Somerville College Report | 2023-2024

College Report 2023-2024

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College Report 2023-2024

College Report 2023-2024

Cont Visitor, Principal, Fellows, Lecturers, Staff 3 The Year in Review Principal’s Report 10 Treasurer’s Report 13 e Fellows’ and Lecturers’ Activities 14 Junior Research Fellows’ Activities 17 nts JCR Report 18 MCR Report 19 Library Report 20 Members’ Notes Somerville Association President’s Report 23 Somerville Association O昀케cers and Committee 24 Horsman Awards 24 Somerville Senior Members’ Fund 24 Life Before Somerville 26 Members’ News 28 Births 32 Marriages 32 Deaths 34 Obituaries 36 Academic Report Examination Results 60 Prizes 62 Students Entering College 66 Distinguished Friends of Somerville 72 Somerville Development Board Members 72 Notices Legacies 74 Editor: Em Pritchard Telephone: 01865 270632 Email: development.o昀케[email protected]

Fellows James Ravi Kirkpatrick, BPhil Francesca Southerden, BA, Visitor, MA DPhil (BA R’dg, MLitt St MSt, DPhil, Professor of Italian Prateek Agrawal, (B.Tech And), Fixed-Term Fellow in and Tutor in Italian Bombay, PhD Maryland), Philosophy Charles Spence, MA, Principal, Associate Professor of Physics Robin Klemm, (PhD Dresden), (PhD Cantab), Professor of and Tutor in Physics Associate Professor in Experimental Psychology Fellows, Daniel Anthony, MA, Medicine and Tutor in Medicine and Tutor in Experimental (PhD Lond), Professor of Margaryta Klymak, (MSc Psychology Experimental Neuropathology Edin, PhD Dublin), Tutor in Fiona Stafford, MA, MPhil, Lecturers, and Tutor in Medicine Economics DPhil, (BA Leicester), FRSE, Jonathan Burton, MA, (PhD Markos Koumaditis, FBA, D. Litt (Leic), Professor Staff Cantab), Professor of Organic Additional Fellow, (BA Ionian, of English Language and Chemistry, Sue and Kevin MA RHUL, PhD KCL) FCIPD, Literature, Tutor in English Scollan Fellow and Tutor in Human Resources Director Literature Chemistry Almut Maria Vera Suerbaum, Renaud Lambiotte, (MPhys MA, (Dr phil, Staatsexamen, Visitor Dan Ciubotaru, (BSc, MA PhD ULB Brussels) Professor Münster), Associate Professor Babes-Bolyai, PhD Cornell), of Networks and Nonlinear of German and Tutor in The Rt Hon The Lord Patten The Diana Brown Fellow and Systems and Tutor in German of Barnes, CH, PC, Chancellor Tutor in Pure Mathematics; Mathematics of the University Professor of Mathematics Annie Sutherland, MA, DPhil, Louise Mycock, (BA Durh, (MA Cantab), Professor of Robert Davies, DPhil, (BSc MA PhD Manc), Associate Medieval Literature, Rosemary Toronto, MSc Ottowa), Professor of Linguistics and Woolf Fellow and Tutor in Associate Professor of Tutor in Linguistics English Principal Statistics and Tutor in Statistics Karen Margrethe Nielsen, Benjamin John Thompson, Jan Royall, Baroness Royall (Cand mag, Cand philol MA, DPhil, (MA, PhD Cantab), of Blaisdon, PC, MA, (BA Julie Dickson, MA, DPhil, (LLB Trondheim, MA, PhD Cornell), FRHistS, Associate Professor Lond) Glasgow), Professor of Legal Associate Professor of of Medieval History and Tutor Philosophy and Tutor in Law Philosophy and Tutor in in History and Associate Samantha Sebastian, (PhD Philosophy Head (Education), Humanities Sydney), Associate Professor in Natalia Nowakowska, MA, Division Vice-Principal Music and Tutor in Music MSt, DPhil, Professor of Early Damian Tyler, Additional Beate Dignas, MA, DPhil, Modern History and Tutor in Fellow, (MSci, PhD Nott), Lois McNay, MA, (PhD (Staatsexamen Münster), History Professor of Physiological Cantab), Professor of the Associate Professor of Ancient Patricia Owens, (BSc Metabolism Theory of Politics, Shirley History, Barbara Craig Fellow Brist, MPhil Cantab, DPhil Williams Fellow in Politics and Tutor in Ancient History Aberystwyth) Professor of Konstantina Vogiatzaki, and Tutor in Politics International Relations and MA, (Master's NTUA, PhD Emily Flashman, DPhil, (BSc Tutor in International Relations Imp), Associate Professor of Soton), Associate Professor in Engineering Science, Tutor in Molecular Plant Sciences and Luke Pitcher, MA, MSt, DPhil, Engineering Science Tutor in Biology (PGCert Durh), Associate Philip West, MA, (PhD Christopher Hare, BCL, Professor of Classics and Tutor Cantab), Associate Professor (Dip. D’Etudes Jurid. Poitiers, in Classics of English, Times Fellow and MA Cantab, LLM Harvard), Charlotte Potts, DPhil, Tutor in English Associate Professor of Law and (BA Victoria New Zealand, Faridah Zaman, (BA, MPhil, Tutor in Law MA UCL), FSA, Sybille PhD Cantab), Associate Michael Hayward, MA, Haynes Associate Professor Professor in History and Tutor DPhil, Professor of Inorganic of Etruscan and Italic in History Chemistry and Tutor in Archaeology and Art, Katherine Chemistry and Leonard Woolley Fellow Noa Zilberman, MA, (BSc, in Classical Archaeology and MSc, PhD Tel Aviv), Fellow Michelle Jackson, (BSc PhD Tutor in Classical Archaeology of the Alan Turing Institute, Lond), Associate Professor of Elena Seiradake, (PhD Associate Professor of Zoology and Tutor in Biology Heidelberg), Professor of Engineering Science, Tutor in Simon Robert Kemp, BA, Molecular Biology and Tutor in Engineering Science MPhil, (PhD Cantab), Associate Biochemistry Professor in French and Tutor in French 5

Professorial Manuele Gragnolati, MA, Alex David Rogers, (BSc, PhD Dan Rogers, (MEng, PhD Imp (Laurea in Lettere Classiche, Liv) Lond), Engineering Fellows Pavia, PhD Columbia, DEA Paris) Rajesh Thakker, MA, DM, Byrony Sheaves, DPhil, (BSc Colin Phillips, BA, (PhD MIT), (MA, MD Cantab), FRS, FRCP, Cardiff, D.Clin.Psy Institute Professor of Linguistics Sarah Gurr, MA, (BSc, PhD FRCPath, FMedSci Of Clinical Psychiatry), Lond), ARCS, DIC, Professor of Experimental Psychology Stephen Roberts, MA, DPhil, Molecular Plant Pathology Renier van der Hoorn, (BSc, FREng, FIET, FRSS, MIOP, MSc Leiden, PhD Wageningen) Justin Sirignano, (BSE RAEng-Man Professor of John Ingram, (BSc KCL, MSc Princeton, PhD Stanford), Machine Learning R'dg, PhD Wageningen NL) Roman Walczak, MA, (MSc Mathematics Warsaw, Dr rer nat Heidelberg) Steven Simon, MA, (PhD Joanna Innes, MA, (MA Harvard), Professor of Cantab) Stephen Weatherill, MA, (MA Junior Research Theoretical and Condensed Muhammad Kassim Javaid, Cantab, MSc Edinburgh) Fellows Matter Physics (BMedSci, MBBS, PhD Jennifer Welsh, MA, DPhil, Dania Albini, (BA, MSt Parma, Iyiola Solanke, Academic Lond), MRCP, Professor of (BA Saskatchewan) PhD Swansea ), Zoology Bencher, Honourable Society Osteoporosis and Adult Rare of the Inner Temple (BA Lond, Bone Diseases Matthew John Andrew Sophie Arana, (BA FU MSc, PhD LSE), Jacques Delors Wood, MA, DPhil, (MB, ChB Berlin, MSc Radboud, PhD Professor of European Law Patricia Kingori, (BA, MSc Cape Town), FMedSci International Max Planck RHUL, MSc UCL, PhD LSHTM), School), Psychology Professor of Global Health Administrative Ethics Senior Associates Maria Caiazza, DPhil (BA, MSc Fellows Philip Kreager, DPhil Aaron Maniam, MPP, MA, Pisa), Medicine Sarah Butler, (BA Leeds, MA DPhil, (MA Yale) Joanna Demaree-Cotton, BA, Simon Kyle, (MA, PhD BPhil (PhD Yale), Philosophy UCL, MCLIP), Librarian and Glasgow), Professor of Jane Robinson, BA Head of Information Services Experimental and Clinical Sleep Susan Bilynskyj Dunning, Research Susan Thomas, (BA Manc, MA (BA Seattle Pacific, MA, PhD Sara Kalim, MA, Director of Liv) Toronto), Classics Development Aditi Lahiri, CBE (BA, MA, PhD Calcutta, PhD Brown) Alexandra Vincent, (BA, MSc Giuseppe Gava, (MEng, MRes Andrew Parker, MA, (BA Open) PhD Imp Lond), Medicine Liverpool), ACMA, Treasurer Catherine Mary MacRobert, Stephen Rayner, MA, (PhD MA, DPhil Research Fellows Tin-hang Hung, DPhil, (BSc Durh), FRAS, MInstP, Senior Nicholas McKeown, (BEng CUHK), FLS, Biological Sciences Tutor, Tutor for Graduates and Leeds, MS, PhD University of Naveed Akbar, (BSc, MSc, Andrea Kusec, (BA Toronto Tutor for Admissions California, Berkeley) PhD Dundee) FHEA, Associate Metropolitan University, MSc Professor of Cardiovascular McMaster University, PhD Senior Research Boris Motik, (MSc Zagreb, Science Cantab), Medicine PhD Karlsruhe), Professor of Fellows Computer Science Siddharth Arora, DPhil, (BTech Elizabeth Mary MacGregor, DAIICT India), Healthcare/ (BA, MPhil Cantab, PhD Sheff), Amalia Coldea, (MA, PhD Frans Plank, (Statsexamen Energy Music Cluj-Napoca) Munich, MLitt Edin, MA Regensburg, DPhil Hanover) Charlotte Doesburg, (BA Jay Patel, DPhil, (MChem Stephanie Dalley, MA, (MA Groningen, MA Helsinki, PhD Warw), Physics Cantab, PhD Lond), FSA Philip Poole, (BSc, PhD UCL), Music Leverhulme Murdoch) Research Fellow Amanda Rojek, MSc, DPhil, Colin Alexander Espie, (BSc (BM, BCh Queensland), MAppSci PhD DSc(Med) Glas), Mason Porter, MA, (BS Pelagia Goulimari, (BA, Medicine CPsychol, FMedSci, FBPsS, Caltech, MS, PhD Cornell) MPhil Aristotle University FRCGP(Hon), FAASM, Professor of Thessaloniki, MA Essex, Marion Schuller, DPhil, (BSc, of Behavourial Sleep Medicine Franklyn Prochaska, (PhD PhD Southampton), Feminist MSc Ludwig-Maximilians), Northwestern University), Studies Medicine Sir Marc Feldmann, (BSc, FRHS MBBS Melb, PhD WEHI), AC, Jim Harris, (BA, MA, PhD Thomas Siday, (MPhys York, MD, DMSc, FAA, FMedSci, Tessa Rajak, MA, DPhil, FSA Courtauld Institute of Art, PhD UCL), Physics FRCP, FRCPath, FRS, Owen Rees, MA, (PhD Lond), Ashmolean Emeritus Professor of Cantab), ARCO, Professor of Emma Soneson, (BS, BS Yale, Cellular Immunology Radhika Khosla, BA, MPhys, MPhil PhD Cantab), Psychology Music (PhD Chicago), Conservation Biology 6

Jemima Tabeart, (MMath Marian Ellina Stamp Honorary Fellows Victoria Glendinning, CBE, Bath, MRes Imp/R'dg, PhD Dawkins, CBE, MA, DPhil, MA EPSRC R'dg), Mathematics FRS Kiri Jeanette Te Kanawa, DBE, AC ONZ, Hon DMus Nicola Ralston, BA Jessica Thompson, (BA Karin Erdmann, MA, (Dr rer McGill, MA Dartmouth College, nat Giessen) Carolyn Emma Kirkby, DBE, Antonia Byatt PhD Montreal), Psychology OBE, MA, Hon DMus, Hon (D.16.11.2023), DBE, CBE, Barbara Fitzgerald Harvey, DMus Bath, Hon DLitt Salf, FRSL, BA Bjorn Vahsen, MSc (DM CBE, MA, BLitt, FBA, FGSM Georg-August ), Medicine FRHistS, Anna Laura Momigliano Hazel Mary Fox (Lady Fox), Lepschy, MA, BLitt George Ward, (BA, MSc UCL, Judith Heyer, MA, (PhD Lond) CMG, QC, MA MS, PhD MIT Sloan School of Rosalind Mary Marsden, Management), Economics Averil Millicent Cameron, DCMG, MA, DPhil Julianne Mott Jack, MA DBE, MA, DLitt (PhD London), Silvia Zanoli, (Bachelor's and Harriet Maunsell, OBE, MA Master's Degree Universita Carole Jordan, DBE, MA, (PhD FBA, FSA degli Studi di Milano, PhD Max Lond), FRS Hilary Spurling, CBE, BA Planck Institut fur Physik), Baroness O’Neill of Physics Norma MacManaway, MA, Bengarve, CH, CBE, MA, (PhD Catherine Jane Royle de (MA, MPhil Dublin, DEA Paris) Harvard), Hon DCL, FBA, Hon Camprubi, MA Rocco Zizzamia, MPhil, FRS, FMedSci Nancy Rothwell, DBE, BSc, DPhil (Bachelor of Soc. Sci., Anne Manuel, MA, (LLB Rdg, BA University of Cape Town), MA, MSc, PhD Bristol) Kay Elizabeth Davies, DBE, DS, (PhD Lond), FMedSci, Economics CBE, MA, DPhil, FRS, Hon DSc FRS Helen Morton, MA, (MSc Victoria Canada, FMedSci Boston, MA Cantab) Baroness Shriti Vadera, PC, British Academy Baroness Jay of Paddington, BA Hilary Ockendon, MA, DPhil, PC, BA Fellows (Hon DSc Southampton) Elizabeth Mary Keegan, DBE, Irangani Manel Abeysekera, MA Vilija Velyvyte, MJur, Josephine Peach, BSc, MA, MA MPhil(RES), DPhil, (BA, MJur DPhil Carole Hillenbrand, CBE, OBE, Mykolas Romeris), Law Paula Pimlott Brownlee, MA, BA, (BA Cantab, PhD Edin), Stephen Guy Pulman, MA, DPhil FBA, FRSE, FRAS, FRHistS Ammar Azzouz, (BA Al-Baath (MA, PhD Essex), FBA University, Syria, MSc Salford, Julia Stretton Higgins, CBE, Angela McLean, DBE, BA, (MA PhD Bath), Geography Frances Julia Stewart, MA, MA, DPhil, Hon DSc, FRS, Berkeley, PhD Lond), FRS DPhil, FAcSS CChem, FRSC, CEng, FIM, FREng Michele Moody-Adams, BA, Early Career Fellows Richard Stone, MA, DPhil, (BA Wellesley, PhD Harvard) FREng, FSAE, FIMechE Doreen Elizabeth Boyce, MA, Aradhana Cherupara (PhD Pittsburgh) Judith Parker, DBE, QC, MA Vadekkethil, BCL, MPhil, Angela Vincent, MA, MB, BS, DPhil (BA, LLB National Law (MSc Lond), FRS, FMedSci Ruth Hilary Finnegan, OBE, Esther Rantzen, DBE, CBE, University Delhi), Law MA, BLitt, DPhil, FBA MA Jacqueline Siu, (BSc, UBC, Foundation Fellows Janet Margaret Bately, CBE, Caroline Barron, OBE, MA, PhD Cantab), Medicine MA, FBA (PhD London), FRHistS Lord Glendonbrook, CBE Emma Rothschild, CMG, Career Development Sir Geoffrey Leigh Margaret Kenyon, MA MA Fellow Vicky Maltby, MA Clara Elizabeth Mary Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Freeman, OBE, MA Kt, (BSc Baroda, PhD Ohio), Robert Ng Fay Probert, (BSc, MSc, PhD Lord Powell of Bayswater, Jenny Glusker, MA, DPhil Nobel Laureate, FRS (President) Warwick), Chemistry KCMG, OBE Ann Rosamund Oakley, MA, Tessa Ross, CBE, BA Emeritus Fellows Mr Gavin Ralston, MA (PhD Lond), Hon DLitt Salford, Joanna Haigh, CBE, MA, DPhil, AcSS FRS, FRMetS Wafic Rida Saïd Margaret Adams, MA, DPhil Peggie Rimmer, DPhil Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe, DBE, CMG, MA Akua Kuenyehia, BCL, (LLB Pauline Adams, MA, BLitt, Kevin Scollan, MA University of Ghana) (Dipl Lib Lond) Judith Ann Kathleen Howard, Susan Scollan, MA CBE, DPhil, (BSc Bristol), FRS Baroness Wolf of Dulwich, Lesley Brown, MA, BPhil Gopal Subramanium, SA, DBE, CBE, BA, MPhil Bencher (Hon.), Gray’s Inn. 7

Lorna Margaret Hutson, BA Simon Cassidy, MChem, Graeme Smith, MPhys, DPhil, Lecturer in DPhil Oxf, FBA DPhil, Chemistry Physics Medicine Caroline Mary Series, CBE, Esther Cavett, (BMus Lond, Stephen Smith, BA, MPhil, BA, (PhD Harvard), FRS PhD KCL), Music (MA Open, PhD RHUL), Helen Ashdown, BMBCh Classical Archaeology (MA Cantab) MRCP, MRCPG, Sacha Romanovitch, MA David Chapman, (BA, MSc, DCH PGDip (Health Res), PhD Cantab), Engineering Kerstin Timm, PhD Cantab, Janet Vaughan Tutor in Clinical Alice Prochaska, MA, DPhil, Science Medicine Medicine FRHistS Vilma de Gasperin, DPhil John Traill, DPhil (BA, MMus Margaret Casely-Hayford, (Laurea Padua), Modern UEA), Music Academic Office CBE, MA Languages Damian Tyler, (MSci, PhD Lucy Young, (BA Dame Elan Closs Stephens, Clea Desebrook, MSc, DPhil, Nott), Medicine Aberystwyth), Academic DBE, BA (BA Manc), Psychology Registrar Timothy Walker, MA, MHort, June Raine, DBE, CBE, BA, Andrew Elliott, MPhil, DPhil, Plant Biology Joanne Ockwell, (BA, MA MSc BMBCh, MRCP (BA Cantab), Economics University of Gloucester), Amina Zarzi, (BA, MA Welfare Support and Policy Clair Wills, BA, DPhil, HMRIA Kamel El Omari, (BSc Paris Constantine), French VII, MSc, PhD Paris VI), Officer Farhana Yamin, BA Biochemistry Yifan Zhang, MPhil, (BSc, BA Xiamen University China, MSc Victoria Wilson, Scholarships Julia Yeomans, BA, DPhil, FRS Rachel Exley, (BSc Leeds, PhD Warwick), Economics and Funding Bolanle Awe, DPhil (MSt St Paris XI), Medicine Saphire Richards, Graduate And) Lillian Fontaine, DPhil (BA Retaining Fee and Tutorial Officer Afua Kyei, MChem Sydney), Modern Languages Lecturers Charlotte Hemmings, BA Access and Patricia Davies (Owtram), (MA, PhD SOAS), Linguistics Susan Anthony, MBBS, MRCP, Outreach BLitt FRCR, Medicine Simon Russell Beale (Sir), Matthew Hosty, BA, MSt, Richard Ashdowne, MA, Hannah Pack, (MA Cantab, CBE (BA Cantab) DPhil, Classics DPhil, Linguistics PGCE Oxford Brookes), Access Kenneth Hughes, MPhys and Outreach Officer Stipendiary (PhD Imp), Physics Vilma de Gasperin, DPhil, (Laurea Padua), Modern Margaret Thatcher Lecturers Catherine Jenknison, DPhil Languages Scholarship Trust (BA Columbia University in Alastair Ahamed, BA, BCL, the City of New York, MLitt St Departmental Law And), History Jessica Mannix, (MA St And), Lecturers Campaign Director Jonas Antor, (BSc, MSc Bonn, Quentin Miller, DPhil, (BMath MASt Cantab), Mathematics Waterloo, Canada), Computer Helen Flatley, (BA, MPhil Claire Cockcroft, MA Science Cantab, MA American (PhD Cantab), Director of Alice Barron, DPhil, (BA Nott, University of Paris), History the Thatcher Scholarship MMus Royal Academy of Ain Neuhaus, MA, DPhil, Programme Music), Music BMBCH, Medicine Hannah Laurens, BPhil, (BA Eleanor Bath, DPhil, (BA, BSc Birk, MA Bern, PhD St And), Oxford India Naomi Petela, MBioChem, Philosophy New South Wales), Biological DPhil, Biochemistry Centre Sciences Dean Sheppard, MChem, Chloe Pieters, (BSc LSE, MA DPhil, Chemistry Radhika Khosla, MPhys, (PhD Jacob Bird, MSt, DPhil, (BA Birk, Lond), History Chicago), Research Director Cantab), Music Clare Rees-Zimmerman, College Lecturer Siddharth Arora, DPhil, Richard Brearton, MPhys, (MA, MEng, PhD Cantab), Programme Director DPhil, Physics Engineering Science Hanne Eckhoff, (Cand. Mag. Cand. Philol. Doctor artium Neeraj Shetye, (BA SNU, Felicity Brown, DPhil, Nisha Singh, MSc, DPhil, Oslo), Russian MSc SOAS), Partnerships and (BA, MA Cantab, MA Birm), Medicine Communications Manager English 8

Library Porters’ Lodge Susan Elizabeth Purver, MA, Mark Ealey, Lodge Manager Assistant Librarian Matthew Roper, MA, (MA Chapel Durh), Library Assistant Arzhia Habibi, (BA Notts, Development IMICS National Chengchi University), Chapel Scholar and Director Office Clare Finch, Deputy William Dawes, (PGDip RAM, Development Director BMus Edin), Director of Chapel Music Rebecca Coker, (BA Durh, MPhil Cantab), Senior Estates Development Executive Lisa Gygax, MA, Joint Steve Johnson, Estates Secretary to the Somerville Manager Association Jackie Watson, MA, (MA Birk, Gardens PhD Birk), Joint Secretary to Alastair Mallick, Head the Somerville Association Gardener Jackie Yip, (BA Cardiff), Regular Giving and Alumni Housekeeping Relations Executive Teresa Walsh, Housekeeping Communications Manager Matt Phipps, (BA York, MPhil Nursery Cantab), Communications Manager Karen Hopkins, Nursery Em Pritchard, (BA York, MA Manager York), Communications Officer Conferences and Catering Dave Simpson, Catering and Conference Manager Treasury Damian Clements, College Accountant IT Chris Bamber, Systems Manager 9

Principal’s Report BARONESS JAN ROYALL As we ready ourselves for the new academic year, and my the Applied Networking Research Prize before winning the last as Principal, it is a privilege to look back on the one that Dyson Sustainability Award at this year's STEM for Britain came before. competition. It has been another excellent year in the life of Somerville, All of these achievements are particularly impressive given that during which our time-honoured values of academic excellence, Somerville student numbers have been at a record high over the diversity, and innovation have set new benchmarks for success past two years. Closer inspection reveals that these numbers among both individuals and community alike. represent only a small increase on previous years, but they nonetheless reflect the continued high demand for a Somerville In the JCR, our undergraduates once again distinguished education and the concomitant strain it places upon our themselves academically, with a third of all finalists achieving resources as we seek to ensure that every student has the space firsts and 93% of students achieving a First or 2:1. Individual and support to excel in their chosen fields. It’s all a very long successes have been particularly noteworthy, with Final Honour way from the baker’s shop above which Somerville’s first twelve School prizes awarded in Classics, English, German, Chemistry, students were required to attend their lectures back in 1879. Medicine, Law, and Biochemistry. Such recognition underscores the diverse strengths of our student community, and you can If there is a common thread linking the students of 1879 review the complete list of this year’s prize-winners in the and those of today, it is the fact that they came here with a Academic Report section. determination to learn, and have always received steadfast support in that goal. It is gratifying, then, to see our academics The Somerville MCR likewise remains an academic powerhouse, receive continued recognition for their teaching. Of particular especially, it seems, in the fields of law, public policy and note is Professor Noa Zilberman, who was not only appointed engineering. Two of our BCL students, Anshul Dalmia (2023) as Fellow to the Alan Turing Institute this year, but also received and Ramakash Gujuluva Suriaprakash (2023) were recognised an MPLS Teaching Award for Outstanding Research Supervision. for their performances in the BCL, while Miral Shehata (2023, Also noteworthy is the shortlisting of the Somerville Skills Hub, MSc Economics for Development) received the Benno Ndulu led by Dr Claire Cockcroft, in the Support for Students category Prize for Best Examination in Quantitative Methods. Of of this year’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards. The Skills Hub is a unique particular note is doctoral student Sawsan El-Zahr (2023, resource within the Oxford student community, providing our DPhil Engineering), whose work on greening the internet was students with a termly toolkit to thrive academically, emotionally recognised by the Internet Research Task Force and received and in their future careers. 10

Our academics continue to receive recognition for their research. In the King’s Birthday Honours, our Senior Research Fellow Professor Rajesh Thakker was made an OBE for services to Medical Science and to People with Hereditary and Rare Disorders. Two of Somerville’s Senior Research Fellows, Professor Sir Marc Feldmann and Professor Tony Bell, received Royal Society medals in recognition of their contributions to the fields of immunology and high energy astrophysics, respectively. Professor Julie Dickson, meanwhile, was awarded the Alice Tay Book Prize for Excellence in Legal Theory for her book, Elucidating Law (Oxford University Press, 2022). Further congratulations are due to our Lord and Lady MacNair Early Career Fellow in Law, Dr Aradhana Cherupara Vadekkethil, who co-authored a report on academic freedom across the Global South which was presented to the UN’s Human PROFESSOR NOA ZILBERMAN (L) WITH HER DOCTORAL STUDENT Rights Council in June 2024. We are also proud of former SAWSAN EL ZAHR AND UNIQ+ STUDENT OZLEM KESGIN JRF Dr Shobhana Nagraj, whose campaign for tackling child food poverty across Oxfordshire, which has involved many Somerville colleagues, received a Community Partnership Award achievement, Sam said, "My degree result was proof that I can at this year’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards. thrive whilst embracing every part of my culture and identity.” Finally, in discussing our SCR, I must take a moment to recall Another great initiative Somerville is working with is the our celebrations for International Women’s Day, which this year University of Oxford’s new Astrophoria Foundation Year fell on the same date as the Dorothy Hodgkin Memorial Lecture Programme, which seeks to equip students with academic in the sixtieth anniversary year of Dorothy Hodgkin receiving potential who have experienced severe personal disadvantage her Nobel prize. We marked this special occasion with a lecture with the skills and self-belief to study at Oxford. Last year, by Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Somerville was one of ten participating colleges in Astrophoria’s and a delightful commemorative film featuring Somerville’s inaugural year, and welcomed two students to the foundation biochemists past, present and future, which you can view on programme in History and PPE. We will welcome another two the Somerville College YouTube page. The SCR also benefitted students to the programme in the coming academic year. in 2024 from the arrival of our new Professorial Fellow in Linguistics, Professor Colin Phillips, whose inaugural lecture was One of the key means by which Somerville creates equality of the first to be held at Somerville in several years. opportunity is through scholarships. The Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust was established in 2013 to create a living Our academic policy, led by Senior Tutor Dr Steve Rayner, is legacy for Britain’s first woman prime minister by offering geared both to releasing the potential of Somerville students scholarships to the best students from around the world, and widening the opportunities for access to the University, irrespective of ideology, discipline or background. In this its particularly among underrepresented communities. Clear tenth year, the Trust was able to appoint its fiftieth scholar progress is being made in this work, with 73.4% of our thanks to the continued, transformative support of its patrons, admissions coming from state schools in the years 2021-23, donors and friends, some of whom I was able to catch up with compared to the university average of 68%. We recognise, during a visit to South East Asia earlier this year. The meeting however, that school type is an imperfect marker for was a happy reminder that, with every year that passes, the disadvantage, which is the key focus our access work seeks to MTST realises more fully its founding vision of creating a body redress. As such, our Access team remains focused on finding of scholars that will go into board rooms, courts, governments new ways to attract students with the highest academic and universities, to change the world for the better. potential from Minority Ethnic and non-traditional backgrounds, Free School Meal students and those from regions of low The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development has also progression to university. gone from strength to strength this year. Like the MTST, it appointed its fiftieth scholar in 2023-24, and we are currently Among several new Access initiatives focused on these student in the process of inaugurating several new scholarships, groups is the introduction of open days events curated for including an exciting gift agreement with Amee Parikh of specific minority audiences, such as Young Carers and BAME Amansa Capital that will bring four new scholars into the students. These have provided a valuable addition to our OICSD. Alongside the exceptional research our OICSD scholars existing strategies, including our work with Somerville’s regional produce, these ever-expanding partnerships are a token of the link areas and partnerships with outreach organisations such enduring bond between Somerville and India. That connection as Target Oxbridge, which works with Black and mixed-race received a particularly joyful boost in December, when the students with Black heritage to increase their chances of Somerville College Choir embarked on a tour of India. I was getting into Oxford and Cambridge. This year, I am delighted to fortunate to watch (and hear!) as our Choir wowed audiences say, one of our Target Oxbridge students, Sam Ajakaiye (2020, in Delhi, Goa and Mumbai with recitals of traditional Christmas History and French), achieved a First. Speaking about his music alongside several workshops for local children’s charities. 11

