gulf, she is currently senior fellow for Middle East politics at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain. In May 2005, Kuwaiti women were granted the right to vote and stand in parliamentary and local elections. ‘Women here have more mobility and financial and social independence than many places in the Arab World,’ says Al Sharekh. But since the turmoil surrounding the Arab Uprisings, they have taken ‘a huge step back.’ In 2009, four women were elected to the Kuwaiti Parliament. But ‘when a tribal-Islamist opposition gained parliamentary majority in 2012,’ says Al Sharekh, ‘no women were elected to office or placed as ministers.’ ‘Regime change may mean ridding a place of corruption, tyranny and nepotism. But the trouble with change is that often chaos ensues and perhaps a lack of real progress.’ Even in Kuwait, where calls to overthrow the government didn’t

I would ask women to believe in themselves

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spring 2013

Shimi Shah Management Studies, 1992 Chairperson Carousel Solutions

occur, ‘the rise of Islamic rhetoric and politics, culture resistance and harsher judgments on female candidates are all threats to women’s political progress.’ When asked about her hopes for her daughter, now a young teen, Al Sharekh replies, ‘What I hope for her is what I hope for all women: that she is more than the sum of her biology. That she is never denied access to opportunities and jobs and scholarships because she’s a woman. That there is no glass ceiling on her own ambitions.’ ‘They assumed we’d be flaky’

If there’s a ceiling, glass or otherwise, limiting women’s aspirations, 27-year-old Kuwaiti publisher Fouz Al-Sabah believes women often impose it on themselves. Her advice? ‘I’d ask women to believe in themselves; after all, a lot of people won’t.’ The success of Khaleejesque, her online and quarterly print magazine showcasing culture and lifestyle in the Gulf, is testament to the single-minded self-belief that Al-Sabah suggests. ‘Quite a few people – men, actually – were surprised that we could create a magazine. They assumed we’d be flaky about the project, begin it and then neglect it. That just made us work harder.’ Four months before starting MA studies at King’s in 2009, Al-Sabah launched

Khaleejesque with Noufa Al-Sabah, her business partner and cousin. ‘Being at King’s cemented my desire to make the magazine work. It gave me a broader view of how to make it in the industry as a whole.’ Most media companies in the Gulf, says Al-Sabah, are licensed and run by men. The full-time staff at Khaleejesque is made up of women, as are (except for one part-time male) the writers and interns. ‘It’s not magic. It takes discipline and dedication. We really do care about what gets written – you don’t see that standard in other Kuwaiti magazines. Of course, people underestimate us, and don’t believe we do all the work ourselves.’ Women who want to escape tradition often feel like they are on their own, says Al-Sabah. ‘Men have a long tradition of mentorship here. There is a strong community sphere, called dewaniya [men’s social clubs], where men meet on a set day at a set time. Within the family, men gather together, help each other. There is a tight-knit financial networking tradition. Women don’t have that.’ In many ways, Al-Sabah and Khaleejesque provide a new kind of network for Arabic women. ‘We hear from women who say they’re inspired by seeing us succeed. The fact that we are operating successfully is a testament to what women can do.’ spring 2013 IN TOUCH

photographs by suki dhanda

Twins provide insights into everything from the health benefits of wine to belief in the Almighty

Natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s control group By Lucy Jolin

Janet and Janese Even their mum couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell them apart

IN TOUCH

spring 2013

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

‘Our mother never could tell us apart,’ remembers Janese Samuels, 53, the mirror image of her identical twin Janet Morgan. ‘She would never ask just me to do a task. It was always: “Janet-and-Janese?” We’d both come together. Even when I was an adult and I called her, she’d always say: “I know I’m talking to you, but which one am I talking to?”’ About 10 years ago, Morgan saw an advertisement in the Evening Standard asking for twins to take part in medical research. ‘We decided to apply and were accepted on the TwinsUK registry,’ she remembers. ‘Why? Because it’s so interesting, being a twin. Everyone is fascinated by twins.’ In May 2012, Dan Shillum, 46, was watching a Horizon documentary entitled The Truth About Fat. It featured Professor Tim Spector, founder of the TwinsUK registry, discussing identical twins who have a ‘discordancy’ around weight – where one twin has a different characteristic from the other, such as weight or height. ‘I’d never even heard that word before,’ he remembers. ‘But I realised that me and my identical twin Scott have it. Scott has always been heavier and taller than me, even though we are identical. I phoned Scott and said, “I don’t know if you’re watching this programme, but I’ve just seen this and it’s basically us!” So that prompted us to get in touch with Professor Spector and sign up.’ This year, the TwinsUK registry, based in the College’s Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology and located at St Thomas’ Hospital, reaches its 21st year. The database now contains extensive medical information on more than 12,000 identical and non-identical twins. They’re one of the most studied groups of twins anywhere, a living source of data which is being used by researchers worldwide to push back the frontiers of medical science. Any researcher can ask for it.

Hazel and Christine They raised £8,000 for twins research

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spring 2013

‘On average, we get around five requests per week,’ says Professor Spector, now Professor of Genetic Epidemiology and Director of the registry. ‘We want to make sure that the data are being used, rather than just sitting in a drawer somewhere.’ These twins give up their precious time and the precious information stored in their bodies – blood type, bone density, hearing ability and much more. They regularly take part in studies into everything from the ageing process to the health benefits of red wine. Answers to some of the world’s big questions could be buried somewhere in their genes. What causes cancer? Can we slow down the ageing process? Can we predict who will get a certain disease and who won’t? Which disorders are genetic and which are not? Studies can range from the highly complex, involving biopsies and blood samples, to the more esoteric. ‘We tend to do about one study a year,’ says Morgan. ‘Of course, we can always say no. My favourite was one on attractiveness. We had to both shower using special soap, before bed, at the same time on the same night. We had to sleep in T-shirts which were sent to us. Then we had to take them off, package them up and send them back – then later we had to go in to the centre and smell everyone else’s, and rate how attractive we found the smell! I ended up sniffing the T-shirt of someone from Newcastle. It’s not something you do every day…’ But why twins? They are nature’s control

identical twins rarely die of the same disease, and could hold the key to predicting who will get cancer and who won’t. ‘We recently published a piece of research looking at 36 pairs of identical twins where one had breast cancer and the other didn’t,’ says Professor Spector. ‘It found that the affected twin had the chemical switch, and the other didn’t. So, identical twins have the same genes and the same environment. But their genes are switched on and off differently. These changes were found to take place up to five years before breast cancer was diagnosed. This could mean that in the future, these changes could be detected and reversed before symptoms start to show.’

Dan and Scott They’re identical but discordant

You can tell quickly if a trait is due to nature or nurture

A COMMUNITY OF TWINS

group, explains Professor Spector. ‘Without being mean to twins, they are the closest we can get to doing animal experiments on humans,’ he says. ‘Identical twins are genetic clones of each other. Non-identical twins share only 50 per cent of their genes. Both are brought up the same way, have the same mother and early life experiences and relationships. So by comparing identical twins with non-identical twins, you can tell very quickly if a trait you are looking at is due to nature or nurture.’ In practice, you can test any measurable trait using this system, says Professor Spector. ‘For example, you ask the twins: do you believe in God? Yes, no or don’t know? You then see if the identical twins agree more on that than the

Professor Tim Spector He established the registry and created a community

non-identical twins. If they do, it shows that there is a genetic component to a belief in God.’ (This particular study, incidentally, showed that belief in God appears to be 40 to 50 per cent genetic.) It’s a system that has proved effective in showing a genetic component for not just belief but also for a huge range of conditions, including back pain, arthritis, cataracts, vitamin levels – and cancer, which is where epigenetics comes in. GENES TURNING ON OR OFF

Epigenetics, which simply means ‘on or above the gene’, is a major area of interest for TwinsUK. It’s the study of how genes can be turned ‘on’ or ‘off’, like chemical switches. It’s believed that this could explain why

The TwinsUK registry isn’t just faceless data. It’s also a real community. The twins have their own Facebook page and receive regular newsletters. Every two years, twins come together for a garden party. ‘It’s funny watching them,’ says Samuels. ‘We are so competitive and many twins are the same. You could tell when they brought out a giant game of Jenga for us to play! Young or old, they all wanted to beat their twin.’ In May 2011, identical twins and grandmothers Hazel Green and Christine Dafter, 66, raised more than £8,000 for the Department of Twins Research by walking 288 miles along the Greenwich Meridian Line. They first signed up to TwinsUK in 1997 and have taken part in studies regularly ever since. ‘We are pretty devoted to TwinsUK, as we’ve been doing it for so long,’ says Green, who remembers ‘being dressed exactly the same as Christine until we were at least 15 – all we had to tell us apart were necklaces with our names on.’ ‘You’re monitored, you’re looked after. It’s a lovely, friendly place to go,’ adds Dafter. ‘And the results could benefit everybody, not just you.’ It’s certainly true that these disparate pairs, from all over the UK, are united by the desire to help. ‘Why are we so different when we share the same egg and DNA? There’s a medical benefit for scientists, and for us, when we put ourselves forward,’ says Dan Shillum. His brother agrees: ‘If somebody found something that relates to that difference, I just think that would be brilliant. And if something was to be found relating to our participation – that would be absolutely amazing.’ If you are a twin and would like to know more about joining the TwinsUK registry, please contact the registry by calling 020 7188 5555 or by emailing twinsuk@kcl.ac.uk. You can learn more about the work of TwinsUK online at twinsuk.ac.uk spring 2013 IN TOUCH

harry borden/getty images

interesting and delightful

The UK’s all-time most successful non-fiction writer takes a look at London

Born in the American Midwest (‘I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.’) and a resident of England for most of the past 35 years, author Bill Bryson OBE lived and worked in London for many years and continues to visit the capital regularly from his home in Norfolk. In November, he received an honorary doctorate from King’s. A keen observer of all things British, here he shares some thoughts about London’s evolution during his time in the UK and suggestions for exploring the capital. First, where does London rank in your list of favourite cities?

At the very top. It’s the most interesting city in the world. You could argue that it doesn’t have the same sort of electricity as New York, but it compensates for that in so many other ways. It has much more history and so much more serenity. You have quiet spots that you can turn to in a way that you haven’t got in New York City. In London you’ve got squares, parks and little secret corners and mews and all that sort of thing. It’s just so much more interesting and delightful.

most shops were closed on Sundays. Parts of the week were very, very quiet. Some folks, maybe most famously John Cleese, say London is no longer British and that they feel like foreigners in the capital today. Do you share that concern?

I don’t find that to be a concern at all. I think it’s wonderful! To me, it’s one of the dazzling things about London or any great cosmopolitan city. You could say the same about New York or Paris. One of the crucial factors that makes a city exciting and cosmopolitan is that you hear lots of different voices and you see lots of different skin tones and lots of types of dress. That’s something that gives a city texture and depth. The time to be worried about a society is when people from outside don’t want to live here. There isn’t a more flattering fact than that so many people from so many different places – not just from the poor world but people from the rich world, like me – want to be here.

