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In Touch Spring 2014

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SPRING 2014
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Page 1: In Touch Spring 2014

SPRING 2014

Page 2: In Touch Spring 2014

£500m, 252,442 gifts

The campaign in numbers 1 in 100

people in the UK have autism. We can now diagnose it in 15 minutes(see page 3)

£9,568,154 given by alumni and friends through their will

Millionsof people across the world have received better palliative care thanks to our donors (see page 9)

303students are attending King’s this year with help from campaign scholarships & bursaries(see page 7)

71nations represented by our donors

550 Extended Medical Degree Programme students have attended King’s during the campaign (see page 5)

243donors have given £1,000 or more so far this year (continuing an upward trend)

78new leaders have been trained by our pioneering African Leadership Centre

Florence NightingaleFounder of modern nursing

Professor James Clerk MaxwellUnified the theories of electricity and magnetism

Virginia WoolfBritish modernist author

Rosalind Franklin & Maurice WilkinsPivotal in discovering the structure of DNA

Archbishop Desmond TutuTireless anti-apartheid campaigner

Professor Peter Ware Higgs CH FRS FRSE

Predicted the existence of the Higgs boson

King’s alumni have changed the worldLearn how to leave your own legacy to society by making a gift to King’s in your will As incredible as our history may be, an institution as progressive as ours does not live in the past. Right now, we are close to producing a vaccine to stop leukaemia from coming back. We believe we can reverse autism. We are teaching another generation of the world’s finest minds. After your loved ones have been provided for, even the smallest gift in your will can change the world for the better.

To find out everything you need to know about preparing your will, attend our free, no obligation How to Write Your Will session.

At Alumni Weekend – 7 June 2014, 15.00 to 15.45, Strand CampusTo book, call 020 7848 3053 or email [email protected]

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SO... WHAT’S NEXT?

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE CAMPAIGN AND TO GIVE ONLINE, PLEASE VISIT KCL.AC.UK/KINGSANSWERS

THANK

In 2010, we launched our World questions|King’s answers campaign. We announced our ambitious intention to raise £500 million by 2015 and pledged to answer some of the biggest questions facing humanity.

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve reached our £500 million goal 18 months early, in no small part due to regular contributions from our alumni and supporters.

We’re not stopping now...

Giving to King’s transforms livesWith your continued support, we will keep on delivering world-changing ideas, research and care. Each and every gift counts.

Building on the success of the past four years, we know we can make a difference in areas such as cancer, children’s health, neuroscience, mental health and understanding our world’s rapidly evolving shifts in power, while preparing a new generation of leaders. And to do this we have set a new target: to raise another £100 million by the end of 2015.

The challenges before us are huge, but we believe we can meet them. King’s is home to internationally recognised experts in many fields. We have world-leading academics, pioneering scientists, outstanding clinicians and the best and brightest students working together, focused on delivering work that has worldwide impact.

Global reach, personal impactWe are pushing the boundaries of Alzheimer’s research, exploring how cancer spreads, advising governments on terrorism and transforming the way entire nations provide palliative care. We are partners with some of the UK’s best hospitals, strengthening our medical and neurological knowledge.

Our campaign has already supported groundbreaking work, benefiting millions of people. A few individuals who have been touched by the campaign – scholarship recipients, researchers, donors – share their stories in the following pages.

Every gift to the campaign helps us find an answer sooner. Please help us do more to serve society.

YOU

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Declan Murphy Reversing the effects of autism

Autism affects about one percent of the population. The burden of autism on families is enormous, and the cost to the UK economy is more than £25 billion annually. Autism is currently diagnosed by a series of clinical interviews, a process that requires a team of experts and many hours. With campaign support, Professor Declan Murphy, Director of the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, and his colleagues are developing a more accurate method of diagnosis that requires only 15 minutes. Better diagnoses will help people with autism – who suffer higher incidences of problems such as depression – to secure services.Twenty-five years ago, most people didn’t accept that people with autism had differences in their brain biology. The thinking then was you had autism because you were brought up badly.

We asked ourselves if we could use brain-scanning to help us identify people who are autistic, based on their brain biology – and we were able to. We’re not saying you would use biology alone to diagnose autism, just as you wouldn’t use a blood test alone to diagnose diabetes. This isn’t a stand-alone test,

and it’s absolutely not a screening measure for autism. We’re not going to pop 100 people off a bus and put them through a scanner. This is for individuals who are at high risk. We put this test up against other neurological disorders, comparing a person with ADHD with a person with autism and a person who’s a healthy control. Could we sort out which of those people had autism or not using brain imaging? The answer was we could.

The next question was, ‘Fair enough. But you’re a highfalutin research university. Does this work on the ground?’ We’re now finishing a study in which we’ve taken this technology into the clinic. We have 100 people who are seeking a diagnosis – people with mental health problems or various neurological disorders, and people who don’t have a neurological problem but think they do – and we’re determining if this technology works in the real world.

We’ve got add-on funding of €29 million to determine if we can use this technology to understand what’s causing this disorder and develop treatments.

We’re examining at-risk children from when they’re born and following up to see which biological differences in their brain can predict which of those babies will get autism or ADHD. Often in science we get focused on the abnormality and we forget about normality, so we’re also looking at these at-risk infants and following up to understand why some of them don’t get autism or ADHD. Therein may lay the clue. It’s several more years to deliver on that.

In the more immediate term, we’ve just demonstrated for the first time that you can reverse brain functional abnormalities in adults with autism. Two years ago, nobody would have believed that you could take someone who has had autism for 30 years and reverse the brain functional abnormality in them. We knew that some individuals with autism have too much serotonin in their brains. We asked if we reduce their brain serotonin, could we normalise their brain response to emotional cues, and their inhibitory brain responses to help them stop doing things? The answer was we could.

This is for individuals at high risk

Photography by Suki Dhanda

SPRING 2014 IN TOUCH 3

READ ABOUT RESEARCH MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CAMPAIGN AT KCL.AC.UK/KINGSANSWERS

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Linda Eliminating a hereditary disease

For a small percentage of people who have motor neuron disease (MND), a muscle-wasting disease also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, they have inherited the illness due to a genetic defect passed on from one of their parents. Tragically for Linda, the motor neuron gene has passed through three generations of her family: her grandfather, mother and brother all died from MND. Three years ago, when she and her husband Craig began discussing whether to have children, her father put her in touch with Christopher Shaw, Professor of Neurology and

Neurogenetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, whose work is supported by the campaign. Through a procedure called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), performed at Guy’s Hospital, Linda last year gave birth to a son who does not carry the defective gene.My mum died in 1998. She had taken part in Professor Shaw’s research to find the motor neuron gene. She was one of the first people that they identified the gene in. Her father had died of it, but it wasn’t until she became ill that she realised it was the hereditary form.

Because Professor Shaw and his team identified the gene, it meant my brother, my sister and I could have the test to see if we carried the gene or not. Craig and I met with Chris, and he explained the process for having the gene test. He also told us about PGD, which stops genes like this from being passed on.

I had the test in November, and three weeks later we got the bad news that I do carry the gene. Just because you carry the gene doesn’t necessarily mean you’re definitely going to develop the illness, but your chances are obviously a lot

higher. It was then when Chris put us in touch with Guy’s Hospital.

PGD is similar to in vitro fertilisation. You get lots of eggs, and you fertilise the eggs. When the embryos are 10 cells in size, they take one cell out and test for the motor neuron gene. We had five fertilised. Three didn’t have the gene and two did. They put the best one back in and, lo and behold, it worked. Our son was the first child in the UK conceived through PGD for motor neuron disease. He’s brought a lot of joy to the whole family. It’s just

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The first member of his family to attend university, fourth-year student Morteza Mirabdulagh was accepted to King’s through the College’s Extended Medical Degree Programme, which is made possible through the support of alumni and friends. EMDP students, who come from non-selective state schools, have an extra year to complete the first two phases of the medical degree course of study. From the third phase onwards, EMDP students complete the degree at the same pace as their peers on the standard programme. Throughout, they must pass all assessments at the same level as other students.The Extended Medical Degree Programme has provided me with an opportunity that no one else was willing to give me: the opportunity to achieve my potential.

I began developing

a passion for medicine from age 14. I started to see members of my family diagnosed with different medical conditions, and I started to appreciate what a difference a good doctor can make. From then on I got motivated to pursue a career as a doctor. I realised that, wow, my actions and attitude can directly make a difference in a person’s life. It was suddenly all that I wanted to do.

For the next three years, I took whatever help was available to me, whether that was in the form of online tutorials or even visiting several hospitals to find a doctor who would take me on for work experience. I was completely focused on making myself a strong candidate for medical school.

When I applied to the medical schools, I felt

confident, and thought that with all I had done I would be just as strong as the next candidate. However, it wasn’t long before the rejection emails started to arrive. Three universities turned me down, and another offered me an ‘alternative programme’. At this point I felt shattered. After three years of hard work and chasing what I could, not even one of these medical schools was willing even to interview me. Then came an invitation for an interview at King’s, and I was accepted into the EMDP.

I’m working hard and achieving some of the highest grades across my cohort. I am so grateful for the opportunity the EMDP has given me, and I will give what I can back to the course, and I will continue to support it long after I have graduated.

Morteza Mirabdulhagh Attending King’s, realising his dream

amazing to know that he’s OK and he won’t go through this horrible illness.

My brother developed the symptoms in 2011. His illness paralleled our PGD process. Our son was born on the 10th of February last year, and my brother died on the 23rd of February. Against the odds, he hung on to meet his nephew.

My sister had the gene test last year, and she doesn’t carry the gene. It’s a blessing to know that for our family this illness stops with this generation. We feel very lucky, and it all started with Chris and my mum all that time ago.

I will give what I can back to the course

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YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS FUNDED THROUGH THE CAMPAIGN AT KCL.AC.UK/KINGSANSWERS

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Luke Nicholls Benefiting from a new scholarship

Trudi Darby Remembering King’s in her will

Having completed both her BA in English and PhD in Jacobean Drama at King’s, Trudi Darby AKC is now a Director of Administration and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the College. A long-time supporter of the Special Collections Fund, she has also included the College in her will. I give monthly to the Foyle Special Collections Library. I got involved with this when I was working on the conversion of the Public Records Office to the Maughan Library. I particularly give for the restoration of books. My own research is in the broad field of the history of the book – I’m interested in how books were made. I’m happy these books will be here for future generations.

I’ve remembered the College in my will. I don’t have children of my own and if I left my money to be divided among my many cousins, nobody would get very much. I didn’t want to leave it to the Chancellor, the tax man, so I thought I would look after my family during my lifetime and the inheritance would go to a charity, because that’s tax efficient. I wanted to give it to a place where a relatively small amount would make a big difference. Obviously, King’s is an institution I know well. So, the College will receive some money and my books – the research collection I’ve built up over the years.

Our solicitor has impressed on us the importance of tax efficiency. Leaving

money to a university is a good way of doing that. Your university is a place where you have an emotional connection. Of course, by the time most people’s bequests come into effect, the people they knew at university are gone and the whole institution has changed. King’s has changed its legal status three or four times since I registered as a student. In many ways it’s not the same institution at all. But it’s still about continuity. If you’re serious about scholarship, it’s about the next generation. Universities are the laboratories of a society’s future. What I mean by that is we are always forward-looking. Training the next generation of scholars is absolutely fundamental to what we do.

TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN REMEMBERKING’S IN YOUR WILL, PLEASE VISITALUMNI.KCL.AC.UK/LEGACY OR EMAIL [email protected]

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I’ve been able to focus more on my research

Luke Nicholls is a fourth-year student in an integrated programme that will culminate with him receiving an MSci in Physics in June. He is one of the first recipients of a Gordon Rogers Scholarship, established by David Rogers (Physics & Astrophysics, 1990) to help several top-performing physics students, and he hopes to pursue a PhD next, followed by a career in research and teaching.My research is in non-linear optics. The main focus is on meta-materials,

which are man-made structures that interact with light and enhance the light in non-linear ways. By non-linear we’re talking in ways that you wouldn’t normally see in nature, as these properties arise only in really intense light. An interesting property of meta-materials is that they exhibit negative refraction. In normal refraction a straw in water appears to bend towards the normal of the light. In a meta-material – if you could make a liquid meta-material – the straw

would appear to bend to the other side of the normal.

With these meta-materials, one in theory could construct a cloak for objects, so they would become invisible. Another possible application is to use these meta-materials as super lenses, meaning you could theoretically image single molecules. These imaging tools could be extremely helpful in medical research and also aid in making smaller and smaller objects.

The benefit of the Rogers

Scholarship was immediate. I received news of the scholarship in the summer – I always work in the summer, as it’s necessary to fund life in London – and I would usually work right up to the start of term. But the scholarship allowed me to start work on my projects a couple of weeks early without the pressures of my courses. I’d normally be working over Christmas too, but the scholarship allowed me to continue with my research during

the break. Also, my laptop died, so the scholarship helped there as well. Expenses like that, which you’re not expecting, can really hit you hard.

The cost of living in London can be a tremendous challenge, and the little things add up. You can find yourself having to choose between getting a Travelcard into uni or buying a laptop. With this scholarship, I’ve been able to focus more on my research and less on money.

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Another aspect of giving is the comfort of knowing you’re helping others. Malcolm and Jane Sykes’s elder son, Charles, died in 1996 from an epileptic seizure when he was 28. His symptoms began when he was three and were partly controlled until puberty. There were few specialists in epilepsy then but the Sykeses were fortunate that a paediatrician in Liverpool referred them to Dr Edward ‘Ted’ Reynolds at King’s College Hospital. For more than 20 years they have supported epilepsy research, much of it through the Charles Sykes Epilepsy Research Trust (charlessykestrust.org.uk).

Jane: After Charles and his brother Ben went away to Sedbergh School and university, I did voluntary work for the British Epilepsy Association in Leeds and, at their request, for Cards for Good Causes, which organises volunteers to sell charity Christmas cards. My area became all the North of England. In summer of 1990, I went to the Conference of Charities in Birmingham.Malcolm: Jane came home from that experience fuming! She had learnt the shocking fact that epilepsy charities raised only £700,000 per year for nearly half a million people affected in the UK – including 1,000 unexpected

deaths in England, often young people. Jane went to the next annual general meeting in Leeds soon afterwards to ask why so little money was raised for epilepsy. No one seemed interested except the guest speaker, Ted Reynolds.Jane: I met Ted in London and he shared his vision to establish a Centre for Epilepsy for patient treatment at King’s College Hospital and the world’s first Institute of Epileptology at King’s College London for research and teaching. All we needed would be a great deal of money! Ted had asked colleagues and other contacts to help, and the Fund for Epilepsy was

established. I became the full-time secretary, our dining room became FFE’s office and over the next 10 years more than £3.5 million was raised and its objectives were achieved.Malcolm: Jane retired from the fund in 2002 and the following year I retired after 40 years in textile manufacturing. We spent two years organising and supporting a couple who rowed across the Atlantic, raising £125,000 and funding three one-year fellowships at the Centre for Epilepsy. We wanted to focus our efforts on research at King’s, so we formed a family trust, the Charles Sykes Epilepsy Research Trust, in 2006.

Malcolm & Jane Sykes Giving for two decades

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The College’s Cicely Saunders Institute, made possible by campaign donors, focuses on research, education and clinical services that improve care for those affected by incurable conditions, ‘enabling people to live better, with dignity and the least possible suffering and to support their families’. It is the first academic institution in the world dedicated to palliative care, and its impact and many programmes are global. Professor Irene Higginson directs the institute. Instead of focusing on an illness, palliative care focuses on the person. It takes a holistic approach toward an individual’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual or existential concerns. Most of healthcare is about disease specialisation, and of course we need that, because we want to understand and cure diseases. But there’s

a person in there, and when that person has several different diseases or the disease can’t be treated, it’s important to provide care that focuses on them and controlling their symptoms and problems.

At the institute, we have research, education and clinical services, which include information and support. The facilities in the institute have enabled us to double our educational programmes. Our MSc programme offers blended learning where participants come to London for part of the programme but also learn from their bases. They are from Japan, Australia, America, India and all different parts of Europe and Africa. This course is geared at training the trainers, so we develop people who can then go back and train others, including nursing and medical students, in delivering palliative care.

We’ve launched new research programmes investigating how to develop services to support patients and families better. One of our programmes considers breathlessness. This terrible symptom is common in many conditions, including cancer, respiratory failure, heart failure and some neurological conditions. It’s hugely unpleasant and frightening. Try breathing through a straw and you’ll get the sensation. But it has been a neglected symptom.

We’ve discovered new ways to support people with breathlessness, using a combination of approaches that include breath and muscle training, some drug treatments and use of a handheld fan. This research is changing the way services are provided for people with breathlessness across the globe. We’re improving the lives of millions of people.

Irene Higginson Improving the lives of millions

So far we have raised £144,000 and supported two major research projects of £40,000 and several smaller ones. Jane: Many of the people who have given have been affected by epilepsy whilst others are generous friends. We’ve met some wonderful people over the years. We’ve worked hard to support epilepsy research. If you lose a child, you’ve got to put your energies into something. That was the way we managed.Malcolm: It has been a focus for us, to be strong together and to have a purpose. We can’t help Charles now, but we can help other people, and that’s been very important to us.

We develop people who can train others

SPRING 2014 IN TOUCH 9

YOUR SUPPORT CAN HELP PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD. PLEASE MAKE A GIFT AT KCL.AC.UK/KINGSANSWERS

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Leukaemia is a broad term covering a range of blood and bone marrow cancers. One form of leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, is increasingly common as people are living longer. While it is treatable, it frequently returns, particularly in older populations. Ghulam Mufti, Professor of Haematological Oncology in the Division of Cancer Studies, is leading a team that’s developing a vaccine to prevent this form of cancer from returning. This is personalised medicine: treating disease using an individual’s cells rather than prescribing pills.

Ghulam Mufti Preventing the return of leukaemia

Nearly 60 per cent of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia who are 60 and older will relapse, despite a bone marrow transplant. Overall, bone marrow transplants cure only between 35 and 40 per cent of patients, at best, who have this particular form of leukaemia.

We’re developing a vaccine which is made of leukaemia cells that have been collected from the patients and have been specially engineered so that they are recognised

as foreign by the body’s immune system. We’re in the midst of a phase one trial, approved by the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Getting to this stage has taken 10 years and a huge amount of work on the part of the people in the laboratory, particularly Professor Farzin Farzaneh, who has been pivotal in designing specific types of vectors that take in these genes into the leukemic cells reliably. This is why we’re very keen on it and

the early indications are that our patients are not having any problems – no side effects, major or minor. We think this vaccine will eventually be relevant to all types of myeloid leukaemias.

Without philanthropic support, this just wouldn’t have happened – period. If you look at any of our research areas, be it the research into leukaemic stem cells, the production of cell therapies and leukaemia cell therapies or genetics of leukaemia, in all of these areas there

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Great achievements require great commitment, which is why when I was invited to chair the World questions|King’s answers Campaign Board I was delighted to accept. And the more I learned about the scale of the campaign, the more I was impressed by the College’s commitment to conduct a truly global fundraising effort, with an impact that goes far beyond its campus, far beyond London and far beyond the United Kingdom.

This ambition has already inspired thousands to give. And every gift helps transform a life. I, myself, have been particularly struck by the generosity of the alumni, reflecting the pride and confidence they have in the College. It is due to their – and others’ – generosity that King’s has been able to reach the £500 million campaign goal much sooner than anticipated.

However, we are continuing to raise funds for critical campaign priorities: supporting research to understand and treat cancer and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s; promoting increased international understanding as a means of reducing armed

conflict; and, at the campus level, providing scholarships for students who would otherwise struggle to attend university.

When King’s launched this campaign in 2010, our goal was to answer some of the world’s most challenging questions. Due to your generosity, the College has already provided a number of answers. But our world does not stand still, and there are yet more challenges to face. Hence, we are seeking to raise another £100 million, and need your help to reach this revised – and final – target.

If we are successful, it will be the most tremendous achievement, and one of which every single contributor can be enormously proud. Whatever you are able to give – whether it’s to fund a library book, or advanced medical research – it will, quite simply, transform a life.

We have already achieved so much. With your help we can achieve even more. I do hope you will join us in our continued endeavour.The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH ChairmanWorld questions|King’s answers

Every gift helps transform a life

would not have been any advances had it not been for the support of charities and donors. They’re funding our work primarily because of the solid foundation we have through our Biomedical Research Centre, which is part of our Academic Health Sciences Centre, as well as through the College and its fundraising activities. All of our researchers, as well as our patients, are extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed funds.

PLEASE HELP US FIND MORE ANSWERS FASTER. MAKE A GIFT USING THE ENCLOSED FORM OR GIVE ONLINE AT KCL.AC.UK/KINGSANSWERSYOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN’S NEW QUESTIONS IN THE AUTUMN ISSUE OF IN TOUCH

We can achieve even more

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After a decade at King’s, Professor Sir Richard Trainor will step down as Principal at the end of the current academic year to become Rector of Exeter College, Oxford. A social historian who previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Greenwich University, his time at King’s has been marked by the College’s increased international reputation and the successful £500 million World questions|King’s answers campaign. We invited members of the King’s community to suggest questions for the Principal as he looks back at his 10 years in post.

Sonal Singh, LLM, 2007 What was your vision for King’s when you became Principal, and have you achieved it?I devoted much of my first two years to a major consultation with the whole King’s community. By 2006 we were able to put together a strategic plan for the subsequent 10 years, and although it has been modified, the basic vision is still in force. The notion which emerged was that by building on its various traditions but within the spirit of ‘service to society’ – which in a sense permeated all of the merged institutions – King’s should aspire to be an outstanding university, a leading world university, and should do so by, amongst other things, putting a lot of emphasis on its internal coherence and on its external competitiveness.

To judge from the world university rankings, we’ve made great progress. We’ve moved considerably up the world rankings; the most recent one, the QS ranking released last autumn, put us amongst the top 20 universities in the world. We were in the top 90 when I became Principal, so we were starting from a very good base and we have moved on from it. We set a very ambitious goal and there’s still more to do.

Professor Louise Archer, Department of Education & Professional Studies If you could travel back to when you first started, what advice would you give yourself?Establishing the 30-hour day is probably the advice that I would give myself! It’s an even more complicated job than I had realised. Although the temptation when you’re coming to the end of a job is to say, ‘If only I had known then what I know now, we could have accomplished more’, I’m not sure that’s true. King’s is a complex institution in a complicated city, in a richly textured country. Both because of and in spite of that complexity, we’re achieving a great deal in research, teaching and innovation across a wide range of subjects.