SOMERVILLE COLLEGE CHOIR'S INDIA TOUR, DECEMBER 2023 It’s hard to believe that Somerville has been an official College such as our crowdfunder to support the St Paul’s Nursery (a of Sanctuary since 2021. In that time, this programme has treasured resource for our academics with children). grown exponentially. Last year, the University of Oxford followed Somerville’s example to become a University of As I look to the year ahead, I must give a special vote of thanks Sanctuary. Here at Somerville, our tally of Sanctuary Scholars to all of my colleagues here at Somerville. This great college rose to eight in 2023-24, including students from Ukraine, will need to come together in order to meet the challenges as Sudan, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Thanks to the extraordinary well as the opportunities that the future holds. We couldn’t philanthropy of Peggie Rimmer, next year will see our cohort possibly do that without this brilliant and close-knit community, of Sanctuary Scholars rise to twelve. I am deeply indebted to nor without the expert financial management of our Treasurer our Development Director, Sara Kalim, and her team, through Andrew Parker, who has doubled our endowment over the past whose tireless efforts these opportunities become realities. decade, from £50m in 2014 to £99m this year. Life within the JCR and MCR always reflects the irrepressible All of this places us in an excellent position to launch the RISE vitality of Somerville. This year, we had a record number of campaign in the next academic year. Organised around the four sporting Blues in College, as well as Varsity victory in ballroom pillars of resilience, inclusivity, sustainability and excellence, dancing! Two Somerville poets were shortlisted for the Jon RISE will provide the blueprint for us to create the Somerville of Stallworthy Prize, and two of our photographers claimed first tomorrow, a college rooted in our enduring values, but prepared and second place in the University's Sustainability Photographer to rise and meet the challenges of the future. of the Year competition. On a more serious note, it was inspiring Our college’s future is bright, then. But it is worth remembering to see our MCR organise a concert in aid of Save the Children’s that such progress is only possible through the continued humanitarian relief efforts for Gaza. support of you, the Somerville community. Your dedication, Our alumni community was just as buoyant this year. We creativity, and care for this place have always made Somerville held fantastic events such as our wonderful Family Day in stronger. As we move forward, I have no doubt that you will September and perhaps our best ever Supporters’ Lunch, once again be the guiding spirit ensuring that this college featuring showcases from our brilliant Junior Research Fellows, remains a beacon of academic excellence, inclusivity, and while also making time for the annual Commemoration and an innovation for generations to come. unforgettable Memorial Service to our friend and colleague Liz JAN ROYALL, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, Cooke. Somervillians also came together around vital causes, Principal of Somerville 12

Treasurer’s Report At the time of writing, we are still some way away from having a final result for 2023-24 and we do not yet have confirmed valuations for our investments, but we do know enough to say with some confidence that 2023-24 is going to be a very good year for the college financially. This assessment is driven by two things. Firstly, the cost pressures that we have been struggling to contain over the last couple of years are receding, and secondly, and perhaps more significantly, the support we have received from our alumni and friends, always a distinguishing feature of Somerville, has been unusually strong this year. To take the easing of cost pressures first: general inflation, which peaked at 10% in October 2022, has fallen to 2%. During the period of maximum pressure we were careful to do as much as we could to insulate our students from the impact of these cost increases. The increases in student rent and food costs that we put through at Somerville were among the lowest of all the colleges. The pressure on utility costs which had taken our costs from £250k to £750k over the last couple of years is easing, and next year our utility bill will be around £400k. Strengthening of asset values moved the USS defined benefit pension scheme from a large deficit to a large surplus, allowing us to release the £2m provision against future contributions we had been required to hold and leading to a significant reduction in employer and employee ANDREW PARKER, COLLEGE TREASURER. PHOTO: JOHN CAIRNS contributions into the scheme. Similarly, our endowment investment with Newton increased over the 12 months by 11% from £37.4m to £41.8m. We do not yet have the year valuations from Oxford University Endowment Management scholars. Peggie followed that up this year with a gift of her but a similar movement in our investment with them would flat on Banbury Road, worth £1m. We are indebted to her. The increase our total endowment by £8-9m. We have also had year also brought news of a £3m legacy from the estate of our college houses valued this year and they have increased in our alumna Dr Christian Carritt, which will be used to support value by £0.8m. History teaching, music provision and medical scholarships at A positive picture for this year – but underlying pressures Somerville. We have also heard recently of a £0.5m legacy remain. UK tuition fees have been frozen since 2017 and are from Dr Trevor Hughes, husband to Catherine Hughes, and a now worth 40% less to us in real terms. This is not sustainable. long term friend and supporter of Somerville. We expect to The pressure on academic salaries and workload, and the receive this legacy in 2024-25. inequity in college provision across Oxford is ever present, Finally, and perhaps most significantly, some time ago we and tuition fees from overseas students remain a significant identified the pressing need for more tutorial rooms and spaces part of our income. Our numbers remain robust but other for group study as well as a proper long term home for the institutions are experiencing reducing numbers of overseas Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development. We have students. We also face very major costs, as yet unfunded, if we are to move our college buildings to a net carbon position recently been fortunate to have secured the agreement of a by 2040. major donor which will enable us to fulfil this aspiration and we hope to be able to make an official announcement about this This has been an exceptional year in terms of the support we very soon. have had from alumni and friends. Last financial year finished with a gift of £0.9m from Dr Peggie Rimmer to be used to ANDREW PARKER set up a sanctuary fund to support displaced academics and August 2024 13

Fellows’ and Lecturers’ Activities Earth CDT. He has contributed work looking forward to the publication of the Classics to ten publications this year, including article by Boydell and Brewer next year. This year, Beate Dignas has been Tackling Climate Change with Machine In terms of undergraduate teaching, working and published on processes Learning, Journal of Financial Data Annie has particularly enjoyed lecturing of Heroization in 4th century Greece Science, Nature Machine Intelligence, on the topic of medievalism (i.e., post- and Asia Minor, with special focus on and Algorithmic Finance. medieval responses to the medieval the relationship between Hermias of world) and has taken great pleasure Atarneus and Aristotle. She has been This year, Noa Zilberman was named in supervising a number of thoughtful collaborating with K. Sekita (Tel Aviv) a Turing Fellow, and received a MPLS and original final-year dissertation on a volume called Gods in Translation Award for Outstanding Research students from a variety of colleges. and with Stéphane Benoist (Lille) on Supervision. She started a joint UKRI- The high point of the year, however, Memory, Traces and Identity. She has NSF grant on Carbon-Aware Networks has been the Development Office’s established joint research projects with (as Principal Investigator), exploring successful campaign to raise funding, colleagues in both the Humboldt and sustainable computing infrastructure. in partnership with the English Faculty, Freie Universität in Berlin, on Religion Noa organized the Carbon Aware to fully fund a 3-year DPhil studentship and Social Cohesion and Religious Networks workshop in Oxford, which in medieval literature at Somerville. At Diversity and Cross-Cultural was partly hosted in Somerville. She also a time when Humanities funding is so Integration respectively. started a new project funded by the seriously stretched, this is a wonderful This year, Luke Pitcher addressed a Royal Academy of Engineering, under achievement. And it is made all the conference in Kalamata on the treatment the Visiting Professors programme, more special by the fact the monies of war in Appian’s Roman History, and which takes a vertical approach to contributed by the English Faculty one in Leuven on Appian and the ancient embedding sustainability within the originate from a substantial bequest by tradition of exemplarity. He has also computing curriculum, with a secondary Professor Anne Hudson, Annie’s own published reviews of new texts of Arrian goal to recruit, retain and promote DPhil supervisor, and a remarkable and the Greek fragmentary biographers. women in computer engineering. The advocate for the value of the Humanities paper ‘Planter: rapid prototyping of in the life of the university. Charlotte Potts recently presented in-network machine learning inference’ papers on ‘Gods and Mortals / Religion’ (led by Noa’s PhD student Changgang at the Reconsidering Ancient Rome Zheng, Jesus) was selected as Best of History conference in Rome, and ‘Domestic and Computer Communications Review Religious Architecture’ at the Material and invited for presentation in ACM Natalia Nowakowska has continued Interactions in the Mediterranean Iron SIGCOMM 2024. The paper ‘Exploring working on her new history of the Age conference in Athens. She co-edited the Benefits of Carbon-Aware Routing’ Jagiellonian dynasty (1380s-1590s), From the Palatine to Pirro Ligorio: (led by Noa’s PhD student Sawsan who ruled much of Central and Eastern Architectural, Sculptural and Antiquarian El-Zahr, Somerville) won IRTF Applied Europe in the Renaissance period. In Studies in Memory of Amanda Claridge Networking Research Prize and its this academic year, she undertook (1949-2022), a Journal of Roman poster presentation in STEM for Britain further research trips to Cracow, and Archaeology Supplement, alongside won the Dyson Sustainability Award. to the Podlasie region on the Poland/ Glynn J. C. Davis, Janet DeLaine, and Noa contributed to fourteen publications Belarus border, where she was able to Zena Kamash. Her article ‘An External this year, and also released seven visit dynastic sites, historic Orthodox View: Architecture and Ritual in Central open-source projects for the research churches and Tartar villages. Natalia also Italy’ was published in The Stuff of the community’s benefit. gave a public lecture on the Jagiellonians Gods: The Material Aspects of Religion to the Historical Association (Reading in Ancient Greece. English branch), filmed in Paris with Canal Plus for a documentary on Cracow’s Wawel Annie Sutherland enjoyed a term’s palace, and contributed to a BBC Radio 4 Engineering sabbatical at the beginning of the year, programme on post-election Poland. Stephen Roberts’ interests continue which she used very happily to begin to lie in the theory and methodology of work in earnest on an edited collection Law intelligent algorithms for large-scale, of essays on the body in medieval real-world problems. He continues literature and culture, under contract Julie Dickson has continued with her as lead of the Schmidt AI in Science with CUP. She also wrote a journal article research on the methodology of legal Programme, as co-Director of the on a thirteenth-century manuscript philosophy. She gave presentations Oxford ELLIS unit and co-I on a new central to her work on prayers for on aspects of her work at workshops Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for anchoritic women. This was a revealing and conferences in Oxford and Lisbon Climate & Environment - Intelligent and exciting enterprise, and she is during the academic year 2023/24. 14

The International Association for the research. The programme received key Mathematics Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy support from Maryland PhD students awarded her the Alice Tay Book Prize for in Colin’s team who spent a chunk of In 2023-24, Dan Ciubotaru has Excellence in Legal Theory for her book, the summer in Oxford, helping to train continued his research in representation Elucidating Law (Oxford University and mentor Oxford students. Another theory, partially funded by an EPSRC Press, 2022). The prize was awarded at research highlight was Colin’s inaugural New Horizons grant. He published the World Congress of the Philosophy of lecture (‘Now you say it, now you three papers: ‘A nonabelian Fourier Law in Seoul in July 2024. don’t’), held at Somerville in early June, transform for tempered unipotent which brought together themes — representations’, with A.-M. Aubert and and brought together people — from B. Romano, to appear in Compositio Linguistics throughout his career. In the past Math; ‘The wavefront sets of unipotent Louise Mycock has continued her year Colin held a couple of notable supercuspidal representations’, with L. activities with the international research-related roles. He is continuing Mason-Brown and E. Okada, twenty network Syntax Beyond the Canon, as editor of the journal Annual Review pages, to appear in Algebra and Number contributing a chapter titled '"Tis goodly of Linguistics, part of the prestigious Theory; and ‘Some unipotent Arthur language this, what would it mean?" Annual Reviews family of journals. In packets for reductive p-adic groups’, with Demonstrative ProTags in the History spring 2024 he completed his term L. Mason-Brown and E. Okada, to appear of English', written with Sharon Glaas as Chair of the Linguistics & Language in IMRN. He has also submitted four (University of Birmingham) to the edited Science section of the American more preprints (arXiv) for publication. volume Non-Canonical English Syntax: Association for the Advancement of Dan’s former postdoc and collaborator, Concepts, Methods, and Approaches. Science. Colin will be taking on the role Lucas Mason-Brown, has secured a This volume, containing network of department head in the Faculty of highly competitive University Research members’ research, is scheduled to Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics. Fellowship at Oxford and several tenure- be published by Cambridge University In this role, he is looking forward to track jobs in the UK and the US. He will Press in 2025. The research carried supporting the department’s move start as an assistant professor at UT out in collaboration with UNIQ+ interns into the new Schwarzman Centre for Austin in July 2024. One of Dan’s DPhil Dylan Ryder and Dan Street in 2023 the Humanities, right next door to students graduated in August 2023 has been written up. Louise’s paper, Somerville, which will create many new and he is now a postdoc in Hong Kong. co-authored with Sharon Glaas, titled opportunities for research. In October, Dan is currently supervising three DPhil ‘The Demonstrative ProTag Construction Colin gave three talks in Korea, including students, including one jointly with a in Social Interaction: a Historical as a keynote speaker at the Applied colleague at University of Padova. He has Perspective’ is currently under review. Linguistics Association of Korea. In supervised four master’s dissertations Louise also gave a presentation of her January he and his students gave a talk this year, and one of these students research on ‘meaningless’ pronouns to at the Linguistic Society of America will start a funded PhD in Germany. school students who attended a training in New York City about their research Dan has reported on his research session for the UK Linguistics Olympiad carried out on the museum floor at results at conferences in Hong Kong, this year. Over the summer she is Planet Word Museum in Washington DC. Manchester, Bath, Cluj-Napoca, and York. working on her monograph on ‘wh’- They also spoke about another arm of Unfortunately, he is at the point in his questions and investigating discourse this research at the LingO conference career where his administrative burden markers and their development in in Oxford in June. In May, Colin was seems to be increasing exponentially, spoken and written language further. involved in four presentations at the so he can only hope that he’ll be able to She has also participated in the College Human Sentence Processing Conference continue his research programme at the Open Days. at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, same rate in the near future. This was an important transitional USA. A highlight of this was his talk Renaud Lambiotte often jokes that his year for Colin Phillips, as he shifted ‘Janet Dean’s Path to Psycholinguistics’, current research interests are those of from directing a research centre that based around findings in Somerville his DPhil students. The last academic spans 15 departments within one College’s archives about alumna Janet year was difficult in many ways, but also university, to building a research team Dean Fodor, one of the world’s leading very successful for his students, hence that spans two continents. It has psycholinguists, and a mentor of his, indirectly for him. At the end of last worked well so far, with increasing who passed away in late 2023. In March year, John Pougué-Biyong successfully cross-talk and collaboration between he gave a talk at an Oxford workshop defended his DPhil, and he is now Head the nodes in Oxford and Maryland. One about the link between linguistics and of Data at Kamoa, a startup in the field highlight of this is the new summer computer science, whilst last November, of microcredit in Africa, in a wonderful research internship programme that in the ‘now for something completely example of using data science for the Colin started in summer 2024, with different’ department, Colin gave a talk common good. A couple of months support and encouragement from called ‘Lessons from two very different ago, Renaud’s student Shazia’Ayn Babul Claire Cockcroft of the Somerville initiatives’ at an interdisciplinary event received the Bertalanffy Doctoral Skills Hub. The programme serves in Maryland on the broad theme of Student Award for her recent work on the hunger for research experiences ‘belonging’; this talk was a synthesis the (positive) impact of Low Traffic from Oxford undergraduates, allowing of lessons learned from his community Neighbourhoods on urban mobility. students from different courses and building efforts in academia and in There were also plenty of interesting, stages to collaborate on psycholinguistic community health. stimulating discussions on topics as 15

diverse as entropy production in the human brain and obscure (but fun) problems on the structure of hypergraphs. Modern Languages Simon Kemp has continued as Admissions Director for the Modern Languages Faculty, managing the transition to a new format and provider for the university’s admissions tests. As Opportunity Oxford coordinator for the Humanities Division he has been busy adapting and updating the bridging Music Philosophy course for the 2024 undergraduate Samantha Sebastian published James Ravi Kirkpatrick has had a cohort, including a new module on a chapter titled ‘War and conflict busy year of research, publishing five the uses and dangers of generative AI in resettlement contexts: Music in papers in leading philosophy journals, in academia. On the research side, he children’s everyday lives’, written with a focus on the meaning of generic published an article earlier this year on with Kathryn Marsh, in the Oxford generalisations. He also has a slew of France’s newest Nobel laureate, Annie Handbook of Early Childhood Learning further work in the pipeline, including Ernaux: ‘Perspective and Sexual and Development in Music. Samantha work on dual character concepts, Politics in Mémoire de fille’ in French discussed this area of work at the quantification in natural language, Cultural Studies. Endangered Voices event in College, and issues in the ethics of AI. Most For Almut Suerbaum, after three years as part of a series of talks following excitingly, he is currently investigating as Faculty Board Chair for Modern the Yazidi Women’s Peace Choir the reasoning capacities of large Languages, it was a pleasure to return performance. She also published language models like ChatGPT and to teaching, especially teaching in ‘Building bridges: Translating refugee hopes to publish his findings shortly. person and seeing a new generation narratives for public audiences with Sadly, this is also James’s last year at of first year students settle into their arts-based media’, written with Somerville. He is excited to announce course and life at Somerville. At the Rosebud Campion, in the Journal of that he will be taking up a Departmental same time, the experience was useful Intercultural Studies. This was a write- Lectureship in Philosophy of Language for chairing the faculty’s Athena up of a project with an Oxford-based at the Faculty of Philosophy and Swan equality charter application school, led by Cayenna Ponchione- Magdalen College. He is excited to begin and convening a working party about Bailey. Samantha also published ‘Voicing this new chapter, which would not have conditions of Early Career Researchers. voicing: Attuning to the material in been possible without the support and Hybrid modes allowed Almut to attend studio recording the Lullaby Choir’ encouragement of his colleagues at various meetings of the Göttingen in Music Education Research. As the Somerville, as well as the keen intellect Academic of Sciences who had elected Academic Lead of Access & Outreach of his students, both past and present. her to a fellowship by correspondence. at the Music Faculty, Samantha has Thank you, Somerville, for providing But for creative interchange, meeting worked together with the new Access such a stimulating and academically in person remains key, and Somerville is & Outreach Administrative Officer in engaging environment over the last a stimulating base for interdisciplinary generating a music teachers’ mailing five years! research such as a workshop on list, and trialling a few new Faculty- medieval music manuscripts or the specific events, including the Music Politics colloquium of the Somerville Medieval Experience Day and school visits by Research Group on ‘Post-Human performing undergraduates. Her ‘Music This year, Patricia Owens finished her approaches to Pre-Modern Culture’ in the Community’ course continues book Erased: A History of International which Almut convened in June. In July, to work with Turtle Key Arts and Sing Thought Without Men, which will be a Mercator visiting professorship at Inside, and they have developed a new published by Princeton University Press the LMU Munich allowed her to re- partnership with Music at Oxford. in January 2025. She was excited to connect with medievalist colleagues Samantha is also on the inaugural first present the book at the Oxford and post-docs working on religious Steering Committee for the University’s Meeting Minds Festival and then later song. Almut also presented at the Lyric new Performance Research Hub. She talks in Cambridge, Copenhagen, LSE, Communities conference at Christ delivered the conference paper ‘Setting and the Institute for Historical Research. Church, the Women Read Differently works for diversity: Courtney Pine Patricia was honoured to join the conference in Freiburg, the International in the curriculum and the classroom’ Executive Board of the Oxford Initiative Graduate Colloquium in Geneva, and on at the 36th World Conference of Global Women’s Narrative Project, ‘Greenness’ in Hildegard of Bingen and the International Society for Music which held its summer training in Konrad of Megenberg in Munich. Education, Helsinki, Finland. Somerville College. 16

Junior Research Fellows’ Activities As always, a particularly vibrant part of the Somerville College Community is our collection of Junior Research Fellows, who are pursuing postdoctoral research in a huge range of topics. The following report attempts to summarise some of this fascinating work. Maria Caiazza works in the Department of Physiology, has developed an AI model based on our understanding of Anatomy and Genetics, using stem cell models of Parkinson’s the human/primate relational reasoning which successfully disease to understand how calcium behaves inside cells since accounted for the results in a new eye-tracking experiment. calcium is central to cell function. Maria is working with AstraZeneca to find treatments that can help nerve cells in Björn Vahsen works in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Parkinson’s patients function normally again. Neurosciences. Björn models Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in a dish using human stem cells. In particular, Björn has been Andrea Kusec works in the Translational Neuropsychology studying the role of brain immune cells, microglia, in the group in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. commonest genetic form of MND. Amongst other awards, Andrea’s research focuses on developing accessible mental Björn received the Felgenhauer Research Award 2023 for health interventions for adults with various types of brain young Neuroscientists from the German Neurological Society injury, such as stroke, trauma or brain tumours. A recent in November 2023. paper from Andrea and her team showed that standard ‘talking therapy’ for depression can be less effective with brain injury George Ward is our Mary Ewart Junior Research Fellow. patients because of the impact of the injury on memory and George is an economist. His work focuses on worker and attention. The paper went on to show that adjustment to the workplace wellbeing, including measures of job satisfaction, standard therapy could significantly improve the outcomes for happiness, stress, and purpose/meaning. George is writing these patients. a book, co-authored with Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, entitled Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters, which will be published by Elizabeth MacGregor is our Joanna Randall MacIver JRF, Harvard Business Review Press in the Spring of 2025. George working in Music Education. Elizabeth is pursuing a project also studies the impact of negative emotions on shaping focusing on how the way that music is taught in schools can populist beliefs and voting intentions. have long-lasting impacts on students. These impacts can be highly detrimental if the student’s experience is characterised Sylvia Zanoli is a theoretical physicist working in the field of by experiences of failure, disappointment and exclusion in collider phenomenology. The main goal of Sylvia’s research is the music classroom. Elizabeth is hoping to develop a music improving the accuracy of theoretical predictions of particle pedagogy that is sensitive to this music vulnerability. interactions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in order to obtain cutting-edge results that can be directly compared to Amanda Rojek works in the Pandemic Sciences Institute, part data. In the next few years, the LHC will undergo a substantial of the Nuffield Department of Medicine. Amanda’s work aims improvement, which will lead to experimental data with an to improve the agility of the clinical science response during unprecedented level of precision. Correctly interpreting the disease outbreaks to improve patient survival and public health upcoming data will be possible only if precise and realistic responses. Amanda has studied diseases such as Ebola, Nipah theoretical predictions are available. Sylvia is working to help Virus Disease, and Monkeypox. In particular, Amanda is leading provide those predictions. work to implement the first global harmonised trial for Ebola treatments across twelve countries in Africa with the World Rocco Zizzamia works in the Economics Department. Rocco Health Organisation. is using experimental methods to test the effectiveness of various innovative economic or behavioural interventions Emma Soneson works in the Department of Psychiatry, in the around the world. One project aims to test whether it is more section focusing on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Emma efficient and effective to provide anticipatory support for focuses on ways to try to reduce the incidence, prevalence people in disaster-prone areas rather than rely on emergency and impact of child and adolescent mental health difficulties. relief (often in kind rather than cash) after a disaster occurs. Emma is especially interested in public health approaches, the Rocco’s team is studying the impact of anticipatory cash intersections between education and mental health, and ways transfers in the Jamuna River Basin in Bangladesh, where in which we can support schools to take a central role in mental flooding is likely to occur in the forthcoming monsoon season. health promotion and prevention. Rocco has also evaluated the impact of an unconditional cash transfer programme undertaken in response to severe flooding Jessica Thompson works in the Department of Experimental in Pakistan in 2022. Other projects relate to the impact of Psychology. Jessica is working on developing a formalism to repeated rejection on job searching in South Africa and Group develop computational theories of human cognition. Notably, Coaching projects in Bangladesh, Uganda and the Philippines. Jessica has been focusing on visual relational reasoning, which is the way the brain interprets visual information to draw conclusions about the relationships between objects. Jessica DR STEVE RAYNER, Senior Tutor 17

JCR Report The Junior Common Room (JCR) at Somerville College has experienced an exhilarating and productive year, marked by academic excellence, community engagement, and a variety of extracurricular activities. Our commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment has driven numerous initiatives and events that have enriched the college experience for all our members. We began the academic year by warmly welcoming our new students with a Freshers' Week packed with induction activities and social events designed to help them settle in, make friends, and become acquainted with college life. Since then, the JCR community has organised and participated in a wide variety of social events and activities – including BAME and LGTBQ+ formals, our JCR Pride week, termly welfare weeks, and bops, garden parties and pub quizzes organised by our JCR entertainment team. Excitingly, plans for the Somerville-Jesus College Ball are underway, with the ball committee already hard at work and planning to announce the ball theme in Michaelmas 2024. The JCR also launched several impactful charity and environmental initiatives. During Green Awareness Week, we introduced a new recycling scheme, promoted water-saving MADDIE GORDON, JCR PRESIDENT practices, encouraged sustainable eating, and supported the Somerville-wide carbon survey that gathered information on the consumption of carbon by individual members in our completion of our gym renovation. Our JCR and Terrace have community. During our JCR Arts week, we hosted our first Arts also received updates, all with the aim of enhancing the already concert raising funds for Crisis in Oxford, and our JCR Charities warm and welcoming environment for socialising. Ballot has supported a wide variety of charities this year including the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, Oxford Mutual Finaly, as the President of the JCR, I am filled with immense Aid and Kenyan women’s rights charity Usikimye. gratitude and pride as I reflect on the incredible achievements and experiences of the 2023/24 academic year and therefore Our annual JCR Access Roadshow was a success, and am deeply appreciative of the wonderful committee of alongside our BAME open day, and the work of JCR access officers, whose hard work, dedication, and creativity have been ambassadors throughout the year reflect our unwavering instrumental in realising our collective vision this past year. commitment to improving access at Somerville and Oxford. In Equally, I want to express my sincere thanks to the college particular, we have introduced new suspended students and staff whose support and guidance have been invaluable, class JCR officers, who have worked to build their respective ensuring that we could achieve our goals and create a nurturing communities in College. environment for all students. In the face of challenges which have threatened to polarise our community, the strength of the On the sporting field, hockey, football, rounders, netball, rowing bonds within our JCR has been displayed. This year has been a and cricket teams have had an active year. With highlights testament to the vibrancy of our community, and our shared including Cuppers wins, Summer VIIIs, and annual sports commitment to making Somerville a place where everyone day held at Girton College, Cambridge, there has been great feels valued and inspired. enthusiasm amongst students in repping the black and red for the Ville. Sporting endeavours have been supplemented by the MADDIE GORDON, JCR President 18

MCR Report The 2023-24 academic year has marked significant and pinnacle event, showcasing students’ musical talents and raising positive developments for the MCR. Despite starting with a thousands for Save the Children. small committee of continuing graduates, we kicked off the year with a highly successful Freshers' Week. Events included The MCR continued its efforts to foster a supportive, inclusive, online info sessions, the ‘Friends at Somerville’ scheme, an and accessible environment through welfare and EDI initiatives. Oxford walking tour, and a ‘Barbie-Heimer’ themed BOP. Schemes like prescription reimbursement/subsidizing provided This diverse, friendly, and social culture quickly attracted an economic relief for students needing medications. Welfare enlarged, cohesive committee team. Collaborating with senior massages and welfare animal visits were introduced to soothe College administrators and the wider Somerville Association, students during stressful times. Importantly, after years of we significantly improved the college life of many Somervillians planning and COVID-related interruptions, the completion of the throughout the year. lift project outside the Margery Fry House made our common room more accessible, benefiting all Somervillians in the future. The vibrant atmosphere of the MCR was maintained throughout the year with various activities such as Second During times of humanitarian crises in the conflict in Gaza, the Desserts after each guest night, Wine and Cheese nights, MCR demonstrated remarkable solidarity and compassion. We and celebrations of numerous ethnic festivals (Diwali, Lunar managed to pass statements of support and organize various New Year, Eid). We fostered friendly bonds with other colleges donation initiatives for Gaza. The courage and empathy shown through exchange formal dinners, brunches, and wine tastings. by Somervillians truly embodied the spirit of Somerville and will A particular highlight was our annual grand exchange trip with contribute to a better world in the future. Girton, our sister college at Cambridge. I am genuinely grateful for the exceptional teamwork of the Somervillians continue to excel in the areas beyond social lives. MCR committees and the tremendous support of each MCR The Academic Symposium tailored for the MCR provided an member during my tenure. Together, we have created a vibrant, MADDIE GORDON, JCR PRESIDENTinviting platform for students to showcase their outstanding supportive, and inclusive community that not only excelled in academic achievements and hone their presentation skills. social and academic endeavours but also demonstrated strong Our students’ enthusiasm for music shone brightly, with moral and humanitarian values. many participating in open mic nights, karaoke nights, and the inaugural piano lesson scheme. The Charity Concert was a DAVID (ZHEYI) CAO, MCR President MEMBERS OF THE MCR CELEBRATING THE COLLEGE'S NEW PROGRESS LANYARDS 19