What have been the most significant changes to the capital during the past 35 years?

As a former President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, you’re concerned about threats to the English countryside. Are there threats to the physical character of London?

In some respects, one of the most wonderful things is that it hasn’t changed all that much. If I were to go back to the London of the 1970s, it would still be recognisable. I couldn’t say the same thing about Des Moines, my hometown. Part of what’s wonderful about London is that it’s managed to hold on to so much of what is physically and visually important. Obviously, if you look more closely, there are many things that have changed in big ways. Two are really striking. One is the food: it’s so much more diverse and cosmopolitan than it was back then. When I first came here, there wasn’t even a single McDonald’s in Britain. Now, people are able to eat amazingly exotic foods in London, whereas back then mayonnaise was an exotic substance. Second, London has become much more of a 24-hour city and seven-days-a-week city than it was, which is probably both good and bad. Things used to shut down a lot earlier and

On the whole, the British still do a good job of looking after not just London but the historic character of the country. Britain is more alert to that and more sensitive to that than a lot of other countries. But, there is a great danger in Britain – because there is so much old stuff – of thinking somehow that the stockpile is infinite. There’s always a danger that these things will get nibbled away until they’re so much diminished that there’s serious loss. For example, not far from where I often visit in West Kensington there was a redevelopment lately. And there was a really wonderful corner Victorian pub, like you’ve seen on hundreds of corners all over the country. It was just a three-storey pub that was built probably sometime between 1870 and 1890. It was a handsome building, but because it was so common it was also sort of an anonymous building. Then it got knocked down and replaced by a modern building.

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spring 2013

It just seems a shame that they couldn’t have built around it or have done something to save it. Another worrying trend – and it’s happening in cities all over the country – is this business of cutting out the curb and turning the front garden of terraced homes into parking. I think that completely destroys the character of a street. Do you have a favourite place in London most people don’t know about?

My favourite place in London that anybody can go to and nobody does is Wellington Arch in the middle of Hyde Park roundabout. You go up the arch – there’s a viewing platform near the top – and you’re up much higher than you realise. You get a very good view, right into the gardens of Buckingham Palace and all of that area of London. And watching the dynamics of cars going around Hyde Park roundabout! You can stand there watching it for 20 or more minutes because it’s just so absorbing to see how traffic flows. If you could travel in time, when would you like to visit London?

You’d probably want to go sometime when you could provide valuable information to the world, so you wouldn’t go to a well-known era. But if you’re asking when I’d like to go emotionally, then I’d want to go straight back to Shakespeare’s London. I would’ve loved to have seen it, to smell it, to walk around in it and feel what it was like. To watch one of Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe and to have a chat with him over an ale afterwards – what a wonderful opportunity that would be. Offhand, I can’t imagine anything I’d rather do more than that. Finally, what is the absolute best way to spend a springtime afternoon in London?

Just walk! My favourite thing in the world is to walk in London. What amazes me about London is that I can walk in areas that I think are pretty well known to me, that I’ve visited over 30 years, and I still make new discoveries. Interview by James Bressor spring 2013 IN TOUCH

by james bressor

IN TOUCH

spring 2013

Defining a new industry tHESE Two alumni want to bring personalised advertising to a handheld near you...

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

company’s CEO. ‘Probably every waking hour of the day is spent thinking how we can make this better and better. When you have people who are obsessively focused on trying to build the best company in the industry, things start to happen, you start to move at a certain pace and you start to do great things.’ Their great things include growing Vungle – the name is an amalgam of ‘video jungle’ – from a staff of three, including themselves, in a minuscule office at Elephant and Castle to 20 employees and more than $8 million from a variety of investors. Their first breakthrough came in the development of technology that allows apps to show HD-quality previews, essentially 15-second movie trailers, giving the owners of iPhones and other mobile devices the opportunity to see how an app works before deciding whether to download it. They then expanded into another arena: predictive advertising. Jaffer grew up in Hayes and Harlington, which has some rough neighbourhoods. In the internet he found a whole new world and soon he was building websites and making money from advertising. Google and MTV approached him when he was 16, wanting to test video adverts on his website. It wasn’t a smooth ride: the ads often crashed his website and the user experience could be frustrating, but it fuelled his desire to learn how an online advert experience could be as painless as possible. Jaffer also focused on getting into university – specifically, King’s. ‘I used to go to Somerset House, sit down by the fountains and watch the hustle and bustle of the students,’ he says. ‘I’d get the train home and think, “If I come to King’s, I’ll have some great

opportunities and I’ll meet great people.” And that’s how I met Jack.’ Growing up in the Bromley area, Smith says he started constructing websites in large part to avoid housework. ‘When I was about 12 or 13, I realised you could make money for having skills with computers,’ he says. ‘At about the same time, my parents told me, “If you want to keep having pocket money, you’ve got to do chores around the house.” Cleaning dishes and such. I decided to stop taking pocket money from my parents and make my own money. So, I’ve been self-sufficient since the age of 13. ‘That’s the main thing I like about the internet: you can be judged on your skill set rather than your age,’ he says. ‘It works fine until they find out.’ Smith recalls that he had several corporate clients by his mid-teens, most of them American. One of his US clients was preparing for a presentation and needed material from him. ‘They rang my house at around midnight. My mum picked up the phone and she said, “No, Jack can’t come to the phone, he has school tomorrow.” They were like, “What the hell? We’ve got a kid preparing for our big meeting?”’

You have to have a little intuition and make some guesses

mith says the tech world is generally ‘friendly and collaborative’, with most young entrepreneurs willing to share advice and offer a hand. At the same time, it’s not laid back. The push to find investors is never-ending. Without outside funding, life can be bleak. ‘We pretty much ran our previous business without taking a salary for about two years,’ says Jaffer. Meals often consisted of discounted meat and baked goods from a nearby Tesco’s. They grab every opportunity to network and they’ve never needed their networking skills more than when they travelled to California in 2011 for a series of meetings with potential investors. Early on, they had a chance to help famed angel investor Dave McClure carry his bags. ‘We got in the elevator with him and I joked, “Do you mind if we give you an elevator pitch on our business since we’re in an elevator?” He said OK, so we just pitched it,’ says Smith. ‘Then, when we started to fundraise a couple of weeks later, he remembered us.’ Jaffer says he and Smith aren’t afraid to fail, so they weren’t nervous when they made their formal presentations to investors. ‘Failure is a good thing,’ he says. ‘You learn a lot from it.’ By early 2012 they had landed $2 million in investments from several firms, including Google Ventures. In February 2013, Smith and Jaffer announced that they had raised another $6.5 million from the same investors. Along the way, the pair had an epiphany: big brands – these titans of capitalism with billions to plough into advertising – need the advice of 22-year-olds fresh out of university. ‘At one point, we were seeking a lot of advice from people, people who we considered

better at this, more experienced,’ says Jaffer. ‘Then we realised that these guys don’t really know this industry very well. No one actually has a clue. When you’re meeting with really important clients, like a C-level executive at a big company, and they’re saying to you, “Look, we don’t actually know what we’re doing and we’d like your advice”, you realise, “Oh my God, we’re actually the experts, we are defining a new industry.” ‘It’s crazy. You have to have a little intuition and make some guesses. You’re not going to know some things, you might make the wrong choice and it could be game over. But the industry is so big that if we’re fast and nimble, and we have a great team, we’ll figure it out.’

ungle doesn’t produce a Vungle app. Rather, the company creates technology that others use. That’s true for their mini-movie trailers and for delivering bespoke advertising. Smith says most advertising on apps to date has been like web advertising, using static images, but that’s changing as companies realise that adverts delivered through a handheld can be highly personalised. ‘Say Coca Cola wants to run an advert during the World Cup,’ says Smith. ‘It’s quite hard to know who you’re showing that to as such a wide variety of people watch the World Cup and at the same time you don’t know if anyone actually watched that advert or did they go make a cup of tea or did they change the channel.’ So Vungle is creating advertising technology that uses predictive models to help advertisers understand what type of commercial you would enjoy watching. This process involves

monitoring what apps you use on your handheld (do you like games, for instance), what videos you’re receptive to viewing and even your location. ‘This device is really powerful,’ Jaffer says, holding his mobile in his hand. ‘This is something that is intimate to people, they carry it around with them wherever they go, their life is on this.’ Might some view this technology as Orwellian? Smith says if Vungle’s predictive modelling is used in an appropriate manner, it isn’t. As this form of advertising is relatively new, however, he says they will monitor people’s perceptions. London provides much of Vungle’s creative talent. Jaffer and Smith like to hire people who can speak more than one language coming straight out of university. With Google’s presence in Shoreditch and start-ups appearing across the capital, Jaffer says he sees an increasingly entrepreneurial young generation. Organisations such as the King’s College London Business Club – where the pair met – are helping change the culture, and they’re happy to be part of London’s emerging tech scene. But they’re focused first and foremost on Vungle, and the future is bright. ‘If the next 12 months are as crazy as the last 12 months,’ says Smith, ‘then it’s going to be insane.’ The King’s College London Business Club is helping prepare entrepreneurs like Zain Jaffer and Jack Smith. You can support student societies such as the KCL Business Club by calling +44 (0)20 7848 4701 Please read about Alexi Suvacioglu, another young tech entrepreneur, on page 38 Jack Smith, left, and Zain Jaffer look to London as a major source of Vungle’s creative talent

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spring 2013 IN TOUCH

photographs by nick dawe

magine a TV, a sleek TV with 51 inches of glorious plasma and resolution so fine you can see the subtlest arch of Jeremy Paxman’s eyebrow and every new hair sprouting atop Wayne Rooney’s head. It is brilliant. And at this moment, somewhere, an executive is on the edge of his seat because an outrageously expensive new advert is about to explode across your television. It took months and hundreds of thousands of pounds to produce and now millions of viewers will be enthralled by this epic commercial. But you, weary of talking meerkats and those creepy 118 118 guys, push a couple of buttons on your remote and opt for the final minutes of a Top Gear rerun. You miss the new commercial and it was made for you. Well, not really. Two King’s alumni are convinced that the future of advertising isn’t on your TV but instead can be found in your pocket or handbag. Your handheld will soon emerge as the most effective way to deliver commercials, but in a bespoke manner so you never see the same advert twice, and the content varies depending on your digital habits and even where you’re standing at the moment. Zain Jaffer (Business Management, 2009) and Jack Smith (English Language & Communication, 2011) co-founded a tech company called Vungle, established in 2011, with offices in London and Silicon Valley. Their ambition, tenacity and quest for investors are probably typical of today’s young tech entrepreneurs. ‘I don’t consider Vungle to be work, really. It’s just fun and you can’t switch it off. When I sleep, I’m dreaming about this,’ says Jaffer, the

Community

Marking your golden or silver anniversary?

