THE PEMBROKIAN Pembroke College Development Office Newsletter
Spring 2000 Issue XIII
THE FIRST NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM!
Avant Garde - Designer make up !!!!
LIZ KENDALL (`89) Both east and west of Cairo Liz is well known as a pop singer, model and actress and also Arabic scholar. Our pictures show her in action as a model having been "spotted" at the American University of Beirut where she gave a lecture earlier this year. Some of the other pictures were not suitable for a family magazine such as ours! She has now returned to teach Arabic at Pembroke and quite likely will add a new dimension to the Senior Common Room. December will see Dr Kendall back on the catwalk in Beirut, as soon as her teaching commitments for the term are over.
EDITORIAL This is the final copy of The Pembrokian which I shall edit. At the end of February, I shall have completed the period of my appointment as Pembroke's Development Director and I intend to take early retirement shortly afterwards. I am pleased to say that Mary-Jane Hilton has agreed to return to Pembroke from the beginning of March 2000. The greatest pleasure of the last three years has been meeting so many Members, all of whom have welcomed me and offered much advice and help. I would sincerely like to thank all of you. It has also been a pleasure to see the finances of the College so much improved. The effect has been improved buildings and a better time for our students here at Pembroke. My theme in The Pembrokian over three years has been to prepare you for the changes which are inevitable in Higher Education. Students will be required to pay much more while at university and university finances will increasingly depend on fund-raising from former students. This culture shift is difficult to accept in the UK but I think it is inevitable. However, from the student point of view, there will be large benefits. Universities will no longer be driven by Government but by the students paying for the courses they want. My best wishes. RAY ROOK Development Director
PEMBROKE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
JAGIELLO - A FELLOW OF PEMBROKE! This story by a Fellow of Pembroke starts in wartime Poland.
Nazis. They fought back only when it was safe, preferring to burn or blow up building after building. Some fifteen thousand Jewish fighters perished; whoever survived was deported to a death camp. It was a spectacular, ghastly finale of the "Endlosung" - "the final solution of the Jewish Question" - in Poland, made all the most poignant and weird because of "normal" occupation life going on in the Polish part of Warsaw while the liquidation was going on. All that remained of the ghetto after three weeks of desperate fighting and slaughter was a pile of rubble. As the historian Norman Davies states: "This was the largest single act of Resistance until the outbreak of the main Warsaw Rising fifteen months later".
The underground "regiment', in which I enlisted was called "Baszta" and I became known among my fellow-conspirators as "Jagiello" - the name of a Lithuanian-Polish 15th century king who beat the Teutonic Knights in a famous battle at Grunwald and stemmed the German tide along the Baltic The small unit to which I belonged coast. within "Baszta" was sappers and for 7-8 months I was learning all about fuses, dynamite and how to blow up bridges, buildings and railway lines. Of course there was the general military training as well, conducted once a week in private homes and once a month in a forest near Warsaw. There The second rising was not expected, nor even were also special assignments like observing planned until the very last moment. On the mistaken troop movements and moving arms and assumption that the Wehrmacht was beginning to flee munitions from one secret store to another. before the advancing Red Army the leaders of the Frankly, rather than blow anything up, I resistance movement, by permission of the London expected simply guard duties or disarming Government, ordered us into action against heavily fleeing Germans as the most likely outcome of fortified German positions and units of experienced the underground training. But fate decreed soldiers with vastly superior fire power and military otherwise and I found myself doing real, if equipment. A hoped-for Russian advance failed to unsuccessful, fighting in Warsaw, with hand- materialise. Not surprisingly the Polish uprising was grenades, rifles and submachine guns, in also a tragic failure in which perhaps two hundred August and September 1944. thousand civilians perished ( about the same as at Hiroshima, but spread over 63 days). Eighty percent An earlier, unsuccessful and tragic, uprising of buildings, with their contents, went up in smoke or broke out in the centre of Warsaw, which was were shattered. Hitler was so enraged by this act of the largest Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Polish treachery that he ordered Himmler to wipe out Europe, in April 1943. When the ghetto had the city entirely, and only the January 1945 Russian almost been emptied of its wretched inmates, offensive stopped the completion of the task. What already decimated by disease and starvation, was surprising was that the uprising lasted as long as and now shipped off in cattle trucks to the it did and that the Wehrmacht and the SS suffered extermination camps of Auschwitz, Majdanek such heavy causalities. and Treblinka, a handful of Jewish resistance fighters, mostly poorly armed youths and girls, I recounted my own experiences of the brief, uneven staged a revolt against the SS troops liquidating struggle in a radio broadcast on the twentieth the ghetto. It was a most heroic yet hopeless anniversary of August 1944, subsequently published gesture which surprised and infuriated the in "The Listener" (and added to the World War II
PEMBROKE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
Sound archives of the Imperial War Museum!). But my role was anything but heroic although only a half of our "Basta Third Company" survived and I narrowly escaped death on two occasions. One could say I was far more at the receiving than the giving end of the stick. To the best of my knowledge I never killed a Nazi though that was due more to the useless rifle I had been given than to the want of trying. A most harrowing part of the rising experience,
for me personally, was being trapped for a few hours in the sewers of Warsaw, trying to escape to the city centre still in Polish hands - with people around me being crushed to death, grenades being thrown in by the Germans, the small of gas, and the water level rising eventually to drown thousands. Not long after, I took the gamble on the soldiers I was surrendering to being Wehrmacht (the SS simply shot anybody they captured). Identib the Fellow and contribute to the Fellowship which bears his name.