Library and Archives Report 2023-2024 Our Spaces Most of us remember our favourite place to study when we were at university and our favourite texts, and it is quite probable that Somerville’s current students will have similar recollections in the future. What is becoming apparent is that the way in which students learn and study is changing and so those recollections might be quite different to ours. Today’s student is as likely to study in a shared space as in their room, with many favouring the focused peace and motivational setting of the library. During 2023-24 the library altered its environment to adapt to these changing needs, and will continue to do so as space and funds permit. With 104 seats for potentially over 700 students, space in the library was always at a premium, so we increased that number by 13% to 118: still not enough but heading in the right direction. We also doubled the number of group study rooms (to two!) to support the desire of students to study in collaboration with their peers, and increased the number of individual study carrels so that they could as easily avoid their peers. Finally, we created a relaxed café-style seating area in the library loggia where students can catch up with each other, or study without formality. To help members of the Somerville community, and our MARY SOMERVILLE'S SHELL COLLECTION visitors and guests, engage more effectively with the library, we launched our new website, which can be found at https:// library.some.ox.ac.uk. While it will continue to be developed Another collection to which we have turned our attention is as we identify new ways to support our users, it already the Mary Somerville Shell Collection. We received the shell contains a good deal of practical information as well as collection complete with beautiful cabinet as a donation providing an insight into our collections. in 2017, and since then it has been situated either in the Mary Somerville Room or the Principal’s office. During Our Collections Trinity Term we successfully advertised for the role of a Shell Collection Cataloguer, and the collection is now being Significant work continues in making available our archives carefully listed, photographed and described by Will Adams, a and special collections to a wider audience. During the Glasgow University MA student, who has worked on a similar summer of 2023 we moved our artworks and chattels collection in the past. Over the next year or so, we hope to collections catalogue into a new format which will allow us reveal more of this collection to the public, as it is a wonderful to share information about our collections more easily with example of a collection of British natural history objects those who may be interested. Many of our collections remain assembled by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic collector. accessible only as physical, print items, and we are working hard to ensure that records of these are made as useful as It is not unusual for Somerville to be approached with possible to potential researchers. In the longer term we would requests for the loan of our artworks, and this year we have like to explore the possibility of digitising materials in the lent from our collection Patrick Heron’s The Red Table to different collections so they can be viewed from anywhere Charleston in East Sussex for their exhibition Matthew Smith: in the world. At the moment, digitisation of our collections Through the eyes of Patrick Heron. Our artworks form an happens only upon request. important part of our history as a college and, as with all our special collections, we afford them the care they need We reached a significant milestone in the Mill Marginalia to preserve them for future generations. This year we have Online project, which provides a digital edition of all conserved The Devil Sowing Tares, attributed to Abraham marks and annotations in the books of the John Stuart Bloemaert, and a portrait of Mary Somerville by a little- Mill Collection. We completed the scanning for marginalia known artist, Ubaldo Albanesi. of volumes in the collection, thanks to the efforts of our enthusiastic volunteer, Emma Sherratt (Modern Languages, As ever, we note our gratitude to our alumni who continue 1991). Professor Albert Pionke, Project Director, visited in to be unstintingly generous in their gifts to the library March 2024 to photograph the remaining marginalia, and and archives. Of the 1,625 items we added to the library these will be added to the online collection in the near future. collection, 221 were gifts, many publications donated by their 20

Somervillian authors, and a significant donation of Classics our website, with many of the exhibitions reproduced fully texts from Jane Everson (Medieval and Modern Languages, in digital form. We also mounted several exhibitions outside 1974). We also received a donation of ceramics from Ann of the library in support of the many events hosted by the Squires (English, 1962) and a collection of the works of college, including a well-received exhibition about Dorothy Victor Hugo from Sarah Danby (Modern Languages, 1970), Hodgkin, when we celebrated the 60th anniversary of her both donated on the understanding they would raise funds for being awarded the Nobel Prize. the college. In our continued promotion of one of our most treasured In terms of usage of the various collections, we had 53 collections, the John Stuart Mill Library, we hosted several enquiries from external readers about material held in our open days and private viewings of the collection, welcomed library collection, of whom 24 visited the library in person to supporters of the library to Tea with Mill and were honoured consult material. We also lent 7,427 items during the year, that historian Catherine Hall delivered the 2024 John Stuart with term-time loans remaining low at almost two-thirds of Mill Lecture. what they were pre-pandemic. This perhaps reflects another shift in how students study, with many students as happy Throughout the year, we welcomed alumni and visitors, consulting online texts as printed. Our archives welcomed 42 providing them with tours of the college, of the library and of visitors (18 to the archives, and 24 to the special collections) the artworks. Finally, in September 2023 we supported the and answered 160 enquiries (102 about the archives and 58 opening of the college as part of Oxford Open Doors Day, about the special collections). Both figures are significantly up something which we will be repeating this coming year. All on the previous year’s statistics, with an increase of over 50% events, we hope, promote the current role of the college, and in visitor numbers and a 40% increase in enquiries – increases highlight its impressive history to an ever-larger audience. with which we are very pleased. Our Events Our Sta昀昀 Once more all of our achievements reported above would Having the new exhibition space in the library has proved have been impossible without the dedication, knowledge and a delight. We have been able to present a wide range of hard work of our library and archives team, namely Susan exhibitions, from the Mary Somerville through Portraiture, Purver, Assistant Librarian, Matthew Roper, Library Assistant, ably researched and beautifully curated by our colleague and Kate O’Donnell, Archivist. My thanks to them for another Matthew Roper, to the fun and light-hearted Somerville in successful year. Film and Fiction. We also hosted an exhibition of the work of Somervillian Fanchon Fröhlich (B Litt, 1949), curated by Terry Duffy, CEO of BADA. A record of all our exhibitions is held on SARAH BUTLER, College Librarian 21

List of Library Donors 2023-2024 Pauline Adams (Emeritus Fellow)* Sheena Evans* (biography of Janet Regents Park College Library Vaughan) Brigid Allen (Sturdy, History, 1963)* Jane Robinson (English, 1978)* (in memory of Liz Cooke) Jane Everson (Mellor, Medieval and Modern Languages, 1974) Margaret Rustin (Barrett, Lit. Hum., Allen, S.J. (DPhil History, 1985)* 1961)* Ather Farouqui Anonymous donors St Antony’s College Library Green Templeton College Library Jennifer Barlow and family David Sleeman Lorna Hutson (English, 1976)* Hilary Bee (Britten, PPE, 1973)* Fiona Stafford* Hazel Jones (Pharmacology, 1959) Barbara Bleiman (English, 1973)* Madhura Swaminathan (MPhil, DPhil Francesca Kay (English, 1975)* Economics, 1982)* Bodleian Library Publishing Racha Kirakosian (DPhil Medieval and Halina Szulakowska (books by her late Sarah Chambers (Horton-Jones, Modern Languages, 2010)* sister and alumna, Urszula) English and Modern Languages, 1987)* Meriel Kitson (De Laszlo, Medicine, Peter Turner Christ Church College Library 1968)* Decarno Wallace (History, 2021) Sarah Danby (Sherrard, Modern Amine M’Charrak Languages, 1970) Jackie Watson (English, 1986 & Karen Margrethe Nielsen College Alumni Officer)* Louise Dennis (Sellers, Maths and Philosophy, 1989)* Rosie Oliver (Rogers, Maths, 1976)* Jane Wickenden (Stemp, English, 1980) Aavika Dhanda (DPhil Zoology, 2019) Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development Noa Zilberman Terry Duffy* (including book about Fanchon Frohlich) Joanna Parker (Martindale, English, * Indicates donor’s own publication 1970) Esperanto-Asocio de Britio (books by Marjorie Boulton in celebration of what Margarita Pavlova would have been her 100th birthday) 22 Photo by John Cairns

The Somerville Association President’s Report 2023-2024 Honouring the life and legacy of Liz Cooke, Secretary of the Somerville Association 1990 – 2024, at her memorial in April 2024, remains one of the most important occasions of the past year. Both Hall and Chapel were at full capacity as Somervillians across years, subjects and geographies came together, along with Liz’s family, to remember and give thanks for Liz’s enormous contributions towards building and growing the Somerville Association. Alongside the outstanding and deeply moving formal tributes, each of the many attendees animatedly shared their personal recollections in more intimate conversations. I was awestruck by the breadth and depth of Liz’s Somerville connections. It is befitting that the legacy of this exceptional woman will include a History Fellowship at Somerville in her name in perpetuity. The annual Commemoration Service, remembering Somervillians who have recently died, is a special duty that I have the honour of fulfilling as President of the Somerville Association. This event truly embodies the spirit of ‘once a Somervillian, always a Somervillian’ and is a powerful reminder of how fortunate we are to belong to a lifelong community that shares values of excellence, tolerance and inclusivity. The 2024 Commemoration Service was particularly poignant as we remembered and gave thanks for the life of Elizabeth Cooke (History, 1964) along with forty-eight other Somervillians. DR NERMEEN VARAWALLA Jackie Watson (English, 1986), Somerville’s newly appointed Alumni Relations Officer, delivered an address that expertly as they are a fun and effective way of continuing to benefit provided an insight into the lives of each of these extraordinary from being a member of our amazing community. I remind women. Jackie’s experience in higher education, connections you of the availability of financial assistance to facilitate with the Somerville community and tremendous enthusiasm event attendance and advise you to enquire at the time of have already made her a huge asset for the Somerville event booking should you wish to utilise this. On the 21st Association and I remain grateful for her support, friendship September 2024, coinciding with the University’s Meeting of and guidance. Minds weekend, we will celebrate 30 years of admitting men Thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of Lisa Gygax, Joint at our now traditional Somerville Association Formal Dinner in Secretary, our committee members, the Chairs of the various Hall, followed by a bop. SA Groups and their respective committees, the Somerville None of this would be possible without the generosity and Association remains in good health and fine spirit. Our events support of our college, particularly our outstanding Principal, that encompass a wide range of themes continue to attract Baroness Jan Royall, our Fellows, and Sara Kalim and her Somervillians across generations and subjects. Through wonderful alumni relations team. On your behalf I offer each events and numerous communication channels we ensure that of them our warmest appreciation. alumni remain engaged and informed of the many facets of life at Somerville. I warmly encourage you to attend events DR NERMEEN VARAWALLA (1989, Clinical Medicine) Photo by John Cairns 23

Somerville Horsman Awards The Alice Horsman Fund was established in 1953. Alice Association O昀케cers Horsman (1908, Classics) was a great traveller who and Committee wished to provide opportunities for former Somerville students. The award’s purpose is (a) to provide alumni with opportunities to travel in order to broaden their experience as of March 2024 of other countries or carry out research and (b) to support alumni in a significant career change. Applications are accepted each term. More details are on the Somerville website or from the Scholarships and Funding Officer President ([email protected]). Dr Nermeen Varawalla (1989), elected 5 March 2022 Joint Secretaries The Somerville Senior Lisa Gygax (1987) Members’ Fund Jackie Watson (1986) Committee Members This Fund is intended to facilitate attendance at College David Blagbrough events for alumni who would otherwise be unable to (2008, PPE) attend for financial reasons, by subsidising event tickets and travel. Please do not hesitate to call upon the Fund, for Chris Broughton yourself or a friend. We are always grateful for donations (2014, Modern Languages) to this Fund. Applications for grants should be addressed to Clare Latham [email protected] (1985, PPE) Hilary Manning (1977, History) Judy Moir (1974, Jurisprudence) Virginia Ross (MCR, 1966) Joe Smith (2013, Modern Languages) Zoe Sprigings (2004, History) Fellows Appointed by the College Luke Pitcher (Fellow and Tutor in Classics) Francesca Southerden (Fellow and Tutor in Modern Languages) Fiona Stafford (Fellow and Tutor in English) Benjamin Thompson (Fellow and Tutor in Medieval History) 24

Life Before Somerville: Anne Emerson (1974, Oriental Studies) A Village Girl Takes an Unusual Path to Oxford (Or, How the Impact of Luck Can Match that of Privilege) Fortune found me, at the age of eleven, in our local village school under the drill-sergeant tutelage of Miss Linford. It was Miss Linford’s determination, drilling us ‘to the test’, that enabled me and my twin Gill to pass the eleven-plus, that infamous screening exam, created to determine what sort of High School English children would attend. Sadly, its attempt to stream young people into academic or vocational settings often seemed to have the unintended result of turning students of the former into snobs and of the latter into rejects. Either way, Gill and I passed the eleven-plus first and second in our district (though we were not told in which order), and each received a government scholarship to the best independent (private) girls’ school in Bedfordshire. This school, unlike a more-typical English High school, expected to prepare its best students for the exclusive Oxbridge entrance examinations. However, my mother was, at ANNE (LEFT) AND HER TWIN GILL (RIGHT) AS CHILDREN the time, concerned that we would not get to know boys in a classroom situation. The rationale for girls’ schools has been, and probably still is, that they should learn academics free from the competitive and dominant behaviours of boys. No doubt I was to apply for University entrance. My new employer her concerns explain why, when we were about fourteen, our was the Butlins holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, where mother suggested that Gill and I should ‘get out a bit.’ I did; the Great British Public still repaired for a week’s rest and Gill did not. She became scholarly and a patient, accurately- recreation. They hired me as a barmaid in the main ballroom, drawing artist, winner of awards for art and design. and so began a long summer of experiences that have stayed I joined the village youth club, and became interested in with me ever since. kayaking. Bedfordshire Youth Services taught several mini- There were parties with pick-up guitar, conversations with two courses in kayaking, to a broad cross-section of Bedfordshire girls from New Zealand who were working their way around youth, mostly boys. I spent many weekends and some the world, and one particularly memorable incident in which I evenings in my kayak, taking on enjoyable but increasingly was required to attend an intervention to rouse a consistently challenging activities which, unknown to me, were preparing tardy colleague. When the unlocked door swung open, it me for certification as a British Canoe Union Assistant revealed her in her nightgown, completely unembarrassed to Instructor. Academically, as my out-of-school time became be greeted by all her colleagues while her beau sat up in bed well-occupied, I learned to cut corners, game the system, and beside her, and much of my school-girl innocence evaporated! avoid homework; not a good way to become competitive for University entrance. Having enjoyed something of a drifter’s life all summer, autumn Kayaker Anne gained both some street smarts and a personal found me no longer eager to pursue conventional success. I admiration for the youth leader’s methods. (His nickname was told my parents I wanted to work my way around the world Copper, for his reddish hair). He displayed much common sense instead. I thought I would learn more that way than I would in working with young people. For example, he asked me to do learn at university. Next thing I knew, my teachers (now, the scary things first. Then the boys could not chicken out. who told my teachers?) were on a campaign to persuade me to change my mind. I said no to applying for my intended By now, I was not behaving like a typical ambitious student, programme at the Sorbonne (Philosophy, Psychology, and but I did still imagine that I might achieve as my father, a Physiology, in High School French? I don’t think so!). But Cambridge graduate, had done. Having developed confidence ‘Oriental Studies’ appealed, and so I duly applied to all five and a somewhat adventurous spirit, I applied to work away universities offering the subject, which included both Oxford from home the summer after I had turned eighteen and before and Cambridge. 26

In those days, the two universities still set their own joint entrance exams. Applying to study Oriental Studies, Arabic (a culture and language) with preparation in science subjects (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry) was somewhat unusual. For someone to apply whose academics were more in the nature of ‘gaming the system’ than truly solid was even more unusual. If one believes that an Oxford education was what I needed A Village Girl Takes an Unusual Path to Oxford at the time (debatable), then I truly was lucky with the way it (Or, How the Impact of Luck Can Match that of Privilege)turned out. In preparation for the Oxbridge Physics entrance exam, I decided to learn the basics and wing it from there. In the exam room, I spent an hour calculating the pressure of a gas from first principles (molecules bouncing off walls-type-thing) and became short of time. For subsequent questions, I explained what calculations I would perform and why, laying out the various principles and equations I would use, without doing the arithmetic. Thus, the examiners saw my strengths (foreseeing and solving the traps in their tricky questions), but not my ANNE RESCUES A RUNAWAY KYAK weaknesses (making stupid arithmetic mistakes). For the chemistry exam, I memorized the periodic table and – some were nice, sweet, and gentle; others were dishonest or winged it from there. For the maths exam, I learned calculus unkind, etc. I concluded that people who used their intelligence inside-out and back-to-front (good for four questions – for the good of others were OK; those who built themselves applicants were asked to answer any five out of about twenty- up at others’ expense were less admirable. five questions). Depth was better than breadth, it appears. But perhaps the most important lesson of all for me, having Later, when the acceptance telegram arrived from Oxford studied Middle Eastern Literature in some depth, was that University, it was addressed to SHAW, at our home address, so the great literature of other times and places spoke to me Gill and I did not know until we opened it which of the twins as cogently as the great literature of my own world. Perhaps had got lucky. ‘Place offered read Oriental Studies,’ it said. they explored the humanities differently, perhaps their culture Fortunately, Gill got hers from Cambridge a few days later. solved societal challenges differently, but I thought Middle ‘Place offered read Physics.’ Eastern authors wrestled with the same human themes as we Upon arrival at Oxford, I was told I had failed the two language do, and with similar sophistication. exams, but had done extremely well in Physics and Maths. Over Today, I am glad that I did not spend an academic life the next three years, in our respective academic programmes searching for the roots of consciousness within the human at our respective Universities, my sister excelled; I scraped by. brain, as I had planned before my summer away, via studies But I learned a great deal in terms of my own worldview. For in Philosophy, Physiology, and Psychology. I no longer believe example, at the University of Oxford, smart people were a dime that consciousness resides in the physical brain. Or if by any a dozen. You could not avoid them, however much you might chance it does, what would be the point of discovering it? As have wanted to. Yet, apart from their braininess, they were a a spiritual master might say, ‘Such discoveries are not wrong; community with the full gamut of human blessings and foibles merely trivial…’ ANNE CARRYING KAYAK TO RIVER ANNE IN KAYAK, WITH SWANS 27

Members’ News and Publications If you have a news item which you would like to appear in the next College Report, please send in your contribution before July 31st to development.of昀椀[email protected] 1963 are the rock paintings by the prehistoric that both our daughters and their families Anjali Ghate writes: I am running tribals tucked away in the caves in the live within 20 miles. I have adjusted to 80 now, walk with a stick, have the high plateau and the caves in the jungle having three granddaughters who tower debilitating hyper eosinophil syndrome The whole area has for the past few above me. Ageing bones and muscles along with other stuff. I thank Somerville years been declared as the Satpura are kept from seizing up at a pilates class enormously for coming out with their National Park. More tigers have and in my garden which is really getting annual report on alumni where I can been introduced, and sightings are too big for me to keep properly under share a glimpse of my life and connect more frequent. manners, but continues to give me with my peers. Well, I am here for another ten days, great pleasure. almost at the end of my trip. The Alison Skilbeck writes: Last August Having led a wonderful life travelling to monsoons have started. They are very I had a very successful run on the 74 countries and 7 continents including heavy and nonstop with loud crackling Edinburgh Fringe with my ‘Alison Antarctica, I couldn't have asked for a thunder and lightning. Time to go back Skilbeck's Uncommon Ground’ playing better life. Travelling across this unique to Delhi. I hear the heat wave is over. seven characters during lockdown. I've planet has been exhilarating and I have My very best wishes and good health played it since in two London venues, The been able to maintain this wonderment to all Somervillians. Old Red Lion and The Old Sorting Office all through my life. Soon after Somerville (not so much of the ‘old’ thank you!); I'll I got married to a civil servant whose 1964 be going to Barnes with my show about parents owned a beautiful tiled roof Sue Griffin (Watson) writes: Despite Shakespeare's older women, 'The Power cottage in the jungle town of Pachmarhi, the looming 80th birthday and the Behind the Crone', in October. I also did a Madhya Pradesh, Central India. various ailments that creep up from short tour of the North East with my play Pachmarhi is situated on a plateau at an time to time, I am very happy that I about Eleanor Roosevelt. My work at elevation of about 3,400 ft, surrounded can still make contributions to our local RADA has continued, and I did a session by Sal forests, where the trees are full of community and maintain social contacts. on Communications Skills with Somerville beautiful song birds. Some of the birds I am now Chair of Oxford University students earlier this year, which was a around our house and in the jungles are Society in Cambridgeshire; we organise delight as ever. I'm now working on a oriental magpie robin, orange headed talks and other events for Oxford alumns two-hander play for my husband Tim thrush, Asian pied hornbill, green barber, who live in Cambs. Fifteen Somervillians Hardy and me for 2025. His, well, our, six jungle fowl. The fun is to identify the are on our list (so far…) and we were grandchildren now range in age from six birds from their bird song. I can sit on grateful to our Principal who allowed up to fourteen, four of them now at ‘big’ my high veranda forever looking out at me to do a little recruiting at a drinks school. We're still in Clapham, near the the Satpura mountains and the range gathering she gave in Cambridge this Common, and hope to remain here. beyond. Our garden is full of mango trees year. I am also a trustee of the Sutton Dr Priscilla Turner writes: I’ve just and some lychee and jack fruit trees. I Charity, founded in the 19th century to (Spring 2024) published my Oxford visit Pachmarhi in the summer every year help those in ‘need, hardship or distress’ doctoral dissertation now clearly printed, when I try and escape from the intense in the parish of Sutton-in-the-Isle (ie in three formats, one for reference heat of Delhi. My family makes it more the Isle of Ely), using income from rents (scholars, libraries), two cheaper for often. Enthusiastic outdoor people, my on the land we own round the village, let Septuagint students:– The Septuagint two sons and grandchildren try and make to allotment holders and local farmers. I Version of Chapters I-XXXIX of the it while we are there. Pachmarhi is wild: recently organised a publicity campaign Book of Ezekiel. Regrettably the original full of gorges, waterfalls, streams and to try to spread the word about our text of this book has never existed in a pools. We have been going for picnics, existence and purpose, and I also help to modern Unicode word-processor, and swimming and treks all our lives. Doing meet applicants to explore ways we can earlier printings were created by scanning day treks to the streams and pools support them. We look like a well-to- a printout from ChiWriter 3.17. That below, swimming, making tea, playing do village in a prosperous area, but for programme had the merit of enabling chess or reading, the family often go on some local residents, it is a struggle to one, before Unicode, to type combination overnight camps. keep head above the turbulent financial text in three alphabets. The current new Being a jungle area there is always talk of waters and our interventions can often printing is a careful reconstruction in sighting a tiger or seeing bears. Suddenly lift a weight of anxiety about growing Microsoft Word converted in Acrobat to in the middle of one’s walk in the forest debt. I am also a member of the Patient the .pdf form that is required by printers. one sees a large Indian bison with her Participation Group for our village GP It involved piles of hard work. There calf, or a herd of wild boar crossing one’s surgery. Rod and I are approaching our is mild repagination, and a handful of path. What makes Pachmarhi unique 57th anniversary and are very fortunate extremely minor corrections. 28

paranormal phenomena in an ancient our first ever equity crowdfunding 1966 Cornish manor house! Janey will speak campaign for MakeLoveNotPorn - Professor Clare Morris (Mrs Griffel) in College at Somerville Creates on first ever, because historically, no writes: In January 2024 I became the 23rd November. crowdfunding platform would permit a Vice-President for Professional Affairs of sextech venture. The wonderful actress the Royal Statistical Society. 1975 Jameela Jamil proposed that she lead a 1967 Linda Appleby writes: My book The campaign as lead investor, and brought us Kingdom Is Yours is due to be published to WeFunder. We are targeting $1million, Jennifer Barraclough writes: My main this year. It looks at the connections and while at the time of writing we news this year is having self-published a between personal experience and world are a third of the way there, the good short book Migraine and Me: A Doctor's events. I’m busy with church, samba, the news is that this has enabled us to begin Experience of Understanding and Coping Oxford University Society. I belong to building what parents and teachers with Migraine, available from online the Somerville Book Group and looking have been asking us for for years - retailers. Otherwise I continue to live forward to our Literary Festival MakeLoveNotPorn.academy, our 0-18 happily in New Zealand with my husband in November. and beyond sex education expansion. We and cats, and enjoy occasional visits hope to release a bare-bones Minimum to Oxford. Sandy Libling (Sandra Matthews) Viable Product, as they say in tech, in a Michèle Roberts writes: I chaired the writes: I still live in Sydney Australia few months’ time - watch this space! UK Student Prix Goncourt 2023 jury at whose natural beauty, dynamism and the Institut Francais, talked about Colette warmth both climatic and social I love. 1980 at the 2024 Oxford Literature Festival, However I am travelling about 4 months Victoria Andrew (Canning) writes: and reviewed two of Edouard Louis’ of the year to various places, visiting I have an extensive volunteering books newly translated from French. My sons, granddaughters and daughters- portfolio in my profession of Chartered latest book, Colette: My Literary Mother in-law in New York and in London and Accountancy. As well as serving on came out in August. exploring the world anew. Last year I ICAEW Council (the profession’s travelled to Jordan and Uzbekistan as well governing body) since June 2019, I Sarah Roberts writes: I received a PhD as less unusual places which challenged have recently been appointed as Chair in Art History from the Open University my unexamined ideas of borders and of ICAEW’s Ethics Standards Committee. in 2022. My book Ambition, Art and settlements. I often go on cultural hikes Other recent appointments have been Image-Making in an Early Quattrocento in Europe with Sydney friends but I am as a member of ICAEW’s Governance Court - the Palazzo Trinci Frescoes was equally happy travelling on my own, an and Appointments Committee, Technical published by Taylor and Francis on activity which recalls the person I was Strategy Board and Ethics Advisory August 1st, 2024. before children, marriage and, indeed, Committee. Plus I am a peer support 1969 settlement. I write a little poetry which member and an honorary Vice President travelling on your own clearly stimulates, of CASSL (the organisation for ACA Revd Dr Linda Robertson (Branch) but no longer sing in a choir due to trainees in London). Somehow I manage writes: This year I was awarded a PhD in my travelling and inability to get to to fit in a day job (albeit part time since Early Modern History by the University rehearsals. I am no longer involved in my husband’s retirement in 2023). The of Dundee. I am currently working on a the film industry but I am still Chair of highlight of our year was attending series of full transcriptions of witness an industrial property fund of which I the wedding of our only child, Alex, to depositions in the Chichester Consistory am a co-owner - a job I can do through Dominika in Poland. Court, primarily from the Stuart period, Zoom while travelling, a pleasing legacy with 5 volumes already published as from Covid times. I spend quite a bit of 1984 e-books by the Sussex Record Society. time in London, where we have bought Shân Wareing writes: I started a new 1970 a flat, and would welcome catching up job as Vice Chancellor of Middlesex with old Somervillians, and would equally University. Despite financial challenges Sabina Lovibond published 'The Quiet welcome those who travel to Sydney. in the sector, I'm loving it. It was a good Hermeneutics of John McDowell', 1976 opportunity, too, to reconnect with in McDowell and the Hermeneutic Somerville as it made me reflect on how Tradition, edited by Daniel Martin Linda Salt writes: In April, I was elected the benefits of education grow over a Feige and Thomas J. Spiegel Chairman of the Woking/West Surrey lifetime and extend across generations. (Routledge, 2024). Group of the Alpine Garden Society. 1985 1973 This is in addition to my 8th year as Churchwarden at All Saints, New Haw. Rebecca Jones writes: After more Janey Fisher (Anstey) has published I continue to enjoy playing alto sax in than two decades as the BBC’s Arts the third in her series of Jeremy the Bourne Concert Band of Woking, correspondent and 26 years at the Swanson mysteries, Priest Hole, which celebrating its 40th anniversary in BBC in total working as a Chief News received a review in April's edition of July 2024. Presenter and Reporter, I decided to QUAD magazine. Set in Cornwall during 1977 leave the Corporation last year. I am Lockdown 2020, it falls into no genre continuing to host events, talks and very clearly, being a mystery with a Cindy Gallop writes: I'm delighted to conferences for literary festivals and historical core, married with some peri- report that in early 2024 we launched organisations including the Royal Opera 29