Dr Alexander Heinz, Deputy Head, International Programmes Was there anything that surprised you when you became Principal? I was surprised by how deep the loyalties still were to the institutions that had come together in the 1980s and 1990s to form the new King’s. But I was also pleasantly surprised by how eager people were for the institution to improve itself further and how readily the vast majority of alumni and staff accepted that in order to achieve that improvement it was necessary to emphasise the new King’s. There was no incompatibility between having this vision for King’s and drawing on the best traditions of the preceding institutions. This has been reinforced in the enjoyable meetings my wife Marguerite and I have had with alumni in many countries over the past 10 years.

Professor Fiona Watt, Director, Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine What accomplishment are you most proud of?I’m answering on behalf of the whole

‘We’ve made great progress’Professor Sir Richard Trainor has overseen King’s ascent in the world university rankings, a major expansion in PhD programmes and the acquisition of Somerset House East Wing

university because to ascribe major achievements or setbacks to me is unrealistic in such a large, complex institution. I’m most happy that we’ve established the new King’s as a major international academic player. That’s an irreversible achievement which every part of the King’s community has a positive stake in, including our alumni and our students. In that context, it’s fitting that since 2008 we’ve been awarding degrees in our own name. Our fundraising achievements, the rapid expansion of our PhD programmes and capital improvements such as the acquisition of Somerset House East Wing are part of this trend.

Ken Aldous, Law, 1998 What do you regard as your biggest error during your tenure and what did you learn from it? Although I was very conscious of the importance of communication both within the institution and externally, it was even more important than I realised at first. I’ve given it a lot of emphasis: columns in the staff newsletter and in In Touch, all-staff emails when appropriate, forum talks each term on our campuses, writing for publications of various kinds. But if I could do it again and could plausibly take time from something else – at the moment I’m not sure what that would be – communication is the thing that I would single out as needing even more emphasis.

Kathrin Ostermann, Director of Supporter Development How have alumni made a difference to the College’s campaign? Above and beyond any monetary contributions that they make, alumni are our best ambassadors. The positive impact they make on their societies is the best possible advertisement for King’s, and many alumni do

Alumni are our best ambassadors

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voluntary work for King’s – for example, mentoring recent graduates. As for the financial support we receive from alumni, cumulatively their gifts add up to a significant amount of money. Their gifts are particularly important for enhancing the student learning experience and supporting extracurricular activities. Along with bursaries and scholarships established by alumni, this has had a tangible, positive effect on the quality of the student experience. Also, even modest contributions from alumni help to convince larger donors – whether King’s graduates or not – to give.

Sebastiaan Debrouwere, President, KCLSU What are your best memories from King’s in terms of interacting with students?Some of my best memories have to do with the leaders of our students’ union, sabbatical officers like Sebastiaan himself. We’ve been very fortunate in the elective officers that we’ve had and in the employees of KCLSU; both are important to the students’ union system. Communication between those officers and myself and my immediate colleagues is crucial when issues arise. We had a major discussion last year, for example, about extending library opening hours. KCLSU presented a well-evidenced report making the case that other institutions were increasing their library opening hours and that King’s should follow suit. We accepted their case and that policy has been implemented.

Also, since the beginning of my principalship I’ve run periodic lunches on our campuses to which students are invited at random. That has provided me with a chance to speak with students who are not officers of the students’ union to get a sense of their concerns and satisfactions.

Fiona Watt How has the UK academic landscape changed in your time as Principal?The most obvious change is that home and EU undergraduates are paying significantly higher fees. We’ve put a lot of effort into bursaries, scholarships and outreach schemes to ensure that access to money doesn’t get in the way of students who would benefit from the courses that we offer.

However, I believe the most profound change is that UK higher education – and this emphatically includes King’s – has become much more international in the last 10 years. The proportion of international students at King’s has gone from a little over 20 per cent in 2004 to about a third now. King’s is still very much a British university – 60 per cent of our academics and two-thirds of our students are from the UK – and that’s what people who come here from other countries want, whether they’re students or employees. But having large numbers of students and staff from other countries fits well with a university that wants to prepare its students for living in an increasingly globalised world.

Sebastiaan Debrouwere How has the change in higher education funding affected students from disadvantaged backgrounds?We have an elaborate loan system in the UK, meaning home and other European Union students don’t have to pay their fees when they enrol. In addition, King’s offers extensive

bursary and scholarship programmes specifically for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. That has reduced the impact of the higher fees on the social profile of our students. We are continuing to move in the direction of more social diversity, not less.

Dr Harsh V Pant, Reader in International Relations, Department of Defence Studies What are the challenges that UK universities are likely to face in the coming years?Many countries are pouring huge amounts of money into their top universities, both in terms of research and the student experience. Insofar as the UK has a lead, we need to keep that lead. We’re collaborating with many of these universities, of course, as part of our substantial international strategy, but global competition is a major issue.

Kathrin Ostermann What can you say about the importance of alumni remembering the College in their will? I claim that legacy giving is the best possible life insurance policy: it seems to guarantee you’ll live an especially long life and it will take the university a very long time indeed to collect the money! To be serious, clearly many people are loyal to their universities, feel they owe a lot to them and want them to prosper in the future. What better way to do so than to leave money in your will? In that way, your generosity lives on after you.

Ken Aldous How would you like to be remembered by the King’s community?Most fundamentally, I suppose, as somebody who, with a great deal of support, including from his family, was able to build on the very strong foundations that he inherited and will pass on to his successor a dynamic institution recognised both abroad and in the UK as a major university.

Fiona Watt In no more than three words, how would you describe King’s? Excellence, service and international. If I could have a fourth word I would add ‘London’. But Fiona said three words, so I can’t go beyond that!

Excellence, service and international

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Update

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Nobels: an even dozenOne day after Professor Peter Higgs FKC (Physics, 1950; PhD, 1954) received the Nobel Prize in recognition of the famous boson that bears his name, another physics alumnus from King’s was named a Nobel laureate.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Professor Michael Levitt FRS (Physics, 1967), who works in the Department of Structural Biology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Professor Levitt received the Nobel Prize jointly with Martin Karplus and Arieh Warshel for the development of multi-scale models for complex chemical systems.

‘I had a wonderful time as a student in London,’ says Professor Levitt, when asked about his days at King’s. ‘Together with Peter Bostock, I shared a few apartments near Gloucester Road tube station. Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones lived next door. We went to a party with Princess Anne and Prince Charles, as I think one of our roommates was the son of the Queen’s private secretary.’

Known to his Stanford colleagues for his self-effacing sense of humour, Professor Levitt emphasises that he was not an academic star during his undergraduate years.

‘In my time, physics at King’s was very easy as there was almost no coursework and almost nothing beyond physics and applied math,’ he says. ‘I didn’t pay a lot of attention in the classes but did well in the exams

by borrowing the notes of one of the girls and copying them out.’

Professor Levitt says having the opportunity to be at the same institution as Professor Maurice Wilkins – who won the Nobel Prize for his DNA research – was the main reason why he chose King’s. He says other memorable professors included Watson Fuller and ‘of course the legendary WC Price’.

Nobel laureate Michael Levitt: ‘There are many memories, but I remember socialising in the Cheshire Cat and sailing at Welsh Harp best’

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Professors Higgs and Levitt are the 11th and 12th members of the King’s community to be named Nobel laureates. Here’s a look at the first 10:1917: Professor Charles BarklaTeaching physics at King’s, Professor Barkla conducted research into X-rays and other emissions.1928: Sir Owen RichardsonFirst holder of the Wheatstone Chair at King’s, Sir Owen discovered ‘Richardson’s law’ and pioneered ‘thermionics’, a term he coined to describe the emission of electricity from hot bodies.1929: Sir Frederick Gowland HopkinsSir Frederick graduated from Guy’s Hospital in 1894 and taught physiology and toxicology there. He received the Nobel Prize for his demonstration

In good company

of the association between beriberi (caused by a thiamine deficiency) and the consumption of decorticated (removed from its husk) rice.1932: Sir Charles Scott SherringtonSir Charles was a lecturer in systematic physiology at St Thomas’. His research on reflex action and especially his book The Integrative Action of the Nervous System were landmarks in modern physiology.1947: Sir Edward AppletonWheatstone Professor at King’s for 12 years, Sir Edward was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contribution ‘in exploring the ionosphere’.1951: Dr Max TheilerProfessor Theiler, who studied at St Thomas’, received the Nobel Prize for developing a yellow fever vaccine.

1962: Professor Maurice WilkinsProfessor Wilkins was honoured for his role in discovering the structure of DNA.1984: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond TutuArchbishop Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his courageous leadership in the fight against apartheid.1988: Sir James BlackSir James, Emeritus Professor of Analytical Pharmacology at King’s, developed two major families of drugs: beta-blockers used to treat coronary heart failure and anti-ulcer histamine receptor blocking drugs.2010: Mario Vargas LlosaVargas Llosa was a lecturer in Spanish American literature at King’s in 1969–70, before becoming a full-time writer. He became a Fellow of King’s in 2005.

Professor Michael Levitt is the 12th member of the King’s community to be awarded a Nobel Prize

Professor Charles Barkla, the first member of the King’s community to receive a Nobel Prize

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Understanding the First World War, at home and abroadThe College’s collections include images from the Dardanelles campaign, right, and photographs of students in the King’s Department of Household and Social Science learning about ‘trench cookery’, left

BY HELEN MAYIn January 1916, young theology student William Gosden abandoned his studies at King’s to join the army. After five weeks at the Western Front, he was shot by a sniper. ‘Those who knew him recognised him as a man of high promise, of lovable character and of a remarkably deep and simple sense of duty,’ the King’s College Review reported at the time.

Pvt Gosden is one of more than 400 members of the King’s community honoured in Lest We Forget, an online archive of alumni, staff and students who died in the First World War. Remembering his short life – and all those from King’s and its merged institutions who died in the war – is just one way the College is marking the centenary of a bloody, protracted conflict that forever changed Europe and still sparks passionate discussion.

COMPLEX AND CONTROVERSIAL

A century on, scholars continue to interpret the Great War and its lasting impact

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From exhibitions and lectures to new scholarly books by academic staff, the College is striving to present a richer, more nuanced understanding of the war and its impact, while also sharing what was taking place at King’s during the war years.

The global dimensions of the First World War are well documented in the extensive holdings of King’s Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, which are a valuable resource for research and scholarship as interest builds in the run-up to 4 August, the centenary of the start of the war.

‘Our archives cover not just the Western Front but also other less explored areas of conflict, such as Palestine and Gallipoli, making them some of the best in the country,’ says Patricia Methven, Director of Archives & Information Management. ‘We also have the Foreign and Commonwealth Library Collection, which contains key texts relating to the complex political and strategic motivations that led to the outbreak of the First World War as well as the negotiations for a difficult peace.’

To showcase the most interesting documents and powerful images, King’s will be organising exhibitions and conferences open to scholars, local historians and the public. Providing informed insights and communicating the latest research will be an important part of the College’s contribution to the centenary commemorations in the coming four years.

‘With our large and diverse spread of expertise, we will be stepping away from the usual narrow frame of reference,’ says Professor William Philpott, who is co-ordinating King’s activities. ‘To understand the First World War, you have to get out of the trenches – it didn’t just take place in the mud of France.’