Alumni Weekend 2013

Alumni Weekend 2013 celebrates the College’s international vision and worldwide reach

A celebration of Engineering at King’s

Learn more at kclea.org

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spring 2013

immigrant heritage. Among the events on tap: ● The HQS Wellington will be the venue for a Friday evening drinks reception and KCL Big Band performance ● Geography alumni will lead a walk of east London, exploring neighbourhoods that were – and are – home to immigrants from several continents ● To mark the 60th Greek play performed each year by students, a group of alumni will present a play in its original Greek ● Engineers will celebrate the globally important contributions made by engineers educated at King’s ● The Principal’s Lunch on Saturday will feature the annual Alumni Awards, a highlight of every Alumni Weekend It promises to be a great weekend to connect with classmates and to learn more about the College’s global outlook. For more information about Alumni Weekend 2013, please visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk/ alumniweekend or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

The King’s College London Engineers’ Association (KCLEA) is holding a celebration of engineering as part of the Alumni Weekend. The annual lunch will be complemented by ample time to meet up with friends, refresh memories, learn more about the future of engineering at the College and recall the achievements of King’s engineers. The day will also provide the opportunity, for those who wish, to re-establish contact with the KCLEA. Those who studied at King’s may remember that engineering has been taught at the College since 1838 and the still-active King’s College Engineering Society, founded in 1847, is the oldest

engineering society at a UK university. In 2013, the Division of Engineering within King’s will close. Several applications of engineering in which King’s excels will continue as integral elements of undergraduate and postgraduate courses within the School of Natural & Mathematical Sciences. The Alumni Weekend celebration is therefore a fitting way to mark this transition. The celebration will take place on Friday 7 June. Full details will be posted on the website kclea.org. In the meantime, the association would be delighted to hear from any King’s engineers who want to get back in touch.

1963

A year of highs and lows

Undeniably, 1963 produced more than its share of tragedy and embarrassment: the assassination of John F Kennedy, Charles De Gaulle’s veto of Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community, the defection of Kim Philby and the Profumo Affair. But not all was bad. ● Top-selling single: the Beatles’ breakout hit She Loves You ● At the cinema: it was a stellar year with The Birds, 8½, From Russia with Love, The Great Escape, The Pink Panther and Tom Jones ● On the telly: Doctor Who premiered ● At the bookstore: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Ice Station Zebra ● Sport: Everton won the Football League First Division while Man U took the FA Cup ● Most popular UK baby names: Lisa and Michael

1988

Cliff Richard and the name Michael were still going strong ● Top-selling single: Cliff Richard’s

michael kirkham

Going global

King’s is a global university, with students from more than 125 nations and one-quarter of our alumni living outside of the UK. On top of that, the College has an increasingly international outlook: tackling problems that affect all of humanity, encouraging students to think globally and attracting outstanding staff and students from all around the world, as the Principal noted in his welcome on page 4. This year’s Alumni Weekend celebrates King’s stature as one of the world’s most respected universities, its international student and alumni populations and its global leadership in issues related to health, law, dentistry, mental health, war studies and many other fields. King’s: Your Global Passport is the theme for the weekend 7-9 June. Over three days, alumni will have myriad opportunities to partake of a sampling of the international offerings available to students, to learn how King’s is helping answer some of the world’s most challenging questions and to explore London’s

If you graduated in a year ending in a 3 or an 8, particularly 1963 or 1988, this is a special anniversary for you and your classmates. Gather with friends on Alumni Weekend to share memories. The weekend will feature a mix of tours, lectures and social events – as well as plenty of time to catch up with classmates. Reunion alumni are invited to a special complimentary reception on Saturday 8 June before the Principal’s Lunch. All reunion alumni will also receive a commemorative gift from the College. For more information on reunions, contact reunions@kcl.ac.uk or visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk/alumniweekend

Mistletoe and Wine ● At the cinema: Rain Man, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Beetlejuice, Die Hard and A Fish Called Wanda ● On the telly: Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day ● At the bookstore: A Brief History of Time, The Satanic Verses and The Cardinal of the Kremlin ● Sport: Steffi Graf becomes only the third woman to win the Grand Slam in tennis ● Most popular UK baby names: Michael (again!) and Jessica spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Community Events St Thomas’s Medics Class of 1963 reunion

12.00, 1 May 2013, Governors Hall, St Thomas’ A 50th anniversary reunion is being planned by Peter Christie for all those who qualified from St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School in 1963. Email reunions@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 7438 for information.

We’ve shared many stories about students from other universities kidnapping Reggie. In the early 1990s, a group of King’s students turned the tables and took the offensive by abducting other university mascots, and one of these former students shares a few memories here. Due to the sensitivities of their present careers, names have been withheld.

National Theatre Live

19.00, 16 May 2013, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Strand Campus James Graham’s biting, energetic and critically-acclaimed new play This House strips politics down to the practical realities of those behind the scenes who roll up their sleeves, and on occasion bend the rules. Please contact alumoff@kcl.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7848 3053 for ticket information. National Theatre Live will present James Graham’s This House on 16 May

Law Alumni Spring Lecture

18.30, 23 May 2013, Edmond J Safra Lecture Theatre, Strand Campus Professor Jonathan Harris will be this year's speaker. For more information, please email the Alumni Office at alumoff@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053. LLM 2009-10 reunion

24-5 May 2013, London location tbc At the request of many alumni, the LLM class of 2009-10 is planning its first annual reunion since graduation. Final details will be announced shortly. Please RSVP as soon as possible. Contact Ruben Brigolas at ruben. brigolas@plmj.pt for information. KCLEA Annual Lunch

12.30, 7 June 2013, IET, Savoy Place All engineering alumni are cordially invited to the King’s College London Engineers’ Association’s annual lunch, which will take place on Friday during Alumni Weekend. To learn more about this celebration, please email the Alumni Office at alumoff@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053. (Please also see the article on page 30.) Pharmacy Class of 1988 reunion

Time tbc, 8 June 2013, Strand Campus Marvyn Elton is planning a reunion for the Pharmacy Class of 1988, to take place at Saturday’s lunch during 32

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spring 2013

The Incredible Adventures of Reggie

Alumni Weekend. To learn more about the reunion, please email the Alumni Office at reunions@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 7438. Alumni Greek Play

18.30, 8 June 2013, Greenwood Theatre, Guy’s Campus Celebrate 60 years of Greek plays with this special performance of Ploutos by Aristophanes. For more information about this performance by alumni, email the Alumni Office at alumoff@ kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053. Guy’s Medics Classes of 1963 & 1964 reunion

Time and date tbc This reunion to celebrate 50 years as Guy’s doctors will take place between 6-8 June. To learn more, email Tony Davis at addacumen@gmail.com, or you can contact the Alumni Office at reunions@kcl.ac.uk or call +44(0)20 7848 7438. More information is also available online at guys50.co.uk

Guy’s Medics Class of 1968 reunion

15-17 November 2013, Salisbury The 45th reunion of the Guy’s 68 Club will be held at the White Hart Hotel in Salisbury, with the main event being a Saturday luncheon. The hotel is holding 30 bedrooms. To learn more, email Mike Appleby at n.appleby@sky. com or call +44 (0)14 9478 5075. QEC/KCHSS annual reunion

10.30-15.00, 5 October 2013, Strand Campus The Queen Elizabeth College Association will be pleased to welcome Professor Brian Foster OBE, FRS (QEC Physics 1972-75), accompanied by the acclaimed violinist Jack Liebeck, who will present their popular visually and musically illustrated talk ‘Einstein’s Universe’. For more information, call Henry Embling on +44 (0)12 5233 3977, email hembling@cardinala. freeuk.com or visit www.qeca.org.uk

For information about these events, please visit togetherwecan.org.uk, call +44 (0)20 7848 4701 or email support@togetherwecan.org l BUPA 1,000

27 May 2013 Run with double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah along a route that passes several landmarks, including Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. l Skydive

1 June 2013 This tandem skydive involves falling through the air for several thousand feet before the parachute is deployed. l Nightrider

8 June 2013 This 100-kilometre cycle ride round London starts at 22.55. Cyclists will travel past Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Big Ben, the Royal Albert Hall and many more iconic sites. l Abseil

7 July 2013 Abseiling 100 feet will provide an unforgettable experience. No previous experience is required as instructors will take participants through everything they need to know.

Chelsea College Applied Hydrobiology 1983-4 reunion

Time tbc, 15 June 2013, London Thirty years on, it’s time for a bit of nostalgia and a convivial catch-up in and around Chelsea. Visit the website chelseacollege8384.wordpress.com or email James Allison at chelsea@ aquapic.com for details.

Fundraising events in aid of King’s Health Partners hospitals

l Royal Parks Half Marathon

You can skydive for King’s Health Partners

6 October 2013 The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon is a stunning 13.1-mile autumnal run through four of London’s magnificent Royal Parks.

Mascotry was first introduced to me by my father. He was at Imperial College London in the 1960s. He was known as the ‘spanner bearer’. Imperial had a large spanner and bolt – named, appropriately, Spanner and Bolt and weighing a combined 132 pounds – as their mascots, and his task was to carry and protect Spanner. He was very proud that nobody pinched Spanner while he was the spanner bearer. So I knew these stories before I went to King’s in 1990 but didn’t really think much of them. During my freshers’ week, however, Reggie was stolen by, I believe, Imperial. That’s when some of Reggie’s ‘valuable parts’ were removed, and I think they were put on a plaque. Some of the older students at King’s went off to Imperial and reclaimed these valuable bits. Later on, a group of us decided to take this more seriously and get involved. In 1991, we went to the Royal School of Mines, where they possess the first-ever Davy lamp, again significant in size and weight. Through an operation carried out with military precision, we managed to break into the college and take the Davy lamp. It was brought back to Queen Elizabeth Hall in Kensington in the back of a black cab and paraded during the traditional tequila night. We held the lamp for ransom. The college paid some money to charity and we gave the Davy lamp back. There were no hard feelings but there was a sense of triumph at King’s. At that time, King’s was enjoying a very good rivalry with Imperial in most sporting activities. We wanted to keep the pressure up on Imperial, so we decided to take Spanner and Bolt. This obviously had relevance to me because of my father. Again, we organised an operation that involved people keeping doors open, holding lifts, blocking cameras and all sorts of activities. In normal working hours, we entered the Union Building, made it into the Union President’s office and got hold of Spanner and Bolt. After a rapid exit and fending off some of the Imperial RFC squad, we painted Spanner in the colours of King’s. I sent a picture to my father, who was most upset that we had managed to get hold of Spanner. He wrote a letter to Imperial College Union, saying the Union hadn’t put up enough of a resistance. Eventually, Imperial paid a ransom, and we gave

getty images

johan persson

Want to get involved? Contact alumoff@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053

UCL was not amused when Jeremy Bentham lost his head

Spanner and Bolt back. Again no hard feelings – King’s 2, Imperial 0! During this period, we regularly took Reggie out into London, sort of advertising the fact that we had Reggie here and hoping that some college would be tempted to try Get and take him. involved! There were Tell us your a few favourite occurrences Reggie tale of Imperial, LSE and UCL students coming by King’s and having a look for Reggie, but he was well defended! Reggie never went missing during our three years. Our mascotry culminated in a high-profile operation with a large number of us

taking Jeremy Bentham’s head from UCL – a significant prize! We managed again to run a precision operation with an awful lot of people involved in taxis, holding doors open, obstructing doors, distracting guards and blocking the view of security cameras. We brought the head back to King’s, where we held it for ransom. It looked very good in the Union bar. But UCL didn’t see the funny side of Jeremy Bentham’s head being taken hostage and promised to get the police involved unless it was returned tout suite. None of us fancied a criminal record, so we handed the head over. We decided we had achieved our goals by getting the better of Imperial and UCL, our main rivals. Like good athletes, we retired at the top of our game. At the time of our graduation in 1993, Reggie was safe and sound.