House. And I have re-trained as a Barre a disability and I create content for 1995 instructor and I am teaching at Barrecore an internet platform for families, Helen Dyson (Rice) writes: Earlier fitness studios in London. I’m loving my Undivided.io. this year I received funding from Arts new career. 1987 Council England to research and develop Lucinda Smith (Humphreys) writes: Sarah Chambers writes: My first book a female-led cabaret show based on the I have three pieces of news from the One-Armed Jack: Uncovering the Real story of a woman called Edith Brookes last year. First and most important, Jack the Ripper by Sarah Bax Horton was who died in my local park (Hillsborough, my granddaughter, Hazel, was born, Sheffield) in 1902, doing a parachute daughter of son, George, and his published by Michael O’Mara Books in jump stunt from a hot air balloon. The girlfriend, Georgia. I was elected as a August 2023. It is now available in several show is in its very early stages and member of the Council of the Institution formats, with a copy in the College we hope to have something to share of Civil Engineers, a three-year term Library! As a non-fiction re-examination with a local audience by the end of the helping with strategy and governance of the original police investigation written year. Huge thanks to Somerville's Alice at this vital time of change. I am very in honour of my Whitechapel police Horsman Fund which allowed me to take aware of the urgent need for prioritising ancestor, it has had an extraordinary time to complete the challenging ACE and innovating as I also completed an response from global news and TV application! My debut poetry pamphlet, MSc Climate Change at Birkbeck, part of outlets. I am continuing to write on the I’m Not Your Mother, was published at University of London. subject of the Whitechapel murders, and the end of August. will speak in College at Somerville Creates on 23rd November. Jane Aspell has been promoted to Suzanne Heywood writes: This year Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at my biography Wavewalker which tells Anglia Ruskin University. the story of my 10 years growing up Richard West-Soley (West) writes: on a boat (which culminated in my I was recently awarded a fully funded admittance to Somerville) was published scholarship to begin a PhD in Linguistics in paperback. I have also joined the board at the University of Edinburgh this of Clarivate, alongside the other September. I'll be researching the governance positions I hold at Exor enregisterment of British English dialects (including Chairing CNH and Iveco Group). through circulated media from the 19th LUCINDA SMITH'S GRANDDAUGHTER, HAZEL It was a wonderful surprise to be included century onwards, continuing a MSc in The King’s 2024 Honours list - it has research study I conducted into Black 1986 been a very long journey to here from a Country English. The Linguistics PhD Jackie Watson is delighted to be yacht in the South Pacific! continues a thread that stretches right working in Alumni Relations at Somerville, back to my Somerville days under the after a 30 year teaching career (latterly 1990 tutelage of Dr Suerbaum - I've always as Vice Principal at Oxford Spires Caroline Derry has been appointed been professionally involved with Academy, just off the Cowley Road). Professor of Feminism, Law and Society language in one way or another since It has been a good year, as it also saw at The Open University. then! I also published a book in August the publication of her first academic 2023, AI for Language Learners, which is monograph, Epistolary Courtiership and 1992 my small contribution to the burgeoning Dramatic Letters: Thomas Overbury Donna Mc Laughlin writes: In spring field of AI in education. and the Jacobean Playhouse (Edinburgh 2024, I turned 50, entered a civil Nicola Nice (Lindsey) writes: I published University Press), which explores careers partnership and I left the NHS. My new my first book with Countryman Press, at the court of James VI and I and their adventures are to finish my PhD which titled The Cocktail Parlor: How Women dramatic echoes. I had been juggling alongside full time Brought the Cocktail Home. The Cocktail work since 2019. This is a sociological Parlor gives women their long-overdue Karen Cull (Ford) writes: I continue to study considering what is valued within spotlight in cocktail history and cocktail live in Redondo Beach in Los Angeles an employment interview, why certain culture today. Whether it’s a happy County in the USA with my husband groups appear to be favoured by this hour punch a là Martha Washington or a Prof Nick Cull who teaches at USC. I process and how this is being disrupted Harlem Renaissance-inspired Green Skirt, have three sons. The oldest is at USC with new approaches to recruitment. I am we learn how many of the ingredients studying Political Science/Pre-Law, and also focusing on developing my leadership and drinks we’re familiar with today the youngest is starting High School. and executive coaching practice having would not be here without the hostesses Our middle son, who happens to have established my own independent practice who served them first. Down syndrome is entering the new in 2021. I remain a non-executive 1998 world of adult services and hopefully director of The Health Creation Alliance in a few years one of the new TPSID and have been appointed to the Steering Barbara J. Gabrys continued teaching college programs. I have recently trained Group of Queen Bee Coaching, which mindfulness meditation in the College as a special education advocate to help is part of the Pankhurst Centre in in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms. As other parents navigate the complex US Manchester (Queen Bee Coaching - a Zen master, she leads Zen training education system with child with PankhurstProjects.org Manchester). and weekly meditation of Zenspace 30

sangha. Barbara is an Academic Visitor 2009 My role in the project was actually in Department of Materials, Oxford Eleanor Jaskowska writes: I’ve just identifying (and finding) these radio University, and member of a Steering come back from a yearlong traverse of galaxies with their jet, so you could say Committee of Alternative Natural the Andes by bike with my partner (not a that after 7 billion years of travelling, Philosophy Association (ANPA). Currently Somervillian). We’ve got lots of stunning Porphyrion’s light was finally first seen her research interests are focused on photos and many stories. Our blog is in Somerville. In October I will start descriptions of universe using diverse www.drawinglinesonmaps.com if you an MPhil in Heritage Studies at St approaches. In 2023, she published want to have a read. John’s College. a paper on ‘The coded language of 2022 Zen’ in ‘Universum’, 43rd Anniversary 2012 Proceedings of ANPA which she co- Guy Bud writes: I have had an article Meghmala Mukherjee writes: I started edited with Divyamaan Sahoo. published in this May's edition of the my academia journey as an Assistant 2004 peer-review journal Historical Research. Professor of Legal Practice at O.P. Jindal The article is titled ‘The sanctuary of Global University, and I currently teach Kat Gordon writes: I was reminded them all": the politics of manpower and Corporate Laws to both undergrads and by a recent email that I have another nationality in the armies in exile in the Blended LLM students. publication to announce! My third United Kingdom, 1940-4’ and is available Sarah Pacey-Parker (MSt Diplomatic book (The Swell), an exploration of to read online. Studies) was appointed in January motherhood and women's rights set 2024 as the Manager of International in Iceland in 1910 and 1975 has been 2016 Relations at the Canadian Space Agency. acquired by Manilla Press (the literary Connor David Scott (Clinical International partnerships are at the imprint at Bonnier Books). And they Neuroscience, DPhil, former MCR core of space exploration and Sarah is have also bought my work-in-progress, president) met Madison Eisler (2018, thrilled to lead the Agency’s bilateral and a novel about the marriage between Clinical Embryology, MSc) for the first multilateral engagements, including at Charles and Catherine Dickens. The time in Somerville in 2018. In 2023 the United Nations. Swell will be published in January 2025, we both moved to Boston, USA to Payal Agarwal writes: After graduating and the as-of-yet-untitled fourth book pursue careers in the pharmaceutical in ‘Bachelor of Civil Law’ with merit in probably in 2026! industry and medical regulatory space, July 2023, I returned to the vibrant Clarissa Tam writes: I’m very happy respectively. We got engaged in July! tapestry of India to resume my role to share that I received a Project Grant I never would have met Madison if it within the Rajasthan Judicial Service, from the Hong Kong Arts Development wasn’t for Somerville college and the as Senior Civil Judge and Additional Council to curate a cross-disciplinary art MCR. Somerville will always have a fond Chief Judicial Magistrate. In this exhibition “Festival of Decay” this May. place in our hearts. role, I performed my solemn duty of It invited the audience to alternative dispensing justice with both fairness encounters with ideas of decay, death and integrity, carefully balancing the and loss through newly commissioned scales of justice with the utmost works by five artists and a series of frank diligence and compassion. In April 2024, conversations about human ageing. The Hon’ble High Court of Rajasthan bestowed upon me the great honour 2005 and profound responsibility of holding the distinguished position of Deputy Amir Hakim was awarded a QMUL Director at the Rajasthan State Judicial Education Excellence Award for leading Academy in Jodhpur. In this pivotal role, the clinical science integration (CSI) and I am entrusted with the noble task of preparing for placements in physiology shaping the judicial acumen of incoming labs team, Queen Mary (Barts & The probationer judges. This new chapter in London) medical school. CONNOR DAVID SCOTT AND my professional journey not only allows 2007 MADISON EISLER me to contribute to the elevation of 2019 judicial standards but also to honour the Jacques Schuhmacher writes: Drawing rich legacy of judicial excellence. My role on my work as Senior Provenance Aivin Gast writes: A paper I co- encompasses the design and delivery Research Curator at Victoria and Albert authored has been accepted by Nature. of rigorous training programmes, Museum, I have published a book, Nazi- I worked on the research while being at fostering a profound understanding of Era Provenance of Museum Collections Somerville, so Somerville is also included judicial principles and practices, and (UCL Press). It is a comprehensive in the paper as an author’s affiliation! ensuring the seamless and effective guide on how to research the Nazi-era The article introduces the giant jet administration of the academy. This provenance of museum collections, system (coming from a ‘radio galaxy’) not only allows me to contribute to featuring an accessible historical ‘Porphyrion’, which we discovered. It is the advancement of judicial excellence overview and detailing key research the largest known structure made by but also to uphold and enrich the noble methods and resources. an astrophysical body in our Universe. traditions of our judicial heritage. 31

Births Marriages PENELOPE AND RUPERT PAYNE-KNIGHTON SUDAR - LOVELUCK Payne-Knighton To Emma Payne (2005) and William Knighton, a daughter Penelope Payne-Knighton, born 28 June 2024, a sister for Rupert. CLAYTON - BROWN Sudar - Loveluck In June 2023 Marsha Sudar (2011) to Tom Loveluck (2011) in Cambridgeshire. They now live with their daughter Charlotte in Sydney, Australia. Clayton – Brown In August 2023 Ilona Clayton (2017, History and Modern Languages) to Thomas Brown at St Anne’s Limehouse. The bridesmaids were all Somervillians too: (L-R) Shanae Nge (2018), Telemi Emmanuel-Aina (2018), Yinni Hu (2017), and Hannah Patient (2017). Sandu – Smith In August 2023 Dona-Maria Sandu (2009) to Kevin Smith. They now live in Zurich, Switzerland. 32

Marriages 33

Deaths Arnold-Forster Cleaver Gregson Valentine Harriet Isobel Dione Arnold- Nora Catharine Cleaver, née Marsden Jennifer Mary (Jenny) Gregson, née Forster, née Mitchison (1948, Law), (1948, Modern Languages), died 13 Hope Simpson (1957, Mathematics), died died 27 May 2023, aged 92 March 2023, aged 93 15 March 2023, aged 84 Barratt Cooke Gyde Katherine Margaret (Katy) Barratt Elizabeth Frances Mary (Liz) Cooke, Sylvia Nancy Gyde, née Clayton (1954, (1970, Mathematics), died 20 August née Greenwood (1964, History), Physiological Sciences), died 23 April 2023, aged 70 died 17 August 2023, aged 78 2024, aged 87 Barrett Crawford Hampshire Margaret Shepherd Barrett, née Bacon Linda Crawford, née Robertshaw Joan Hampshire (1947, English), died 22 (1946, Medicine), died 1 June 2023, (1967, Physics), died 22 February December 2023, aged 94 aged 95 2024, aged 75 Harrison Barstow Drinkall Pauline Harrison, née Cowan (1944, BA Julia Mary Ursula (Jo) Barstow, née Margery Patricia Mary (Patricia) and DPhil Chemistry), died 28 May 2024, Dunn (1955, Modern Languages), died Drinkall, née Ellis (1949, French and aged 99 9 April 2024, aged 87 Spanish), died 8 January 2023, aged 93 Hobsbaum Bevan Eisner Rosemary Hobsbaum, née Phillips (1955, Susan Elizabeth Bevan (1960, Politics, Margaret Claire (Maggie) Eisner (1965, English), died 29 June 2023, aged 86 Philosophy and Economics), died 8 Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology), January 2024, aged 81 died 18 December 2022, aged 75 Howard Cynthia Mabel Howard (1951, Modern Blackman Evans Languages), died 30 September 2023, Pauline Mary Blackman, née Taylor Dorothy Mary Evans, née White (1963, aged 91 (1956, Mathematics), died 5 February Mathematics), died 27 June 2023, 2024, aged 86 aged 77 Humphreys Sarah Caroline Le Messurier (Sally) Broodbank Florence Humphreys, née Hinchliff (1953, Literae Melanie Jane Florence (1981, BA and Humaniores), died 26 February 2024, Hannalore (Hanna) Broodbank, née MPhil Modern Languages), died 18 aged 89 Altmann (1942, Modern Languages), September 2023, aged 60 died 18 July 2024, aged 100 Hunt Fodor Jane Hunt, née Williams (1966, Byatt Janet Fodor, née Dean (1961, Jurisprudence), died 13 June 2024, Antonia Susan Byatt, née Drabble Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology), aged 75 (1958, BLitt English), died 16 died 28 August 2023, aged 81 November 2023, aged 87 Jacobson Forshaw Anne Jacobson, née Jaap (1965, BPhil Cairns Jean Mary Forshaw, née Carpenter and DPhil), died 8 October 2023 Barbara Scott Cairns (1951, (1948, History), died 27 March 2024, Mathematics), died 8 November 2023, aged 94 Kay aged 90 Teresa Kay, née Dyer (1947, English), Gaine died 10 June 2024, aged 98 Caniato Penelope Margaret Gaine, née Dornan Mary Caniato, née Kershaw (1946, (1959, English), died 25 February 2024, Klein English), died 29 May 2024, aged 95 aged 84 Martha Klein, née Bein (1987, BPhil Philosophy), died 9 March 2024, aged 82 Carritt Gray Christian Agnes Kirkwood Carritt Elizabeth Ann (Ann) Gray (1953, Lister (1946, Physiological Science), died 5 English), died 13 October 2023, Ruth Lister (1944, Medicine), died 27 July 2023, aged 96 aged 89 August 2023, aged 97 34

Seebohm Caroline Seebohm (1958, Jurisprudence), died 22 July 2023, aged 82 Senior Diana Senior (1962, English), died April 2024, aged 80 Schlee Ann Acheson Schlee, née Cumming (1952, English), died 1 November 2023, aged 89 Sik Jane Margaret Sik, née Woodland (1965, Physics), died 17 December 2023, aged 77 Skemp Sandra Pauline Skemp, née Burns (1957, Jurisprudence), died 24 January 2024, aged 85 Stokes Susan Stokes, née Bretherton (1952, Modern Languages), died 6 January 2024, aged 89 Sykes Rachel Sheila Cooper Sykes (1943, English), died 2 October 2023, aged 99 Szulakowska Urszula Stefania Szulakowska (1970, History), died 21 July 2023, aged 72 Mackney Robinson Taplin Helen Mackney, née Humphreys (1975, Jane Hippisley Robinson, née Packham Pamela (Kim) Taplin, née Stampfer Geography), died 4 July 2024, aged 67 (1959, Chemistry), died 24 November (1962, English), died April 2024, aged 80 2023, aged 81 McLean Thomas Elizabeth Kathleen (Lizzie) McLean, née Romanelli Hunter (1950, Physiological Sciences), Constanza Romanelli (1948, Literae Hazel Claire Thomas (1973, History), died 4 August 2023, aged 91 Humanities), died 25 May 2023, aged 94 died 29 December 2023, aged 69 Rattenbury Sackett Treitel Judith Rattenbury (1958, Physics), died Helen Mary Sackett, née Phillips (1948, Phyllis Margaret Treitel, née Cook (1948, 18 May 2024, aged 84 Physics), died 28 March 2023, aged 93 PPE), died 1 May 2024, aged 94 Rees Scopes Welding Vivienne June Cassandra Rees, née Farey Patricia Molly (Molly) Scopes, née Bryant Diana Mary Welding, née Panting (1949, (1951, History), died 4 February 2024, (1954, Chemistry), died 31 December Modern Languages), died 20 October aged 92 2023, aged 88 2023, aged 92 Rhodes Sciama Zaw Cynthea Rhodes, née Woffenden (1956, Modern Languages), died 13 September Lidia Sciama (1970, Anthropology), died Jane Khin Zaw (Sister Jane of Mary) 2023, aged 86 31 May 2024, aged 92 (1956, PPE), died 10 July 2024, aged 87 35

Obituaries was accessed by foot, and for many years accompanied by a Valentine (Val) Arnold-Forster child-filled pushchair or pram. Whether in London or back at (née Mitchison, 1948) Carradale, Val regularly found herself overseeing and cooking for households of sometimes 40 people or more. Born in Hammersmith, the During the 1970s she began a new career as a radio critic youngest of five surviving for The Guardian: a job that offered her a ‘space’ of her own, children, Val’s family moved to professional status and somewhere to enjoy freedom from the Carradale House, on the west challenges of domestic life. Here she flourished and found a coast of Scotland just before the voice: exercising her intellect, her enjoyment of people and a war. She developed self-reliance playful sense of humour. Her social courage and her generosity and resourcefulness as her towards people less fortunate than herself were equally siblings went to boarding school, inspiring. And her confidence was contagious. However, that before she herself moved to confidence was sometimes more fragile than it seemed, and Badminton School in Devon. VALENTINE ARNOLD-FORSTER this period also covered a time of immense stress and trauma Admitted to read PPE at Somerville, Val soon changed to Law at home, not least when her beloved husband Mark died on and showed herself to be precociously clever and intellectually Christmas Day 1981 after a prolonged battle with cancer. gifted. With social skills to match this, while at College she became friends with, amongst others, Shirley Williams, Tony With the arrival of her first grandchild in 1990, she began an Benn, Roger Bannister and Bill Rogers. important new stage of her life. She loved newborn babies but Moving to London, she became a reporter, initially on The Daily equally sustained her interest and involvement in every stage Mirror, and met her future husband, Mark Arnold-Forster, in a of their lives, generously offering her time and home to this coffee shop on Fleet Street. Her engagement was noted in the next generation of her family. Val’s later life was spent sharing press. She told her sister, Lois, ‘I had quite a monstrous picture time with friends and family, and enjoying her independence. of me in The Evening Standard. On the front page, though it She moved to a care home with her brother Av and sister didn’t last through the editions’. Moving to Islington after their Lois, where she lived until her death on 27 May 2023. Her wedding, Val was soon mother to Kate, Sam and Josh, rapidly legacy was one of love and connecting with other people, of followed by Mary and Jake. Val never drove, about which she caring for others and - in return - enjoying their company and felt a mixture of pride, regret possibly, but also defiance. Life friendship. In this respect, she lived a gloriously abundant life. 36

Katherine (Katy) Barratt (1970) After qualifying as a doctor and a short time in hospital work, she moved back to Oxford to have their children – Charles, James, Jill and Kate – and for Chiz to be a GP on Walton Street. After graduating from Somerville As the children grew, Maggie supported Chiz in the running of with a degree in Mathematics, the practice, and returned to medicine after a 20-year break Katy took an MSc in Statistics at to work in family planning. She took a Diploma in Venereology Cambridge and started her lifelong and worked as a sexual health doctor, and her children note career as a Civil Service Statistician. that ‘conversations round the family dinner table were not the She began in the Home Office and usual ones but more interesting than most’! was promoted through various Departments in London. She After retirement, she and Chiz had a great time travelling, continued her statistical work in visiting India, Kashmir, China and Botswana, and spending two the Scottish Office, having moved summers travelling around Europe in a camper van. A charmer to Edinburgh to be with her KATHERINE BARRATT and full of life, Maggie had a life-long interest in fashion and partner George. was always a Vogue reader. She also always looked on the There, they were both active within the Scottish Labour Party bright side, was interested and interesting, and her talent for for many years. They later married to enable her to join him conversation made everyone she talked to feel special. on a two-year secondment in Paris. Sadly, the marriage ended after a few years but she was happily settled in Edinburgh New Town and remained there. Julia (Jo) Barstow (née Dunn, 1955) She never wanted children but had a passion for reading a variety of fiction, and would spend hours a day doing so. Jo’s passion for languages began as She also had a keen interest in Archaeology and travelled to a teenager. Born in Solihull as one of many countries to look at ruins and read by a pool. She was four children, she travelled to learn very generous and hospitable with friends and family but more: working as a nanny in France, Covid and lockdown made her anxious and, consequently, Spain and Portugal and opening uncharacteristically reclusive. She died on August 20th 2023 up doors to friendships that lasted shortly after a very late diagnosis of bowel cancer. all her life. She read Modern Languages, and went on after that Margaret (Maggie) Barrett to gain a PhD in Medieval French Literature from the University of JULIA BARSTOW (née Bacon, 1946) Pennsylvania. At Penn, Jo taught French and met her husband, Allan, before Being an only child can lead to a they moved to Storrs, Connecticut, built their own log home weight of parental expectation, and raised three children. Initially teaching French and Spanish but luckily for Maggie, born in at Central Connecticut State University, she then became the Workington on the edge of the administrator and ‘Mama Grande’ of their Center for Latin Lake District, she grew up bright American and Caribbean Studies, where she was treasured for and good at just about everything. her masterful organizational and budgeting skills, and her care Her father worked through what of many generations of students, faculty, and staff. She also became British Steel, from tea-boy operated her own home bakery ‘Mrs. Barstow’s Bakery’, and to Company Secretary, so he could became well known for her delicious French bread! send his daughter to Harrogate Ladies' College, and she came MARGARET BARRETT Jo followed the UConn Women’s Basketball team, played from there to Somerville to read various instruments in several early music groups, sang in Medicine: one of only ten women on the course at the time. the Renaissance Revival, and was a founding and sustaining She was an extremely good swimmer and later went on to get member of ‘The Sewing Circle’. She sewed many of her own a swimming Blue at Oxford. As she waited to be interviewed by clothes as well as both her daughters’ wedding dresses, fed the Dorothy Hodgkin, she met her lifelong friend, Dottie, and many family from her large vegetable garden, raised chickens, ducks, of her memories of her time at Somerville involved smoking, goats, and more. She continued studying languages, including parties and romance. She met another medical student, Russian into her 80s, even as dementia began to affect her. William (Chiz) Barrett of New College, ‘over a cadaver’ as Jo loved being a good friend, opening her home to guests he chivalrously passed down a microscope for her, and an from near and far, and helping people make connections with important factor in his attraction seemed to be that he had a each other. radiogram in his room, where they played swing, Rachmaninov and Elgar (favourites for their whole lives). She remembered romantic times – the New College Summer Ball, punting down the Cherwell in the dawn light, drinking champagne – and they married when she was only 22. 37

Pauline went on to study Mathematics at Somerville, and I Susan Bevan (1960) first met her when Miss Cobb, our tutor, put us together for our tutorials with her and with Mrs Thomson, who lived up the Daughter of an RAF officer, Susan Woodstock Road, for which our bicycles were definitely useful. was born in Newcastle on Tyne, but We went on to study slightly different areas of Mathematics her early life took her to Malaysia and so it was not until our third year we really became firm and Germany, as well as staying with friends. We were partners in the University Badminton team, relatives and attending boarding and so played a lot together. We also went for long cycle schools. Her fierce independence rides when our work was proving too difficult and we needed was a product of this early life. a break. Moving to Somerville to read PPE, After her teacher training year, Pauline taught at Scarborough she developed and honed the strong High School. While there she became increasingly aware of socialist principles which were to SUSAN BEVAN the problems deaf children had in school, so she went to remain such an important part of Manchester for a Diploma in Teaching the Deaf. From there her life. Becoming a financial journalist when she graduated, she went to the Mary Hare School for the Deaf in Berkshire, she worked for, amongst other publications, The Economist, and while there she met her husband, Alan, through the The Daily Telegraph, The Birmingham Post and The Investors’ badminton club. She loved her work with deaf children and Chronicle. Some might find this career path strange for such found it very rewarding, but they had to move for Alan’s work, an avowed socialist. However, Susan was ever a pragmatist. to Liversedge, back in Yorkshire. Pauline taught at the Girls’ She had the ability, if she wanted to, ‘to run with the hare and Grammar School in Halifax until it combined with the boys’ ride with the hounds’, although her sympathies would have school, when she took early retirement. always been with the hares! She played a very active part in the running of her local Headhunted to help launch a new financial newspaper, The chapel, being an Elder for many years, playing the organ and Business Times, in Kuala Lumpur, Susan faced both the being involved in the various activities, especially those for male dominated world of financial journalism and the extra children. She also became involved with local committees and challenge for professional women in 1970s Malaysia. But organisations, particularly those involving the countryside and she was never afraid of challenge, and she was successful open spaces, walking for miles checking on the condition of in her career: a very talented writer, who had the courage local footpaths. Pauline enjoyed her garden, working hard to and determination to not let prejudice of any sort stand in keep it tidy, raising seedlings, taking cuttings and pottering in her way. her greenhouse. In the final stages of her career, she worked for the Institute During Covid, Pauline and Alan became very isolated and of Strategic Studies as their Publishing Manager and then their health gradually deteriorated, so that they both became became a freelance financial journalist which she loved. house bound. Pauline had a stroke in 2023 and although she Then, in 1990, Susan made the decision to buy a house in recovered well, she was often very tired and lacking in energy. Tonbridge. The final 30 years of her life were probably the However, it was a great shock to all to learn of her sudden happiest and most contented. She loved her house and death, and even sadder to learn that Alan had died on the garden and loved Tonbridge. She soon became active in morning of her funeral. her local community in the Slade and was involved in the Christine Parker (née Gregory, 1956) setting up of the Slade Area Residents Association, known as SARA, where at various times Susan was Chair, Secretary and Editor of the Newsletter. Susan was also passionate Jill Brock (née Lewis, 1956) about Tonbridge as a whole and was an active member of the Tonbridge Civic Society. After reading Medicine at Susan was an amazing sister, aunt, friend, journalist and Somerville, one of only four women fighter for what she believed in. in her year, Jill travelled alone to work in a mission hospital in South Africa. Fearless in the face of Pauline Blackman (née Taylor, 1956) challenge, she returned to the UK to train in oncology. Pauline was born in Steeton, That fearlessness was mixed with Yorkshire, on 19 November 1937: a dash of stubbornness, and a the only child of Horace, a woollen lot of loyalty and generosity. Her JILL BROCK merchant, and Sarah, a teacher. patients benefited from the latter Although an only child, she had as she freely gave her time and expertise. As a consultant many cousins living in Steeton, and oncologist at Clatterbridge Hospital and Alder Hey Hospital, going with her to the local primary Jill treated children with cancer, and was very good at it, as school. Her cousin, Thea, was even shown by the number of weddings she was invited to and the in the same class with her at the number of Christmas cards and gifts she received. She was PAULINE BLACKMAN senior school in Keighley. clinical tutor and programme director for many years, training a 38

whole cohort of young oncologists, and was a senior examiner the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Eurasia region); the Premio for the Diploma in Medical Radiotherapy. She also freely Malaparte (Italy); the Shakespeare Prize (Germany); the gave her time as the founding medical director of the Wirral Erasmus Prize (Netherlands); the Park Kyong-ni Prize (South Hospice St John’s, for twelve years from 1983. She was fondly Korea); the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy remembered in Clatterbridge where she lived, even seventeen of Achievement; and the Hans Christian Andersen Literature years after her final retirement. Award (Denmark). After meeting her husband, Laurie, while in a full body-cast She was appointed CBE in the 1990 New Year Honours, and after back surgery, Jill went on to have three daughters. Even DBE for ‘Services to literature’ in the 1999 Birthday Honours. after Laurie’s death in 1996, her joy was cooking for her family She also received honours from eleven UK universities, and she had a passion for travel, and exploring new places: including an Honorary Fellowship from Somerville. In 2008, not backpacking, definitely the luxury version, but it became the Times named her as one of the 50 greatest British writers a sort of game trying to find places that she had not been to. since 1945. When a relative went volunteering, people would look at him blankly when he said he was going to Eritrea. When he told Jill, Barbara Cairns (1951) she looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, ‘Oh yes, Asmara is a fascinating Italianate capital’. She had, of course, been there. Barbara and her twin sister, Priscilla, In her final years, though quite ill and with reduced mobility, born in July 1933, were both very Jill remained upbeat, finding solace in cuddles with Sylvester talented mathematicians, and both the cat, watching nature programmes and keeping up with came up to Somerville to read the news, both family news and that on TV. She made a real Mathematics and were members of difference to many people’s lives over nearly nine decades and the Oxford Congregational Society. will be very much missed. Temperamentally, they were very different. Unlike the sociable and sporty Priscilla, Barbara was more Antonia Byatt (née Drabble, 1958 quiet and studious, and soon they BARBARA CAIRNS BLitt English) Honorary Fellow developed different interests. Barbara built a successful career as an actuary, first with Equity Dame Antonia is hailed as one of & Law and then with Bacon & Woodrow, and she always kept the UK’s most significant writers meticulous diaries and journals. At 28 Barbara qualified as a and critics since the Second World Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and ten years later became War. Born in Sheffield as the child a Share Partner. At 38 she moved to Wimbledon, and five of a judge and an academic, Dame years later to Epsom. Antonia came to Somerville in 1958 Always interested in doing good, Barbara took early retirement following studies at Newnham at the age of 55 and gave time to voluntary work. This College, Cambridge and Bryn Mawr included the WRVS, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Mid-Surrey College in the United States. She Mediation Service, and prison visiting through the New Bridge. suffered badly from asthma as a ANTONIA BYATT She joined the Religious Society of Friends 32 years ago and child, and the resulting periods of became a member of Epsom Quaker Meeting, and during her recuperation and seclusion allowed final days spoke with passion about its importance to her. her to develop a voracious passion for reading and storytelling. She met her first husband Ian Byatt at Oxford, and moved with Barbara liked peace and quiet, and she loyally supported local him to Durham following their marriage in 1959. classical concerts given by the Surrey Philharmonic Orchestra, She pursued a career in teaching to support her writing activity Epsom Chamber Choir and her brother’s chamber choir, and published her first novel, Shadow of a Sun, in 1964. Her Antiphonia. She joined groups to walk with others, and to writing career was temporarily halted by an awful tragedy in continue learning. 1972, when her 11 year-old son Charles was killed by a drunk Living simply and economically, Barbara felt it right to share driver. She recovered and published The Virgin in the Garden in her income with the many causes she believed in. At 60 she 1978. The book’s success allowed her to retire from teaching bought a former vicarage in Epsom so that she could rent spare in 1983 to work as a full-time writer. rooms to needy tenants. Although a naturally shy person, when Dame Antonia won many plaudits for her work, which spanned she chose a charity to support, she often got actively involved. ten novels, six short story collections, four novellas, nine Her favourite causes included Age Concern, Boom Credit critical studies, and five edited volumes. Her 1990 novel Union, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Greenpeace, Possession: A Romance was awarded the prestigious Booker the housing charity Hope Into Action and the Epsom & Ewell Prize for Fiction, and her 2009 work The Children’s Book was Refugee Network. In her mid-80s she was still going into also nominated for the award, as well as winning the James London for the Quaker Yearly Meeting or for demonstrations. Tait Black Memorial Prize. Her writing also won international She focused, as have so many Somervillians, on making life recognition, including the Irish Times International Fiction Prize; better for those around her. 39

Liz’s choice of circuit may have been determined by the fact Elizabeth (Liz) Cooke that she had by this time married James, and bought a small (née Greenwood, 1964) house in Charlbury. A decade later, in 1979, they found Tulip Tree House in Great Tew, in need of the care and attention which it would receive in abundance over the next forty-five There are some people whose years. When their son Oliver (Ollie) was born the following year, name alone evokes the idea of Liz decided to leave the Bar and devote herself to her son, her Somerville – women like Emily house and her garden. This decision was to have far-reaching Penrose, Dorothy Hodgkin and consequences for Somerville. Janet Vaughan. Our dear friend Liz had always kept in touch with her Somerville friends, and it Liz Cooke would have hated the was those friends, aided and abetted by Daphne Park, who had suggestion that she should be the foresight in 1987 to propose Liz as secretary of the current included among such distinguished College appeal. The briefing note prepared for Daphne Park by company, but it is nonetheless true. one of Liz’s friends captures a glimpse of Liz at that time, and To the thousands of Somervillians the high hopes placed on retaining her: ‘She is by temperament whom Liz brought back to this ELIZABETH COOKE high-powered, by profession a barrister. The best approach College after they graduated, Liz would be to ask her to lunch saying casually you may be able in a very real sense was Somerville: a living embodiment of to offer something to fill in her time, without saying quite their College’s intelligence, kindness, good taste and often what. Then once you have her there and can exercise your fatal mischievous joy in life. charm, slowly reveal the full horror of what you have in mind!’ Of course, to her family and closest friends, Liz was more than Of course, for Liz, working at Somerville was never really a job just her life at Somerville. They knew her also as a devoted and far from being onerous. It was a calling, and one that gave mother and grandmother, a devotee of old films and the her immense pleasure. On receiving Daphne’s offer, Liz replied singer Meatloaf, a collector of shells and chinaware, a brilliant simply: ‘If I can be of use to Somerville, I shall be delighted.’ gardener, a fixture of village life in her beloved Great Tew and a lover of the sea, who swam in it fearlessly whenever she So began a new era for Somerville and its alumni community. could. It is not easy to say all there is to be said about a woman It was not the easiest of starts, however. When, in 1993, who meant so much to so many. As one contributor to Liz’s Ollie went to Radley as a boarder, Liz was able to take on the condolence book noted, Liz was the very epitome of all that additional role of Secretary to the ASM, which later became Somerville stands for – doing the right thing and doing the the Somerville Association. Liz’s appointment coincided more thing right. or less perfectly with the Governing Body’s announcement of their decision to open the college to men – a decision that had Born one month before the end of the second world war, been taken to a tight timetable, with no prior consultation of Liz Greenwood, spent her early years at the family home in either Somerville’s student body or its alumnae. Somervillians Finchley, North London, where her father was a teacher at the have always prided themselves on plain speaking, and on this Friern Barnet Grammar School. When Liz was seven, the family occasion there was some very plain speaking indeed. While moved to Cambridge to live with Liz’s grandmother. A few the Principal and Fellows were kept busy attempting to pacify years later, the family moved to King’s Lynn. Liz attended the their revolting students, and with the legal and administrative convent in nearby Swaffham and, alongside her brother John, complications of their decision, Liz, who had been kept in the spent the school holidays in their grandmother’s new home in dark as much as everyone else about the decision, was left Hunstanton. It was here, swimming up and down the shoreline almost single-handedly to confront the wrath of the alumnae. in the cold North Sea waters of the Wash, that Liz acquired her She was helped in the difficult task of reconciling the Somerville lifelong love of the sea. alumnae by the fact that she herself was a Somervillian through Liz was always academically gifted. Public exam success at and through. So many of the qualities which we admire, and like the convent in Swaffham led to a scholarship at Somerville, to to flatter ourselves that we possess, were hers in abundance. read History. It was at Oxford that Liz met her future husband Liz was clever, principled, quirky, unsentimental, generous, James Cooke and, as her brother John recalls, graduated from hospitable, and very brave. Her forthrightness was cloaked being the kind of teenager whose favourite food was chips with plenty of vinegar to someone who loved dinner parties and the finer things in life. John recalls that it was during her student days at Somerville that he first saw the woman she would ultimately become: glamorous, impossibly sophisticated, and completely at home in the place she loved for the rest of her days. Upon graduating, Liz left Oxford for London. She had decided to become a lawyer and was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1966, supported by a reference from Barbara Craig who noted her ‘sense of irony and humanity’. In London she lived in an elegant flat in West Kensington and was called to the Bar in 1969. She joined the Chambers at 1 King’s Bench Walk, (L-R) SHIRLEY WILLIAMS MP, DR FRANK PROCHASKA, LIZ AND deciding to practise as a criminal lawyer on the Midland Circuit. CO-SECRETARY OF THE SOMERVILLE ASSOCIATION, LISA GYGAX 40