Philpott, Professor of the History of Warfare in the Department of War Studies, is a leading writer and commentator on the First World War. His forthcoming new book, Attrition, looks at how the conflict was the first to pitch major industrial powers against one another.

‘My work aims to get away from the long-held idea of the war being futile. Both sides had a lot to lose, so there was a long, drawn-out grinding down of the enemy’s power,’ he says.

Dr Helen McCartney’s research also supports the view that many people felt it was a cause worth fighting for.

‘I have always been fascinated by what motivated men who chose to go and fight,’ says Dr McCartney, who teaches in the Department of Defence Studies. ‘The desire to protect their homes and families was strong and there was a genuine fear that Britain would be invaded. These feelings didn’t wane, even towards the end of the war.’

Events and resourcesA series of public events will draw on the College’s diverse expertise.

1914-1918: The Most Stupendous StruggleAmong the first activities is an exhibition of materials from the College Archives and Special Collections, 1914-1918: The Most Stupendous Struggle, which will run in the Weston Room until 21 September. It will include images and texts relating to trench warfare and the earliest tanks.

Learning in the WarThe Department of Defence Studies will host an annual conference for the next four years on the theme of ‘Learning in the War’ at its campus in Shrivenham, Wiltshire, and the Department of War Studies is planning lectures and seminars at the Strand Campus. Most of these events will be open to the public. Researchers can access King’s database on World War One resources at kcl.ac.uk/archives

Lest We ForgetThe Lest We Forget website commemorates students, staff and alumni who lost their lives in the war. It is available at kingscollections.org/warmemorials

TumblrA Tumblr social media site will include 50 blog posts by the end of May reflecting the selections by staff of archives that have particularly engaged their interest: kingsarchives.tumblr.comFor more details of all events and resources, visit kcl.ac.uk/firstworldwar

Dr McCartney is writing a book on the social and cultural myths of the war and is contributing her expertise to conferences and exhibitions around the country, including the BBC’s World War One at Home project, which explores the conflict’s impact on local communities. She is co-director of the First World War Research Group, which brings together expertise on the military, diplomatic, imperial, social and cultural aspects of the conflict. The group is also led by Dr Robert Foley, a reader in defence studies.

‘There are still so many areas that have yet to be explored, such as how armies functioned and learned from each other, and we hope to give a clearer, more nuanced, picture of what went on,’ explains Dr Foley. ‘We are planning public lectures and conferences, as well as an exhibition of original artworks held by the Defence Academy.’

Dr Foley is one of the UK’s few experts on German military strategy. He has a new book on the German army in the First World War coming out next year and says there is growing interest in his research.

‘Unsurprisingly, there is a greater emotional investment in looking at the British side of the war in this country, but you can’t fully understand what was going on without exploring the other side,’ he says.

THE HOME FRONT AT KING’SAs the war depleted the number of students and staff members at King’s, ordinary activities were suspended as income from student fees disappeared. King’s was teetering on the edge of disaster, says Dr Christine Kenyon Jones, who has been researching the College’s own First World War story.

‘It nearly went bankrupt and had to be bailed out,’ says Dr Kenyon Jones, author of the College’s 2004 history, In the Service of Society, and a research fellow in the Department of English. ‘However, King’s became the London centre for public lectures, drawing huge audiences, especially in the early evenings when lawyers, bankers and

‘There are still so many areas that have yet to be explored’ Above, soliders on the line near Facquissart Post; left, the War Office presented King’s with a captured German gun, which was displayed in the Quad and camouflaged by engineering students

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The Great War in booksProfessor William Philpott shares five favourite histories that present scholarly judgements on the First World War and its legacy: Hew Strachan, The First World War: A New Illustrated History (Simon & Schuster, 2003)This introduction by the country’s leading historian of the First World War is lavishly illustrated with black-and-white and rare colour photos. It explains the issues and events of a global conflict in which the future of nations and empires was at stake, and why one side was victorious. Michael Neiberg, Dance of the Furies: Europe and the Outbreak of World War I (Harvard University Press, 2011)A leading American scholar of the war explains how war fever swept across Europe in 1914. Initial shock and horror at the end of peace soon turned to patriotic indignation as armies were unleashed and the vicious reality of war for soldiers and civilians became evident. Neiberg suggests there was no great enthusiasm for war, but that there was certainly widespread acceptance of its justice and necessity when warring cultures, allied liberalism and German ‘barbarism’ clashed. Gary Sheffield, Forgotten Victory. The First World War: Myths and Realities (Headline, 2001)This examination of Britain’s strategy and military campaign on the notorious Western Front by a leading military historian outlines clearly how an army of citizen soldiers led by professional regular officers took on and defeated the continent’s most powerful military empire. It shows how the British army adapted to rapid military and technological changes occurring on the battlefield between 1915 and 1917, winning in 1918 the greatest series of victories ever achieved by British arms.Adrian Gregory, The Last Great War: British Society and the First World War (Cambridge University Press 2008)In this scholarly but readable study of Britons’ participation in their first mass war, Gregory explains how the principles of duty and sacrifice were central to the public’s engagement with and success in the war. Statistics and anecdotes bring out the adaptability of a people to the challenges and traumas of wartime mobilisation, and the widespread support for the war. Stéphane Audoin-Riouzeau and Annette Becker, 1914-1918: Understanding the Great War (Profile Books, 2002)Two French cultural historians masterfully explain why the First World War exerts such a hold on subsequent generations. Examining three parallel themes – violence, crusade and mourning – they bring out key features of the conflict and its legacy.

King’s recommends

City workers were on their way home.’The College was able to avoid seizure

of its buildings by the War Office by demonstrating its valuable war work. Research in the Department of Chemistry on the manufacture of glass for lenses – as German optical equipment was no longer available – and testing equipment such as field glasses and telescopes, for example, were of critical importance for naval and military operations. Other crucial war work included training munitions workers and aeronautical inspectors, and running intensive language courses for interpreters.

Women staff members were also recruited to the war effort. The new Department of

Household and Social Science at Kensington, part of King’s College for Women, gave lectures on war economy cooking and taught military cooking for volunteers.

‘According to a Daily Telegraph article from October 1915, lessons in field cookery were taught in a trench dug in the College’s grounds,’ says Dr Kenyon Jones.

One hundred years later, the Great War continues to inspire research and teaching at King’s. By exploring this complex period of conflict and investigating the multiple perspectives of a topic that has often been presented in black-and-white terms, the College is providing a better understanding of ‘the war to end all wars’.

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Lord McColl continues to speak up forthose who have beendenied a voice

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Soft-spoken and unfailingly polite, Lord McColl is an unlikely street protester. But when he first decided to pick up a placard and demonstrate,

he did it in style – marching through the streets of Kathmandu at the age of 81, alongside more than a thousand Nepalese women. He was a guest of the charity WaterAid, which organised the march calling for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.‘It’s never too late to take action,’ he says with a smile.

Now he’s sitting in his quiet, cosy office at the House of Lords, a long way from the hustle and bustle of Nepali streets. But that desire to improve things is still very much evident. His desk is littered with papers attesting to his many interests – from his first career, medicine, to the many causes

he supports in the House of Lords and the numerous charities and organisations to which he gives his time, including King’s.

Professor The Lord Ian McColl of Dulwich CBE FKC is a Guy’s alumnus, Class of 1957, Past President of the King’s College London Association and former Professor of Surgery at Guy’s

Hospital, from 1971 to 1999. In his parallel political career, he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir John Major, Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairman of Committees from 1994 to 1997 and Opposition spokesperson for health from 2007 to 2010.

In 2001, he was elected as a King’s Fellow. Last year, he travelled to the US with the Principal for a series of fundraising events. As a trustee of the Wolfson Foundation, he helped King’s secure a $6 million grant from the foundation for the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases at the Guy’s Campus.

The secret to his success? Good fortune, he says, and asking the right questions.

‘I’ve been very lucky,’ he reflects. ‘I went into politics by accident. I was very naïve but, in a way, that was lucky too, as I was able to ask lots of naïve questions. That’s a great way of learning.’

His multi-faceted career began, he says, on holiday in the Isle of Arran, when he was nine years old. He met a surgeon whom he greatly admired and decided, there and then, that he would be a surgeon, too. His mother protested that the young McColl couldn’t stand the sight of blood. How could he possibly operate

on people? ‘Well, I’m a Scot’, he points out. ‘I don’t like waste. So when I operate, I make sure I don’t spill a drop.’

Why did he choose Guy’s? ‘It was chosen for me,’ he chuckles. ‘I was a classicist and the Headmaster at my school, St Paul’s in London, wasn’t sure what to do with me. Then he received a letter from the Dean of Guy’s saying he wanted people with a general education and not just chemistry, physics and biology. So he said, “I’ve got just the bloke for you.” I think there was a feeling that people were doing chemistry, physics and biology from year dot and not having a general education, which was what the Dean wanted.’ Surgery attracted him, he explains, because it gets results.

‘I like people and I like patients,’ he says. ‘I like sitting down and listening to them. If you listen long enough, they’ll tell you what’s the matter. Sometimes they tell you much more besides, if you let them, and then you realise that they have other problems besides the surgical ones. And sometimes you can help them with that, too. Then you do something and on the whole they get better, which is great fun.’

His philosophy as Professor of Surgery was to encourage his students to say what they wanted, about anything. ‘And they did,’ he remembers. ‘I love the young and their bright ideas. Sometimes I’d say to them, “That wasn’t the answer that I wanted. But, come to think of it, it’s a better one!”’

INTO THE WORLD OF POLITICSIt’s quite a switch from the clinical operating theatre to the rough-and-tumble theatre of politics, but one which Lord McColl made with aplomb. ‘I went to a meeting where the Chief Medical Officer, Sir George Goodber, was talking. He attacked the hospital for not doing something or other and I got up and attacked him. He was a great man, in every way, and he liked people who argued with him. So he started recruiting me to all these NHS committees. I got a reputation for speaking my mind and standing up to be counted.’

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher then asked him to chair a committee of inquiry into NHS services for disabled people. ‘It was in a mess,’ says Lord McColl. ‘She knew it was in a mess and that something radical had to be done.’ He produced a report that criticised the civil servants who ran the service.

Summoned to explain himself to the chief civil servant – ‘He was white with rage,’ remembers Lord McColl – he was told: ‘“We’re going to bury your report.” I said, “Never mind the report. What are you going to do for disabled people?” And he shrugged. That infuriated me. So I went straight to Mrs Thatcher. She demanded his name.

I love the young and their ideas

Lord McColl at home in Dulwich: asking lots of questions is a great way to learn

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The report was accepted. Then, of course, I had to help implement it, and I realised how difficult it was to change anything, though we had 30 recommendations, and, in the end, 29 were implemented. So that was good. Then she said, “We’d better have you in the House of Lords.” I was amazed.’

Twenty-five years later, he is still speaking up for those who have been denied a voice. He sits on the Draft Modern Slavery Bill Committee, and has spoken against human slavery on numerous occasions. He’s a passionate advocate for better eating habits – and recently hit the headlines when he suggested, in the House of Lords, that all MPs and peers should be asked to measure themselves. ‘If twice their waist is more than their height, it means they’re eating too much of the gross national product,’ he says.