STILL IN FINANCIAL HEALTH
TONY LEIGHTON (`99)
The College Accounts for the year ending 31 July 1999 show a surplus of £197K (previous year, on a like- for-like basis c £220K). The slight fall in surplus has many causes but major items were additional expenditure on computer systems and on building maintenance in general. The Endowment income has risen from £630K to £660K, a rise entirely caused by the increase in the value of the Endowment as a result of donations. The importance of continuing to increase the Endowment cannot be over-stressed if Pembroke is to withstand the threats it faces. The College now sets aside from Revenue each year £450K (1.5% of insured value) into a building reserve to ensure adequate funds are available in the future. Hopefully the College will never again allow its building programme to fall behind.
Tony has just started a course in Theology at Pembroke. What is remarkable is that he has been blind from the age of nine months and has a number of other disabilities. The computer is the basis of his study method with both Braille screens and Braille emulating keyboards. However, Tony finds continuous use of Braille difficult and has to rely on individuals to transfer He has material to cassette for him. considerable difficulties in finding his way and requires guides to take him between lectures and around College. Tony's determination is shown by his achievement in reaching Pembroke, we wish him all possible success in his time here.
There are many financial threats facing the College and it certainly cannot survive without private donations. I believe that continuing financial health is the basis for all the benefits which the College can provide, good education, good student welfare and Maintaining the financial health of facilities. Pembroke depends, above all, on increasing the Endowment from our Development Campaign. Copies of the Accounts are available from the Development Office at a cost of £5.00. Ray Rook Director of Development E-mail: ray.rook@pmb.ox.ac.uk
DOUGLAS BREWER (`43) - Tutored by Percy O'Brien Professor Emeritus at Sussex University has been awarded the Fritz London Prize in Low Temperature Physics
DIARY DATES on last page
PEMBROKE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
A NUMBER OF OUR STUDENTS ARE REFUSING TO PAY THE GOVERNMENT IMPOSED FEE AS PART OF A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN. WE PRESENT HERE THE VIEWS OF ONE OF OUR STUDENTS TOGETHER WITH THE VIEWS OF OUR ACADEMIC BURSAR. `The abolition of the maintenance grant and the imposition of tuition fees represent the death of free education, i.e. the tradition of access to education for all on the sole basis of academic ability. The Tuition Fee as it stands brings no extra money into Higher Education, and so cannot be Even with the justified on pragmatic grounds. gstem of loans, and the piece-meal "safety-net" of Hardship Funds and Bursaries, the prospect of k12,000 average debt on graduation means that many able individuals from low-income backgrounds are deterred from applying to University. For some it is simply not a viable option. Ultimately, this exclusion of talent cannot be in the best interests of our education system, the economy, or the nation. Tuition Fees are not an economic inevitability; there are several perfectly viable alternatives such as a Graduate Tax. A properly funded education system may be expensive, but ignorance, elitism and exclusion will cost this country a much higher price in the long run". Derek Rittman - MGR President
GIFTS AND TAX In his recent speech to Parliament, the Chancellor announced new tax incentives to promote gifts to charities such as Pembroke. Probably, the most important is the introduction of new American style tax relief on the gifts of assets, such as shares, to Pembroke. He also announced, for the next three years, a contribution from the Government to increase the value of all gifts to charity via payroll deductions. The Government clearly hopes to promote giving on a large scale to the major educational charities such as Pembroke.
All recent UK Governments have aimed to give the impression that they A low taxation favour low taxation. policy means that there is insufficient money from Government funds alone to support a high quality Higher Education Sector. As in other areas funded by Government, payment by the consumer is required. There is a strong valid argument that the details of a polig ofpayment should be such as to continue to ensure wide access to Higher Education but that is not the present argument of the students. They should also recognise that, once a service is paid for, the customer and not the provider is in charge. Ray Rook - Academic Bursar
Society Webpage - update We have had tremendous response to an article published in the last Pembrokian regarding the setting up of a Society Webpage. If you are interested and have not yet signed up, please e-mail n.t. james@sigmametrics.co.uk. This is a great opportunity for Members to keep in touch with one another.
SWAN HELLENIC MEDITERRANEAN BOUQUET CRUISE - A Wine Lover's Cruise, August 2000 We once again have the opportunity of working with Swan Hellenic to promote the Mediterranean cruise to our Members. If you have a love of wine; then this is the holiday for you! Don't forget you will be able to take advantage of a 15% discount for early bookings. For further information, please see enclosed leaflet.