LIZ WITH BARBARA HARVEY, 7TH AUGUST 1999 OLLIE, NINA AND LIZ IN THE GARDEN AT GREAT TEW in irony and humour. She was fun to meet, and fun to work Grandma more even than the wonderful experiences she with. Calling upon all these qualities, Liz worked patiently curated for them at Tulip Tree House. Together, Liz and the girls over the next several years to coax the disaffected back into would spend hours happily inventing new taxonomies for the college, maintaining contact with the unreconciled and assuring shell collection, or hosting tea parties on hitherto off-limits Somervillians that – whatever their views – they were always china. And the girls knew their grandma so well. Ollie recalls welcome. And, upon these foundations, Liz built the Somerville how, when he, Nancy, Nina and Maxine once arrived at Great Association we know today. Tew for the weekend, after dark, his suggestion that they head There were no lengths to which Liz wouldn’t go to create an inside to look for grandma was met with complete incredulity by interesting programme for alumni. In addition to the many Nina. ‘Don't be silly, daddy, there's a full moon! Grandma will be professional and subject-based groups she established and ran weeding the borders.' with such aplomb, there were also trips to the British Museum, 2023 was a particularly tragic year for Liz’s family, with the loss reunions in New York, the now legendary Swan Hellenic cruises of Ollie and Nancy’s daughter Maxine preceding Liz’s death by and the Somerville book groups which continue to this day. Liz only a few months. For those who knew her, Liz bore this unjust also revelled in Somervillian achievements, and lived by the blow with all her characteristic stoicism – yet it seemed deeply assumption that whatever the story, there was a Somervillian in unjust that she should have to bear this grief for her family at the thick of it – and she was always right. There were also the a time when her own health was failing. Liz herself died several innumerable lunches, hosted both at Great Tew and in College. months later, in August 2023. She carried on caring for others, At one time, Liz estimated that she was attending up to 180 lunches a year, and would joke about eating for Somerville. while downplaying her own worsening health, until the very end. People sometimes asked Liz how she managed it all. Her The many overlapping spheres of Liz’s life – her love of response varied. To some, she spoke of the undiminished joy Somerville, her genius for friendship, and the importance of that she felt walking into College under the redbrick arches Great Tew, come together in one memory shared by Caroline each morning. To others, her response was simpler yet: “I just Barron. It was summer 2016, at the end of a fundraising event like talking to Somervillians”. This, surely, was the ultimate for the church of St Michael in Great Tew. In the evening, with secret of her success, and the reason so many of us came to the festivities completed, a few people drifted back to Tulip love her. Tree House where Liz turned the remains of the lunch into a It is perhaps surprising for those who knew Liz as the delicious evening meal, washed down with some excellent wine. quintessential Somervillian, who was always there at the end The guests scattered themselves around the garden, gossiping of the phone or as the welcome face at a Somerville event, quietly as fireflies circled overhead, the roses nodded sleepily, a to learn that she had another, more personal life outside couple of cats skitted in and out of the herbaceous border and Somerville. Yet this was a part of Liz’s existence that was deeply the light slowly faded, slowly, very slowly. Liz was in her element precious to her, as the beautiful tribute given by Liz’s son Ollie doing what she did so supremely well: welcoming, organising, so clearly testified at Liz’s Memorial Service. listening and laughing, embraced in the garden that she had At Great Tew, Liz created a sanctuary of her own design. It loved and created. was a place of film nights in the bothy, her shell and china Liz is survived by her brother John Greenwood, her son Ollie and collections, her wonderful garden, and most of all her family, his wife Nancy, and by their two daughters Nina and Elizabeth. with whom she joyfully shared all these treasures. Her two Betty Cooke, born 16 November 2023, was named in honour of granddaughters, Maxine and Nina, clearly treasured their her grandmother. 41

Patricia Drinkall (née Ellis, 1949) Margaret (Maggie) Eisner (1965) Brought up in Tangier, the only Maggie Eisner was a dedicated GP daughter of the British Consul, who gave her utmost to patients, Patricia’s early life was disrupted her practice and young colleagues. by the outbreak of war. This meant She also campaigned on social going back to her mother’s family issues. Human rights, public service, in the south-west of England, and education and equality were the at the war’s end Patricia went to forces in her life, accompanied by a Cheltenham Ladies’ College before sharp intelligence, eclectic gifts and reading French and Spanish at a genius for friendship. Somerville. Losing both parents PATRICIA DRINKALL MARGARET EISNER before she reached 26, alongside Her life was shaped by her parents the uprooting of the war years, meant her teenage and young Gisela, a doctor, and Conrad, a lawyer, who were assimilated adult years were not easy. Jews from Central Europe, and who fled Hitler’s Europe in 1939 Her life in the mid-50s in Tangier, though, is described by to find refuge in Wales. Her father worked largely abroad and Patricia’s family as a ‘charmed, privileged and glamorous’ social died when Maggie was still at school. She had a successful whirlwind, but she knew she had to focus on establishing a school career and was awarded Senior Scholar at Somerville, career. She went to work for the British Ambassador to Brazil reading Medicine. She qualified as a GP and her first practice in the then capital, Rio de Janeiro. She is alluded to by Andrew was Limes Grove, Lewisham: a radical health collective. After Lycett in his biography of Ian Fleming, who had worked with three years she moved northwards and took over a practice in her father, Toby, from as early as July 1941. Toby ran SIS (MI6) Shipley, Yorkshire, until retirement. in that part of the world and Fleming used to visit Tangier as Patients remember Maggie for focused, person-centred care. part of his wartime intelligence responsibilities. Lycett wrote She established a pioneering service for home births in Bradford about Fleming’s visit in April 1957 and his encounter with and led the city’s GP training scheme. Many cohorts of trainees Patricia. She was subsequently recruited to the Foreign Office valued her inspirational teaching, especially on communication and, with the James Bond books underway, was identified as a and the influence of arts in medicine and life. Tributes to her proper Bond Girl. emphasised her personal touch, openness and willingness to Working as personal assistant to the Ambassador, she met listen. For this work she was honoured with the Fellowship of the First Secretary, an up-and-coming diplomat and dazzling the Royal College of General Practitioners. sportsman called John Drinkall, who was charged with the Throughout her life she was a passionate activist for local project of moving the embassy to the new capital of Brasilia. The relationship developed, and Patricia said that a particularly and global causes, always helping those in most need. After impressive dive by John from a boat sealed it for her. She was retirement she worked voluntarily for Freedom from Torture, offered a posting to Washington but turned that down and and her guide to writing medico-legal reports has become their they were married in January 1961 in a church beside the fish template for new recruits. market in Rio. Maggie sang in choirs all her life, notably with Bradford Women’s Four children were born in the years following, and grew up Singers and Bradford Festival Choral Society, becoming chair as they moved across the world – from Cyprus and Brussels, of the latter. She helped to establish the Bradford Friendship to Canada and Kabul, where Patricia was to become President Choir, a choir for refugees and asylum seekers, and Bloomin’ of the Diplomatic Wives’ Organisation. She famously saved Buds Theatre Company, with a working-class focus. She quietly two of her children by preventing the Land Rover the two supported local friends and family financially to achieve their were sitting in from rolling off a cliff and, later on that same goals. She gardened annually at Lauriston Community Farm, and trip, she prevented a diplomatic incident between armed loved ballroom dancing, Scrabble, creative writing and cross- warring groups by cooking up the largest ever tub of Spaghetti country skiing. Bolognese and feeding an entire village. With a family base in Devon, Patricia supported the family until she succumbed to She experienced personal tragedy with her husband and a serious stroke in 1986. In an extraordinary act of willpower her daughter dying in the last 12 years. But Maggie tackled and determination she worked tirelessly on her speech and this positively: she and her daughter’s partner did an annual mobility until she was able to travel solo in Latin America. challenge for Young Minds and raised £47,000. Patricia’s final years were back in the south-west, some time She died peacefully at home from cancer, aged 75, leaving after this. A woman of immense charm, individuality, loyalty behind a phenomenal legacy of care, friendship, professionalism and strength, she is very much missed by her family. and philanthropy. 42

Melanie Florence (1981) Janet Fodor (née Dean, 1961) Melanie Jane Florence was born on 19 An academic colleague described February 1963 in Ndola, Zambia. She Janet Fodor as ‘A wonderful died of cancer on 18 September 2023 scientist, a terrific organiser of other in Sobell House Hospice, Oxford. people … [and] an extremely faithful, In 1981 Melanie came to Somerville loyal person’. from Aberdeen Grammar School, Janet came from Ilford in Essex with the highest marks in Scotland to Somerville. Originally applying for German, to read Mediaeval to study Physics, she changed and Modern Languages as a Beilby to Psychology, Philosophy and exhibitioner. She settled into College MELANIE FLORENCE Physiology, and was described JANET FODOR life making friends with Rachel and linguists Kate, Helen and Posy. After a distinction in prelims, a as ‘one of the most outstanding undergraduates of her Pope scholarship, and the Sarah Smithson prize, she took a first- generation’ by her Principal, Janet Vaughan. After a year class degree in 1985. as a Fulbright scholar at Stanford, she then went to the Melanie completed an MPhil in European Literature and then, as Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a PhD in Linguistics, a junior research fellow at Wolfson College, embarked on a DPhil where she was surrounded by Noam Chomsky and many other looking at the works of Chrétien de Troyes and their adaptations pioneers in linguistics and cognitive science. After important in German. She published three scholarly articles from the early contributions in the area of semantics, she went on to research – including one in a Somerville publication. She found become an international leader in the field of psycholinguistics beloved friends Janet, Kirstin and Louise in the graduate and language acquisition, clearly meeting the expectations of seminars they attended. Vaughan that she ‘would go far in the world’. Melanie started in academia and did what she did best – At Oxford she was a student of philosophers Elizabeth teaching as a caring and much-loved tutor. She held posts at Anscombe and Philippa Foot, together with psychologists Warwick University, teaching and researching on troubadour Stuart Sutherland and Michael Argyle. Her research with poetry, and at Manchester University. She held lectureships Argyle led to the highly influential ‘equilibrium hypothesis’ at Somerville and various Oxford colleges over many years for nonverbal communication. Remarkably, a paper based teaching mediaeval literature, translation and modern papers on this research (Argyle & Dean 1965), carried out as an for prelims. undergraduate, became the most widely cited work of her Latterly Melanie was welcomed as a lecturer at Trinity College career, with influence continuing to the present. Ironically, where she felt so at home. She taught on the advanced French since it appeared in a different field and under a different translation course for finalists, even during chemotherapy, and in name, few people know that this classic in social psychology her last days proudly learnt that her students had all done well. is authored by the same person as her many later influential Teaching was complemented by posts as a library assistant at St works in linguistics. Hugh’s College and Corpus Christi College, leading to a part-time After working at the University of Connecticut, Janet moved role as senior library assistant in the acquisitions department of to the Graduate Center at the City University of New York the Bodleian Library. (CUNY) in 1986, where she supervised many PhD students Melanie had a long association with her church St Giles, Oxford. who went on to become influential scholars in their own She joined as an undergraduate and over 40 years was sacristan, right. Shortly after arriving at CUNY she founded an annual licensed Eucharistic assistant, and deputy church warden – an conference that aimed to bring together psychologists, invaluable presence keeping things going smoothly. Her friends linguists, and computer scientists with interests in how humans in the ministry Andrew, Paula, Steve, Martin and Sian greatly understand and produce language. Nowadays known as the comforted her. Human Sentence Processing Conference, the conference Melanie also had a career as a published translator after she became the leading annual meeting for generations of won a competition run by Gallic Books to translate modern psycholinguists, creating a scientific community that remains crime/mystery novels by French authors such as Pascal Garnier, closely shaped by Janet’s character and values. Jean Teulé and Frédéric Dard. She also translated German and Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1992, Janet was Austrian works and tackled academic/historical books, latterly President of the Linguistic Society of America in 1997 and working for Helen Rappaport. was named a Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America in Melanie was my partner of 37 years. She was a true 2006. In 2014, she was elected a Corresponding Fellow of Somervillian – highly intelligent, courageous, loyal, caring, the British Academy. A volume of papers in her honour, Explicit gentle, kind and so loved and admired by her many friends, and Implicit Prosody in Sentence Processing, was published in colleagues and students. 2015 and two years later she received an honorary doctorate Alison Sylvester (1980, Hertford; 1985, Somerville) from the Paris Diderot University. 43

third child suffered a brain haemorrhage shortly after birth Linden Foo (1960) which caused catastrophic damage, and for 17 years, she looked after her son – giving up even part-time teaching after Linden Foo was the second daughter a while. Retraining after her son’s death, she became a Relate in a family of six girls, who took her counsellor and later, with Oliver, became very involved in ‘big sister’ role seriously. In between Clinical Theology and in offering counselling to clergy. her own studies at the Convent Jean lived out her faith in practical ways: she was a devoted of the Holy Infant Jesus in Ipoh in wife and supported Oliver tirelessly, both personally and Malaysia where the family moved professionally; in many ways they had a shared ministry. A from Singapore in the early 50s, she people person, she was a wise and empathetic friend and many looked after her younger sisters and were grateful for her support and friendship. She and Oliver played school with them, instilling opened their homes to others and always offered a warm discipline as well as literacy and LINDEN FOO welcome. An intelligent and perceptive woman who had strong numeracy. Friendships were built in views and liked to be actively involved, Jean was very efficient her early childhood in Ipoh that remained all her life. and a great organiser. One friend has described her as: ‘a rock, Possessed, as her sister comments, of ‘beauty, brains and a a woman of determined faith and hospitality’. lively personality’, Linden was sent as a boarder to Cheltenham Jean and Oliver lived and worked in Leicester, Singapore, West Ladies College and she was an academic success there, gaining Yorkshire, West Cumbria, South Manchester and Bury – mainly a place to read Physiology at Somerville. Her path in life was in areas of deprivation. They were glad finally to retire to altered when, while at College, she met the American Rhodes Broughton in Furness to the house Jean had inherited from her Scholar, Thomas Vargish, and was married at the age of 21. parents where, for the first time, she could choose her own The couple moved to the US not long afterwards, settling kitchen after years of vicarages, and enjoy making a wonderful in New England, and their son, Nick, was born. The end of garden with Oliver. After 25 years as active and much-loved the marriage led Linden and Nick to return to Singapore, and members of that community, they moved to the College of Linden retrained to become an esteemed teacher of English as St Barnabas in Surrey. Jean had to cope with her significantly an additional language. In her later decades, looking after her diminishing sight – hard for her as she was a great reader – mother in Ipoh, alongside her sisters, she showed the loyalty and with her and Oliver’s physical decline, but she made the that extended across family relationships to a wide network most of her last years and she was very grateful for the care of friends. A character of courage, charm, wit and sincerity, and companionship offered by residents and staff, especially Linden will be sadly missed by all of these. after Oliver’s death. Her family remember her as a woman who made richer the Jean Forshaw (née Carpenter, 1948) lives of all who knew her. Born in Hong Kong to missionary Penelope Gaine (née Dornan, 1959) parents, Jean Forshaw returned to England as her father became a After her early education in a vicar in the Lake District. Offered a convent, Penelope found an endless scholarship at Roedean, which had vista of possibilities on her arrival at been evacuated to Keswick during Somerville. A sociable and relaxed the War, she did well academically, place with lots of friends, College and remembered vividly the enabled the study of English, which day she was offered a place at she found a wonderful subject Somerville. The telegram arrived on and important to her throughout her birthday, and she was ecstatic JEAN FORSHAW to find she would be coming to her life. She also enjoyed costume College to read History. Somerville meant freedom from adult design for the ETC and, when one PENELOPE GAINE supervision and the making of friends that would stay with review said the production was her all her life. Helen (Whale), Nora (Cleaver), Helen (Sackett), worth seeing if only for the costumes, this didn’t please the Hugh and David were friends from then onwards, as was her producer very much! tutor, Barbara Harvey. After College, she took a variety of jobs in fashion, television Apart from academic work, she enjoyed being a member of and publishing – ending up as Commissioning Editor for the Society of Bell Ringers, going to church and seeing D’Oyly Wiedenfeld & Nicholson. She published three books of her Carte operas at the Playhouse. Memories include May balls at own, on activities for children, which did, in her own words, Wadham and Keble, inviting people back to tea and drinking 6d. ‘surprisingly well’, with one, Children’s Parties, selling over coffees at the market café. She first met her future husband of 100,000 copies. 69 years, Oliver, while she was at Oxford, though didn’t think She left her career in publishing when she and Michael married he was ‘her type’ at the time. in 1971 and they then moved to Elmdon in 1972, where they After Oxford, Oliver was to go into the ministry, while Jean had two sons. From the start, Penelope embraced life in the trained as a teacher and taught until she had children. Their community; she was an active member of her Church serving 44

on the PCC for many years, as well as participating in many It came as little surprise to her colleagues and her students aspects of life in Elmdon. She served on the Parish Council and that, in view of her extraordinary ability, commitment and was ultimately elected Chairman. She was a reading assistant involvement, Ann was awarded the OBE for her services at Chrishall School and a Magistrate sitting first in Saffron to Education. Walden and then in Harlow and Chelmsford. Retiring from teaching, Ann and her sister took care of their She worked as PA to the Moore family at The Henry Moore elderly mother, but her life of public service was not over. Foundation, ran a successful small business and was active She was soon recruited onto the board of a local charity with several charities. A wonderful cook and hostess, someone memorably called BASH: Bentley Association for Supportive locally, without her knowledge, entered her for MasterChef Help. She became chair and sought to tackle local alcohol when it first started in 1990. The focus of her life were her and drug abuse, debt, housing and a huge flood disaster. She family and friends but beyond that she liked nothing more than also joined the executive committee of Doncaster Civic Trust to travel which she and Michael did extensively. She loved in 2001 and was actively contributing to its work for over being at their house in Haut de Cagnes on the Côte d’Azur twenty years. and entertaining friends there. In the biography she provided The underlying mainspring of Ann’s being and the dynamo to College for her year’s 50th reunion, she commented on her enabling and powering her ceaseless energy and concern for love of reading, the arts, travelling and bridge. ‘Dame Janet others was her deep Christian faith. Active on the PCC of her Vaughan’, she reminded us, ‘when asked how she had local church almost to the last, Ann always had an opinion managed to combine so many different careers, always said, at meetings, well considered, thought through and always “Never play bridge, girls, it is such a waste of time”. Alas for delivered with humility and gentleness. She is sadly missed good resolutions!’ by so many. She showed signs of becoming ill in 2009 and her health started to deteriorate badly in 2017. Penelope’s death is a Jenny Gregson reminder to us all of what a cruel disease vascular dementia is. (née Hope Simpson, 1957) Elizabeth Ann (Ann) Gray (1953) Jenny was born in Bristol in 1938. Her grandfather Sir John Hope With breaks for an English degree Simpson, a senior civil servant, was at Somerville, and teacher training an international troubleshooter, in Cambridge, Ann lived her whole saving Newfoundland from life in Bentley, a village just outside bankruptcy and helping in China Doncaster. Hers was a life of service. with the major Yangtze floods in Teaching meant dedicating her long 1935 and ‘36. Her family comment career to the students of Wakefield that she inherited his love of travel. Girls’ High School, where she led the Sent to St Felix School in JENNY GREGSON English Department and became Southwold, Jenny thrived Senior Mistress and Acting Head. ANN GRAY academically, becoming Head of House and captain of tennis Miss Gray’s kindness and support, and lacrosse, as well as winning a place to read Mathematics her appreciation and love of literature are remembered by all at Somerville. She was to meet her husband, Jos, on a joint she taught, especially the many who went on to study English Oxford and Cambridge Ski Club trip to Westendorf in Austria at university (several at Somerville) and who followed her during her first year at College. Their marriage was to last into teaching. 65 years. Asked by colleagues to become their union rep, Ann filled That marriage followed after her degree, and when Jos found a this role with tact, diplomacy, wisdom, dedication and indeed job in Trinidad, she became Head of Mathematics at Naparima courage as she quietly but steadfastly took up her colleagues’ College in San Fernando. Jenny had the chance to indulge her cause. It was not long before she was on the National passion for travel and test her excellent map reading skills. She Executive of the Assistant Mistresses Association, becoming loved maps and was never happier than when planning a 500 its last National President before going on to become the or 1000 mile walk from A to B, preferably going off set routes second National President of the now much larger joint wherever possible. She was not daunted by hardship, camping Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association, AMMA (later to out, travelling by truck from Bangkok to Beijing or Nairobi to become ATL.) In a large national and public role, Ann specialised Cape Town, or driving from Lima in Peru to Puerto Montt at in debates about curriculum and examination development the foot of Chile. and served on Government bodies monitoring the standards When Jos was posted to New Zealand, their first child, Dee, and comparability of the various exam boards. She clearly was born, followed eighteen months later by Helen. She needed to be prepared to dash from school down to London and Jos went on to run a stamp business together, and she to attend the plethora of meetings and prepared she was; one used that love of travel again, to raise charitable funds for colleague recalls counting thirteen outfits for such forays in four favourite charities – the Parkinson’s Disease Society; the staff cloakroom. Macmillan (she and Jos walked the whole Macmillan Way as 45

a fund raiser); Cancer Research UK and finally Tundergarth Church near Lockerbie, for which she devised a 960 mile walk Joan Hampshire (1947) from Dungeness Point to Cape Wrath. Those who knew her will miss Jenny very much: wife, mother, Joan Hampshire was one of many sister, sister-in-law, granny and friend. Somervillians to come from Bradford Girls’ Grammar School. Sylvia Gyde (née Clayton, 1954) After a degree in English, and a Diploma in Education, her love of all things literary stayed with Born in Llanidloes, then moving to her throughout her life. College rural Suffolk, Sylvia always enjoyed life involved acting in University ‘sums’ as a child. Though initially productions and tennis, where her JOAN HAMPSHIRE accused of cheating in the 11+ talent led to a Blue. as she did so well, she gained a Oxford also led to marriage, as she met Magdalen linguist scholarship place at St Felix School Peter Nurse and they married on graduation. Moving to in Southwold. After the difficulties Belfast shortly afterwards, where Peter got a job at Queen’s and restrictions of boarding school University, they had three children, before moving to California, life, the freedom of Somerville, she and then Canterbury, as his post shifted. At the newly-formed said, ‘transformed my entire life, SYLVIA GYDE University of Kent, Joan set about starting up the ‘University and I was so happy there’. Tutored Wives Book Group’ in 1966: an invaluable way of establishing by the ‘lovely’ Jean Banister, she found her medical studies a solid group of like-minded friends in a new town. (It is still supported by Dame Janet Vaughan and Dorothy Hodgkin, and going strong to this day!) made many good friends, often through singing in choirs. Marriage to Humphrey led to Blackheath in London and four It was here, in Kent, that Joan began to fully put her superb children in six years, with medical work in the evenings at teaching skills to work. She worked for the Hearing Impaired family planning clinics. She was asked to help set up a clinic in Unit attached to Hampton Primary School in Herne Bay, a deprived area of Woolwich, to offer contraception to women teaching hearing impaired and profoundly deaf pupils aged at the Community Hall there. As they were innovative women, 4-11. Very keen to encourage children with low self-esteem they bought a portable couch and ‘set up shop every week’. to believe in themselves, one of Joan’s favourite phrases was, Word got around, and they were inundated with clients. ‘I can do this!’ and she had an impressive ability to simplify any difficult language or concepts by rephrasing, using drama or Moving to Birmingham about a decade later, Sylvia became a craft. She also worked for the Canterbury Remedial Advisory GP before being offered a research job by a young Consultant Service, where she taught and supported children with dyslexia in Gastroenterology at the General Hospital. They had a very and other reading challenges. She went on, with her colleague, large series of over 700 ulcerative colitis patients: a rare Cosette Beadle, to devise and illustrate an entire phonics disease with a high risk of colon cancer. Seven years later, reading scheme – an approach ahead of its time in the 1990s having published papers on their work there, she trained in - publishing ‘Star Track Reading and Spelling’ in 1997. Public Health Medicine, and eventually became Director of After retiring, Joan threw her boundless energy into Public Health for Birmingham. volunteering at, and fundraising for, Canterbury Umbrella, Music had been an important part of her time in Oxford, and a new drop-in centre and Community Hub providing social this continued in the years in Birmingham, where she joined mental health support for local people. With her excellent the Bach Society, sang and played the piano – the latter right communication and persuasive letter writing skills, she up to her final weeks. Retiring from Public Health, and moving doggedly pursued and secured many thousands in funding for to eastern England, she became non-executive director of the centre. She also ran weekly Art sessions, bringing welcome the local Essex Rovers NHS Trust and focused on getting fun and creativity into the lives of countless people. Clinical Governances in place. But retirement gave time for her to develop other interests, and, always a great collector of Joan surrounded her own children and grandchildren with ceramics, she took up potting herself, gaining a City and Guilds books, and spent many hours reading to, and with them, Certificate and then installing her own wheel and kiln. encouraging and inspiring them all with her love of literature Though she claims to have had a career ‘more by accident than and reading. When one of her grandchildren, aged 3, said to design’, Sylvia worked in various contexts to make a difference her one day, ‘I’m as happy as a library!’ she felt her work to people’s lives. In a life moving almost full-circle, she and was done. Humphrey returned from France to a flat in Blackheath, Joan’s love, warmth, energy, sharp mind and mischievous sense watching through the bedroom window the children going to of humour are much missed by her family and many friends. the local school hers had attended. 46

University in Budapest. She also held visiting professorships in Cynthia Howard (1951) cities from Berlin and Paris, to Tel Aviv and Princeton. Sally enjoyed the company of the seriously clever and they Born into a family of teachers in hers. Despite her excellent brain, she refused to confront Newark, Cynthia was the middle modern technology: she had a TV and particularly enjoyed child of three. After the early Master Chef, but she never used a computer and had email death of her father, she was only sent to an intermediary, who printed it out and posted it to 8 years old when she went to her. The telephone was her preferred means of communication boarding school in Cheshire, but she and she had long conversations with old friends. Intransigent in proceeded to do well academically her views and not always easy, Sally was nevertheless a great and became Head Girl. Her time personality and generous friend. reading French at Somerville was She was also an extremely adventurous traveller and in her one of the happiest times of her CYNTHIA HOWARD later years organized a party to travel by boat up the Nile, in life. She loved academic life, got a which, to the horror of those with her, she swam. But sailing first and maintained a close relationship with College for the was her lifelong passion: expeditions included South America, rest of her life. Scandinavia and, above all, the Aegean. Reflecting her love of books and languages, Cynthia worked Sally’s research applied anthropological theories and in the Department of Printed Books at the British Museum for methodologies to ancient history, as demonstrated in her twenty years, before moving on to a second career, teaching 1978 collection of essays, Anthropology and the Greeks. French at secondary level. In it, she explained that her inspiration was a technological On retirement, Cynthia could spend more time on her hobbies question concerning the design and use of ancient Greek of travelling and photography. She loved cars, owning a range, ships, which she approached by sailing around the Aegean in from minis to sporty hatchbacks, and often drove across an open, keelless boat. She realized that while much remained Europe. An active member of the Anglo-Spanish Society, she the same as it was in the ancient world (for example, the winds spent a lot of time travelling over there and met the King of and sailing conditions) much has changed, and that changes Spain. Her wonderful photographs of her travels were, of in economic institutions were more important than those in course, beautifully catalogued. sailing technology. Fellow Somervillian, Penny Minney (1953), Her family and friends remember her driving to see them, published Crab's Odyssey: Malta to Istanbul in an Open Boat, and always arriving with a tale or two to tell. A policeman, in which she described the initial sailing adventures that she and Sally experienced, covering 1500 miles in four years. for instance, who stopped her for speeding on Kew Bridge on Boxing Day got a good telling off! ‘How dare you stop an The analysis of social and economic structures was central elderly lady off to visit her family at Christmas! Shame on you!’ to her subsequent work. She has also used the lens of Her arrival, beautifully dressed with an elegant hat and brightly anthropology to explore ancient law, family structures and coloured scarf, camera in hand is missed by those friends kinship. Her second collection of essays, The Family, Women and family. and Death: Comparative Studies, was published in 1983 and her third book, The Strangeness of Gods: Historical perspectives on the interpretation of Athenian religion, Sarah (Sally) Humphreys followed in 2004. Her magnum opus, Kinship in Ancient Athens: an anthropological analysis was published in two (née Hinchli昀昀, 1953) volumes by OUP in 2018, to considerable international acclaim. Sally Humphreys followed her Anne Jacobson (née Jaap, 1965) – Mary undergraduate study in Literae Humaniores at Somerville Ewart Junior Research Fellow 1967-69 with an impressive career in Classical scholarship. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Anne Jaap After initial research fellowships had graduated from the University at the University of Oxford, she of California, Berkeley, before she became the academic librarian at reached Somerville. She completed the Warburg Institute in London. a BPhil and a DPhil here before Along with Arnaldo Momigliano, she SALLY HUMPHREYS becoming the Mary Ewart Research ran the Ancient History Seminar Fellow between 1967 and 1969, there, before moving to University College, London, as a and moving to St Anne’s to become lecturer, and set up a joint honours degree in Ancient History their Fulford Research Fellow. and Social Anthropology. Married to Allan Jacobson, and with ANNE JACOBSON In the late 1980s, she became Professor of History, a son, Anne moved back to the US, Anthropology and Classical Studies at the University of holding positions at Princeton, Rutgers and Lehigh before a Michigan at Ann Arbor, and then Professor at Central European move to the University of Houston. There she was an Associate 47