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Community

For more information on alumni groups call +44 (0)20 7848 3053 or see alumni.kcl.ac.uk

To get in touch with any of the alumni groups listed below, please visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk/connect UK alumni subject groups

International groups

AKC Alumni Group Peter King (Law, 1970) Bar Society Bahar Ala-Eddini (Law, 2007) Chemistry and Physics Deeph Chana (Physics, 2002) Dental Alumni Association Dr Suzie Moore (Guy’s, Dentistry, 1997) Geography Joint School Society Dr Paul Collinson (Geography, 1990) King’s College Construction Law Association (KCCLA) Joe Bellhouse (Construction Law, 1996) King’s College London Engineering Association (KCLEA) Graham Raven (Civil Engineering, 1963) Law Alumni Group Robin Healey (Law, 1968) Theology & Religious Studies Giles Legood (Theology & Religious Studies, 1988)

01: Angola Alumni in region: 2 02: Argentina 57 03: Australia NSW 337 04: Australia QLD 113 05: Bahamas 32 06: Bangladesh 86 07: Belgium 665 08: Brazil 274 09: Brunei 110 10: Canada 1054 11: Chile 79 12: China Beijing 280 13: China Shanghai 129 14: Croatia 29 15: Cyprus 661 16: Denmark 168 17: Dominican Republic 3 18: Egypt 113 19: France 1746 20: Germany Berlin 278 21: Germany Bonn 26 22: Germany Munich 79 23: Grand Cayman 14 24: Greece 1860 25: Hong Kong 1545 26: Hungary 62 27: India Delhi 213 28: India Mumbai 121 29: Indonesia 82 30: Iran 119 31: Ireland 837 32: Israel 148 33: Italy Milan 99 34: Italy Rome 164 35: Japan 570 36: Kenya 148 37: Kuwait 71 38: Luxembourg 130 39: Malaysia 1029 40: Mauritius 88 41: Mexico 115 42: Netherlands 360 43: New Zealand 261 44: Nigeria 337 45: Norway 240 46: Pakistan 472 47: Peru 17 48: Portugal 317 49: Qatar 41 50: Romania 98 51: Saudi Arabia 230 52: Singapore 1066 53. Slovakia 41 54: South Africa 179 55. South Korea 347 56: Spain 820 57: Switzerland 445 58: Syria 26 59: Taiwan 334 60: Thailand 447 61: Turkey 252 62: UAE 227 63: USA Boston Area 553 64: USA Chicago 59 65: USA New York Tri-State 1160 66: USA Philadelphia 61 67: USA San Francisco 102 68: USA Southern California 184 69: USA Southern Tri-state 249 70: USA Washington DC Area 624 71: Vietnam 23

Other UK groups Former Staff Barrie Morgan (former Geography staff) King’s Alumni Theatre Society (KATS) Kos Mantzakos (German & Modern Greek, 2001) Queen Elizabeth College Association Dr Sally Henderson (QEC, Biochemistry PhD, 1980) Southampton & Hampshire Tope Omitola (Mathematics, 1994) Student and Alumni Boat Club Rachel Fellows (current student)

If you don’t see your country listed here, please contact us at alumoff@kcl.ac.uk

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45 16 42 21 20 07 38 26 53 22 19 57 33 14 50 34 56 24

31 10 65 63 67

66 70

12 13 61 58

05 41

37 51 49

18 17

46 27 25

06 60 62

71 44 39 52 36 47

09 29

08 01 11

40 04 54 03

South Africa Lisa Otto (International Peace & Security, 2011)

I noticed in the autumn 2012 edition of In Touch that there was no country contact in South Africa. Having been one of very few South Africans in my department, I am keen to meet other alumni and to provide information for those interested in applying to King’s. I chose King’s because it offered a different perspective on my subject area than most other universities. I enjoyed the strong practical element of my course, being able to interact with leading experts on various subjects, and having access to all that London has to offer. I am still in touch with my classmates. Being a small cohort,

we spent a lot of time together, both in and outside class. I am also still in touch with many of my friends from halls. Living in an intercollegiate hall was great for meeting people from other departments as well as people from other universities in London. If alumni are to visit South Africa, they must take a trip to the Neighbourgoods Market in the Johannesburg CBD on a Saturday. This wonderful market is a charming urban renewal project with a variety of delicious artisan foods. Get there early as it fills up quickly.

Romania’s new country contact Radu Creosteanu (Computer Science, 2010)

I chose King’s College London because of reputation, reviews and location. The College is a top institution in the UK and the student reviews I read were particularly good. I was also keen on studying in London with its vibrant atmosphere and history. I’ve kept in touch with a number of my colleagues through social networks. After graduation, we all went our separate ways and spread across the globe. Facebook and emails allow me to stay in communication. Romania is an interesting country that has been misrepresented

internationally because of crazy politics and lack of diplomatic interest. I volunteered to be a country contact because I want to offer a different perspective on my country. I would also like to know who my fellow Romanian alumni are and what they’re doing. Bucharest is a diverse city and it’s difficult to recommend one particular location to visit. I would suggest a stroll through Cişmigiu. The park is close to my heart from my high school days. Following a walk through the park, you can have a meal in Lipscani, a nearby historic district.

Be a contact in the alumni community King’s is always on the lookout for alumni volunteers to assist with alumni activities overseas. We are currently looking for two members of the King’s community to step forward and become alumni contacts in Beijing and Russia. The College’s network of contacts and branches around the world forms a vital part of the alumni community, providing a warm welcome to prospective students, recent graduates and visiting lecturers. They also organise events, ranging from informal gatherings to black-tie dinners, as well as excursions and lectures. All of these events are great opportunities for getting reacquainted with classmates, making new friends and networking. If you want to learn more about being an ambassador for King’s, we’d love to hear from you. Please send an email to alumoff@kcl.ac.uk

spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Community The KCLA Chairman Andy Parrish (Chemistry, 1966) It is sobering to realise I am now halfway through my second term as KCLA Chairman. We have made a great deal of progress in recent years, but much remains to be done if we are to realise the huge potential of our alumni body. In October, we held our biggest-ever KCLA Games, with over 340 students and alumni engaged in six sports. The event was graced by the magnificent Katherine Grainger, who has happily agreed to become Patron of the Games. We enjoyed a superb, sold-out Annual Dinner in the House of Lords, addressed by alumna Sarah Newton MP; 20 per cent of attendees were students, sponsored by Stirling House. Novemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AGM saw the retirement of Lord McColl as our President. Ian has been a great strength during his two years in office and we hope to draw on his great wisdom and experience regularly in the future. We warmly welcome his successor, Professor Nairn Wilson, former Dean of the Dental Institute. We also said goodbye to Valerie Beynon, who retired after many peerless years as KCLA Secretary. Her replacement is Max Chauhan, who is also Secretary of the AKC Group. We also welcomed back former Union President Ryan Wain. At the time of writing, we greatly look forward to the 2013 KCLA Address, to be given, in Southwark Cathedral, by Lord (Alex) Carlile, a most distinguished law alumnus, who will speak on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Terrorism and the Lawâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Our ambitious 2013 programme, generously funded by an increased grant from the College, places great strain on our volunteers, including Council members. Many of you will have recently received an email asking you to consider helping us, often in quite small ways, to run our major events. Please respond positively. It might be fun! Call me if you need more details.

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spring 2013

For the latest information about all of our alumni groups go to alumni.kcl.ac.uk

We met at Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Alumni benefits and services called Arfeuilles, soon after graduating from Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Charlotte: It was hilarious seeing Julienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family, most of whom are French, interacting with my family, who had bravely made the trip from Yorkshire for the occasion. Julien: It was a very hot day with a thunderstorm in the afternoon, then it cooled down nicely. We played country games and there was a little musical recital by various guests. Charlotte: We took up ballroom dancing a few years ago specifically so that we would have a hobby we can do together. We can both claim to have danced with Vincent Simone from Strictly Come Dancing! Julien: My advice for a happy marriage is talk to each other often and a lot. Try not to forget, with everything else going on in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world, that your wife or husband is the most important person in your life. Charlotte: Good communication and never lose your sense of humour. Plus, as my dad said on his 50th wedding anniversary (youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to imagine the broad Yorkshire accent): â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It helps if you marry tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; right person.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Which is true.

Charlotte and Julien Allen (both English Law & French Law, 1994) met in London, but it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until their two years in Paris that their romance flourished. Today, they have three children and live in Teddington. Charlotte: We met at a cheese and wine

party, but I mainly remember our first tutorial together. Julien was sitting opposite me and I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop staring at him: he had the most amazing eyes. For the first two years of our course (the London years), I actually thought Julien must dislike me; he was very prickly with me, though he did always let me steal half his Twix. Julien: We used to argue a lot more in tutorials than fellow students should normally do, and Charlotte also used to eat half my Twix in breaks in Land Law Seminars with Richard Furniss. Charlotte: Our first date was when we saw Beauty and the Beast at a tiny cinema in Paris, where we went on to study for the final two years of our degree. At the time, I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure whether it was actually a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or we were still just friends, but the film and the setting were absolutely magical. On the way home in the MĂŠtro we held hands and talked about all sorts of things. I realised then that this was heading somewhere. Julien: We got married in a little village in the mountains of the Auvergne,

If you studied at Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, or at one of the colleges with which it has merged, you are entitled to many great benefits. Please visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053 for more details. Online alumni.kcl.ac.uk3ULQFLSDOĹ&#x203A;V Facebook C I RC LE facebook.com/KCLalumni Twitter twitter.com/KCL alumni Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alumni is also on Linkedin

The crowning touch was that the standard lamp on the flat roof would be lit when the unlucky student turned his room light on.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

taking the 68 bus from the College to Denmark Hill â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;but how could I find the Platanes itself in a 1950s real pea souper of a fog? It was quite frightening, literally feeling my way up the road by the garden walls hoping to see the familiar sight of the Plats â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or had I stumbled past it? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Other memories â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we came down to breakfast one Sunday morning to find a Morris Seven in the entrance hall at the foot of the marvelous double bend staircase. Still not sure how it was manhandled up six steps from the drive and through the front door â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an engineersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rag. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Another engineersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rag was to remove the whole of a roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s furniture to the flat roof of an outbuilding opposite over a passageway.