But the most important part of his life, he says, has always been his family. His wife, Dr Jean McColl – herself a Guy’s alumna – died in 2012. ‘We had 52 very happy years together, and that is what gets me through the times when I miss her the most,’ he says. Lady McColl often accompanied him aboard the Mercy Ships – ships that travel to developing countries carrying doctors and nurses who offer their services for free. Lord McColl is the charity’s chair of trustees, as well as being an active volunteer. He has performed hundreds of operations aboard the ships, such as removing tumours, repairing fistulas caused by traumatic childbirth and performing reconstructive surgery following injuries.

And medical education is also very much a family tradition. Lord and Lady McColl had three children, Caroline, Alastair and Mary, all of whom graduated from Guy’s. Another 12 family and extended family members have graduated from Guy’s or UMDS.

‘We should all support institutions such as Guy’s and King’s,’ says Lord McColl. ‘It’s good to foster a sense of togetherness between these great institutions. It’s also a way of paying back something. Most of us had a free

education. Now, of course, people have to pay. The idea of giving to good causes is, I think, very important. The States are very good at this. They raise billions. So I’m keen that we stimulate people to do the same over here.

‘There have been so many wonderful moments throughout my life – and I believe I have a duty to give something back.’

It’s never too late to take action

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WILD LIFE CALLING

From Cambodian mountains to wetlands in Panama, Matt Jeffery has devoted his life to conservation

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Ankle-deep in a North Carolina mudflat: Matt Jeffery in his natural habitat

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BY NANCY ALLISON

T he sandbars and mudflats of Joulters Cays go on for miles, and so does Matt Jeffery, picking his way across the wet hummocks

in bare feet. It’s easier that way, says the Deputy Director of the International Alliances Program at the Audubon Society, the American equivalent of the RSPB. He has traversed enough shoe-sucking mud to know. The squelching is a good sign: ‘Perfect shorebird feeding areas tend to be where the sediment squishes through your toes.’

Sportsmen flock to the northern Bahamas for the prime bonefishing. Divers come to explore the world’s third-largest coral reef. Jeffery is here to count birds. In particular, the piping plover, an endangered shorebird. The piping plover breeds in Canada and the northern US, appearing in summer on Atlantic beaches from Newfoundland to North Carolina. It was a mystery where the birds spent their winters – until 2006, when scientists from Audubon and the US Geological Survey found 417 of them feeding on the rich mudflats of Joulters Cays and nearby Andros Island.

In 2010, Jeffery went down to see the numbers for himself and helped gather resources and coordinate more people for the 2011 census. That year, more than 1,000 of the birds were discovered in the area. ‘A huge gap in our knowledge of the species has been filled. And now that we know where the birds go, it’s critical to protect their winter habitat.’

Protecting birds and their habitat in the United States has been the Audubon Society’s mission since 1905. One hundred years on, the organisation widened its borders with the International Alliances Program (IAP). Jeffery, who received his undergraduate

degree in biological sciences from King’s in 2004 and has a history of wildlife conservation in far-flung places, is key to the IAP’s success. He liaises with Birdlife International in Latin America and the Caribbean and no, he says, not all of his work is accomplished barefoot.

When he isn’t travelling to engage local landowners, teach kids the importance of migrating birds and their habitat or present scientific information to community groups on how to restore and protect important wintering sites, Jeffery is at his computer at the Audubon offices in Washington, DC. He’s involved in 10 projects, coordinating science, education and public policy support for Audubon conservation partners in Belize, Chilé, the Bahamas and Mexico.

The goal of these projects is to safeguard the winter habitat for migratory birds. This means anything from removing invasive plants along the shore to protecting lands from development and agricultural practices that endanger the watershed. ‘The birds lead us to what we need to do,’ he says.

TIGERS AT HOMEJeffery has been following the lead of animals for about as long as he can remember. His stepfather was Head Keeper at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent, and when infants were rejected by their mothers or needed round-the-clock care, he’d bring them home. Wolves, snow leopards, lions, tigers – Jeffery and his brother Simon weren’t the only wild things in the house. ‘We had two Siberian tiger cubs at once,’ says Jeffery’s mother, Jacky Whittaker. ‘The boys fed and played with them and took them for walks. At night, the tigers would climb into their beds and curl up with them.’

‘My mother was the backbone of the operation,’ says Jeffery. Feedings were every

three hours. ‘It could be quite wearing, but it was rewarding,’ says Whittaker. ‘It felt like a privilege to do it.’ This ethic runs in the family: Jeffery’s brother is now Head of Primates at Port Lympne and his sister is a marine biologist for a whale-watching company in Iceland.

On Saturdays in secondary school, Jeffery filled in for keepers at the animal park. Visiting

researchers were always coming and going. ‘I met committed environmentalists, inspiring people who were involved with nature reserves all over the world.’ He realised early on that his life would be bound up with animals. A National Diploma in equine studies from Warwickshire College gave him the chance to work with horses in Austria and New Zealand. But he wanted to range wider.

He spent a year volunteering with the Society for the Conservation of Wild Animals in northern Thailand, rescuing illegally captured and trafficked wildlife. Moving on to Cambodia, he was hired as Director of Operations at Free the Bears Fund, with duties that ranged from assisting the vets to advising staff in the care and management of rescued Asiatic black and Malayan sun bears. It was during his third year in Asia that the necessity of setting aside and protecting land was brought home to him.

As a technical advisor for Conservation

King’s put all the puzzle pieces together

A piping plover, one of the endangered species Matt Jeffery has helped to protect

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International, he managed the budget and logistics and trained staff in mammal and bird identification, computer software and GPS. He also organised and participated in ranger patrols, working with the government, the forestry department and the military police to enforce hunting and logging policies.

Squelching through mollusky mud and wet sand all day scanning for plovers is much less onerous than the trekking Jeffery did in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia. As he slogged through dense jungle on the trail of poachers, leeches and snakes were the least of his worries. The real problem was men with guns, desperate enough to shoot monkeys and then set them on landmines to lure a tiger or leopard to the kill.

IT’S NEVER OVERLuckily, he had no direct confrontations with poachers, but seeing their bloody handiwork spurred him into action. In 2001, Jeffery initiated Conservation International’s Cardamom Conservation Program. Through his efforts, a huge swathe of tropical rainforest supporting sun bears, clouded leopards, elephants and Indochinese tigers, among many other species, gained protection as a special management area, designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This designation has helped keep the area intact despite increased wildlife trafficking and deforestation. At one million acres, it is now the single largest area of forest left in mainland south east Asia.

Showing others how to protect wildlife through legal means is a big part of Jeffery’s work in Latin America as well. Since such high numbers of piping plovers were found in the Bahamas, he says, the IAP and the Bahamas National Trust are working to make Joulters Cays a designated national park.

In 2012, the IAP swung into action when developers filed a lawsuit to reverse the protected status of the Bay of Panama. Its wetlands are a vital feeding area for over two million migratory birds each year and have been recognised as a Globally Important Bird Area as well as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention. Surprisingly, Panama’s Supreme Court decided to suspend the bay’s protected status while it reviewed the suit.

‘Removing the mangroves and allowing developers to fill in this important wetland would put hundreds of thousands of people’s lives at risk,’ says Jeffery. ‘It would remove barriers to flooding, and of course would take away prime habitat for birds and spawning grounds for fisheries.’

The IAP helped the Panama Audubon Society conduct research on bird populations and ecosystem health in the bay as well as reach out to over 30 local groups and government institutions. In the end, says Jeffery, the Save the Bay program was endorsed by everyone in the community. In April 2013, the Panamanian Supreme Court reinstated protected status

for the Bay of Panama wetlands. ‘We have to create a balance between

the needs of people and nature,’ says Jeffery. ‘Conservation is quite new for developing countries: the first thing on people’s minds is how to put a meal on the table. But in order to keep meals coming, they’ve got to be of a sustainable nature.’

He learned that in Asia firsthand. Then, at 25, he returned to the UK to formalise his experiential education; studying science at King’s, he says, ‘put all the puzzle pieces together for me’. His final-year dissertation took an in-depth look at the wildlife trade in Cambodia, using confiscation data collected over three years. It confirmed his ability to combine hands-on experience with data from the field to investigate the extent of a problem.

The trouble is, there are so many environmental problems these days that it seems difficult not to lose heart. ‘To be in conservation you have to be somewhat of an optimist,’ says Jeffery. ‘My optimism stems from success stories like Panama Bay, because there is a growing understanding of the needs of the environment in Latin America and around the world, really. There are a lot of battles, always a new thing to tackle. It’s never over. But I think there’s a growing recognition on the part of governments and people to do something, and that heartens me.’

Whether tracking poachers in the Cardamoms or scouting for plovers on Joulters Cays, his mission has remained the same: to save wildlife. To someone who has always loved animals, it’s not so much a matter of choice as an instinctive reaction. When his stepfather came home with a sick or abandoned animal, there was never any doubt, says Jeffery. ‘Will you bring the wolf, tiger or owl into your house and care for it, or will you let it die?’

A young Matt Jeffery, right, with his brother Simon and a temporary guest in their home

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DO YOU KNOW AN ALUMNUS WHO, LIKE MATT JEFFERY, IS MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE? LET US KNOW! SEND US AN EMAIL AT [email protected] LEARN MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION PROJECTS INVOLVING KING’S OR OUR ALUMNI, PLEASE VISIT ALUMNI.KCL.AC.UK/INTOTHEWILD

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Curiosity: let your mind wanderCome to King’s for three days of exploring and learning new skills while rekindling old friendships

Alumni Weekend 2014, 6–8 June

King’s College London has attracted the most curious of minds since 1829. From Virginia Woolf to Professor Peter Higgs, alumni from the College and its merged institutions have helped shape the world around them through their determination to never stop questioning. From scientific discoveries to works of literature, our alumni have made their mark on the world.

Awaken your curiosity by returning to King’s for the 11th annual Alumni Weekend. Events will include tours and teas, lectures and learning, prohibition parties – so make sure 6-8 June is in your diary. Alumni Weekend promises to help you keep your curious spirit alive with a jam-packed programme of events. Among the activities:

• Get dressed up to the nines and join us for the Gatsby Ball at the glamorous Gibson Hall, right in the heart of London. Spend the evening relaxing with a glass of champagne, learn to dance the Charleston or become a cocktail expert in a special masterclass.

• A highlight of every Alumni Weekend, this year’s Principal’s Lunch promises to be extra special. Join Professor Sir Richard Trainor for his last lunch as Principal at the wonderful Waldorf Hilton.

• Curiouser and curiouser! Relax with a glass of something lovely at our Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea in the delightful Maughan Library gardens.

• If you could learn anything, what would it be? To be more creative? Impress friends with your wine knowledge? Come along to our Learn How To... series and pick up a new skill.

• 24 Hours in A&E: exclusive access to the popular television programme filmed at King’s College Hospital. Come and meet the heroes of the show and hear what it was like making this groundbreaking series.

• If you had one question for the Principal, what would it be? Join Professor Trainor for elevenses as he reflects on the last 10 years and ask your question over tea and a slice of cake.

Plus there will be many opportunities each day for you to connect with friends and explore hidden corners of the College.

Intrigued? Then let us welcome you back to King’s for a weekend of curiosity... how far will your curiosity take you this Alumni Weekend? For more information about Alumni Weekend 2014, please visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk/alumni-weekend or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

Curious to know more about life in A&E?

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If you graduated in a year ending in a 4 or a 9 – particularly 1964 or 1989 – then 2014 is a special anniversary for you.