Professor in Philosophy from 1991 to 2003 and then a Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Electrical and Helen Jones (1969) Computer Engineering (2003–2014). She became Professor Emeritus in 2014. Anne was President-elect/President of An Oxford contemporary remembers the University of Houston Faculty Senate (2002–2004) Helen as a student, with ‘natural and Director of the Center for Neuro-Engineering and blonde good looks and a slow, Cognitive Science. Externally, she served on several American infectious and ultimately bubbling Philosophical Association programs and committees. smile’ as well as ‘a sense that she Anne’s research focused on the philosophy of mind and knew who she was and what she cognitive neuroscience, including the history and philosophy was about: far more than most of of cognitive science, the philosophy of David Hume, and us at that age’. One anecdote of feminist philosophy. In 2012, she published Neurofeminism, that time gives a flavour of their co-edited with Heidi Maibom and Robyn Bluhm, on issues at enjoyment of College life. ‘It would HELEN JONES the intersection of feminist theory and cognitive science. In not have been Oxford at the end her powerful monograph Keeping the World in Mind: Mental of the sixties without the odd sixties moment. Helen and Representations and the Sciences of the Mind, as well as in her friend Belinda turning up a for a rehearsal for a college many articles, she challenged dominant standard accounts by production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives having been plied extending the discussion of mental representations to include with a hash-laden chocolate cake by a passing Vietnam veteran psychology and neuroscience. Her ability to challenge internal – and there is an awful lot about the sixties in just those few and external disciplinary boundaries also marked her roles as words. To the director’s distinct bemusement, they giggled a feminist advocate and a feminist philosopher, leading to her brilliantly in all the right places – but also in many of the wrong appointment as Editor in Chief of Wiley-Blackwell's proposed ones.’ 5-volume Encyclopedia of Women in Philosophy. Helen’s self-confidence meant that she continued to be a Anne had a wide network of friends and made good use of supportive friend to her contemporaries and she developed the internet in sustaining this. She was regularly in contact that supportiveness professionally too, alongside the astute with philosophers overseas, many of whom she first met judgement and incisive thinking fostered by her History and in Oxford. A great lover of Oxford, after her retirement she Modern Languages degree at Somerville. After some years in spent significant amounts of time in an apartment overlooking social work, she was appointed to the Department of Health the canal within walking distance of Somerville. Apart from as a Social Services Inspector and one of her first tasks was her serious academic side, Anne enjoyed reading novels of to oversee the implementation of a programme to assess different genres, including detective stories, and she was outcomes for children in care and identify improvements. Local a great cat lover. She will be fondly remembered for her authorities had parental responsibilities for the children they intellect, her humour, her graciousness, her love of family and looked after and, the first time they were asked to provide philosophy, and for her cats. information, only one in three Directors of Children’s Services 48

were able to say whether any of their care leavers left school Described by her colleagues at Pembroke as sympathetic with qualifications that might help them get a job. Helen and welcoming, they also noted that she was demanding was instrumental in changing that. Passionate about fighting of her students and ‘critical in the best sense of the word – the injustices faced by children whose life chances had been constructive and never dismissive or condescending’. compromised by poverty, abuse and other disadvantages, she She is warmly remembered by all those she supported as a had hands-on knowledge of the challenges facing children tutor, a colleague and a friend. in care and used her position to introduce policies to provide them with better protection, higher standards of care and more extensive opportunities to fulfil their potential. Ruth Lister (1944) Helen led the cross-government initiative to introduce specific, evidence-based programmes to improve the life chances of Born in London and educated at children in and on the edge of care and worked to introduce St Paul’s School for Girls, Ruth multi-dimensional treatment foster care to England and was Head Girl and an academic Wales. When she left the Civil Service, she undertook projects success. Her time at Somerville was throughout Europe and beyond. She helped introduce the overshadowed by war and life was Assessment Framework in Canada, Italy and France and worked short of creature comforts. The with the French government to introduce a child development Bursar advised new undergraduates perspective into protection policy and practice. She facilitated that the only personal belongings legislation and policy and set up foster care services in Russia allowed were their ‘identity and and several other Eastern European countries, not resting until ration cards, gas mask, electric she had encouraged reluctant ministers to take forward torch, warm rug, butter dish with lid, RUTH LISTER another initiative. a 1lb jam jar with lid, a tin (for sugar), two pairs of bed socks The beloved wife of Jerry, and a supportive friend and colleague and a jerry.’ to many, Helen is very much missed. Such restrictions did not bother Ruth. Practical and pragmatic, she had a strong and robust constitution, and led a very active Martha Klein (née Bein, 1987) life well into her eighties. She was a keen golfer, skier and gardener; and a swim before breakfast in an unheated pool was part of her daily routine. She loved a good, brisk walk and Martha Klein was born in California had a succession of dogs, many of them dachshunds, that and brought up in New York City. accompanied her around Bury St. Edmunds, where she lived for Starting a degree at Queens College nearly 70 years. She was also an intrepid traveller, visiting many in New York, she was forced to parts of the world over the years, including the Galapagos leave after a year for personal Islands, Pakistan and Yemen, regularly accompanied by lifelong reasons, and was not to return to Somerville friends. university until, at the age of 33, she embarked on a Philosophy degree at Medicine was a profession for which she was temperamentally the University of Reading. well suited – conscientious, thorough, calm under pressure, MARTHA KLEIN strongly committed to public service – and one in which she In the years between she worked excelled. After posts in Nottingham and Leicester, she joined a variety of jobs, from waitress to the Angel Hill surgery in Bury St Edmunds, where the senior film production assistant, and then, after marrying her husband partner was a woman and keen to have another female doctor Larry, on a Norwegian ship on which the pair sailed for nearly in the practice. When Ruth was offered the job, it was made three years. In the UK, she worked at the British Film Institute clear to her that she would have to resign if she married. and then in the Photographic Department at the University of Reading. This last role prompted her to take two A Levels that Ruth remained there until her retirement in 1991, by which allowed her to study as a mature student. time she was senior partner. In a very full life outside work, she Martha came to Oxford to complete the BPhil at Somerville, was a committed member of the Baptist Church, sang in the and in 1980 began her doctoral thesis on free will and moral Bury Bach Choir for forty years, and was a Justice of the Peace responsibility. In the same year she began to teach at Reading for twenty-five years. But what mattered most to Ruth was and a number of Oxford colleges. Seven years later, on her family. She was a devoted daughter, loving sister and very receipt of her doctorate, she was appointed to a lectureship generous aunt and great-aunt. in Philosophy at Christ Church. In 1993 Martha was elected She also retained a lifelong connection with Somerville Fellow of Philosophy at Pembroke. Here, she continued to focus and when her great-nephew followed in her footsteps and her research on philosophy of mind, specialising in free will, matriculated at the college in 2007, she was very pleased to moral responsibility and the relationship between thoughts visit him and have the chance to see her old room in Penrose. and actions. She was particularly interested in the intersection Although so many years had passed, she was still able to recall of philosophy of mind and moral philosophy. Martha is in vivid detail arriving on her first day with the few possessions remembered for teaching and encouraging generations of permitted, eagerly anticipating everything ahead. The fact that Philosophy students. The great fondness and respect with her memories were still so clear 60 years on reflects the lasting which she was regarded by her students was clear. impact the college made on her life. 49

of roses. A move to the Midlands opened up fresh musical Clare Mackney (née Humphreys, 1975) opportunities. She took a degree at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, joined the National Saxophone Choir of Great When Clare came up to Somerville Britain, taught flute and sax at Lichfield Cathedral School and to read Geography, it became enjoyed reviewing for the Birmingham Post. quickly apparent that she was not It was, however, the final move to Suffolk in 2009, which one to follow the herd, drinking brought Clare the greatest satisfaction. Her house in Beccles lapsang souchong rather than PG was soon filled with colour and light, books and pictures, Tips and eschewing Led Zeppelin ceramics and rugs – and even a life-size baby hippo named for Ella and Louis. With a work Felicity, crafted in stainless steel by a nephew! This home ethic second to none, she was up became a magnet for friends and family, and anyone else at the crack of dawn, spending full needing a sympathetic ear, or simply a favour. Clare was a days at the School of Geography CLARE MACKNEY great listener and an astute judge of character, wise but never – affectionately known as SOG hectoring – not to mention a legendary baker of flapjack and – before tramping across Port Meadow, regardless of bad brownies. Despite many chronic health conditions –diabetes, weather, with her less than enthusiastic chums in tow. She kidney and heart problems and hearing loss – Clare was loved talking late into the night, with tea (or gin, when funds tireless in her dedication to the community. She founded allowed) about life, faith, love, books, music, dogs vs cats, plans a local orchestra, now the Waveney Concert Band, and a and prospects. Our bonds of friendship would hold fast until her handbell ringing group, joined the NWR, and made significant untimely death in July 2024. contributions to the Beccles Town Plan and the work of the Clare was born in Cropredy, Oxfordshire, but it was in South River Waveney Trust. Wales, at Newport Bettws Comprehensive School that her twin In 2021 Clare’s kidneys failed. Despite a gruelling programme passions for music and geography were kindled. She returned of dialysis, she made the most of her time there, reading, to Wales after Somerville, gaining a masters in town planning composing witty emails, and planning the next stage of her at Cardiff University and joining the Newport Choral Society, garden. Her concern for others, and her equanimity in the face where she met her future husband, Andy. They married in of worsening health, were remarkable, but unsurprising. She 1981, living briefly in London before settling in Sussex. Clare died peacefully with Andy at her side. Her humanist funeral began her career in planning, first with Berwin Leighton, then was simple and dignified, attended by over a hundred people Nathaniel Lichfield, where her probing intellect, eye for detail, who loved her dearly, including two Somerville friends, one in and first-rate skills as a writer were used to the full. person, the other via a live link, in the USA. Such a good life, and It was in Sussex that Clare created her first garden, in a space so well lived. deemed ‘unnecessarily long’ by a disapproving aunt. Clare Sylvia Cooper (Clift, 1975), Stroud, Gloucestershire turned it into an idyll, with cottage-style planting and cascades Karen Rose OSB (1975), St Benedict’s Monastery, Minnesota 50

editing its journal. Back copies from that era do not credit her Helen Mawson (née Fuller, 1957) endeavours, but in 1955 she was listed as assistant editor. She had presumably been doing it all long before she got a mention After school at Haberdashers Askes on the back cover. where she was taught by Diana By this time, she had met Michael Nightingale, precocious Zvegintzov (née Lucas, 1926: Lit. secretary of the association (and nominal editor of the Hum.), Helen Mawson gained Open Museums Journal), while he was in the act of going through all Scholarships at both Oxford and the rubbish bins in the street looking for some mislaid papers. Cambridge. She chose Oxford and During this period the MA helped establish the Regional came to Somerville to read Greats Museum Service to give expert advice and assistance to small and retained great affection for the regional museums. Prior to its move to offices in the Adam- college throughout her life. designed 33 Fitzroy Street in the late 1950s, the association’s After graduation she was appointed HELEN MAWSOM address is listed as the ‘Meteorological Buildings’ in Exhibition lecturer in Philosophy at Fourah Bay Road (now the Dyson School of Design on the corner of College, now the University of Sierra Leone and at that time Exhibition Road and Imperial College Road). Later in life Hilary a college of Durham University. After 3 years there, she came recalled that when she left her office, she would walk through into contact with the British Council to whose overseas career the galleries of the Science Museum in the dark but with all the service she applied successfully and she was posted to Lagos models still whirring away. in Nigeria. There she met and married her husband, Stephen. At After a year working in Italy, Hilary returned to England and the time, marriage meant the end to her British Council career, married Michael in 1956. They settled in Wormshill in Kent, but she took a temporary job with the Ford Foundation writing where she brought up her family and managed 350 sheep on a report on English teaching in Nigeria, and thereafter followed the farm. Stephen to postings in Malaysia and India. During this time, Helen had two children – one during a 24-hour curfew from After all her children had flown the nest in the 1980s, she race riots and the second during the Indo-Pakistan war with trained as a conservation bookbinder at the London College trenches dug outside the house. With a colleague’s wife she of Printing. It is tempting to ponder what else she might have ran a kindergarten in Delhi and also went to Sanskrit classes, done if she was setting out today. adding that language to her Latin and Greek. Hilary was a dearly loved mother to five children and ten Back in the UK permanently, as soon as both children were at grandchildren. school Helen undertook a PGCE course and became Head of Classics at More House School in London. She wanted to teach Vivienne Rees (née Farey, 1951) Greek so after a few years moved to a similar post at Surbiton High School, where she enjoyed taking groups of girls on trips to Italy and Greece. After retirement, she continued to teach at A father in the RAF meant that the Open University, and lived for part of the year in a village Vivienne went to thirteen different on Lake Como where the west front of Como Cathedral bears schools before (with some relief) statues not of saints but of the two Plinys. she gained a place at Somerville to read History. After graduating, she Later afflicted by vascular dementia and macular degeneration married her husband and soulmate (a great trial to her as she could no longer read), she remained of 52 years, Jim Rees, and soon she cheerful and her personality and intelligence were unchanged. embarked on a teaching career at A fall led to a hip fracture, after which she died in hospital. Carlisle Grammar School. She successfully combined her scholarly interests with being After a break to bring up their two VIVIENNE REES a wife, a mother and a grandmother. Unfailingly kind and children, Alison and Bernard, Vivienne generous, many people will miss her acutely – especially her returned to teaching, as History teacher, and Head of Sixth husband of 56 years. Form, at the Lakes School in Windermere. She was to work there for 25 years. Hilary Nightingale (née Jones, 1948) Retirement gave Vivienne the chance to direct her sense of social responsibility into local politics and community affairs. She was a Liberal Democrat District Councillor for South Born in Swansea, and brought up by Lakeland, which she only gave up aged 87, campaigning for her widowed mother, Hilary secured affordable housing and flood action. She was also a Parish a state scholarship to read English Councillor, chairman of the Grasmere Village Society until her at Somerville. She achieved a first death, and chair of the Village Hall Trust. She supported the (one of only five in her year group Wordsworth Trust and organised local events and exhibitions, of 300). as well as fundraising and improving facilities at the hall. After Oxford she went to work for Being chair of the Grasmere Players involved not only the Museums Association (MA), organisation, but acting and directing, and indulging her HILARY NIGHTINGALE lifelong love of Shakespeare. 51

As, in addition to these, Chairman of Trustees at the Arnitt a tough crowd, but well within her skills. She did some more Museum in Ambleside, primary school governor and governor learning herself, learning silversmithing and befriending a lady at her own former school in Windermere, Vivienne’s BEM in called Margaret Rhodes, whose son, Brian, she soon met and the 2020 New Year’s Honours list, for services to her local married. community, was very well deserved. Membership of further From here Cynthea adopted and helped raise Brian’s three groups, fundraising for charities from the National Asthma children, alongside lecturing in Art History, for over 30 years, Campaign to the Royal Shakespeare Company, and being for the Workers’ Educational Association. From the 1980s mother to two children (grandmother to three, and great- she began to organise group trips to cities in Europe to tour grandmother to two), make it impossible to see how she could museums and galleries, and travelled widely herself. Returning have time for reading, scrabble and going to the theatre! to Manchester University to study Art History formally, she Vivienne’s sense of the importance of education stayed with wrote an MPhil thesis on early vernacular Italian poetry and her and her years in schools showed her as a brilliant teacher how artists illustrated it. who inspired others. She made a huge contribution to the lives Spending her final years in the Lake District, after Brian’s of so many others throughout her life, and shared her positive death, she enjoyed the company of her Burmese cats and outlook with them. As her daughter comments: ‘Mum had joy welcomed friends from all parts of her life. in her heart’. Cynthea Rhodes (née Wo昀昀enden, 1956) Jane Robinson (née Packham, 1959) Brought up in Edinburgh during the privations of World War 2, Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Cynthea moved to Parbold in Lancashire and bloomed at the during WW2, a few months before nearby girls’ grammar, becoming Head Girl. She showed an her father was killed in the Atlantic early flair for languages, consolidated by an exchange with a as part of the Royal Navy Volunteer French family with whom she stayed in touch throughout her Reserve, Jane Hippisley Packham life. She won a state scholarship to Somerville to read French returned to Bath as a small child. and Italian. She attended several schools in Before coming up, Cynthea’s French exchange family helped quick succession before settling as her arrange to spend some time at the Sorbonne. Aged 19, she a boarder at Badminton School and then engaged on a solo trip to Italy and it was the start of her thriving academically. After reading JANE ROBINSON deep love for that country to which she would return regularly Chemistry at Somerville, she went for six decades. to King’s College, London, to train as a science teacher. Soon she married Roger Robinson, a paediatrician, and after the One of the most defining eras of her life was at Somerville. couple had three children, Jane became a full-time mother. Cynthea’s work ethic meant a lot of work and less socialising After they settled at school, Jane returned to teaching, at in the intense eight-week terms. There was no concession for Burlington Danes School in Hammersmith. In 1991 she was beginners in either language, and she had not studied Italian at ordained Deacon in the Church of England, serving at St school. Her first term was reading Dante in the original. One of Peter’s, Ealing, St Gabriel’s, North Acton, and St Barnabas, her tutors was married to a painter and the free availability of Ealing. Though a staunch supporter of women priests, lectures sparked an early interest in art history, especially the when the Church of England began ordaining women to the Renaissance era in Florence. priesthood Jane elected to remain a deacon, feeling that her In her spare time, she became involved in theatre, mostly calling had been to the ministry of service particular to the backstage. She told of obtaining fresh sheep’s eyes from a local diaconate. butcher for use in King Lear and Dudley Moore and Ken Loach Her gift of £1,000 to St Gabriel’s, Acton, was originally were among those she worked with. intended to be in her will, but she decided to give the money There followed time in the BBC after College, as a studio during her lifetime, so that she could see what the church manager of a number of famous programmes including spent it on! Her donation helped to fund the purchase of a Desert Island Discs and Housewives’ Choice. When Princess work of art, namely a religious triptych by the celebrated Margaret got married in 1960 Cynthea was at Westminster iconographer Cristi Paslaru. Installed as the altar piece in a side Abbey acting as the liaison between the BBC and the Italian chapel, it is a beautiful way to remember her. broadcasting organization. Jane was widowed in 2003. After nearly 60 years living in Two years later, she decided on a change of direction and Ealing, in 2021 she moved to Lewes, East Sussex, close to returned to Oxford to take a diploma in education. She took a where her father’s family had been from. She died after a job at Stockport College as a lecturer mostly to apprentices on short illness in November 2023, survived by her 3 children, 5 day release and learning about current affairs, history and art: grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. 52

Amidst all her own pursuits, Costanza remained a steadfast rock Constanza Romanelli (1948) and a guiding light for her elder brother Raffaello and her sister Ilaria, who married the Frenchman Arnaud Faure. Not having Constanza, born in Florence in children of her own, she embraced her role as a second mother 1928, was of impressive lineage to Ilaria’s five children, Bettino’s children and grandchildren, and a descendant of William the offering love and support. Conqueror. Her father was a Costanza Romanelli, Baroness Ricasoli Firidolfi, leaves a legacy decorated Italian Navy Commander woven with threads of faith, classical culture gleaned at and renowned sculptor, and her Somerville, compassion, and devotion to family. Her memory maternal grandfather was Dean of will endure in the hearts of all who were touched by her Gibraltar, Master of the Charterhouse generosity, friendship, humour and unwavering spirit. in London and Chaplain of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. CONSTANZA ROMANELLI Helen Sackett (née Phillips, 1948) After the prestigious Sacro Cuore school in Florence, and following the tumult of WW2, she left to read Literae Humaniores at Somerville College, where she liked The daughter of teachers in Bristol, to smoke a pipe, whilst also nursing with the Red Cross. Helen Phillips studied Physics at Somerville just after WW2. At Oxford In the 1950s, Costanza embarked on a number of adventures, she met her future husband, Edmund first with her Somerville friend, Patricia Drinkall, journeying Sackett, at the John Wesley Society to Morocco, then travelling around Kenya and Somalia, where and was impressed with him because later in 1965 her mother would be murdered whilst running the he had been in the army in Palestine local hospital she had founded with Catholic nuns. Costanza’s and had experience of the world. devout Catholic faith led her to become a member of Opus Dei Before they married, Helen trained as which helped her fulfil her desire to foster Christian life and the a teacher at Hugh’s Hall in Cambridge HELEN SACKETT Church’s evangelizing mission. followed by a time teaching in In 1979, she married the son of Florence’s oldest noble family, Worthing and then in Stroud. She soon became the mother of Baron Bettino Ricasoli Firidolfi, and she embraced her role her first son. as guardian of the Castello di Brolio in Tuscany, the seat of Deciding that teaching wasn’t for him, Edmund became librarian the Ricasoli family since 1141. Here their friends and other of Westminster College in Oxford, and the family moved to live illustrious figures from around the world, including the then in Bayworth, between Oxford and Abingdon. They attended Prince Charles, were welcomed with her signature grace and All Saints Church, Abingdon, where Helen sang in the choir. hospitality and fed in an immense frescoed dining hall. Among Very soon after that a second son was born, and she stayed at her circle of English friends, the Florence-based aesthete and home to look after the two boys. After they had started school, scholar Sir Harold Acton found a regular place, often joining her she went taught for a short time at Abingdon school and then for tea in her home at Piazza di Bellosguardo where poets and at Saint Helen and Saint Katherine nearby, where she finally artists of the time gathered in spirited conversation. became Head of the Physics Department. Some of the girls 53

she taught physics were the daughters of very high-powered then later, back in England, in various schools, tutoring school scientists who worked at Harwell, Rutherford or Culham refusers, and at evening institutes. Even after she retired, laboratories nearby. and she and her husband had left London for Berkshire – to Helen’s children remember a happy home: making homemade give him more freedom to paint – she continued to work with marmalade or going on the many family holidays to different children, running a much respected and popular youth club at parts of England and Wales or further abroad to Brittany, her local church. Switzerland and Greece. On car journeys, she would always have the map on her lap to follow and make sure they went the Molly Scopes (née Bryant, 1954) right way. By 1984, retirement beckoned, and a labour of love tending their garden in Chalford Hill. They attended the local Methodist Church and became very much involved in running it. Born in Bristol in 1935, the eldest After losing Edmund in 2011, and then her son, Mark, four of three, Molly was one of the many years later, Helen downsized to nearby bungalow, before who benefitted from the 1944 moving, for the final few months of her life, into a care home. Butler Education Act reforms, making She remained positive through everything, with reading and secondary education free. She won a jigsaw puzzles, completing an impressive family photograph place at Colston’s Girls’ School (now album, and receiving visits from her family. Steady and reliable, Montpelier High School) and sailed sensible and considered, Helen is missed very much. through academically, ending up as head girl. Ann Schlee (née Cumming, 1952) She came up to Somerville to read MOLLY SCOPES Chemistry, and was taught by Eva Richards (Somerville) and Muriel Tomlinson (St Hilda’s), Born in Connecticut, Ann Cumming’s with Dorothy Hodgkin as a moral tutor. She chose Organic childhood was itinerant and Chemistry for her Part 2 and went on to study for her DPhil predominantly solitary, moving in the Dysons Perrins Lab. This was then still a very male between the US and North West dominated world: the Lab ‘class’ photo of May 1958 shows her Africa. Books were a refuge from this, with only three other women in a cohort of 70. and she appreciated being able to In Oxford, she met Roger Scopes and they were married in come to Somerville to read English, 1960, with two daughters following as Molly was appointed to though she commented that it was a lectureship at Westfield College. She became more involved ‘not surprising that my chief interest in the administrative side of the academy, and in the 1980s, as in Oxford was that I would have a ANN SCHLEE Dean of Science, she was in the forefront of the negotiations room in college to myself without for Westfield when the Government decided that the ten sites having to move for three whole years’. for science in London should reduce to five. She moved with She was sad that they were the only three years in her life in the science department to Queen Mary College in 1984, and which she suddenly did not want to read books. Reminiscing in the full merger of the two was formalised. In 1990, Molly later years, she said of this time, ‘Only at the end, with the final became Senior Vice-Principal at QM, working to weld the reckoning of the exams nearly on top of me, did I settle down two institutions together. Tributes sent on her death confirm and redeem matters to the extent of obtaining a poor degree. I that she made a huge contribution to the formation of the had at least learnt how my facile cleverness could let me down. expanded college. I went back to my college last summer and looked out at the On her official retirement, Molly became a Governor at lawns and surrounding buildings I had stared out at dreamily when I should have made use of that marvellous opportunity to Heythrop College in Kensington, serving there for the read. I realised I had known scarcely anything of England beyond maximum term of ten years. Appreciation and recognition for that small rarefied precinct. I couldn’t have found my way to the her work came in the form of an OBE (in 1997) and Honorary railway station’. What Somerville brought her were friends, who Fellowships at both QM and Heythrop. were to stay with her throughout her life, and an abiding love of Family and marriage with Roger provided Molly with the John Donne’s poetry, perhaps partly a result of being taught by anchor for her life. She was hugely supportive of her two girls Helen Gardiner. and her four grandchildren, of whose interests and academic After College Ann married the artist Nick Schlee and became a achievements she was very proud. It gave her great pleasure writer, producing the five children’s novels that she published that one of the grandchildren was an Oxford chemist (they by getting up at 5am and writing before her own four children went round the DP Lab together to find her old lab seat and woke up and had to be got off to school. Her adult fiction his). Molly remained loyal to Somerville all her life, founding included Rhine Journey, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1981 bursaries to support Chemistry students struggling with living (and republished in 2024 by Daunt Books Publishing (UK) and expenses while at college. McNally Editions (US)), along with The Proprietor (1983), Her interest in music – both singing and playing the piano Laing (1987) and The Time in Aderra (1998). – stayed with her throughout her life. She sang with Roger She also taught for many years. Initially, as a young Oxford in choirs into her late 70s and pursued her piano through to graduate, at Rosemary Hall (now Choate) in Connecticut, diploma level, playing nearly to the end. 54