W Geoffrey Jones (Medicine, 1955)

remembers a winter night in 1950 when he was bedridden in the Platanesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; firstfloor sick bay and suddenly shocked by a loud crack. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I was expecting to find shattered glass everywhere, but there was none. However, inspection revealed a neatly drilled hole, about .22 calibre! I flopped back to my pillow and reached for the call bell, pressing long and hard. Shortly appeared the night porter, a laconic gent. With a fag hanging from lower lip, we surveyed the damage, and he pronounced, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sorry, guv, vers a lot of that that goes on arahnd â&#x20AC;&#x2122;ere.â&#x20AC;? With that, he proceeded to repair the window, probably with a corn plaster.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; John Hodgson (Law, 1962) lived in the

Platanes during his first two years.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The communal dining room was on the ground floor of Plats. It was not self-service. We were served at the table. There was no choice although those with special dietary needs were catered for. If you were out for the evening, any hot dish would be kept warm for you on a plate in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;hot foot cupboardâ&#x20AC;?, a contraption with sliding doors. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;There was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;shopâ&#x20AC;? in a corridor on the ground floor of Plats run by a volunteer student. This was a converted broom cupboard selling merely basic necessities such as butter and jam. These were necessities because there was an unlimited supply of free sliced white bread and it was common practice to toast bread in our rooms using the gas fires.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Please share memories of your hall of residence! Email them to InTouch@kcl. ac.uk or post them to In Touch, Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London, Strand Bridge House, 138-142 Strand, London, WC2R 1HH

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Learn a language REMEMBERING THEWAR THE DICKSON POON SCHOOL OF LAW FIRST LESSONS IN FIRSTAID VISION AND HOPE IN BURMA

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Remember how special your time was at Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and help to continue our tradition of giving students a broad education that serves both them and society well. Be part of our leadership community by joining the Dental, Medical or Principalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Circle with a gift of ÂŁ1,000. Je `e_d j^_i _cfehjWdj" _dĂ&#x201D;k[dj_Wb Y_hYb[ e\ ikffehj[hi" fb[Wi[ YedjWYj j^[ <kdZhW_i_d] J[Wc ed !** & (& -.*. *-&'1 Xo [cW_b ]_l_d]6aYb$WY$ka1 eh edb_d[ Wj0 mmm$Wbkcd_$aYb$WY$ka%]_l_d] 00 Cover 02.indd FC1

19/09/2012 13:38

In Touch magazine

Produced twice a year in print and digital formats. If you or somebody you know would like to receive In Touch and currently do not, please email us at InTouch@kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 4703.

The Modern Language Centre Evening Programme offers a wide range of languages at all levels, including specialised courses. Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alumni are eligible for a 30 per cent discount. Courses start in October, January and April. For more information, email modern.language@kcl.ac.uk Short courses: Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Professional and Executive Development

Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offers a range of short courses. Alumni are entitled to discounts for many of these courses. For more information, please visit www.kcl.ac. uk/prospectus/shortcourses/home or call +44 (0)20 7848 6814.

To apply, please call 080 0028 2440, quoting Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London credit card. Special offers & discounts

The Alumni Office is pleased to present a range of exclusive discounts and offers for our alumni. Please visit Alumni Online for a full listing. Discounts include: Avis

10 per cent Visit website, use code X225265 Cottages4you

10 per cent Call 0845 268 1414, quote KCL10 Glasses Direct

25 per cent Visit website, use code GDSTUDY25 Grange Hotels

special rates Call hotel, quote ID 21270

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Another way of staying in touch with your College friends. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free and you can update your personal details and network professionally.

Hall of residence memories: the Platanes Several alumni recently shared memories from the 1950s and early 60s of the Platanes, now known as Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College Hall. Here is a sampling. AV â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Jell (Geography, 1952) recalls

Centre and libraries are available to alumni. Reading in the libraries is free, and you can borrow books and materials for an annual fee of ÂŁ60. Download an application form from our website.

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Kinetic Fitness offers alumni an affordable training facility conveniently located five minutes from Waterloo Station. From a ÂŁ5 one-day pass to a ÂŁ200 oneyear membership, alumni are entitled to the same rates as students. To learn more, call 020 7848 4650 or email kinetic.gym@kclsu.org

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TheÂ stopover service can help you to find accommodation at one of our halls of residence during the summer. Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London Credit Card

Our only official credit card, the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London Credit Card has been carefully designed to provide great value, as well as supporting Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College London Association KCLA is the alumni association for all former students, staff and friends of Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and the colleges with which it has merged. All alumni are encouraged to participate in the KCLAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work by attending events and voting in its elections. KCLA will hold its next Annual General Meeting and elections on Friday 1 November 2013. Patron Archbishop Desmond Tutu FKC (Theology, 1965; MTh, 1966)

Past President Professor The Lord Ian McColl of Dulwich CBE FKC (Guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Medicine, 1957) President Professor Nairn Wilson CBE FKC Past Chairman Steven Rhodes (Theology & Religious Studies, 1988) Chairman Andrew Parrish (Chemistry, 1966) Secretary

Dr Max Chauhan (Dentistry, 1992)

Treasurer Nicholas Goulding

(Physics, 1968) Events Officer Alison Taylor (Human Environmental Science, 1990) Elected members â&#x2014;? Waheed Aslam Khan

(M.Sc Management IT Law & Computing, 2010) â&#x2014;? Aprill Barry (Biomedical Science, 2011) â&#x2014;? Robin Healey

(Law, 1968) â&#x2014;? Dr Andrew Papanikitas (Medical Ethics & Law, 2002) â&#x2014;? Professor Patricia Reynolds (Guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dentistry, 1977) â&#x2014;? John Ricketts (War Studies, 2010) â&#x2014;? Ryan Wain (Law, 2009) â&#x2014;? Mary Zagoritou (Mathematics Education, 2007) spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Class notes While we make every effort to verify the information here, which is selected and edited for space, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. If you have concerns over any content, please contact the Alumni Office. And remember, you can also update your personal records at Alumni Online. Visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk

Chelsea College Gregory Webber

Pharmacy, 1981 Seconded from my role at GlaxoSmithKline to LOCOG as part of the Anti-Doping Team at London 2012. Worked as a Doping Control Station manager at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

You can view lots of fabulous old class photographs at alumni.kcl.ac.uk

with family; 15 years Medical Director, Canadian Lung Association; 20 years Chief of Canada’s International Health Programmes; 10-year Canadian delegate to the World Health Organization, Geneva; 2012: honoured by Ontario Medical Association for 50 years of service; 93 years old in August and still going strong! Michael Allan

Guy’s C William Jeanes

Medicine, 1943 Ten years Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Greenwich and Chest Physician, Miller and St. Alfege’s Hospitals; 1957: emigrated to Canada

Medicine & Surgery, 1969 Myself, Andrew Seal, Peter Davenport and John Stoneham got together with our wives for a reunion weekend at the home of the Stonehams on 26-28 October 2012. We all graduated in 1969 from Guy’s and are in various stages of retirement. We reminisced ourselves to a standstill.

due to the lack of emergency care in the community.

Dr Herbert Messina-Ferrante

Dentistry, 1978 Retired two years early to maintain my sanity. Jackie and I have moved to the country, where she will continue to support me in the manner to which I have become accustomed. Life is good.

In December, as part of Malta’s annual Republic Day celebrations, President HE Dr George Abela bestowed one of his nation’s highest honours, the Medal of the National Order of Merit (MOM), upon the Hon Dr Herbert Messina-Ferrante (Guy’s, Dentistry, 1966) for distinguishing himself in the field of dentistry. ‘I cannot say that I was not pleased with this important award, which took me by surprise and took some time to sink in,’ says Dr Messina-Ferrante. ‘I look upon it as another feather in the cap of the dental profession in Malta, to which I am proud to belong and to whose advancement I have always contributed and will continue to do so until the Good Lord calls me when my time is up. I was diagnosed with colon cancer with liver metastasis in July and am now undergoing treatment.’ Dr Messina-Ferrante is President of Malta College of Dental Surgeons, and he was a founding member of the European Dental Academy. He has served as a dental examiner at the University of Malta. In addition to these professional activities, he has been active in Malta’s politics and sports scene, serving as an executive board member of the Nationalist Party, one of Malta’s two principal parties, President of the Sliema Wanderers FC and Vice-President of the Malta Football Association.

Peter Stevenson-Moore

Michael Larvin

Richard Nicholson

Dentistry, 1971 Elected President of the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia, 1 July 2012.

Medicine, 1981 After 10 years as Professor of Surgery at the University of Nottingham’s Graduate Entry Medical School at the Royal Derby, I have emigrated to Ireland as Head of the Graduate Entry Medical School at the University of Limerick. The family is enjoying the picturesque mid-west of Ireland, and I’m enjoying working in Ireland’s only new medical school since independence.

Medicine, 1962 Late wife died four years ago. Remarried two years. Replacement of left ankle in February 2012! Been a silversmith with a London award for over 40 years. Peter Jordan

Dentistry, 1965 Retired 2003. Now a frequent volunteer at the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons. Also involved with the Museum of the National Rifle Association at Bisley. Christine Cocks (now Challacombe)

Medicine, 1969 Current Chair of John Fry at Guy’s Lunch Committee, which holds an annual lunch for Guy’s alumni each October. Next lunch is on 9 October 2013. The lunch also raises funds for John Fry at Guy’s Scholarship and Maxine Hallworth Rugby Scholarship.

Rodney Ross

Dentistry, 1971 Enjoying working part-time at home for nine months of the year in beautiful Tasmania. In winter (June, July and August), we move to our beach house in tropical Queensland – it’s an ideal lifestyle! Stephen Bazlinton

Dentistry, 1971 Attended reunion in November 2012. Sixty in attendance. Christopher McLauchlan

Medicine, 1977 Still in emergency medicine in Devon, thinking of retirement (!) and part-time work as the NHS gets more stretched and more patients come to Emergency

King’s College London Rachel Pope (now Davidson)

Physiotherapy & Radiography, 1942 Wartime training in Epsom. Worked at Spinal Injuries Unit at Stoke Mandeville under Professor Ludwig Guttman. Married for 60 years to Donald Davidson (St Thomas’, Medicine). Three children, two in medicine.