It’s not too late to sign up for Alumni Weekend 2014, so you can meet and reminisce with your classmates. The weekend will feature a mix of tours, lectures and social events – as well as plenty of time to catch up with friends. Please join us, particularly if your classmates are having a reunion. Visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk/alumni-weekend or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

1964CLASS OF 1964, WHAT WAS GOING ON DURING YOUR GRADUATION YEAR?● Top-selling single: Can’t Buy Me Love by the Beatles● At the cinema: A bumper crop, including Dr Strangelove, A Hard Day’s Night, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and A Fistful of Dollars● On the telly: Top of the Pops premieres on the BBC, and ITV broadcasts Seven Up!● At the bookshop: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Armageddon● Sport: Tokyo hosts the Olympics and West Ham wins the FA Cup● Most popular UK baby names: Susan and David

1989AND WHAT ABOUT 1989?● Top-selling single: Ride on Time by Black Box● At the cinema: Not quite a bumper crop – Parenthood, When Harry Met Sally and The Little Mermaid● On the telly: A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Mr Bean premiere

● At the bookshop: A Time to Kill and The Joy Luck Club● Sport: The world is shocked by the tragedy at Hillsborough Stadium, with 96 football supporters crushed to death● Most popular UK baby names: Jessica and Michael

IF THIS IS YOUR GOLDEN OR SILVER ANNIVERSARY

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Professor Ed Byrne

Coming soon to the East Coast: Connect US mentoring events and the Principal’s US Tour

EventsAlumni Weekend 20146-8 June 2014, various locationsAlumni and friends are invited to the 11th annual Alumni Weekend, which will include a range of exciting events under the theme of Curiosity. For more information, please email the Alumni Office at [email protected], visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk/alumni-weekend or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

Connect US mentoring events: New York, Boston and Washington DC14 -18 July 2014Expand your professional network, meet your perfect mentor or mentee and find out why mentoring is thebest way to get ahead in 2014. We will be emailing alumni in these regions with further details. To learn more, email [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053 and we’ll make sure you receive an invitation.

Summer SeriesVarious dates, locations and timesJoin us at a range of new and exciting cultural events across London this summer. For more information closer to the dates, please contact the Alumni Office at [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

Principal’s US Tour 2014Autumn, with stops in Boston, New York and Washington DCJoin the new Principal, Professor Ed Byrne, for his first alumni tour of the United States. These popular events feature alumni and staff as speakers, as well as news from the College and time for mingling. For more information, please visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk/usevents2014 or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

KCLA Games and Sports Dinner3-4 OctoberThe Kia Oval, Kennington and Berrylands Sports GroundThis year’s annual KCLA Games will be preceded by the inaugural KCLA Sports Dinner, in partnership with King’s Sport. Alumni are invited to dine at the prestigious Kia Oval Friday evening, before donning sports kit to battle it out with current students at the KCLA Games on Saturday. To learn more, please visit Alumni Online.

QEC/KCHSS Annual Reunion, Lecture and Lunch10.30-15.00, 4 October 2014, Strand CampusThe Queen Elizabeth College Association will welcome Professor Seamus Higson (QEC, Chemistry, 1987), who will talk on his varied experiences of working at Cranfield University and wider matters. To learn more, please contact Henry Embling at +44 (0)12 5233 3977 or [email protected], or visit qeca.org.uk

John Fry Reunion Lunch12.00, 8 October 2014, Henriette Raphael Suite, Guy’s CampusHeld in memory of the eminent GP John Fry, this is an annual reunion event for Guy’s medical alumni pre-merger (1930-86), organised by the John Fry Committee. The reunion will begin with drinks, followed by a three-course dinner. Further information will be available in August from the Alumni Office at [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

KCLA AGM & Dinner7 November 2014, Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PEJoin us for the annual KCLA AGM and Dinner, to be held this year at the historic Royal College of Surgeons. Details will be available later in the year from the Alumni Office at [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

Upcoming reunionsChelsea, Pharmacy, Class of 1964Time tbc, 6-8 June 2014, Strand CampusRSVP: Anne Scott (née Sharpe), [email protected] you graduate in pharmacy from Chelsea in 1964, and did you realise that was 50 years ago? How time flies! Please join us to celebrate during Alumni Weekend. If you want to attend, please email Anne Scott.

King’s, English, Class of 196411.00, 7 June 2014RSVP: Shirley Foster,[email protected] plan to meet at the Alumni Reception and then go to a nearby restaurant. If you want to join us, please get in touch. See you all in June.

King’s, Geography, Class of 197411.30, 7 June 2014RSVP: Ruth Owen,[email protected] all Class of 1974 geographers!

Join us at the Reunion Reception and Principal’s Lunch.

St Thomas’, Medicine, Class of 1964Time tbc, 13 July 2014, Governors Hall, St Thomas’ HospitalRSVP: Gillian Lachelin,[email protected], or David Williams, [email protected] will be in the Governors Hall to celebrate our golden anniversary. We hope you will be able to join us.

King’s, Theology, 1959-6212.00, 7 July 2014, Chapel at St Boniface College, Warminster RSVP: Colin Pritchard,[email protected] Priests ordained in 1964 are holding a Thanksgiving to be led by Nick Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, followed by a buffet lunch in Warminster School. If you were in the theological faculty between 1959-62 and you would like to join us, please contact Colin Pritchard.

KCHMS, Medicine, Class of 1955Time tbc, Alumni Weekend 2015, Strand CampusRSVP: Eileen Cobb (née Darwood), [email protected] 2015, we will have been qualified for 60 years. Let’s meet at Alumni Weekend to reminisce. Please get in touch if you want to attend.

Getting involvedFundraising events in aid of King’s College London and its health partners: Guy’s and St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley

For information about these and other events, visit togetherwecan.org.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 4701.l Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon12 October 2014The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon is a stunning 13.1 mile autumnal run through four of London’s magnificent Royal Parks. l Virgin London MarathonApril 2015We have a limited number of charity places for the 2015 Virgin London Marathon. We’d love for you to join our team. All of our runners receive a personalised vest, invitations to regular training sessions and unlimited fundraising support.

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Want to get involved? Contact [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053

After 18 months as friends, Debbie and Robin Carmichael (both Guy’s, Medicine, 1970) went on their first date. Many happy times followed, including marriage and realising their dream to work overseas.Robin: I first ‘noticed’ Debbie when I and several of her fellow students used to visit her in her TB ward, where she was confined for four weeks.Debbie: We first met over a dissecting room body! We were in the same anatomy tutorial group. We were only friends until our second MB was safely out of the way. On the mandatory post-second MB pub crawl, Robin supported my strategy not to get drunk and kissed me lightly as we parted. I thought, ‘I’d like to get to know him better.’ A little later, after our first date, an incident occurred that is a girl’s dream come true! On a dull Saturday morning, I was called to the phone in my hall of residence in Mallet Street. Would I like to come as soon as possible to a ball? Wow! The welcome in his parents’ home was extremely warm and I spent the evening in a borrowed ball dress in my beloved’s arms, enjoying every moment, even though he has never been able to dance!Robin: We shared a Christian faith and both had ideas of working overseas. If attraction is chemical, I experienced some pretty strong reactions! Apart from the scary beast whose name is Exams, being in love

We met at Guy’sand being a student in London in the 1960s must have been as near to paradise on Earth as is possible.Debbie: The proposal was very romantic. It was my 21st birthday. Robin gave me red roses, an atlas (we were always talking about working abroad) and a gold pen, pencil and biro with my new initials on them. He took me out to an opera as well! We didn’t get a ring until we could set a date, 16 months later.Robin: We were married in 1970 at St Helen’s Church in Bishopsgate, the historic church that was later badly damaged by an IRA bomb. We had been attending services there for several years during the time when the gifted Bible expositor, Dick Lucas, was the Rector. It was a grey, rather cold day in March. Who cares? Debbie: We went to Tanzania a year after we married, which holds many exciting and happy memories. Our Christian faith is the most important factor in our shared lives. Love of opera and music, travel (for work and pleasure)

and walking. Our main hobbies are complementary like much of our lives: Robin

writes and I draw and paint.Robin: The secret to a happy marriage? Keep physically fit and therefore attractive. Share

everything. As well as being lovers, cultivate ways of being best friends. Be thankful for (almost) everything –

especially, in our case, for children and grandchildren.

The Incredible Adventures of ReggieGood always triumphed over Evil during Reggie’s escapades as a cartoon character in the 1970sJust about everyone in the King’s community is familiar with Reggie in his bright red concrete form. For a while during the mid-1970s, however, he may have been better known for being a black and white cartoon character.

During his undergraduate days, Dr William Taylor AKC (Molecular Biology & Biophysics, 1976) produced a serial cartoon strip in the student magazine Magus that starred an affable but mischievous Reggie.

‘I think it began with one-off, stand-alone cartoons,’ says Dr Taylor.

‘Lost Bitter’ theme was prompted by the move from the old Students’ Union building, the Chesham, into the new building, the Macadam, next door on Surrey Street, with the fear that the genial, seedy atmosphere would be lost in the move.’

Despite the strip’s popularity, these particular adventures of Reggie were Dr Taylor’s only stint as a cartoonist. There isn’t much need to draw cartoons in his current post as Head of the Division of Mathematical Biology at the National Institute for Medical Research, and it’s unlikely he’ll be crafting cartoon lions when he moves into the new Francis Crick Institute at St Pancras next year.

‘Then I started a loosely connected, rolling story called ‘The Quest for the Lost Bitter’ or ‘One Lion’s Fight Against the Gower Street Degenerates’.

The strip proved popular, with Dr Taylor receiving compliments from his fellow students, often over a pint. Even several staff members let the young cartoonist know that they enjoyed their occasional appearances in the strip; they included the Principal, General Sir John Hackett, Dean Sidney Evans and Nobel laureate Maurice Wilkins, who was one of Dr Taylor’s professors.

‘The underlying theme of the strip was the fight of Good (KCL) against Evil (UCL), with Good triumphing in the end,’ Dr Taylor recalls. ‘The

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

01: Angola Alumni in region: 202: Argentina 6303: Australia NSW 37504: Australia Queensland 12305: Azerbaijan 2406: Bahamas 3507: Bangladesh 11608: Belgium 87009: Brazil 35210: Brunei 13211: Canada 1,41812: Cayman Islands 2313: Chile 10814: China Beijing 31815: China Shanghai 17616: Colombia 5617: Croatia 3118: Cyprus 77119: Denmark 30120: Dominican Republic 521: Egypt 13922: Finland 18323: France 2,32224: Germany Berlin 37325: Germany Bonn 3626: Germany Munich 8927: Greece 2,16328: Hong Kong 2,07929: Hungary 8530: India Delhi 23531: India Mumbai 14632: Indonesia 10633: Iran 30134: Iraq 8135: Ireland 1,09636: Israel 21837: Italy Milan 12238: Italy Rome 12339: Japan 73140: Kenya 23341: Luxembourg 15742: Malaysia 1,33943: Mauritius 13144: Mexico 14845: Monaco 2346: Netherlands 47747: New Zealand 37248: Nigeria 54149: Norway 39050: Pakistan 56851: Peru 2552: Poland 24653: Portugal 37354: Qatar 4355: Romania 11756: Saudi Arabia 29257: Singapore 1,27658: Slovakia 5359: South Africa 28860: South Korea 40661: Spain 957

62: Switzerland 59163: Syria 3964: Taiwan 40165: Thailand 50066: Turkey 33467: UAE 29668: USA Boston Area 77269: USA Chicago 8470: USA New York Tri-State 1,52771: USA Philadelphia 7972: USA San Francisco 9173: USA Southern California 9174: USA Southern Tri-State 31375: USA Washington DC Area 89976: Venezuela 4677: Vietnam 32

UK ALUMNI SUBJECT GROUPSAKC Alumni Group Steven Rhodes (Theology & Religious Studies, 1988) Bar Society Bahar Ala-Eddini (Law, 2007) Chemistry and Physics Deeph Chana (Physics, 2002)Dental Alumni Association Dr Suzie Moore (Guy’s, Dentistry, 1997)Geography Joint School Society Dr Paul Collinson (Geography, 1990)King’s College Construction Law Association (KCCLA) Joe Bellhouse (Construction Law, 1996) King’s College London Engineering Association (KCLEA) Graham Raven (Civil Engineering, 1963) Law Alumni Group Pierre Brochet (LLM, 1992) Theology & Religious Studies Giles Legood (Theology & Religious Studies, 1988)

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

If you don’t see your country listed here, please

contact us at [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL GROUPS

us Finnish alumni finally decided that this needed to be taken a step further. With the help of the College’s Alumni Office, the official Finnish alumni branch of King’s saw the daylight in early 2014. So, all you Finnish alumni, make sure your contact details are up to date at the Alumni Office!