Molly died on New Year’s Eve 2023, after a long battle with Demon, or read a story to eager grandchildren. She was an dementia. Joanna and I remember her for being a wonderful equally good friend, warm, attentive, and eager to laugh. She Mum and for being one of the trail-blazers of her generation: was at home in an airport bar in Trenton, at the Members Table we were delighted that she was still well enough in 2020 of the Century Association in Manhattan, or at the Athenaeum to celebrate the milestone of her diamond wedding and to Club on Pall Mall in London. She brought light to any room understand its significance. she entered. Bridget Micklem (née Scopes) – Somerville 1982 Joanna Rhodes (née Scopes) – St John’s 1984 Jean Aird Seglow (née Moncrie昀昀, 1955) Caroline Seebohm (1958) Jean Seglow (née Moncrieff) went up to Somerville to read PPE in 1955. Caroline was born in Nottinghamshire Her adored father, the distinguished and grew up in the English paediatrician, Sir Alan Moncrieff, countryside. She read Jurisprudence encouraged her to apply, against the at Somerville, and, soon known for advice of her boarding school who her captivating looks and magnetic believed her not capable. She loved personality, she was often compared her time at the College and made to Max Beerbohm’s bewitching several close and lifelong friends. heroine, Zuleika Dobson (although Her tutors included the distinguished JEAN SEGLOW thankfully no young gentlemen philosopher, Philippa Foot. actually threw themselves into the CAROLINE SEEBOHM After Oxford, she trained as a social worker at the LSE and river in despair). went on to work for Essex County Council and later, Camden After a short first marriage, and time in Rome, Caroline moved and Harrow Councils in London, and for National Children’s to Los Angeles to work in the film industry, and then began a Homes, always specialising in fostering and adoption. Placing writing career in London. From 1971, and a move to New York, children from troubled backgrounds with loving families she lived in America for the rest of her life. Over the next 50 brought her great fulfilment. She interspersed her practical years, Caroline had an extraordinary career as a writer for a work with a career in social research, working first for Political series of Condé Nast publications (notably House and Garden) and Economic Planning (PEP, later the Policy Studies institute), and authoring books on a variety of topics, such as gardens and and later for the National Children’s Bureau, where she was architecture. She wrote biographies of several figures, including principal author of the landmark study, Growing Up Adopted, Condé Nast (The Man Who Was Vogue), as well as two novels, published in 1971. one of which, The Last Romantics, creates characters evocative She met her husband Peter Seglow at PEP (he was later an of her Somerville contemporaries. academic sociologist) and they were married for 15 years, She met Walter Lippincott at a Super Bowl party in New York divorcing in 1980. I am their only child. When my father had in 1973 and they were married the next year. Two children, a sabbatical at the University of Illinois in the United States Sophie and Hugh, followed in 1978 and 1982. The family she became an Associate Research Professor there too, moved to Ithaca, NY, and then to Titusville, NJ, where Caroline conducting research on community mental health. She lectured stayed for the rest of her life. Walter and Caroline divorced on this topic and on adoption several times in her career. She in 1991, but remained close, celebrating holidays with their also worked for the Department of Health, monitoring the family and travelling together to Egypt, India, Antarctica, and introduction of adoption allowances introduced by the Children throughout Europe. Act (1989), and helped set up the NSPCC’s Child Protection Line on which she regularly volunteered. During the 1990s, Caroline enjoyed travel and dancing with her Jean helped establish the Somerville London Group on whose romantic partner, Tom Wright. In 1997, they bought a house committee she was active for many years. Her interests on the Delaware River, and Caroline later briefly moved to the included architecture, country rambles, choral singing (she was island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, to join Tom in his retirement. an accomplished alto) and travel. She sang Aida among the Ever the independent spirit, Caroline returned to New Jersey Pyramids in Egypt and in the Sydney Opera House too, and she in 2005, together with the last love of her life, the dog Chippy journeyed extensively in Europe, North and Central America, (adopted as a stray from Vieques). Despite floods and storms, South and South-East Asia. She got to know Thailand, through Caroline built the River House into the perfect expression of her visits to her eldest brother Tony, who lived there for many personality, and it remained her home until she died. years. She was close throughout her life to her other older A lifelong tennis player, Caroline was fond of all sports and brother, Martin, also a paediatrician. was passionate about the craft of writing. She volunteered In the last 20 years of her life, the Christian faith of her in elementary schools in Trenton, NJ, and twice spent several childhood became more important to her, and she was actively months living at the Shanti Bhavan School in Baliganapalli, India, involved in her local church. Jean had a singular personality: teaching creative reading and writing to children in need. sometimes argumentative and self-absorbed, but open She was, in addition, a wonderful mother and grandmother, minded, adventurous, and invariably kind to other people. always willing to cook for her (adult) children, play Racing She was interested in others’ lives, and approached everyone 55

she met without prejudice or preconception. In the last five the Bath, an award exclusive to high-ranking civil servants) years of her life she succumbed to Alzheimer’s and moved to a in 1989. care home in early 2021. Until the end, however, she enjoyed It was at the Parliamentary Council that she met her partner, flowers, gardens, good food, and her two grandchildren. Terence Skemp. Theirs was a long and enduring partnership, and Jonathan Seglow they lived happily in their home on the Finchley Road in London. Sandra retired early to care for him and they continued to live Jane Sik (née Woodland, 1965) here until Terence's death in 1996. Sandra was very generous with her nieces and nephew, great After graduating in Physics from nieces and nephews, and her great great niece. She also loved Somerville, Jane moved to PhD study to travel, taking herself off to Guatemala, Mexico and the Inca at Darwin College, Cambridge. There Trail, Syria, to name a few. She took a lot of photographs and she met her husband, Michael. They then turned them into paintings when she got home. moved from Cambridge to take up As her fierce intellectual capacity faded in the grip of dementia, research fellowships in Edinburgh. she softened, leaning into tenderness and love. Along with They had three children after their excellence, success and loyalty, that became an important part move to Scotland (Emma, Becky and of her legacy. David), and later three grandsons. Jane took up teaching after rearing JANE SIK Susan Stokes (née Bretherton, 1952) her family and became principal teacher of Physics in a number of schools in the West of Scotland. Jane had many interests but Susan was born in Oxford to a her main hobby was beekeeping which she continued right up Somervillian mother (Jocelyn to her death. Bretherton, née Mathews, who read History in 1924). After boarding at Sandra Skemp (née Burns, 1957) Godolphin in Salisbury, she came up to Somerville to study Modern Languages, and after graduation Sandra Burns was born in became a teacher of French. Early in Manchester. Her mother, a her teaching career, she was part of seamstress, struggled to support her the fight for equal pay for women SUSAN STOKES husband, Sandra, and her two sisters. in that profession. She remembered After her father's death when she wondering why the man teaching in the next classroom was was 11, Sandra contracted pleurisy, paid almost double what she earned, deciding that wasn't and was sent to Wales to recover, fair and to do something about it. That turned out to be a building resilience in face of the recurring pattern. loneliness and boredom of this time. Returning to school, with her health SANDRA SKEMP Teaching in Bristol, she met her husband, Joe Stokes, and improved, she was determined to they had two children, Neil and Tom, moving to Eridge in East excel, and was top of her class by Christmas. Sussex. After Joe’s death in 1980, Susan brought up the two boys alone, working as a teacher as well as doing cooking With a scholarship to read Law at Somerville, Sandra continued and cleaning jobs until they were through school and off to to excel and was awarded a Congratulatory First. After university themselves. graduation, she won a Harkness Fellowship to study in the United States and on her return, she became a Research Fellow At that point, Susan retired from teaching, and moved into local at Somerville for three years. She then saw a job for the politics, becoming a County Councillor in 1996. Four years later, Parliamentary Council advertised. At the bottom of the advert, she moved to Steyning and spent a happy twenty years there. in small print, it said ‘male applicants only’. Shelagh, Sandra’s Thinking about, and helping, others around her, especially those longstanding friend from Somerville, recalls that far from being less fortunate or experiencing hardship, always felt natural to put off by this, an incensed Sandra wrote to the Prime Minister her. A selection of the organisations she was engaged with, who arranged for her to have an interview. She duly got the job. often in a leading role, illustrates this: the Eridge Evening Guild, The Parliamentary Council is the body that drafts and produces Eridge PTA, Rotherfield Parish Council, Rotherfield School PTA, laws following them being agreed by both houses of parliament. East Sussex County Council, the Liberal Democrats, Steyning A streamlined method of doing this had been developed using Museum, Meals on Wheels, Ashdown Forest conservators, the an early computer programme in Scotland, but Sandra knew WI, the University of the 3rd Age. she could better this, and she did. The programme she wrote, As her son, Tom, comments, being community minded came to having taught herself computer programming, ran to 400 his mother like breathing. She always saw the good in people. pages, and did indeed make the Parliamentary Council’s work She believed in fairness and in helping people less fortunate and considerably more efficient and cheaper. She was – again, she used the combination of her formidable intelligence, energy perhaps unsurprisingly - awarded a CB (Commander of and empathy to do that. 56

visited Urzula in her Somerville accommodation, Halina would Rachel Sykes (1943) run around the corridors shouting "Mama" after her sister. She learnt quickly that this resulted in Urzula buying treats in order If Rachel had been a boy, she would to shut Halina up. Her favourite was marzipan piglets, and have been qualified to play cricket sugared pink mice, that Urszula bought from a bakery around for Yorkshire. Her parents, now living the corner from College. in Oxfordshire, travelled to Bradford After graduation, Urszula emigrated to Australia. She lectured for her birth. The close family unit in Art History first at the University of Sydney, but most of that they formed supported Rachel’s her Australian career in teaching was at the University of success at school and her progress Brisbane. On her return to the UK 13 years later, she became to Somerville to read English. a lecturer, then a research fellow, at the University of Leeds. At Oxford Rachel cultivated the deep She remained here until her retirement. She wrote prolifically: knowledge and love of literature RACHEL SYKES books, articles for academic periodicals, conference papers, that became the foundation of her lectures given at various European universities. She also wrote career as an English teacher. Notably she worked between introductions for exhibition catalogues about artists whom she 1962 and 1984 at Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth. On genuinely respected. her retirement the school journal noted her enthusiasm and Two important areas of Urszula’s life were her love of art and breadth of her contribution. She was, apparently, a dab hand her spirituality. Her work explored the wonder of how visual at doing stage make up for numerous productions, as well as images and constructs, in whatever form, can bring incredible being described as “an encourager of talents, confidence and joy and meaning, arguing how art can challenge our beliefs potentialities”. and can reinterpret the past, our present, and question our In retirement Rachel lived in Wimborne, and was a volunteer future. Moreover, she explored how the individual can use art guide at Wimborne Minster. She enjoyed the idea that, whilst to express their own point of view - and how this has ethical at the minster, the world came to visit her. No doubt she implications. The visual arts of the Renaissance and Baroque inspired visitors through her passion for Dorset and deep were two of her interests, as well as Postmodernism, and the cultural knowledge. Australian art scene. She loved the art of Poland, especially With a slightly mischievous sense of humour, she noted the Symbolists and the artists of the Young Poland, or 'Młoda mannerisms to deploy in stories - in keeping with the best Polska' movement. traditions of the novelist. Her anecdotes recounted the One topic she returned to, time and again, was mysticism and particularities of the human condition - from her childhood the use of alchemical symbols in art. Alchemy also tied in with holidays, to Whitchurch Sunday teas for the locally billeted GIs, her own spiritual practices, believing that alchemists were to the international visitors of the Minster. Although in later not simply searching for a way to transmute base matter into life she was no longer able to enjoy doing the things she loved gold, but were questing to transform themselves spiritually, such as spending time with friends, theatre trips, National and thus reach a higher state of being that went beyond Trust visits and reading and poetry, she enjoyed living in her the physical, every day world. Her Guru, Baba Muktananda, thoughts. She never complained. practiced alchemy and during one of her trips to his ashram Unfailingly generous, warm to her family and friends and at Ganeshpuri in India he suggested she choose this as a topic curious about their lives, Rachel had a broad-minded and for her PhD. Ula had been contemplating a doctorate for a non-judgemental approach to the world. This is evidenced in while but her many interests made a decisive commitment her support of numerous charities ranging from the cultural to to a singular area of study difficult. After 8 years travelling countryside conservation, to health support organisations, to between Australia and libraries in Oxford, Florence, Paris, the prisoner rehabilitation. Vatican, the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and the British She passed away peacefully on her 99th birthday in the care Library, Ula submitted her thesis to the University of Sydney, home where she had been cared for by excellent staff who entitled: “The Alchemy of Light: Geometry and Optics in Late were very fond of her. Those left behind will miss talking with Renaissance Alchemical Illustration.” She was awarded her Rachel: her anecdotes, wisdom and thoughtfulness. She will be PhD in 1988 and her monographs The Alchemy of Light and remembered with great fondness and love. The Sacrificial Body and the Day of Doom followed in 2000 and 2006. Urszula Szulakowska (1970) Urszula was a practising painter throughout her life. Some of Halina’s earliest memories of her sister are watching her working at her easel, still smelling how she filled their house Urszula came to Somerville to read with the aroma of linseed oil. Her own painting style, she said, History, the elder daughter of Polish was influenced by the Symbolists. refugees who had moved to the UK during WW2. Eighteen years Urszula made an immeasurable difference to many people that younger than her undergraduate she met on her creative, spiritual, and very individual path. Her sister, who was also her god- physical presence may be gone but she lives on in the minds mother, Halina learnt a very simple of her former students, in the academic writing that she left way to annoy her. When the family behind, and in the hearts of everyone who loved her. URSZULA SZULAKOWSKA 57

Hazel Thomas (1973) Phyllis Treitel (née Cook, 1948) Hazel and I met on our first day in Phyllis Cook might never have Somerville. We had both been given studied PPE at Somerville at all. rooms in West, which created an As the entrance exam loomed, she instant bond, as almost everyone came down with scarlet fever. Her else in the first year had been strength of will and determination housed in Vaughan. Hazel was an led her to have the exam questions impressive undergraduate: hard- brought to her in her in her sickbed: working, well-organized, fiercely buckling down, writing her answers analytical, and full of enthusiasm for and sending them off. She was history. She was also a warm and HAZEL THOMAS offered a place, and thus began what PHYLLIS TREIREL utterly reliable friend, always ready was to be a life-long connection to stop what she was doing and provide a cup of coffee and a with her College. chat. She was as interested in the minutiae of other people’s lives as she was in the great events of the past. After graduation, she applied to join the Colonial Service, It was no surprise that Hazel continued in academic life after which had opened some clerical positions to women. She her B.A. and eventually obtained a D.Phil. in medieval Italian became an Assistant District Administrator in the Southern history. More surprising was her subsequent decision to train Cameroons, where she sat at a desk and signed papers. At as a chartered accountant. She applied herself to her new least, that was what she was supposed to do. But some of the career with characteristic energy, and became an expert in the papers depended on facts “on the ground” in one village or relatively new area of transfer pricing. This eventually allowed another, and she wasn’t going to sign them until she was sure her to return to her beloved Italy, to provide expertise to the of her facts, so she got in her little car to visit the village. Men Milan office of PWC. told her how bad the roads were and she’d get stuck without four-wheel drive. She replied, “Not if I’m careful,” and off she After retirement in 2014, Hazel bought and renovated a went, and back she came, having done her job to her own medieval apartment in Pontremoli, in Tuscany. For a few happy satisfaction. years, she divided her time between London and Italy. She Marriage to Guenther Treitel, who would go on to be Vinerian revelled in the wealth of cultural and intellectual opportunities available in London, and she loved the language, climate, Professor of Law at the University of Oxford, and the birth of cuisine and architectural beauty of Italy. two sons brought a change to Phyllis’s working life. She took part-time jobs, such as acting as research assistant to various The COVID years were a severe trial, as they kept Hazel in Oxford scholars, something she later continued in her role as London and restricted the activities that were so important assistant to Professor Sir Rupert Cross. to her. She made full use of all the online offerings, including the church services provided by the parish of All Saints’ in With two young sons growing up, she took charge of the Cottenham, a village near Cambridge. It was for this reason Somerville alumni network and began the project that that, on receiving the devastating diagnosis of MND in the Liz Cooke was to continue. As part of that role, she was summer of 2021, she decided to move to a small bungalow in responsible for producing the College Report that her obituary Cottenham, where she would be near to her new friends, and is now printed in. Her sons remember that in her day this to one very old one. consisted of a sizable booklet, a leaflet or two, and about Hazel’s last two years were a triumph of force of character 2,400 envelopes, to be filled and posted. The printing was over adversity. She attended lectures and concerts online, done professionally, but when it came to putting things in received friends from all over the world, visited churches envelopes, Phyllis chose to use the labour supply she had, and National Trust properties in the area, kept up with village namely herself and those two young boys. They remember the gossip, and, most significantly, succeeded in remaining in her process fondly, and the pride of loading the filled boxes into own home until her death. Her formidable intelligence, and her the car for posting. irrepressible sense of humour, were intact until the very end. Phyllis had an English fondness for the countryside and she Frances Horgan (née Clegg, 1973) enjoyed nature writers. So, in 1979 she joined the Richard Jefferies Society, which was to play a major role in her life. She introduced the first RJS Journal of 32-pages which helped to make the Society more professional and scholarly: contributing to it over the years, transcribing Jefferies’ letters, and co- authoring the important chronology. Phyllis Treitel’s kindness, her wisdom, and her loyalty; her determination, her attention to detail and her wicked sense of humour are legendary. Though her final years were hampered by the growth of dementia, she is remembered with such fondness and gratitude by the College she did so much in her life to support. 58

Mally Yates (née Shaw, 1949) family moved to Derbyshire, where Mally was to live for the rest of her life. Over the next 40 years, she led a busy and fulfilled life, supporting Tim in his ministry as well as developing Mally was born in Liverpool in her own interests. They both travelled widely, including to 1931 and attended Aigburth academic conferences which Tim was attending. They visited Vale Grammar School in the city New Haven for extended periods when he was researching before taking up a place to study at Yale Divinity School and made many friends there. Mally Mathematics at Somerville College. continued to use her knowledge of maths, tutoring children She looked back fondly on her who needed extra support during the 1980s. More recently time at Oxford and kept in touch she enjoyed doing sudokus! with many of her contemporaries throughout her life. Mally also did a lot of voluntary work. She volunteered as a After leaving Oxford, Mally went MALLY YATES Samaritan for many years. She served on national Church of back to her former school to teach England clergy selection panels as well as being a trustee of the Maths and R.E. A committed Christian, she then took up Children’s Society for a period of time. In addition, she trained a post a travelling secretary for the Scripture Union which as a lay reader and then went on to be involved in the training involved a lot of travel visiting schools in the north of England. of other readers in Derbyshire. She had many friendships and was very good at keeping in touch with people. She became In 1966 she then accepted a post at St John’s College, adept at using zoom in the pandemic, which lessened the Durham, as their first woman tutor. It was there that Mally isolation of living alone. met her husband Tim, to whom she was happily married until his sudden death in 2016. They had two children, Catherine Mally would often say at the end of her life that she felt very and Mark, who both survive her, together with her five grateful to have had such a long and fulfilled life. She was very grandchildren. clear that the service held at the end of her life was to be one In 1979 Tim, who was an ordained priest in the Church of of thanksgiving – which it was. England, decided to move back into parish life and so the Catherine Stanton (née Yates), Mally’s daughter

Academic Report 2023-24 Examination Results History and Economics Physics (BA) Class II.I 1 Class I 1 UNDERGRADUATE RESULTS History and Modern Languages Physics (MPhys) Class I 1 Class I 1 Ancient and Modern History Class II.I 1 Class II.I 2 Jurisprudence Class II.II 2 Class II.I 6 Class III 1 Biochemistry (MBiochem) Class I 3 Jurisprudence (with Law in Psychology, Philosophy and Class II.I 2 Europe) Linguistics (PPL) Class III 1 Class II.I 1 Class I 1 Biology (MBiol) Literae Humaniores (Classics) Class II.I 3 Class I 3 Class I 1 Class II.I 4 Class II.I 3 Results breakdown per grade: Chemistry (MChem) Class III 1 Undergraduate Masters Class I 4 Mathematics (MMath) Distinction 5 Class II.I 4 Distinction 2 Merit 1 Class II.II 2 Merit 2 Pass 1 Computer Science (BA) Mathematics and Computer BAs Class II.II 1 Science (MMathCompSci) Class I 32 Engineering Science (MEng) Distinction 2 Class II.I 79 Class I 3 Medicine - Preclinical Class II.II 5 Class II.I 2 Class I 1 Class III 4 Class II.I 5 English Language and Literature Class I 4 Medicine – Graduate Entry Astrophoria Foundation Year Class II.I 14 Distinction 1 Merit 2 English and Modern Languages Pass 1 Class II.I 1 Modern Languages European and Middle Eastern Class I 2 Languages Class II.I 9 Class II.I 1 Music Experimental Psychology Class I 2 Class I 1 Class II.I 3 History Philosophy, Politics and Economics Class I 2 Class I 2 Class II.I 11 Class II.I 6 History – Foundation Year Philosophy, Politics and Economics Merit 1 – Foundation Year Merit 1 60

POSTGRADUATE RESULTS MSc Mathematical and MSt Music (Performance) Computational Finance Distinction 1 Bachelor of Civil Law Distinction 1 Merit 1 MSt Women’s Gender and Merit 1 Sexuality Studies Pass 3 MSc Mathematical Modelling Distinction 1 and Scientific Computing BPhil Philosophy Pass 1 Pass 2 Results breakdown per grade: MSc Mathematical and Distinction 19 Medicine – Clinical Theoretical Physics Distinction 1 Distinction 1 Merit 14 Pass 4 Pass 1 Pass 16 MPhil Development Studies MSc Mathematical Sciences Merit 1 Distinction 2 Pass 1 Merit 2 MPhil Economics MSc Migration Studies Merit 2 Merit 1 Pass 1 MSc Modern South Asian Studies MPhil Greek and/or Roman History Distinction 2 Pass 1 Merit 1 MPhil History – Modern British MSt Classical Archaeology History, 1850 - Present Pass 1 Merit 1 MSt Global and Imperial History MPhil Linguistics, Philology and Distinction 1 Phonetics Distinction 2 MSt Greek and/or Latin Language and Literature MPhil Music (Musicology) Distinction 1 Distinction 1 MSt Greek and/or Roman MPhil Politics: Comparative History Government Distinction 1 Distinction 1 MSt History - British and MPhil Politics: Political Theory European History 1700-1850 Merit 1 Distinction 1 MSc Clinical Embryology MSt History - Modern British Pass 1 History 1850-Present MSc Economics for Development Merit 1 Distinction 1 MSt Linguistics, Philology and Merit 1 Phonetics Pass 1 MSc Global Governance and Diplomacy MSt Modern Languages Merit 1 Distinction 1 61

Maria and Tina Bentivoglio Computer Science), Jack Garland Scholarships and Scholarship (Mathematics and Statistics), Tarka Exhibitions awarded Sam Broadhurst (Engineering Science), Abraham (Molecular and Cellular William Carr (Engineering Science), Alie Biochemistry), Nathan Chapplow to students for work of French (Engineering Science), Alistair (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry), White-Horne (Engineering Science), Ismay Forsyth (Molecular and Cellular especial merit Biochemistry), Amela Sleczka (Molecular George Whittle (Engineering Science), and Cellular Biochemistry), Anna Wang Sheikh Mohiddin (Experimental (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry), David Scourse Medical Psychology), Hannah Clarke (History), Elizabeth Wang (Molecular and Cellular Scholarship Zoe North (History), Flora Prideaux Biochemistry), Anna Wilderspin Jem Jiang (Medicine – Preclinical) (History), Anna Roizes (History), Aneira (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry) Farrelly (History) Florence Hughes Scholarship Sir William Bousfield Exam Prizes to Mei Whattam (Classical Archaeology Scholarship and Ancient History), Yusuf Usumez Undergraduates and (Computer Science) Franek Noga (English Language and Graduates Literature), Ameal Wolf (English Language and Literature), Alan Gatehouse Florence Hughes Exhibition (History), Dan Kimberley (Music), Erin This list is accurate at the time of print Caitlin Campbell (Classical Archaeology Townsend (Music), Zoe Campbell and some awards may be made after this and Ancient History), Ryden Nelson (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), date. Awards with an * were not listed in (Classical Archaeology and Ancient Madelina Gordon (Philosophy, Politics the 2022-23 report, and are therefore History), Matilda Kennedy (Classics and and Economics), Cameron Hodgkinson included here. Modern Languages), Eason Kamander (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), (Computer Science) Chloe Riley (Philosophy, Politics and College Prize Economics), Wuwen Wong (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), Haibei Li Franek Noga (English Language and Herbert Bull and Ethel Mary Bull (Physics), Keiran Milne (Physics), Ziyuan Literature)*, Ameal Wolf (English Scholarship Nie (Physics), Emma Stratford (Physics), Language and Literature)*, Haroun Kaiyun Sun (Physics), Yuancheng Xu Malik (European and Middle Eastern Matthew Morecroft (Biology), Amritha (Physics), Jamie Chua (Psychology Languages), Maryam Qureshi (European Raghavan (Biology), Philippa Rolfe and Linguistics), Maria Ilie-Niculescu and Middle Eastern Languages), Chris (Biology), Evan Slater (Biology), Emma (Psychology and Linguistics), Emily Wong (Experimental Psychology), Alan Thornton (Biology), Hanpeng Cai Shurmer (Psychology, Philosophy and Gatehouse (History)*, Lucy Pollock (Chemistry), Jude Collings (Chemistry), Linguistics) (History), Harry Stewart Dilley (History), Tom Drayton (Chemistry), Louis Govani Yueshi Yang (History), Sonny Wilson (Chemistry), Tasfia Karim (Chemistry), (Jurisprudence), Oscar Brant (Literae Charlotte Lim (Chemistry), Amaar Sir William Bousfield Exhibition Humaniores), Ben Chung (Mathematics), Sardharwalla (Chemistry), Rosie Guan Xiong Lam (English Language and Reuben Hillyard (Mathematics)*, Thorogood (Chemistry), Hengyi Zhang Literature), Iris Sibirica (English Language Reuben Hillyard (Mathematics), (Chemistry), Henry Morris (Ancient and Literature), Alice Bentley (Molecular Jonathan Stam (Mathematics), Richard and Modern History), Annabel Thomas and Cellular Biochemistry), Joe Endacott Zhang (Mathematics), Miranda (Ancient and Modern History), Pippa (Physics), Ying-Di Ying (Physics) Conn (Mathematics and Computer Threlfall (Biology), Marcus Williamson Science)*, Miranda Conn (Mathematics (Biology), Mason Wakley (Chemistry) and Computer Science), Dylan Undergraduate Scholarship Heydon-Matterface (Mathematics Jean Ginsburg Medical Scholarship Ashlyn Cheong (Jurisprudence), Ming and Computer Science), Matthew Song Oh (Jurisprudence), Anya Biletsky Tebbutt (Mathematics and Computer Lily Wei (Medicine – Preclinical) (Literae Humaniores), George Science), Alice Chen (Mathematics and Seager (Literae Humaniores), Statistics), Daohan Chen (Mathematics Jason Bell (Mathematics), Ben and Statistics), Cecilia Jay (Medicine June Barraclough Scholarship Chung (Mathematics), Reuben - Graduate Entry), Daniel Radford- Jess Scott (Modern Languages), Leo Hillyard (Mathematics), Dominic Smith (Medicine - Graduate Entry), Woodward (Modern Languages and Miller (Mathematics), Anaya Shah Rozzie Weir (Modern Languages), Linguistics) (Mathematics), Miranda Conn Leon Moorhouse (Modern Languages (Mathematics and Computer Science), and Linguistics), Tarka Abraham Yang Gao (Mathematics and Computer (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry), June Barraclough Exhibition Science), Dimitar Oparlakov Nathan Chapplow (Molecular and Leena Kharabanda (Modern Languages), (Mathematics and Computer Science), Cellular Biochemistry)*, Ismay Forsyth Oliver Sandall (Modern Languages) Jessica Richards (Mathematics and (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry)*, Luca Marzin (Molecular and Cellular 62

Biochemistry), Juochukwu Orji Languages), Eve McCafferty (Modern Rokade (History of Science, Medicine and (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry), Languages), Ismay Forsyth (Molecular Technology) Anna Wang (Molecular and Cellular and Cellular Biochemistry), Amela Sleczka Biochemistry)*, Elizabeth Wang (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry), (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry)*, Anna Wilderspin (Molecular and Cellular Alice Horsman Grant Alfred Kelsey (Music), Francesca Biochemistry), Briana Williams (Music), Ilke Boran (Biology), Katie Driver Lamberti (Music), Madelina Gordon Angie Wyatt (Music), Zoe Campbell (Biology), Evan Slater (Biology), Emma (Philosophy, Politics and Economics)*, (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), Thornton (Biology), Katie Cowcher Rinesa Lekiqi (Philosophy, Politics and Ruby Cooper (Philosophy, Politics and (Chemistry), Georgia Fields (Chemistry), Economics), Jack Potter (Philosophy, Economics)*, Sam Cowell (Philosophy, Amaar Sardharwalla (Chemistry), Mason Politics and Economics), Chloe Riley Politics and Economics), Helena Holter Wakley (Chemistry), Anshul Dalmia (Philosophy, Politics and Economics)*, (Philosophy, Politics and Economics)*, (Civil Law), Jack Parsons (Engineering Wuwen Wong (Philosophy, Politics and Haibei Li (Physics), Kaiyun Sun (Physics), Science), Luca Tonelli (Engineering Economics)*, Linkai Jin (Physics), Haibei Martha Wells (Psychology, Philosophy Science), Alistair White-Horne Li (Physics)*, Jinzhao Liang (Physics), and Linguistics) (Engineering Science), Rosie Seymour Keiran Milne (Physics)*, Ziyuan Nie (English and Modern Languages), Oli Jupe (Physics)*, Emma Stratford (Physics)*, (English Language and Literature), Jo Rich Tom Wright (Physics), Yuancheng Xu Principal's Prize (English Language and Literature), Ursula (Physics)*, Jamie Chua (Psychology Max Buckby (Ancient and Modern White (English Language and Literature), and Linguistics)*, Maria Ilie-Niculescu History)*, Caitlin Kelly (English Language Noah Wild (English Language and (Psychology and Linguistics)* and Literature)*, Ingrid Yu (Experimental Literature), Michelle Chan (Global and Psychology)*, Jemima Storey (History)*, Imperial History), Paddy Ryce (History), Margaret Kohl Prize Kristy Chan (Jurisprudence)*, James Samuel Ajakaiye (History and Modern Atkinson (Medicine – Preclinical)*, Languages), Rutuja Rokade (History Jess Scott (Modern Languages) Oliver Greaves (Modern Languages)*, of Science, Medicine and Technology), Helena Holter (Philosophy, Politics and Naomi Hyde (Jurisprudence), Augustine Economics)*, Johannes Keil (Psychology, McMahon (Literae Humaniores), Mary Somerville Prize Philosophy and Linguistics)* Charlotte Arben (Mathematics), Philippa Rolfe (Biology), Evan Slater Dominic Miller (Mathematics), Maria (Biology), Emma Thornton (Biology), Tasca (Mathematics), Minshu Gupta Tom Drayton (Chemistry), Amaar Sarah Smithson Prize (Medicine – Preclinical), Clara MacCallum Sardharwalla (Chemistry), Rosie Holly Bostock (Modern Languages) (Medicine – Preclinical), Kaiser Obi Thorogood (Chemistry), Mason (Medicine – Preclinical), Rufaro Tom Wakley (Chemistry), Ryden Nelson (Medicine – Preclinical), Muhammed (Classical Archaeology and Ancient Somerville Lawyers Group Prize Zeyn (Migration Studies), Grace Bostock History), Mei Whattam (Classical Naomi Hyde (Jurisprudence) Westland (Modern Languages), Gwendy Archaeology and Ancient History), Sam Davenport (Modern Languages), Broadhurst (Engineering Science), Haley Flower (Modern Languages), Alistair White-Horne (Engineering Alumni Awards Eve McCafferty (Modern Languages), Science), George Whittle (Engineering Amela Sleczka (Molecular and Cellular Science), Beth Bond (English Language Biochemistry), Julia Talarek (Molecular and Literature), Daisy Hawkins Alice Horsman Scholarship and Cellular Biochemistry), Zoe Campbell (English Language and Literature), Melissa Chang 2008, Ryan O'Reilly (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), Ursula White (English Language 2015, Richard Wagenlander 2018 Cameron Hodgkinson (Philosophy, and Literature), Noah Wild (English Politics and Economics), Katie Walker Language and Literature), Amy Brazier (Physics), Raihan Rahman (Public Policy), (Experimental Psychology), Keziah Awards for Travel, Mohammed Haji (Refugee and Forced Carlier (Experimental Psychology), Projects and Internments Migration Studies) Christina He (Experimental Psychology), Tiago Oliveira E Costa (Experimental Ann Cobbe Travel Grant Psychology), James Heesom Alan Hodge Travel Grant (History), Anna Roizes (History), Hector Ravenscroft (Ancient and John Pearce (Condensed Matter Samuel Ajakaiye (History and Modern Modern History), Peter Wheeler Physics), Jessica Richards (Mathematics Languages), George Seager (Literae (Ancient and Modern History), Michelle and Computer Science), Grace Yu Humaniores), Ylias Sadki (Mathematical Chan (Global and Imperial History), Flora (Mathematics and Statistics), Meiqi and Theoretical Physics)*, Charlotte Prideaux (History), Sana Shah (History), Chen (Particle Physics), Yuancheng Xu Arben (Mathematics), Jason Bell Madeleine Storer (History) (Physics) (Mathematics), Dimitar Oparlakov (Mathematics and Computer Science), Jessica Richards (Mathematics and Alcuin Award Anne Clements Travel Grant Computer Science), Lily Wei (Medicine Ella Lowry (History), Samantha Martin Vicky Lee (Chemical Biology), Ramiz – Preclinical), Haley Flower (Modern (History), Yueshi Yang (History), Rutuja Razzak (Economics), Salma Daoudi