Making sense of digital coupons Alexi Suvacioglu

Alexi Suvacioglu (Geography, 2001) is one of three co-founders behind ZenDeals, a website that helps online shoppers avoid a common frustration: expired digital coupons. Online retailers generate huge numbers of coupons – better known as vouchers in the UK – every year. But just like those paper coupons that people stash in a kitchen drawer and then forget about, most digital coupons eventually expire. It’s no trivial matter. Suvacioglu says more than half of all online shoppers in the US redeemed a coupon in the past year. That’s more than 80 million shoppers. Through its patented technology, ZenDeals determines whether a

IN TOUCH

spring 2013

voucher is still good or not. To date, the website has tested nearly seven million coupons. ‘We simulate human interaction throughout the checkout process to determine effectively whether the coupon is valid or not,’ says Suvacioglu. By accessing coupons through ZenDeals.com, shoppers avoid the unpleasantness of loading up their digital shopping carts and then learning that they have an invalid voucher just as they’re checking out. Retailers are happy to work with businesses like Suvacioglu’s to reduce the number of shoppers who give up on a transaction at this final step in the process, known as ‘shopping cart abandonment’. In addition, the frustration of trying to redeem an expired coupon can lead to

Honouring a career in dentistry

Howard Longton

Medicine, 1957 Medical student at Guy’s 1951-1956.

Dan Ho

Chemistry, 1983 Studied analytical chemistry after graduation at Chelsea. MSc 1985 Birkbeck College. PhD in biochemistry in 1982, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Russell Cowan

Margaret Stokes (now Morgan)

complaints, whether by phone or email, which is an expense to retailers. Born to an Australian mother and a Greek father, Suvacioglu grew up in Italy from age three, attending an Englishlanguage school. After graduating from King’s, he earned an MBA at Stanford

Let me help you with that coupon

and has stayed in the San Francisco area. He says the quest for Silicon Valley investors is ‘a rollercoaster.’ ‘Investors are often wary to invest in novel ideas but as an entrepreneur you need to be persistent and believe in yourself,’ he says. ZenDeals’ investors include venture capitalist and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt as well as Facebook and Zynga executives. The company earns revenue by receiving a small percentage of each purchase made with a ZenDealsvalidated coupon. Suvacioglu says the website is beating expectations, attracting more than 400,000 unique visitors in a month. ‘Compared to the more established players in this space, we’re still small,’ he says. ‘But that number is growing fast.’

Geography, 1947 Having read the accounts of King’s during the war, I felt bound to write as so little was said of life actually in the College at that time. Having lived about 15 miles outside London from the beginning of the war and having experienced the Blitz, I came up to King’s in September 1944. It was a very feminine institution at that time as most men were away in the services. Only faculties such as Medicine and Engineering were composed of men who were in reserved occupations to enable them to go on training. The Geography Department consisted almost entirely of females, apart from one young man who was unfit for military service and one or two war-wounded returnees. There was already a large hole in the courtyard from a bomb strike earlier and we

He is a household name on Maltese TV stations and radio, speaking about dental health for the past 40 years and regularly taking part in current affairs programmes. Dr Messina-Ferrante has also received international recognition for his work. In 2011, he was awarded the Czech Republic’s Jan Masaryk Commemorative

John Molyneux-Child

Medal for his ‘outstanding contribution to the development of collaboration between the Czech Republic and Malta’. Earlier in 2012, he was inducted into the Noble Order of International Ambassadors. ‘Any prayers from my former colleagues would be appreciated,’ says Dr Messina-Ferrante.

Mechanical Engineering, 1960 Now president or patron of six charities or local associations in west Surrey. Spend summers on estate in Lot-etGaronne in south-west France. Anthony Dunning

Physics, 1961 For 30 years between 1974 and 2004 I worked for the European Commission, mainly on scientific and technological projects (IT systems and networks), often in conjunction with the European Space Agency. Before that, I was Director of Computing at Teeside Polytechnic. David Jennings

Theology, 1966 Have succeeded Richard Lewis as Chair of the Retired Clergy Association. Who would have thought of that when we entered King’s in October 1963! Shaun O’Byrne

Electrical Engineering, 1966 Now semi-retired and living in Somerset where I am the (voluntary) full-time election organiser for the Bridgwater constituency Labour Party. Philip John Dr Messina-Ferrante, left, receives the National Order of Merit from President Abela

became used to the ‘doodlebugs’ and V1s launched from Germany. Then came the V2s, which had a higher trajectory and so landed vertically. One Sunday night in the winter of 1944-5, the second or third V2 fell into the river outside King’s and blew in all the windows on that side of the building. We arrived on Monday morning for the AKC lecture in the Great Hall, and had to sit in the freezing cold for an hour. The windows in the riverside area were boarded up for several weeks. We were lucky in the Geography Department, in the old East Wing, as our windows had not suffered as the main building had. In my final year, about a dozen ex-servicemen came back to finish their degrees in one year and several of them went straight on to feature in university departments. I myself stayed a further year in the Education Department, meeting my husband there. He came to obtain an

English qualification, having already graduated and worked in India before the war. I still have great pleasure in coming back to King’s for reunions and am still in touch with others of my graduation year.

Botany, 1966 Now retired and spending time between Oxford and Naples, Italy. Martyn Jarrett

Theology, 1967 Retired September 2012 and now live in Worksop, Northamptonshire. Peter Matthews

Anthony Keedwell

Mathematics, 1948 Completed 60 years on the staff of Battersea Polytechnic/University of Surrey early in 2012. Recently gave a little talk at a conference in Perugia, Italy, and am currently rewriting my first (mathematics) book. Geoffrey Salmon

Electronic Engineering, 1951 After service in Fleet Air Arm, qualified in electrical engineering 1951. Worked in north and west Africa, South Korea and UK. Retired 1993.

Spanish, 1969 I have just published London’s Statues and Monuments, a comprehensive, illustrated guide to outdoor commemorative statues in Greater London. Peter King

Law, 1970 I maintain my connections with King’s as Chairman of the AKC Alumni Group. I recently completed a master’s degree in Theology, Politics and Faith-Based Organisations. It was interesting being a student again. spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Class notes

You can view lots of fabulous old class photographs at alumni.kcl.ac.uk

Patricia Hegarty (now Clewett)

John Johnston

Lesley de Meza

Jason Rodericks

English, 1971 Recently amicably divorced and moved house – nearer to Sainsbury’s but farther from the station! Daughter Jane married Ronan last January. Son Michael moved back in – the job market is tough on 20-somethings. Love to hear from any of my old friends.

War Studies, 1984 I have prepared the late historian Robert Hunter’s edition of the 1630 Muster Roll of Ulster for publication and am working on a study of economic development in early 17th-century Ireland.

Education, 1994 Co-author of a Key Stage 3 & 4 resource, PSHE Education, published by Hodder.

Classical Studies, 1997 I have been playing in a band called Beyond Reason for a year and we will be plugging our single in September. Check out www.beyondreasonband.co.uk

Catherine Bown (now Forsythe)

History, 1973 Recently returned to UK after 11 years in Ireland and have just become a granny.

Dawn Bradley (now Hadlow)

Geography, 1989 Ex-RAF pilot now working for the charity fly2help. Living in Wiltshire with husband Chris and our two children, Lucy and James. Gliding instructor and private power pilot.

Oliver Merrington

Botany, 1973 Curator of Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum, a newly-formed trust established following the closure of Waterbeach Barracks. The museum is concerned with the history of RAF Waterbeach, including its use by the Army from 1966.

Michele Nerantzis

French & Modern Greek, 1991 Just left HSBC after 20 years to take up a new marketing and communications role with a life insurance company in Luxembourg.

Jaro Kotalik

Medical Ethics & Law, 1995 I would enjoy hearing from King’s alumni who were on the MA programme at the Centre for Medical Law and Ethics in 1994-1995 and who are working in the field.

Melanie Sarah Long (now Jenkins)

Biochemistry & Immunology, 1999 Married Jon Jenkins (Biotechnology, 1999) and now parents to Ralph. Also training as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Omer Moghraby

Frederick Tobun

Chemistry & Management, 1996 Qualified as an accountant in 1998 and worked as a software application consultant. Currently working as an independent finance systems implementation consultant. Married with two kids.

Medicine, 2001 Am training in child and adolescent psychiatry in east London. Kept busy by three very small children! Steven Tull

Shakespeare Studies, 2004 Married to Helen Mountain in

Creating programmes for adult learners Andrew Eder

Universities around the world are expanding learning opportunities for adults, and Andrew Eder (KCSMD, 1986) is going to be leading one London university’s efforts in this arena. University College London (UCL) has appointed Professor Eder as its new Associate Vice-Provost (Enterprise) and Director of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Short Course Development. His remit includes expanding adult education programmes in a growing and highly competitive market. ‘With global challenges,’ he says, ‘diversification and entrepreneurship are essential and go a long way to also enhancing public engagement.’ Professor Eder recently completed a 10-year term as Director of Education

William Kerr

Theology, 1975 Following a rewarding four years at Eastbourne District General Hospital working as a ward co-ordinator in the Coronary Care Unit, I am now taking a career break to look after my 88-year-old father as his full-time carer at home. Robert Parker

Civil Engineering, 1975 Moved to Norway in 1997 where I now live with my wife, Mona. Have worked overseas on various projects in the oil and gas industry. Have spent the last five years working on BP’s Skarv project in Oslo and Stavanger. Neil Bunker

Theology & Religious Studies, 1980 Currently serving as Mental Health Liaison Priest for the City of Westminster and serving on the staff at All Saints Margaret Street. 40

IN TOUCH

spring 2013

a house officer at KCSMD and then became a clinical assistant in restorative dentistry at King’s. He moved to the Eastman in 1990. Having been appointed Chair in Restorative Dentistry and Dental Education in 2008, Professor Eder divides his time between UCL, the Eastman and a specialty clinical practice in central London. Asked if he could share any observations regarding differences in the philosophies and cultures of King’s versus UCL, Professor Eder offers a diplomatic response: ‘Whilst it’s difficult for me to compare as I was at King’s at a very early stage in my career, both are top-flight universities with a high international profile.’

September 2011. Our first child in January 2013.

Simon Gosling

Charlotte Wicker

Philip Sidnell

Mark Perry

Philip Sidnell (War Studies and History, 1998) has just published his second book, the intriguingly titled Midget Ninja and Tactical Laxatives: Bizarre Warfare Throughout the Ages. ‘It’s a collection of the amusing and downright weird stories I’ve come across during my research,’ he says. ‘It’s a celebration of human ingenuity.’ Sidnell came to King’s aged 25, having left school at 16 and spending the intervening years in what he describes as a series of ‘dead-end jobs’. Always fascinated by military history, he went on to gain a first-class degree and was twice winner of the annual Simon O’Dwyer Russell Prize, named after the defence journalist who died tragically young of a heart attack. He credits Professor Philip Sabin with awakening his interest in warfare in the ancient world. ‘It’s so far away from the present day,’ he says, ‘yet so many of the same principles still apply – that dichotomy fascinates me.’ Sidnell’s first book, Warhorse: Cavalry in Ancient Warfare, traced the use of horses in combat from the very earliest civilisations. But with Midget Ninja he seems to have struck a rich seam of inspiration. The title

Applied Biomedical Sciences Research Division, 2005 Working as a systematic reviewer at the National Clinical Guideline Centre. I contributed to the NICE guidelines on incontinence in neurological disease, and am currently working on NICE guidelines for varicose veins and multiple sclerosis. It is great to be able to use my skills to help improve healthcare.