I encourage all alumni to be active and to contribute to their local alumni branch. We form an impressive network of people tied together not only by academic background but also shared memories of London and studying at King’s. Your alumni branch may prove to be a great platform for networking and, more importantly, it may become a place to build new lasting memories.

FinlandAntti Salonen(LLM, 2012)

From a practical point of view, the best thing about studying at King’s is the practice-oriented teaching methods and the demanding lecturers. The courses I took gave me the much-needed transnational perspective to the difficult legal questions the lawyers in my field of banking and finance increasingly face, especially in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008.

In retrospect, however, as memories of London slowly fade, the friends I made from around the globe while studying at King’s remain, and these friendships keep on evolving. After organising some smaller national and international alumni get-togethers here in my hometown of Helsinki, a few of

Community

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

Alumni volunteers are an important part of the King’s community, and the College always welcomes enquiries from people who want to help with alumni activities. We are particularly interested in finding volunteers to serve as alumni contacts in Ghana and Russia.

Our network of contacts and branches around the world is an essential part of the alumni community, providing a warm welcome to prospective students, recent graduates and visiting lecturers. They also organise events, ranging from informal gatherings to black-tie dinners, as well as excursions and lectures – all great opportunities for socialising and networking.

Interested? Please contact us to learn more. Send an email to [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053.

Russia and Ghana: we need you!

IraqZainab Al-Sultani(MSc, 2013)

groves of high palm trees. You can taste delicious Iraqi dates and do not forget the dessert dishes made out of them!

On evenings, river tours using traditional canoes start on Euphrates. From there you can see the city from a different angle while enjoying the sunset quietly. Traditional and modern shops can be found everywhere as well as restaurants full of Iraqi food, mostly the ones cooking fish in the Iraqi way, called Maskuf.

Visiting Babylon gives you a mix of visiting the past and present. Also, for non-Arabic visitors, you will find extra entertainment by observing the way people live and dress, thus becoming acquainted with a new culture.

One of the best moments in my life was when I received an offer to do my master’s at King’s. This gave me more knowledge about other cultures, languages and religions; I learnt a lot of new things about the world that I would never have imagined knowing. Moreover, I made friends and relationships that I will carry on with me during my life.

I am from Babylon (Babel) in Iraq. Babylon is the origin of the world’s civilization; as most of you know, the remains of the ancient city are still a big tourist attraction. What you do not know is that the modern city around Babylon is a nice place to visit too. The first thing you can see are the

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Hall of residence memories: Halliday HallRichard Lewis (French, 1966–70 & 1971–2) recalls some of his favourite moments from living in Halliday Hall during his first two years at King’s.‘Write about Halliday Hall? That’s a pleasant conceit,’ as my Halliday friend Dennis Wood would have loftily said, alluding to the many ‘pleasant conceits’ with which we indulged our intellectually pretentious undergraduate selves at the time.

That time was 1966–68. I had been accepted to do French at King’s and applied for a hall of residence. Halliday Hall in Clapham Common fell to my lot. ‘Oh, the place with creaking corridors,’ was my introduction to it at a preliminary interview with one of the French lecturers. ‘I’ve visited the warden, Dr Danielian, there a few times. Those corridors!’

Needless to say, this was amusing but entirely abstract before my arrival at Halliday Hall. When I did arrive, what struck me first was the building’s relatively recent vintage: an enormous relief after the dark Victorian pile that had been my school boarding house for seven years.

And my room! Just a little way along the ground floor corridor (solid this one, and without a creak to be heard), on the right hand side overlooking the garden, my room was a luxury I could hardly have imagined. A large, light, comfortable bed and study room, for me alone, with a door through to my own en-suite bathroom. Wow! How different from the Spartan existence of dormitory, shared basins, bath and toilet that I had endured at school.

Indeed, one of my greatest pleasures from the outset was to luxuriate in my bath on a Saturday morning listening to Beethoven’s Fifth, or Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique or Schubert’s Unfinished on my record player and filling my bathroom with gushes of sound and me with huge emotion. A fine baptismal preliminary to a day exploring the city.

My memories of Halliday Hall do not come in any chronological order. Rather, as for Proust in his half-sleeping, half-waking state, they circle randomly around me. After-dinner coffee in the common room with the sociable Dr Danielian, in an atmosphere of calm conviviality, a calm broken only on

Thursday evenings by Top of the Pops, with its mini-skirted dancers, on the TV. Earnest literary discussions with my friends Dennis Wood (later Professor Dennis Wood) and Peter Brown, from Wales like me and who we nicknamed ‘Pontypridd’. Light relief in the shape of the bar at the back, which contained a snooker table, an elderly upright piano and a bar habitué with a huge repertoire of Beatles music who would hit the keys all night as we drank our pints.

Then there was the dining room. One of its most curious aspects was not the food, but the theological students who seemed to dominate the room. There were many, creating a formidable God-bloc on one of the centre tables.

I left Halliday Hall after two years to go on my year abroad in France as an English assistant at a lycée. So my story ends in 1968, though this well remembered hall, set against that Clapham Common sea of green, will always stay with me.If anyone would like to contact Richard Lewis, you can do so via his web site: richardlewisbooks.co.uk

Author Chibundu Onuzo

Community

King’s College London, Capital House, Weston Street, London SE1 3QDWe look forward to proudly filling our shelves with the works of our accomplished alumni, staff and students.

A new collection of books by alumni will inspire prospective studentsFrom Virginia Woolf to Hanif Kureshi to Chibundu Onuzo, a long list of authors from King’s and the College’s merged institutions have made their mark in the literary world.

To celebrate these authors and inspire prospective students, the College has created an alumni collection in the Admissions Office, so prospective students can learn about authors within the King’s community.

The College is inviting all alumni, staff and students who are published authors to share copies of their work, to be available for prospective students to enjoy. The first contributor to the library was the Principal, Professor Sir Richard Trainor, who donated a copy of his book Urban Governance: Britain and Beyond Since 1750 with this message: ‘I hope that you attend King’s and that you will be as happy here as I have been.’

If you have authored, co-authored or edited a work of fiction or nonfiction, please leave it at one of the drop-off points listed below, along with your up-to-date contact details

and a message to prospective students: ● Admissions Office: Enquiries Desk● Strand Campus: Security Office● Guy’s Campus: Reception, New Hunt’s HouseAlternatively, you can post it to:Enquiries Desk, Admissions Office,

Calling all authors

The KCLA ChairmanAndy Parrish (Chemistry, 1966)My theme in this edition is alumni sports. Historically, King’s has never been a seriously sports-orientated institution. The percentage of students actively engaged in sport has declined for several decades. More recently, however, King’s has clearly recognised that sporting success and engagement have a huge role in student health, welfare and their satisfaction with King’s and our wider reputation. Investment in improved, modern facilities has risen dramatically, particularly at Honor Oak Park.

The influence of our merged institutions, especially Guy’s, has certainly catalysed this progress. The College’s recruitment of Andy Allford, former Olympic coach, as Head of Sport, and of Anthony Currie from KCLSU, as Sport and Active Lifestyles Manager, has been a major step forward and the formation of ‘King’s Sport’ has injected real pace and purpose into our sports development strategy.

Alumni sports have a key part to play in this programme. The KCLA Games, a contest between alumni and students, is now a major event involving eight sports, attended by 400 competitors and spectators last year, when it was opened by the Games’ Patron, Katharine Grainger. This year’s Games are on 4 October.

Our newest event, the KCLA Alumni Sports Dinner – in partnership with King’s Sport – will take place at The Kia Oval on 3 October, with Channel 4’s Nick Luck (French with Management, 2001) as guest speaker and a host of King’s sports stars present. In recent years, KCLA has provided financial support to alumni hockey, rugby (men’s and women’s, including GKT), netball and cricket. We’d like to do much more. Sport provides an excellent vehicle to keep students, young alumni and King’s in close touch. Tell us what you need.

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If you studied at King’s, or at one of the colleges with which it has merged, you are entitled to many great benefits. Please visit alumni.kcl.ac.uk or call +44 (0)20 7848 3053 for more details. Onlinealumni.kcl.ac.ukFacebookfacebook.com/KCLalumniTwittertwitter.com/KCLalumniKing’s Alumni is also on LinkedIn

In Touch and other publicationsIn Touch, your alumni magazine, is available online and as an iPad app. Visit the App Store on your iPad to download it, or visit Alumni Online (alumni.kcl.ac.uk) to read the magazine and other College publications online.

Alumni OnlineAlumni Online – alumni.kcl.ac.uk – is a great way to stay in touch with King’s and your friends from College.

E-newsletterRegister at alumni.kcl.ac.uk for e-newsletters to keep you up to date with what’s happening with your old clubs and societies, find out the latest research and departmental news and hear about what your contemporaries are doing.

College email addressAs a member of Alumni Online, you can set up a College-specific email address for professional and personal use. Your alumni email is a good way to maintain a constant email address, even if you change service providers. To update your email address in future, all you have to do is change the forwarding address by logging into Alumni Online (alumni.kcl.ac.uk).

Alumni benefits and services

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

King’s College London AssociationKCLA is the alumni association for all former students, staff and friends of King’s and the institutions with which it has merged. All alumni are encouraged to participate in KCLA’s work by attending its events and voting in its elections. KCLA will hold its next Annual General Meeting, Annual Dinner and Council elections at the Royal College of Surgeons on Friday 7 November 2014.

Patron Archbishop Desmond Tutu FKC (Theology, 1965; MTh, 1966)President Professor Nairn Wilson CBE FKCVice-President Professor Anne-Marie Rafferty FKCPast President Professor The Lord Ian McColl of Dulwich, CBE, FKC (Guy’s, Medicine, 1957)Chairman Andrew Parrish (Chemistry, 1966)

Vice-Chairman Professor Patricia Reynolds (Guy’s, Dentistry, 1977)Past Chairman Steven Rhodes (Theology & Religious Studies, 1988)Secretary Dr Max Chauhan (Dentistry, 1992)Assistant Secretary Margaret Haig (LLB, 2004)Treasurer Nicholas Goulding (Physics, 1968)Events Officer Alison Taylor

(Human Environmental Science, 1990)Sports Officer John (Matt) Ricketts (War Studies, 2010)Elected members● Hannah Barlow (Biochemistry, 2011)● Judge Peter King TD AKC (LLB, 1970)● Freya Pascal (Philosophy, 2012)● Ryan Wain (LLB, 2009)● Mary Zagoritou (Mathematics Education, 2007)

NEW!