(International Relations), Anya Biletsky Malachy Marsh (Philosophy, Politics and Wenzheng Xiong (Pharmacology), Mario (Literae Humaniores), Zaira Christa Economics), Sadaf Rahman (Philosophy, Aguiriano (Politics), Raihan Rahman Barakat (Music), Sadaf Rahman Politics and Economics), Mario Aguiriano (Public Policy) (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), (Politics), Mario Aguiriano (Politics), Katie Walker (Physics), Ying-Di Ying Rui Huang (Population Health), Emily (Physics) Shurmer (Psychology, Philosophy and Helen Darbishire Travel Grant Linguistics), Martha Wells (Psychology, Yang Gao (Experimental Psychology) Philosophy and Linguistics), Vera Lim Audrey Sunderland Travel Grant (Public Policy), Juan Cote Orozco (Sleep Niamh Campbell (Creative Writing), Medicine) Margaret Macbeth Travel Grant Eleanor Harvey (English Language and Isaac Tay (Philosophy, Politics and Literature) Cooper Travel Grant Economics) Phoebe Makin (Chemistry), Diane Tang Carmen Blacker Travel Grant (Chemistry), Iryna Ivanova (Clinical Maria and Tina Bentivoglio Travel Annabel Thomas (Ancient and Modern Embryology) Grant History) Erik Rydow (Atomic and Laser Physics), Geiringer Travel Grant Amy Roberts (Biochemistry), Oliver Eyre (Biology), Jem Jiang (Medicine Catherine Hughes Grant Joost Haddinga (Economic and – Preclinical), Maria Ilie-Niculescu Social History), Juliette Roo Foreman (Ancient and Modern Caucheteux (Psychology and Linguistics), Amber (Economics), Todd History), Libby Harris (Archaeology), Erik Denning (English Marino (Creative Writing), Snigdha Lal Rydow (Atomic and Laser Physics), Katie Language and Literature), Gabrielle (Condensed Matter Physics), Nicholas Driver (Biology), Amritha Raghavan Thompson (English Language and Hayes (Mathematical Sciences) Literature), Tianyi (Biology), Philippa Rolfe (Biology), Zhang (Experimental Psychology), Ming Song Phoebe Makin (Chemistry), Darren Leow Oh Yee Kiat (Civil Law), Joost Haddinga (Jurisprudence), Claire Huang (Linguistics, Marya Antonina Czaplicka Travel Philology and Phonetics), Maisie (Economic and Social History), Ramiz Angus Grant Razzak (Economics), Sam Broadhurst (Literae Humaniores), Erka Arslan (Literae Muhammed Zeyn (Migration Studies), Humaniores), Dan (Engineering Science), Shaniah Da Kimberley (Music), Francesca Dakin (Primary Health Care), Costa (Engineering Science), Callum Briana Williams (Music), Guannan Mi Vera (Philosophy), Betsy Lim (Public Policy) Scott (Engineering Science), Luca Elliott-Fricker Tonelli (Engineering Science), Jo Rich (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), (English Language and Literature), Sheikh Madelina Gordon (Philosophy, Politics and Monica Britton Travel Grant Mohiddin (Experimental Psychology), Economics), Sumaya Wagad (Philosophy, Madelyn Mezzell (Classical Archaeology), Politics and Economics), Mario Michelle Chan (Global and Imperial Aguiriano Christina Monroe (Classical Archaeology), History), Violet Aitchison(History), (Politics) Jess Markham (Classical Archaeology Miriam Curtis (History), Alfie Roberts and Ancient History), Antonia Rogers (History), Yueshi Yang (History), Salma Hansell Travel Grant (Classical Archaeology and Ancient Daoudi (International Relations), Ashlyn History), Poppy Shaw (Classical Cheong (Jurisprudence), Ming Song Giuseppe Di Pietra (Atomic and Laser Archaeology and Ancient History), Ashlyn Oh (Jurisprudence), Claire Huang Physics), Anshul Dalmia (Civil Law), Cheong (Jurisprudence), Anna Hull David (Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics), Cao (Clinical Medicine), Grace (Modern Languages), Amelia McLauchlan Maria Tascam (Mathematics), David Copeland (Creative Writing), Haris (Modern Languages), Lizzy Abel (Modern Schramm (Medicine - Graduate Entry), Saeed (Engineering Science), Deng Languages and Linguistics) Muhammed Zeyn (Migration Studies), Pan (Experimental Psychology), Nethmi Jayaratne Eden Greaves (Modern Languages), Kariyawasam (Geography Niamh Robinson-Wakefield (Modern and the Environment), Guillermo Olive Sayce Travel Grant Íñiguez Languages), Rohan Silvestro (Modern Martínez (Law), Ben Chung Hugo Jeudy (English Language and Languages), Alicia Hill (Modern (Mathematics), Isaac Walton (Medical Literature), Ameal Wolf (English Language Sciences), Isaac Languages and Linguistics), Tarka Walton (Medical and Literature), Eden Greaves (Modern Sciences), Josephine Abraham (Molecular and Cellular Carnegie (Medicine Languages), Dina Kamal Shahreen Biochemistry), Tarini Kadambi (Molecular – Clinical), Wilf Jenkins (Medicine (Modern Languages), Oliver Sandall and Cellular Biochemistry), Zaira Christa – Clinical), Maya Mellor (Medicine (Modern Languages) – Clinical), Robert Barakat(Music), Erin Townsend (Music), Temple (Medicine Briana Williams (Music), Zoe Byrne – Clinical), Francess Adlard (Medicine - Graduate Entry), Chloe (Philosophy and Linguistics), Carrick Gibb Freeman Rhabanus Maurus Award (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), (Medicine - Graduate Entry), David Madelina Gordon (Philosophy, Politics Schramm (Medicine - Graduate Entry), Samuel Ajakaiye (History and Modern Lucy Languages), Holly Cobain (Modern and Economics), Cameron Hodgkinson Thompson (Medicine - Graduate Entry), Lily Languages), Isabella Hind (Modern (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), Wei (Medicine – Preclinical), Languages), Theodore Luketina (Modern 64

Languages), Rozzie Weir (Modern John M Cockcroft Choral Sports and Wellbeing Award Languages), Holly Cobb (Modern Scholarship Philippa Rolfe (Biology), Catherine Languages and Linguistics) François de Robert Hautequere Stephenson (Biology), Yu Ming Lee (Music) (Classical Archaeology and Ancient Rita Bradshaw Travel Grant History), Mei Whattam (Classical Archaeology and Ancient History), Ning Mei Whattam (Classical Archaeology Margaret Irene Seymour Music Zhang (Computational Discovery), Ramiz and Ancient History), Sam Broadhurst Award Razzak (Economics), Kyle Kass (Energy (Engineering Science), Oscar Brant George Whittle (Engineering Science), Systems), Pauline Marc Tudor (Energy (Literae Humaniores), Hattie Clayton Eliam Lau (Music), Erin Townsend Systems), Frederick Roper (Energy (Literae Humaniores), Shaan Sidhu (Music), Briana Williams (Music) Systems), Tim Rafferty (Engineering (Literae Humaniores), Jack Wiggin Science), Todd Denning (English Language (Literae Humaniores), Erin Townsend and Literature), Guan Xiong Lam (English (Music), Martha Wells (Psychology, Medical Fund Scholarship Language and Literature), Yang Gao Philosophy and Linguistics) Wilf Jenkins (Medicine – Clinical), (Experimental Psychology), Davis Kline Francess Adlard (Medicine - Graduate (Greek and/or Latin Languages and Wilma Crowther Travel Grant Entry), Chloe Freeman (Medicine Literature), Miriam Curtis (History), - Graduate Entry), David Schramm Madeleine Storer (History), Arye Matthew Morecroft (Biology), Medha (Medicine - Graduate Entry) Brown (International Relations), Ryan Mukherjee (Geography and the Jacobs (Jurisprudence), Oliver Greaves Environment), Tarini Kadambi (Molecular (Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics), and Cellular Biochemistry) Olive Sayce Language Award Alice Chen (Mathematics and Statistics), Erik Rydow (Atomic and Laser Physics), Izzy Wilson (Mathematics and Statistics), Amy Roberts (Biochemistry), Jacob Ursula Batchelor (Medicine – Preclinical), Other Awards Bamberger (Computer Science), Sophia Clyde (Medicine – Preclinical), Joost Haddinga (Economic and Social Dom Sloper (Medicine – Preclinical), History), Marius Hafke (Economic Zoe Howell (Modern Languages), Izzy Chloe and Helen Morton Choral and Social History), Ilina Logani Lundberg (Modern Languages), Rozzie Scholarship (Economic and Social History), Juliette Weir (Modern Languages), Alice Bentley Steph Garrett (Literae Humaniores), Caucheteux (Economics), Yang Gao (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry), Augustine McMahon (Literae (Experimental Psychology), Fraser Nathan Chapplow (Molecular and Cellular Humaniores) Knapp (History), Manuel Neumayer Biochemistry), Anna Wang (Molecular (Mathematical Sciences), Duncan and Cellular Biochemistry), Betsy Marsden (Medicine – Clinical), Francess Elliott-Fricker (Philosophy, Politics and Daphne Robinson Language Award Adlard (Medicine - Graduate Entry), Economics), Wuwen Wong (Philosophy, Mirren Black (Biology), Ilke Boran Chloe Freeman (Medicine - Graduate Politics and Economics), James Nichols (Biology), Ky Dicker (Chemistry), Diane Entry), Francesca Dakin (Primary (Physics), Emma Stratford (Physics), Tang (Chemistry), Jess Markham Health Care), Jess Schiff (Primary Ying-Di Ying (Physics), Rui Huang (Classical Archaeology and Ancient Health Care), Raihan Rahman (Public (Population Health), Gina Wren (Primary History), Alvaro de Frias Vazquez (English Policy), Tarek Alrefae (Statistics), Health Care), Megan Smith (Psychiatry), Language and Literature), Hannah Clarke Imogen Camp (Theoretical Physics) Vera Lim (Public Policy), Raihan Rahman (History), Miriam Curtis (History), (Public Policy), Ghaith Al Najjar Saafia Jinadu (History), Zoe North (Radiobiology) (History), Flora Prideaux (History), Ming Pat Harris Spirit of Somerville Song Oh (Jurisprudence), Ben Chung Award (Mathematics), Alice Chen (Mathematics Tariq Saeed (Biology), Misbah Reshi and Statistics), Tahira Abdul (Philosophy (Law) and Linguistics), Sumaya Wagad (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), Xiya Yu (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) 65

Diploma in Legal Studies Samantha Martin Bosworth Academy Undergraduate Students Christian Tambour Rheinische Friedrich- Vicky Mokumo Ark Acton Academy Entering College Wilhelms-Universitat, Bonn, Germany Thomas Morris Bedford Modern School Lucy Pollock Henrietta Barnett School Engineering Science Harry Stewart Dilley Kimbolton School Ancient and Modern History Zak Crane-Whatmore King Edward VI Madeleine Storer Urmston Grammar Nicholas Chan Abingdon School School, Southampton Yueshi Yang Mayfield School Helen Matthews Felsted School Callum Scott Reigate Grammar School Kirsten Silcox Coleg Gwent Ebbw Vale Jacca Smart-Knight Truro and Penwith History and Economics Campus College Ritchie Usherwood The Castle School, Jamie See St Swithun's School Biology Thornbury Phoebe Harley Parkstone Grammar Cynthia Zhang Shenyang Zhiyuan History and English School Secondary School Boyi Li United World College of South East Indhu Marmion Sacred Heart High Asia, Dover Campus School, Hammersmith English Language and Literature Harry Roberts Old Swinford Hospital, Alvaro de Frias Vazquez Runnymede Jurisprudence Stourbridge College Clara Bauby-Just Lycee Fenelon Sainte Molly Ross Highfields School, Matlock Todd Denning Torquay Boys Grammar Marie, Paris School Amie Clark Hayesfield Sixth Form, Bath Chemistry Oliver Gillam Calday Grange Grammar E-Shen Low Anglo-Chinese School, Ky Dicker Woodhouse College, Finchley School Independent Isla Heaton King's College School Sophie Mervill Thomas Rotherham Kate Newell Queen Mary's College College Sonny Wilson Richard Huish College Matthew Lurie Merchant Taylors' School, Julian Perry-Poletti Latymer Upper Northwood School Reuben Smith Whitley Bay High School Isadora Richards Pate's Grammar School Jurisprudence (with Law in Tobi Taiwo Brampton Manor Academy Europe) Derin Scarlat London Academy, Edgware Caitlin Oxborrow Kingston Grammar Diane Tang Shanghai Yue Kong Pao Brenda Skelding Mossbourne Community School Senior Secondary School Academy Classical Archaeology and Ancient European and Middle Eastern Literae Humaniores History Languages Hattie Clayton Hills Road Sixth Form Yu Ming Lee Sydney Boys High School, College Australia Haroun Malik The Charter School, North Amy Griffiths Norwich School Dulwich Charlee Maillet Birkenhead Sixth Form Antonia Rogers Norwich High School for Maryam Qureshi Girls College Poppy Shaw The Stephen Perse Jack Wiggin Radley College Foundation Experimental Psychology Sophie Liu Waterloo Collegiate Institute, Mathematics Classics and Asian and Middle Canada Alex Cooper Exeter Mathematics School Eastern Studies Sophia Tan Anglo-Chinese School, Linus Davies Cirencester College Jesse Smale North London Collegiate Independent Chris Wong La Salle College, Hong Kong Habib Habib Loreto College, Manchester School Sienna Jacobs King's College School History Jonathan Stam Birkenhead School, Classics and Modern Languages Merseyside Isobel Jessop Oundle School Francesca Bahadur Wyke Sixth Form Esme Waldman The Sixth Form College College Farnborough Computer Science Ella Delicate Bishop Veseys Grammar School Ben Carter Pate's Grammar School Nayel Huda Queen Elizabeth's School, Sheng Dong Beijing New Talent Academy Barnet Mahirah Rahman Barking Abbey School Saafia Jinadu North London Collegiate School 66

Mathematics and Computer Clara Price The Cathedral School, Philosophy, Politics and Science Llandaff Economics Dylan Heydon-Matterface Queen Rozzie Weir Lancaster Royal Grammar Joseph Bensusan Collyers VI Form Mary's Grammar School for Boys School College, Horsham Matthew Tebbutt The Long Eaton School, Barnaby Chipperfield Ark Bolingbroke Nottingham Modern Languages and Linguistics Academy Leon Moorhouse Sir John Deanes Betsy Elliott-Fricker Matthew Arnold Medical Sciences College School Hannah Abdu Weald of Kent Grammar George Ganney-White Coventry College School Molecular and Cellular Millie Kennedy Peter Symonds College Ben Liow The University of Oxford Biochemistry Rinesa Lekiqi St Marylebone Church of Gauri Narendran Kendrick School Luca Marzin St Anselms College, England School Stella Redfern Sandbach High School and Birkenhead Jack Potter Bristol Grammar School Sixth Form College Juochukwu Orji Eton College Conan Tan Temasek Junior College Amrit Rooprai Solihull Sixth Form College Scarlet Pleasence Hills Road Sixth Form Sumaya Wagad St Dominic's Sixth Form Hannah Ruck St Dominic's Sixth Form College College College Sofiia Shportiuk Classical School Yushan Zhu The Senior School, Cyprus Medicine - Graduate Entry Music Physics Frances England University of Cambridge François de Robert Hautequere Adam Ghosh Bristol Cathedral Choir Cecilia Jay The University of Oxford Harrow School School Daniel Radford-Smith The University of Luca Hayes Lorente The London Oratory Linkai Jin Raffles Junior College, Oxford School Singapore Alfred Kelsey King's School, Worcester Benedek Koleszár Milestone Institute, Modern Languages Francesca Lamberti Tonbridge Grammar Hungary Tom Hey Sir John Deanes College School Milton Lee Raffles Junior College, Eliam Lau Victoria Shanghai Academy Singapore Theodore Luketina Not Listed Jinzhao Liang Pennon Education Group Izzy Lundberg Richmond School & Sixth Philosophy and Linguistics Tom Wright Abingdon School Form College Zicheng Zhu Shanghai Guanghua College Anastasia Lysaght Formby High School Zoe Byrne Chiswick School Amelia McLauchlan Orleans Park School Esme Dannatt Hayesfield Sixth Form, Stanley Morris Highams Park School Bath Psychology and Linguistics Penny Johnson Myddelton College 67

DPhil Computer Science DPhil Pharmacology Graduate Students Jacob Bamberger McGill University, Katia Beliaeva Moscow Medical Academy Entering College Canada named after I. M. Sechenov, Russia Nimisha Karnatak Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, DPhil Philosophy Bachelor of Civil Law India Daniel Gallagher The University of Isha Ahlawat O. P. Jindal Global University, Cambridge India DPhil Engineering Science Anshul Dalmia The University of Oxford Mounir El Skafi American University of DPhil Physics Ramakash Gujuluva Suriaprakash O. P. Beirut, Lebanon Imogen Camp The University of Jindal Global University, India Xianzheng Ma Wuhan University (inc Cambridge Darren Leow Yee Kiat The University of Hubei), China Gaurang Ramakant Kane The University of Oxford Tim Rafferty The University of Bristol Oxford Haris Saeed The University of Oxford John Pearce The University of Oxford Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor Alex Sharp Royal College of Physicians, Sifei Zhang The University of Oxford of Surgery London Caitlin Gardner The University of Oxford DPhil Physiology, Anatomy and Alisha Kenward The University of Oxford DPhil Experimental Psychology Genetics Gerda Mickute The University of Oxford Yang Gao New York University, USA Sarah Franks The University of Leeds Amy Moynihan The University of Oxford Bethan Grimes The Manchester Sarafina Otis The University of Oxford Metropolitan University DPhil Politics Ellie Walker The University of Oxford Ruoqi Huang University of Toronto, USA Rosemary O'Connor The University of James Barnett University of Texas at Liverpool Austin, USA Bachelor of Philosophy Guannan Mi Beijing (Peking) Normal DPhil Geography and the DPhil Population Health University, China Jeff Jones University of North Carolina at Environment Nethmi Jayaratne Kariyawasam Asheville, USA Doctor of Medicine University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka Peter Kiraly University Ljubljana, Slovenia DPhil Primary Health Care Andrew Mawer The University of Oxford DPhil History Jess Schiff Harvard University, USA DPhil Biochemistry Utsa Bose The University of Oxford DPhil Psychiatry Selina Schoelles The University of Oxford Amy Roberts The University of Oxford Thomas Wang National Taiwan University Xiaotong Wang University of Queensland, Harrison Wang The University of Oxford Australia DPhil Biology DPhil International Relations DPhil Statistics Arye Brown The University of Oxford Tarek Alrefae The University of Oxford James Littlefair The University of Manchester Charu Sharma Banaras Hindu University, DPhil Law DPhil Wind and Marine Energy India Ishani Mookherjee The University of Systems and Structures (EPSRC Oxford CDT) DPhil Chemistry Ata Adam Middle East Technical Shreya Sharma Not Listed DPhil Mathematics University, Turkey Xuanzuo Chen Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine Master of Public Policy DPhil Clinical Medicine Vera Lim National University of Singapore Amelia Henley Harvard University USA DPhil Medical Sciences Raihan Rahman University of Dhaka, Ikboljon Sobirov Tashkent Branch of Bangladesh DPhil Clinical Neurosciences Westminster International University, Reema Sathe Nirma University of Science Sana Zuberi University College London Uzbekistan & Technology, Ahmedabad, India Aanchal Saxena TERI School of Advanced Studies, India 68

MPhil Classical Archaeology MSc Biodiversity, Conservation MSc in Applied Digital Health Madelyn Mezzell Texas State University- and Management Rachel Chae Massachusetts Institute of San Marcos, USA Naga Sathish Gidijala Andhra University, Technology, USA Visakhapatnam, India MPhil Economic and Social History MSc in Applied Digital Health Ilina Logani Columbia University, USA MSc Clinical Embryology Ashfiya Pirani University of Waterloo, Iryna Ivanova Taras Shevchenko State Canada MPhil Economics University of Kiev, Ukraine Oliver Ou London School of Economics MSc International Health & and Political Science MSc Clinical Embryology Tropical Medicine Margherita Mazzaschi University College Eslam Elbasheer University of Khartoum, MPhil Greek and/or Latin London Sudan Languages and Literature Davis Kline Princeton University, USA MSc Economic and Social History MSc Mathematical & Theoretical Joost Haddinga Universiteit van Tilburg, Physics MPhil History Netherlands Mohammed Alsaleh University College Marius Hafke Universitat Trier, Germany London Roma Rodrigues-Alarcon University Jonas Frugte University of Groningen, College London Netherlands MSc Economics for Development MPhil International Relations Miral Shehata University of Chicago, USA Katja Sundermeier Universitat MSc Mathematical and Tina Bai London School of Economics and Mannheim, Germany Computational Finance Political Science Ruotong Cao The University of Oxford MPhil Law MSc Energy Systems Amarjit Gaba Cardiff University Kyle Kass United States Military Academy Yimin Tang University College London Bhimraj Muthu Not Listed Pauline Marc Tudor Not Listed MPhil Linguistics, Philology and Frederick Roper University of California, MSc Mathematical Modelling and Phonetics Berkeley, USA Scientific Comp Ziqi Li Chinese University of Hong Kong Yuge Liu Zhejiang University, China MSc Financial Economics MPhil Politics Jasmine Wu University of Hong Kong MSc Mathematical Sciences Nicholas Hayes The University of Oxford Baltazar Dydensborg The University of Callum Marsh The University of Oxford MSc Global Governance and Manchester Halima Mughal Dickinson College, USA Diplomacy Paulina Pedas University of Pennsylvania, Manuel Neumayer Lund University, Tom Pruchnow University College USA Sweden London MSc Advanced Computer Science MSc Global Healthcare Leadership MSc Mathematics and (PT) Foundations of Comp Sci Tala Aljaafari Virginia Commonwealth Haytham McDowall-Rose The University University, USA Amanda Banda Solusi University, of Oxford Christian Hagemeier Universitat des Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Saarlandes, Saarbrucken, Germany Troels Hansen Not Listed Thomas Warner University of Durham John Koz The University of Oxford Gurpal Liddar Not Listed Isaac Omari Kwame Nkrumah University MSc Migration Studies MSc African Studies of Science and Technology, Ghana Muhammed Zeyn The University of Oxford Samson Oolio Makerere University, MSc History of Science, Medicine Kampala, Uganda MSc Modelling for Global Health and Technology MSc Archaeology Rutuja Rokade Krea University, India Chuan Zhang The University of Leicester Libby Harris The University of Oxford 69

MSc Modern South Asian Studies MSc Statistical Science MSt History Tanisha Aswal Lady Shree (Shri) Ram Nanxi Dong The Hong Kong Polytechnic Fraser Knapp King's College London College, Delhi, India University Emma Schütze The University of Fan Fei University College London Oxford MSc Modern South Asian Studies Alaia He University of Melbourne, Australia Fahad Zuberi The University of Oxford Sissi Yang The University of Oxford MSt in Modern Languages Kate Dorkins The University of Oxford MSc Nature, Society and MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and Environmental Governance the Environment MSt Linguistics, Philology and Niharika Singh The University of Oxford Hansa Mukherjee The University of Phonetics Oxford Oliver Greaves The University of MSc Neuroscience Oxford Talia Vasaturo-Kolodner Brown MSc(Res) Psychiatry University, USA Anoushka Sharma University of California, MSt Music Berkeley, USA Mar Umbert Kimura The University of MSc Radiobiology Oxford Ghaith Al Najjar The University of MSt Classical Archaeology Brighton Harper Harper Carthage College, USA MSt Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies MSc Refugee and Forced MSt Creative Writing Sarah Bannon The University of Leeds Migration Studies Annabel Bird Thames Valley University Sharmarke Dubow Cape Breton Niamh Campbell The University of University, Canada Edinburgh Sarah Issever University of California, Los MSc Sleep Medicine Angeles, USA Jarrah Alabkal Arabian Gulf University, Synne Sollie Chapman University, USA Bahrain Tom Chambers University College MSt Diplomatic Studies (Full-time) London Harry Gartside The University of Geoff Eade Hinds Community College, Newcastle-upon-Tyne USA Ahmed Ghanim The University of Bath MSt Diplomatic Studies (Full-time) Nivali Naik Ain Shams University, Egypt Mamiko Ura Kyushu University, Japan Marie-Rachelle Narcisse The University of Oxford MSt English Alex Rawcliffe Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeswara University, India Fran Woodward University College Mariam Siddiqui University of Montreal, London Canada Jay Yoo Napier University MSt Global and Imperial History Michelle Chan The University of Oxford MSc Sleep Medicine (PGDip conversion) MSt Greek and/or Latin Languages Tory Frame Not Listed and Literature Julinda Lee The University of Oxford Francesco Reni The University of Oxford Pavan Sohal The University of Oxford Cerys Stuart-Buttle The University of MSt Greek and/or Roman History Oxford Max Buckby The University of Oxford Wilna Williams Not Listed 70

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Distinguished Somerville Development Friends of Somerville Board Members Elizabeth Bingham (Loxley, 1957) Co-Chair Kay Brock (Stewart Sandeman, 1972) Sybella Stanley (1979) Ginny Covell (Hardman Lea, 1973) Co-Chair Charlotte Morgan (1969) Ayla Busch (1989) Karen Richardson (1972) Basma Alireza (1991) Sue Robson (Bodger, 1966) Judith Buttigieg (1988) Virginia Ross (1966) Sophie Forsyth (Wallis, 1989) Susan Scholefield (1973) Lynn Haight (Schofield, 1966) Eleanor Sturdy (Burton, 1984) Niels Kröner (1996) Judith Unwin (1973) Vicky Maltby (Elton, 1974) Mai Yamani (1979) Nicola Ralston (Thomas, 1974) Judith Unwin (1973) Somerville Campaign Board Members Omar Davis (1997) Emma Haight (1999) Dan Mobley (1994) Sundeep Sandhu (1994) Honorary Development Board Members Tom Bolt Doreen Boyce (Vaughan, 1953) Paddy Crossley (Earnshaw, 1956) Clara Freeman (Jones, 1971) Sam Gyimah (1995) Margaret Kenyon (Parry, 1959) Nadine Majaro (1975) Harriet Maunsell (1962) Hilary Newiss (1974) Roger Pilgrim Sian Thomas Marshall (Thomas, 1989) For full details see the college website at www.some.ox.ac.uk/alumni/the-development-board 72

Legacies Legacies are a vital source of support for the College. Here, we name all of those who have left legacies to support Somerville, and record our deep gratitude to them for the gift they have made to generations of future Somervillians. We would particularly like to take the opportunity to honour two individuals whose recent legacies have made a signi昀椀cant and lasting difference. Cathy E. King (Junior Research Fellow) Christian A. K. Carritt (1946) Legacy Benefactors in 2023/24 Jane E. Ahdy (Noble) Cynthia M. Howard Olga Olver (Robb) Hugh Stewart (1952, English) (1951, Modern Languages) (1942, Modern Languages) Rachel S.C. Sykes Christian A. K. Carritt Cathy E. King Joyce M. Reynolds (1943, English) (1946, Physiological Science) (Junior Research Fellow) (1937, Literae Humaniores) Jean E. Velecky (Stanier) Beryl R. Mustill (Davies) William T. Leeming Ann A. Schlee (Cumming) (1941, Physiological Science) (1941, English) Mary I. Low (1952, English) Nancy Waugh E. Ann Gray (1945, Modern History) M. Jean A. Seglow John Wells (1953, English) Hilary M. O. Nightingale (Moncrie昀昀) (1970) Margaret A. Heath (Bragg) (Jones) (1955, Philosophy, Politics (1950, Modern History) (1948, English) and Economics) 74

Dates for the Diary (events in Somerville unless otherwise stated) 2024 2025 NOVEMBER FEBRUARY 02 Philosophy Day celebrating Lesley 08 Supporters’ Lunch Brown’s 80th Birthday 07 Monica Fooks Lecture by MARCH Professor Belinda Lennox 04 Dorothy Hodgkin Lecture with 23 Somerville Creates Literary Day Professor Areej Abuhammad in College 08 Medics' Day DECEMBER 15 Spring Meeting with Shriti Vadera 09 Alumni Carol Concert in the (1981, PPE) College Chapel APRIL 10 Somerville London Group Carol 12 1984 Ruby Reunion Dinner tbc Concert – All Saints’ Margaret Street MAY 23 John Stewart Mill Lecture by Dr Michele Moody-Adams (1978, PPE) 24 Penrose Society Lunch 31 Boat Club Dinner (end of Eights Week) JUNE 14 Commemoration Service SEPTEMBER 04 1965 60th Reunion Dinner 06 Principal’s Farewell Gaudy 2014 – 2021 18 1975 Golden Reunion 20 Alumni Formal Hall and Bop Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HD T: +44 (0) 1865 270600 www.some.ox.ac.uk Registered charity no. 1139440