Geography Science, 2009 In 2012, elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Biomedical Science, 2012 Volunteering in South Africa in November for International Primate Rescue.

Polyxeni Demetriadou

Cathy Fernandes

Financial Mathematics, 2009 I am currently working at Deloitte’s Limassol office and just obtained my ACA qualification.

Academic Practice, 2012 I am currently based at the Institute of Psychiatry, leading a group investigating preclinical models of neurodevelopment disorders. I am the programme leader for a new MSc in Genes, Environment and Development, which will launch in September 2013.

‘The amusing and downright weird’

Timothy Newcombe

Theology & Religious Studies, 1975 After 37 years in the parochial ministry of the Church of England I have retired to Devon.

and CPD at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, for which he was recognised with a Provost’s Teaching Award in 2010. Professor Eder has pleasant memories of his time at Denmark Hill. ‘We had a great year of just over 50 and many still keep in touch,’ he says. ‘We had excellent teachers – Brett Robinson was superb – and great mentors, such as Sir Ian Gainsford and Martin Kelleher. We had wonderful times too, including the many pool competitions in the student common room. I have now realised one of my greatest ambitions – to have a pool table at home – my greatest relaxation!’ Following graduation, he started his career as

Music, 2005 I was appointed lecturer in music at the University of Bristol in September 2012.

Law, 2010 Elected in May as the youngest county councillor in Carmarthenshire. Working at the National Assembly for Wales.

Guillaume Taillandier

Etienne Jaboeuf

European Competition Law, 2008 Following Hammonds’ merger with US-based Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, I was made partner in April 2011. I left the firm in April 2012 to take a role in-house as Head of Legal for Europe in a US-based company in the flexible packaging industry.

Law, 2010 I have qualified in Paris and am about to start working as an advocate.

Justin Williams

story – in which a vertically-challenged ninja hides in a latrine overnight in order to surprise his unsuspecting enemy with an unwelcome sword as he goes about his business – is a particular favourite. There’s also the bat bomb, which actually scattered bats carrying tiny incendiary bombs and – bringing the book right up to date – a selfsufficient armoured fighting vehicle

being developed by the US Army that will feed itself on plants and even household waste. Sidnell is now planning a second volume, and working on a novel, also set in the ancient world. He fits his writing around his day job as commissioning editor at Pen and Sword Books (pen-and-sword.co.uk), which specialises in military history.

Calum Higgins

James Scipioni

Environment & Development, 2008 Set up sustainable tourism specialist, Go Barefoot. Take a look at the website gobarefoot.org.uk

Hanan Al-Rawi

Biomedical Science, 2012 Inspired by so many teachers throughout school and university that I’ve now decided to be one. I’ve started my one-year PGCE course at Canterbury Christ Church College, and it has opened my eyes to whole new levels of what goes on behind the scenes before a class!

we had a wonderful time in Herefordshire where Veronica Layton (now Parry) lives. We would love to hear from anyone who remembers Diana Fairhurst, Jean Argyle, Terry Krasinska, Rachel Sellick, Penny McCrea, Marion Slatter or Julia Phelps (Haviland).

St Thomas’ Donald Davidson

Medicine, 1945 Post-war conscription in RAF. Served in India 1947. Thirty-seven years in general practice. Retired since 1988. Married for 60 years to Rachel Pope (King’s, Physiology). Brian Dalton

Medicine, 1953 St Thomas’ 1947-53. General practice 1956-93. Son John R Dalton was at St Thomas’ 1975-80. Frank Guinness

Medicine, 1965 Moved to our elder daughter’s home near Newcastle in 2011. Younger daughter Esther (now Lyth) moved into family home in Reigate after return from Afghanistan. Jonathan West

Medicine, 1977 Hoping to go part-time next year. Charles Vivian

Daphne Lesser (now Chinnery)

History Ever and constantly grateful for the tutelage of Dame Jinty Nelson.

Normanby College

Medicine, 1988 Married to a GP and living in Cheltenham. Have three children. Consultant occupational physician, running my own company, having left the NHS last year.

UMDS

Julia Phelps (now Haviland)

Manhar Segal

Physiotherapy & Radiography, 1962 Seven of our ‘set’ have just had our annual reunion, exactly 54 years after our first meeting at King’s College Hospital Physiotherapy School. We take it in turns to host our reunions in our homes and this year

Dentistry, 1996 Married to Aradhna Dhall Segal (Dentistry, 1996) in 1997. Three beautiful children Karishma (11), Amar (9), Ajay (6) and two successful dental practices, Millennium Dentistry (2000) and M-Smile (2012). spring 2013 IN TOUCH

Obituaries

Dr Desmond Croft

St Thomas’, Medicine, 1954 Dr Desmond Croft spent his career at St Thomas’, pursuing a lifelong interest in nuclear medicine that began while a registrar, studying gastric bleeding using radio-labelled red cells. Appointed consultant physician, he was in charge of the then ‘isotope lab’. He later held a joint position as general physician with a share of the acute on-take rota and consultant in charge of the renamed Nuclear Medicine Department. It was through his involvement in acute medicine that several of his trainees were ‘converted’ to nuclear medicine. He was also chairman of the Consultants Committee and a trustee for the Florence Nightingale Museum. Ian Urquhart Fraser

Guy’s, Medicine, 1954 Born in Bangkok, Ian Urquhart Fraser followed Guy’s with surgical training, obtaining the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1966. When illness cut his surgical career short, he became a university

Chelsea College Edith Spivack Pharmacy, 1936 Dr Jack Botting Pharmacy, 1955 Dr Alun Morinan Pharmacology, 1975 Bona Situmorang Geology, 1982

Guy’s Dr Sidney Abrahams Medicine, 1927 Dr Anthony Salvi Medicine, 1935 Dr Leslie Nancekievill Medicine, 1939 Dr Frank Russell Medicine, 1941 Dr Michael Pearson Medicine, 1946 John Crossley Medicine, 1947 Dr Norman Finter Medicine, 1947 Dr Hugh Herbert Medicine, 1947 Guy Holding Dentistry, 1948 Dr Kenneth Wallace Medicine, 1948 Dr Hugh Baird Medicine, 1950 Dr Howard Davies Medicine, 1950 John Haworth Dentistry, 1950 Professor Melvin Lewis

Medicine, 1950 42

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spring 2013

lecturer in anatomy, first at the old Barts department in Charterhouse Square, then at Queen Mary College, following Barts’ merger with the Royal London. Judge Jennifer Kershaw QC

King’s, Law, 1973 Considered a star on the circuit bench in Leeds, Judge Jennifer Kershaw QC was also a tonic behind the scenes with a whimsical sense of humour. She was among the first women barristers to practice in the city and the first to lead a chambers. She had a passion for horses and was secretary of the Yorkshire Side Saddle Association.

A sensitive counsellor and confessor The Rev Professor Christopher Evans

Possessing special gifts as a teacher and an attractive personality, the Rev Professor Christopher Evans exercised considerable influence in Oxford, Durham and London over some 30 years. He accepted the chair of New Testament Studies at King’s in 1962 and spent the next 15 years very happily and creatively there. Small of stature and rarely without a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he enjoyed life to the full, with cricket,

Keith Morphew

rugby and the theatre among his enthusiasms. A sensitive counsellor and confessor, as well as a brilliant – if daunting – teacher, his output of written work was relatively small. But his magisterial commentary on St Luke’s Gospel, published in 1990, well after his retirement, is likely to long remain a standard work. His influence was widely felt among students and clergy, including his friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1991. the church times

On these pages we remember former students, staff and friends of King’s and its associated colleges and institutions. In Touch makes every effort to accommodate fitting tributes, and friends, family and former colleagues are welcome to submit obituaries to alumoff@kcl.ac.uk. However, constraints occasionally mean we may have to edit the entries.

Email us at alumoff@kcl.ac.uk

Dr Lady Jean Lennox (latterly McColl)

Guy’s, Medicine, 1958 Born into a medical family, Lady Jean McColl’s father was a Guy’s consultant obstetrician and her mother a paediatric nurse, while her two sisters became Guy’s nurses. During her own time at Guy’s, she won the Gold Medal in Obstetrics and regularly helped with work in the poorer parts of Bermondsey – work she continued as a community paediatrician and a research assistant at Guy’s. She married Ian McColl – later Lord McColl, a Professor of Surgery at Guy’s and President of King’s College London Association among many other achievements – and often accompanied him in his volunteer work on the Mercy hospital ships in Africa, assisting him in surgery, or greeting and sitting with patients afterwards to comfort them.

Engineering, 1944 After two years at King’s temporary home in Bristol during the war, Keith Morphew served as students' union President during the College’s return to London. He took to the post as an engineer would: codifying the union’s governance and bringing disparate groups together. In their appreciation, members presented him with an engraved tankard, which he cherished for the remainder of his life. After stints in Singapore and various corners of the UK, he joined Southampton University, where he taught for 30 years. ‘All his long life,’ said his wife Margaret, ‘he never failed to remember and appreciate all that King’s College had given him 70 years ago.’ Dr David Nicholson

Guy’s, Medicine, 1945 Trained at Guy’s and the Brompton Hospital, Dr David Nicholson moved to Canada and then on to the US, ultimately becoming professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences. He retired from the faculty in 1996 but continued as a consultant until 2010. Dr Kenneth Bryson Roberts

King’s, Physiology, 1948 Educated first at Emanuel School, Wandsworth and then King’s, Dr Kenneth Roberts continued his medical studies at Oxford where he earned a BA

Dr Peter Hayward Medicine, 1953 Roy Jeffery Dentistry, 1953 John Lee Dentistry, 1954 Dr Brian Robinson Medicine, 1954 Dr Francis Batson Medicine, 1955 Dr Tony Earnshaw Medicine, 1955 Leith Glowrey Dentistry, 1955 John Ranson Dentistry, 1956 Professor Christopher Wastell

Ian McClure Dentistry, 1970 Dr Ian G Anderson Member of staff

King’s College London

Anne Crittenden (latterly Vinall)

(Obituary will run in our next issue)

Christopher Johnson Chemistry, 1952 Sumiya Carr-Brion (latterly Mann)

1948

Harry Dagnall (Radford) Theology, 1939 Henley Nicholls English, 1939 The Rev Leslie Jolly Theology, 1940 Dr Rosa Moore 1941 Shyam Sarwal Engineering, 1944 Evelyn Shipley (latterly Smith) Household

Professor Henry Walton Psychological

& Social Sciences, 1944

Medicine, 1957 Michael Snook Dentistry, 1959 Christopher Darracott Dentistry, 1962 Robin Hayman Dentistry, 1962 Roger Pearce Dentistry, 1962 The Rev Alan Yates Dentistry, 1962

Medicine, 1956

Professor Joyce Youings History, 1944 The Rev Stephen Davis Theology, 1948 Eric Bailey Mechanical Engineering, 1949 Dr Dennis Thompson Chemistry, 1949 The Rev Canon Paul Carter Theology,

Institute of Psychiatry Dr Cyril Casimir Psychological Medicine,

History, 1952

then a DPhil, under the supervision of Nobel laureate Sir Howard W Florey. He held many academic and professional appointments over a career that embraced Oxford, Baghdad, Edinburgh, London and Newfoundland. His Honour Sir Frank White

King’s, Law, 1950 Sir Frank White’s Bench Notes, first published in 1989, was a distillation of wisdom and good practice and remains essential reading for young recorders. Wandsworth Crown Court, where he was the senior judge for many years, came to be seen as a flagship for innovative ideas aimed at making the court system more efficient and less intimidating. He loathed legal gobbledegook yet respected tradition if it served the public well. He supported robes and wigs because he felt they gave a sense of respect to proceedings and also allowed him to become a ‘different person’ outside court, making it possible for him to ride the number 14 bus.