PEMBROKE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
PEMBROKE GOLF SOCIETY Richard Thompson ('56) has kindly agreed to run this newly formed Society with Graham McCallum ('44) as President. If you have not yet applied to join but would like to be kept informed of the Society's activities, please contact Richard, do the Development Office.
NOT A BUILDING SITE!
DID YOU KNOW .... that 70 per cent of Freshers have ... MOBILE PHONES!
An artist's impression of the staircase — ° Jane Pimm of Ritchie Designs The previous Pembrokian described how the College had become a building site but now the scaffolding has gone and the exterior shows its new face. Inside, as our picture shows the rooms and staircase are fully modernised for both student and conference use. All of the work was completed on time and meets the full approval of the student residents! Many thanks to our Members who helped. We hope you will visit College and see these major improvements.
tin's Time. SambrorD, 3ime IS, loa. -,.
Found in the scrapbook of a Pembroke Student (`04) .... nothing changes! (says Gloria Perhaps it refers to our Editor ... see front page!) An artist's impression of a student's en-suite study bedroom — ° Jane Pimm of Ritchie Designs
PEMBROKE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED We are seeking to find missing Members, if you are able to provide us with any information regarding the whereabouts of anyone listen; please contact the Development Office ore-mail the Development Secretary development.secretag@pmb.oxac.uk
DAVID TITERINGTON
1990
1991
Jacqueline Baker Joanna Bradshaw Kathryn Elliott Sam Kashner Tomomi Ko Catherine Moon Gayathri Perera Tobias Platt Alberto Radaelli James Rigney Andrew White
Antonia Balazs Catherine Barrett Alison Charlton Patricia Coelho Robert Collins Mehmet Erdemgil Jennifer Froneberger Stephen Heifetz Jonathan Hosgood Tina Kelleher Simon Leathley Alexandra Lennane Paul Oxley James Pereira-Stubbs Nicholas Toone Niall Wass Nicholas Wurf
PEMBROKE NORTH AMERICAN REUNION Monday 31 July - Thursday 3 August 2000
Invitations have now been posted, if you have not received one and would like to attend, please e-mail the Development Office as soon as possible developmentsecretary@pmb.ox.ac.uk
Plays the Organ of PEMBROKE COLLEGE, Oxford This exciting CD has been extremely well received by our Members. The CD features music from the baroque to the contemporary and it performed on the College's superb Letourneau Organ. If you would like to order your copy, please send a cheque payable to `Pembroke College' for L14.99 (outside the USA) or, $20 payable to Pembroke Organ' if you are ordering from USA. Both prices include postage and packing
RECENT BEQUESTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE ESTATES OF: J. V. Barnett George Bredin Pierre Walker John Wallis Margaret Stevenson Sir James Cobban
PEMBROKE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER
DIARY DATES 15th February
WOMEN'S RECEPTION - hosted by Beatrice Hollond (`79)
at the Groucho Club, Dean Street, Soho, London W1 -6.30-8.30 pm 7th March
14th April 17th April
CITY GROUP RECEPTION - hosted by Andrew Graham (`69) at Conrad Ritblat plc, Milner House, 14 Manchester Square, London W1A - 6.30 - 8.30 pm INTER-COLLEGIATE GOLF meeting at Frilford Heath Golf Course LONDON RECEPTION - House of Commons
20th May
24TH BLACKSTONE LECTURE - To be delivered by Judge Rosalyn Higgins, of the International Court of Justice - further details may be obtained from John Eekelaar on 01865 276429
3rd June 28th June 30th June
ANNUAL GARDEN PARTY - further information in the Summer issue
Monday, 31st July Friday, 3rd August
29th September 30th September
PEMBROKE GOLF SOCIETY meeting at Frilford Heath Golf Course GAUDY for years 1990 - 1991 NORTH AMERICAN REUNION
Further details of this event will be circulated separately to US members PEMBROKE SOCIETY DINNER - further information in the Summer issue PEMBROKE SOCIETY ACTIVITY DAY - further information in the Summer
issue Forthcoming Events
MEDIA - further information will be available in the next Pembrokian
IF YOU WOULD LIKE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LISTED OR FORTHCOMING EVENTS - PLEASE CONTACT US AT THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE 01865 276478 OR E-MAIL DEVELOPMENT.SECRETARY@PMB.OX.AC.UK
GAUDIES Friday, 30th June Friday, 5th January 2001
For matriculation years 1990-1991 For matriculation years 1992-1993
Members now have access to our NEW website - www.pembroke.oxford.ac.uk - to view our home page. Please use the facility - UPDATE FORM - in the Fundraising / Development section to keep us up-to-date with your current details. E ARE SEEKING
NEEDITs SPONSORSHIP FOR FUTURE PUBLICATIONS OF THE. Pi MBROKIA N, IF YOU ARE ABU TO HELY IN AN\
\X AY PLEASE CONTACT THE Driver OPNII'NT OFFICE OR 1
- gloria.mundy@pmb.ox.ac.uk
Layout and some photography by Gloria Mundy, Development Office, Pembroke College, Oxford OX1 1DW