Ann Bird (latterly Jefferies and Mischu) Law, 1974 The Rev Canon J Crawford Theology &

Queen Elizabeth College

Dr Tony Wing Medicine, 1958 Dr R Negus Medicine, 1961 Professor George Haycock

Religious Studies, 1975

Frank Keeble General, 1965 Beryl Hutchinson Nursing Studies, 1972 Sue Holly Nutrition, 1973

Medicine, 1965 Dr Robert Fay Medicine, 1968 Dr Simon McMinn Medicine, 1968

Royal Dental Hospital

UMDS

Roy Richards Law, 1975

Dr Lesley Boatwright (latterly WynneDavies) Latin, 1957 Brian Crowdy French & German, 1958 The Very Rev Dean John Lang

Aline Michie (latterly Michie-Kay)

(Obituary will run in our next issue) French, 1981 Judith Bedlington (latterly Edye)

Dr Thomas Davies Medicine, 1950 Dr Patrick Russell-Young

Nicholas Turquet Geography, 1966 Dr Janet Chaundy Geography, 1967 The Rev Father Ronald Steptoe

Engineering, 1950

Theology, 1970

Grace Coombs (latterly Acott)

Christopher Good Mathematics &

Mollie Bromhead (latterly Bertin)

Physiotherapy, 1951

Physics, 1971

History, year unknown

Dr Primrose Hubbard (latterly Hubbard-Ryland)

Dr Stephen Clements Medicine, 1945 Dr Peter Hammett Medicine, 1950 Dr Peter Adlington Medicine, 1956 Andrew Eyles Dentistry, 1964 Dr Sheelagh Davidson (latterly Dunne)

Dorothy Peacock (latterly Whiteman)

History, 1951

Dr Ben Rickman Mathematics, 1971 John Perrott Electronic

Dentistry, 1966 Dr David Ryland Medicine, 1967

Medicine, 1965 Dr Paul Collings Medicine, 1982

The Rev Alec Beniams Theology, 1952 The Rev Donald Cornelius Theology, 1952

Engineering, 1973 Paul Turner Geology, 1973

The Rev Richard Hooker

Dentistry, 1963 Anthony Owen Dentistry, 1963 Andrew Pickles Dentistry, 1963 Dr Weston Howell Medicine, 1965

KCSMD

1950

Patricia McCarthy (latterly Thomas)

French, 1965

King’s, Theology, 1961 Joan Bernard was a remarkable woman who was an academic, a talented musician and a military tactician. A suggestion of hers while a junior commander at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force during the Second World War led to tactical innovations in the defence against V1 and V2 rockets that saved the lives of countless British citizens. ‘To the best of my knowledge she had no

qualification to advise on military affairs,’ said one observer, ‘but Eisenhower’s staff must have recognised a star when they met one.’ Academically, she was best known as the founder and first principal of Trevelyan College at Durham University. Also a graduate of St Anne’s College, Oxford, she joined Durham in 1966 from King’s where she had been tutor in theology, and warden of Canterbury Hall. In her later years, she lived in a flat on the Thames overlooking St Paul’s, surrounded by books and paintings.

Guy’s, Dentistry, 1976 After qualifying, Paul Williams continued to work at Guy’s and also at St George’s Hospital before becoming dental registrar at Morriston Hospital in his home town of Swansea, where he took his first degree. Subsequently, he entered the Community Dental Service there. He was a member of MENSA and spoke a number of languages.

Geography, 1956 David Thompson Law, 1956

Theology, 1960 John Richards Law, 1960

Joan Bernard FKC

John Paul Simon Williams

Humanities, 1985 Ian Dawson History, 1990 Ashley Collins Computer Science, 1994 Anthea Hardcastle Biopharmacy, 1999 Philip McGuinness 1999 Gabrielle Gray Religious Studies, 2004 Jennifer Hocker Adult Nursing, 2008 Nigel Brown Air Power In The Modern World, 2011

Dr Timothy Golumbeck 1972 Dr Victoria Rippere Psychiatry, 1974 Dr Arthur Nicol Psychiatry Dr Sulleman Rajah Member of staff

Musician and military tactician

Normanby College John Collinson

Brian Calvert Dentistry, 1952 Dr John Aaron Dentistry, 1964 Michael Bush Dentistry, 1964

Dr Paul Easton Medicine & Surgery, 1993

College not known Gwen Parrish

St Thomas’ Dr Oliver Scott Medicine, 1942 Dr Aubrey Leatham Medicine, 1943 Dr William Hewitt Medicine, 1945 Dr Geoffrey Carriett Medicine, 1947 Dr Frank Clifford Rose Medicine, 1949 Dr I Lyon Medicine, 1953 Dr Robert Stephenson Medicine, 1956 Neil Orr Medicine, 1957

Correction Due to an error in our database, in the autumn issue of In Touch we inadvertantly listed three living alumni as deceased: Valerie Baynes, Jeff Carson and John Megson, all of Chelsea College. We sincerely apologise for the distress this caused them and their classmates. spring 2013 IN TOUCH

We always love to hear from our readers, so please drop us a line. The best letter wins a £20 book token. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. Write to InTouch@kcl.ac.uk or Letters, InTouch, King’s College London, Ground Floor Office, Strand Bridge House, 138-142 Strand, London, WC2R 1HH

Prize letter

The King’s 1942-3 rugby team

We received several memories about the Second World War in response to the feature Remembering the War in the autumn issue of In Touch. You can find most of those reminiscences online at alumni.kcl.ac.uk as well as one in the class notes. We’ve included a few here: ‘A MOTLEY CROWD’

Thank you for the World War II memories. I arrived in Bristol in October 1942. My memories are of studying at Merchant Venturers Technical College together with the Bristol Engineering Faculty, lunch at the partly built City Hall, which housed the British Restaurant, coffee at the Berkeley and fire-watching at the Agricultural Advisory Office in Berkeley Square. The first dance I ever attended was the Commemoration Ball in the Victoria Rooms. I have attached a photo of the 1942-3 rugby team, a motley crowd due to a lack of spare clothing coupons. The return to London has so many memories, from parading at 44

IN TOUCH

spring 2013

Somerset House to rugby at Mitcham and finals starting on D-Day. George Barden Engineering, 1944 A NEAR MISS

In January 1945, I was at school and the register had just been taken at about 9.15 when there was a huge explosion. The windows were blown out and the ceiling came down. The teacher told us to get under our desks and when the dust had settled we were led out into the shelters in the playground. Fortunately, no one was killed. A V2 rocket had fallen about 300 yards to the west of the school, behind a row of houses which had taken the worst of the blast – fortunate for us, but not for them, as there were many casualties there. The school was closed for some time and my parents decided to have my brother and me evacuated to Wales as a result of this episode. I went back to the school about 10 years ago. The shelters were gone, but the young head teacher was delighted to see me and

produced the school diary for 1945 in which the episode was fully recorded. He showed me the extract where it commented on how well the children had behaved. It was a very frosty day and it was difficult to tell the difference between ice and broken glass on the ground. A few hundred yards east and I would not be writing this! Anthony Keeley Medicine, 1966 MEMORIES FROM ST THOMAS’

In your fascinating autumn issue, the article by Peter Trafford mentions the old iconic wroughtiron spiral staircase just inside the main entrance to St Thomas’ hospital, which I regularly used as a medical student in the 1940s. It reminded me of some of the sayings of the Great and the Good and some Not-So-Good who taught us there in those days. Incidentally, the whole hospital was efficiently run by the Secretary, R Pelham Borley, whose immaculate appearance was always as elegant as his name sounds, with a junior assistant Michael Pearson, long before

PCTs were dreamed of and at a miniscule fraction of their cost. Here are a few memorable witticisms, which might act as a catalyst for similar contributions from other alumni: Major-General (later Lord) Michener, surgeon, on asking a student how he would treat a patient with a large lung abscess and receiving the reply ‘I would use a syringe and needle to drain it’, said: ‘You might as well step outside, pee in to the Thames and expect to raise the tide at London Bridge.’ WHC Romanis, surgeon, when operating on a patient with an abdominal aneurysm, which unexpectedly ruptured and covered everyone in the theatre in blood, said: ‘Take a good look, gentlemen, you may never see this again!’ ‘Pasty’ Barrett, surgeon, of the eponymous ‘Barrett’s oesophagus’, to a student who never had the correct answer to any question but who one day gave a comprehensive reply to a complex question and then unwisely followed this up with ‘You seem surprised, sir?’, responded: ‘So was Balaam when the ass spoke to him.’ Dr Gabriel Jaffe St Thomas’, Medicine, 1946

resident in the hall. A rumour came around that the chemistry labs had been broken into and a porter had died from arsenic poisoning, which had been placed in his teapot. It all seemed too farfetched and I didn’t believe any of this had happened until a few days later when all were summoned to have fingerprints taken. I was somewhat taken aback by the policeman’s attitude, who was treating it like a big joke as he pushed very hard on my hands to get a good print. I recall there was much concern about what they were going to do with these records afterwards and an assurance was given by the police the prints would be destroyed once eliminated from enquiries. I have often wondered about the outcome of the investigations, and in recent years tried unsuccessfully through the internet to obtain further information. In Touch (autumn 2012) has been the first mention of it I’ve read since that time and I look forward with interest to hear from others who were there. Richard Kramer Chelsea, Pharmacology, 1969 A SUSPECT?

My most wicked memory of my time at King’s was of the Lord Mayor’s Procession passing King’s in the 1940s, soldiers smartly marching but military bands too spaced out to keep them all together. We called out, ‘Right! Left!’ (as they went left, right) and they began hopelessly shuffling to try to keep in step. It was a shambles! Dr Jackie Latham English, 1950

I was at Chelsea College in the 1960s and remember the incident described in the last issue of In Touch concerning the mysterious death of one of the porters. I was an assistant librarian at the time and had my fingerprints taken with all the other staff. Another member of the library staff was in front of me – a very sedate lady, a stereotypical lady librarian of which there were many in those days. As she left I heard one of the young policemen saying to his colleague: ‘She probably did it!’ John Richards