NEW!

NEW!

Online shopThe King’s College London online shop features a range of gifts, clothing, souvenirs and more. Visit Alumni Online at alumni.kcl.ac.uk

Professional and Executive DevelopmentThe College offers a range of short courses, with many available to alumni at a reduced fee. For more information about these courses, please call +44 (0)20 7848 6814.

Executive Summer SchoolThe College has launched an Executive Summer School

offering a range of courses. Alumni, staff and students are entitled to 20 per cent discount. To learn more, visit kcl.ac.uk/ess, email [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7848 1218.

Online journal accessJoin Alumni Online to gain free access to a huge range of online academic journals through JSTOR. Contact us for more details.

Learn a languageWant to learn a new language? Alumni are eligible for a 30 per cent discount at the King’s Modern Language Centre on its evening courses. For more information, please email [email protected]

King’s Alumni ScholarshipsUnder this new programme, the College is offering more

than 100 awards, £2,500 each, for alumni who pursue master’s degrees at King’s. All alumni, including study abroad alumni, who achieved at least a 2.1 in their undergraduate course of study are eligible to apply. To learn more, please visit [email protected]

Summer SchoolThe King’s College London Summer School is an intensive academic program open to students from around the world. Building on King’s academic strengths, the Summer School offers university-level courses. Alumni are entitled to a 10 per cent discount. For details about the school, please visit kcl.ac.uk/study/summerschool

Use the College librariesThe College’s libraries are available to alumni. Reading in the libraries is free and you can borrow books and materials for an annual fee of £60. Download the application form at Alumni Online.

Keep fit at King’sKing’s Health and Fitness Centre offers alumni an affordable training facility conveniently located five minutes from Waterloo. Alumni receive a discounted rate. To learn more, please call +44 (0)20 7848 4650.

Stay at King’sOutside term time, alumni are able to take advantage of accommodation in some of the best locations in London, enjoying excellent new facilities and having the chance to explore the capital all over again.

Royal Institution The Royal Institution is offering a 20 per cent discount on membership to alumni. Membership provides a range of benefits, including access to lectures, discourses, exhibitions and interactive activities. For more information, please email [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7670 2961.

The Royal Society of Medicine Alumni can receive £50 off RSM membership

(excludes student membership) and pay no fee for joining, saving up to £165. Enjoy discounts on CPD-accredited meetings, access 3,000 e-journals and use exclusive club facilities. To learn more, call +44 (0)20 7290 2991, quoting ‘KCLA’.

Online DiscountsBusiness Cards MOO prints business cards, postcards and more. A 10 per cent discount is available to alumni; visit moo.com and enter ‘MOOKCL’ in the discount code box.

Glasses Direct Glasses Direct offers a 25 per cent discount for King’s alumni. Simply

visit glassesdirect.co.uk and use the discount code GDSTUDY25.Thresher & GlennyThresher & Glenny, one of London’s oldest outfitters, offers King’s alumni a 15 per cent discount.

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36 IN TOUCH SPRING 2014

Class notes

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

Chelsea College Lewis Davies

Pharmacy, 1956Now retired. Spending time travelling, visiting classical music venues and north Wales.

Dr Nigel Roseveare

Mathematics, 1974I retired as assistant head of Hayes School, Bromley in 2012. I am now working part-time as a data manager. My elder son married a medic from Malaysia in Leicester; guests included Nich Oriodon (English, 1974).

Dr Laila Badran

Pharmacy, 1982I would like to contact the following colleagues (we studied for our postgraduate degree in Chelsea College 1982-3): pharmacist Mirna Briceida Gonzales De Soto (from Panama); pharmacist Zulayia (from Argentina or Venezuela); and pharmacist Panayiota Kokkinou (from Cyprus). Please contact me by one of my email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]

Guy’sRoderick Stevens

Dentistry, 1955After qualification, I was called in for National Service in the dental branch of the RAF. I was posted in Cyprus during the EOKA and was parachuted in and thereafter was the paramedic anaesthetist.

I was also the National Service officer in California and raced with the RAF sailing team. We defeated both the army and the navy. I then worked as a specialist orthodontist in practice before retiring 20 years ago.

David Inman

Dentistry, 1958Past member, Surrey County Council (four years). Past Waverley Borough Council (24 years). Past Mayor (2006-2007), Waverley Borough Council.

Peter Hargraves

Dentistry, 1961My wife and I are living by the sea in Cornwall and this has inspired my new career as an author! Try The Treveague Saga on Kindle or download the book to your iPhone, iPad or tablet. The first three books are available now and there will be nine in the complete saga. Best wishes to all.

Malcolm Rodker

Dentistry, 1978Happily retired and living in Dorset. Quite well and spending my time baking bread, doing a little gardening and enjoying my grandchildren.

Neil Kingdon

Dentistry, 1980Sold my practice in Barnstaple in 2012 to my partner. Now (temporarily) retired, growing apples, making cider and developing sport in my hometown of South Molton.

Richard Garrett

Medicine, 1983I’ve just been made a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and as far as I can work out am only the second or third British citizen to be so elected.

Dr Seema Nagpaul (now Verma)

Medicine, 1986Married to Ashwin Verma, Pembroke College, Cambridge, and Guy’s Medicine, 1989. We celebrated our silver wedding anniversary, now living in Halifax, West Yorkshire. I am a GP with a specialist interest in dermatology, and Ashwin is a consultant gastroenterologist and Divisional Director at Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust.

Dr Tamsin Ford

Medicine, 1990Promotion to Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2013.

King’s College London

Professor Robert Knecht

History, 1948Although I am now 87, I still travel and have just completed the only biography in English of King Henry III of France, published by Ashgate in April.

The Revd Mr John Ouless

Theology, 1949Disabled since 2002. Before that: Ministre Deservant for six parishes in Jersey (my old home). On retirement from 39 years stipendiary pastoral ministry in England, 1989.

‘The best in African fashion, lifestyle, creativity and innovation’Alae Ismail

The Styled by Africa blog began in 2012 while Alae Ismail, right, was completing her dissertation – on the use of social media in the NHS – for a master’s in public health at King’s. She remembers it as a challenging but exciting time.

‘It was very difficult. I had to quickly learn to prioritise and work more effectively,’ she says. ‘It was a huge learning curve – I felt like I was leading a double life – but I wouldn’t change it.’ That experience has proved invaluable as, two years on, the blog continues to grow while Ismail also works full-time in marketing. The long-term aim is that she will focus solely on Styled by Africa.

The blog reflects the passion that Ismail and business partner Kiran Yoliswa have for Africa and how it is perceived, showcasing ‘the best in African fashion, lifestyle, creativity and innovation’. It was born out of a desire to highlight and celebrate different regions and reflect the diversity of their experiences in travelling across the continent.

While the site was still in its infancy, Ismail and Yoliswa entered a competition through Virgin Media Pioneers and, following a marketing

campaign which Yoliswa organised to secure votes from King’s students and the public, won a trip to India with Sir Richard Branson. ‘This gave us so much more exposure and allowed us to communicate with a lot more people,’ she says. ‘We received feedback about the business and gained connections, credibility and confidence.’

The site has gone from strength to strength and 2013 saw the hosting of a pop-up event in Zimbabwe for local designers, artists and performers. ‘It was fantastic to get positive feedback on the ground, from a range of people – young

people and those who are more established.’ Then in May an online store launched, and Ismail is pleased with its success. ‘The store has been about giving designers a platform to sell their collections and showing the best in African creativity,’ she says.

The plan is to eventually open a physical store in the UK. In the meantime, Ismail says that there will be more of everything. ‘More content, more contributors. We want to grow as a brand and contribute to social development. We’re still young; we can experiment.’

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de la Haye in Chelmsford Diocese. Now living in delightful Mersea Island, famous for its world-class oysters.

Professor Robert Hampson

English, 1970I have just published a third monograph on Joseph Conrad, Conrad’s Secret (Palgrave Macmillan).

The Rev Canon Trevor Stubbs

Theology, 1970First novel, The Kicking Tree, is due to be published by Orca Books in May. Described as ‘fantasy and magical realism’, it addresses issues of cross-cultural relationships and religious faith. It is written for young adults but will have wider appeal.

Dr Stuart Weisrose

Physics, 1970I was a physics student at King’s from the years of 1967-74. I completed a PhD in nuclear physics under the supervision of Dr Richard J Griffiths. Does anybody have an address or telephone number for Richard?

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

John Ashworth

Geography, 1952After retiring from School of Social Studies at Yeovil College, Somerset, became co-founder of University of the Third Age (U3A) in Yeovil. Co-founder and first chairman of CrewKerne U3A.

Peter Poole

Physics, 1953Retired since 1995.

Frances Jessup

Philosophy, 1958Participating in the Healthy Planet Poems at The Boatman in Guildford.

Brenda West (now Wall)

Theology, 1958I am busy translating the Greek New Testament and utterly thankful for my Hebrew lessons with Professor Ulrich Simon. I start from an intuition that the King James 1611 Bible adapted primarily a moralistic reading.

Professor Michael Williams

Physics, 1958As a visiting professor at Imperial (the old enemy), I am able to continue my research interests and interact with some very bright young people. Keeps me on my toes.

Elizabeth Tucker

Education, 1959I continue to be involved with the Angola London Mozambique Association (ALMA). I am a commissary for Bishop Dinis Sengulane. Involved in the British Musuem as an eyeOpener lecturer. I play the cello in Enfield Chamber Orchestra and am in the church choir.

John Dodwell

Chemistry, 1961I belong to Bournemouth Quaker Meeting and keep busy as an overseer, which involves pastoral care for the meeting.

Canon Martyn Farrant

Theology, 1961Celebrated 50 years since ordination as priest on Trinity Sunday by presiding at sung Eucharist at Guildford Cathedral.

Professor Moira Smith

English, 1961I recently chaired two BAFTA/BMI masterclasses. The first was with Sarah Greenwood (designer, Anna Karenina, Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) at BFI London, the second with Eve Stewart (designer, Les Miserables, The King’s Speech) in Manchester.

The Revd Leonard Skinner

Theology, 1962I hope someone is informing you of a celeberation at Warminister for and by those priests who in 2014 will reach their 50th anniversary.

The Revd Mr John Willard

Theology, 1963Those ordained in 1964 are holding a Thanksgiving on 7 July at St Boniface College Chapel, to be led by the Bishop of Salisbury, also a Kingsman!

Pamela Schofield (now Revell)

Theology, 1964Am moving to Porthcawl after 46 years

in Langley. Widowed last year, so a complete change of lifestyle.

Axel Nares

Law, 1966I am still active in the legal profession advising in a consultancy capacity. It would be nice if there were a more active lawyers’ society.

Dr Roger Maddrell

Geology, 1968I have my own small company, mainly advising clients and working as an expert witness. I am also an adjudicator, mediator and conciliator.

Richard Packer

Geography, 1969Celebrated the 66th birthday of Professor John Matthews (Geography, 1969) with fellow geographers Allan Reid and Jim Petch on 22 October.

The Revd Mr Martin Clarke

Theology, 1970Retired in November 2012 after 22 years as Vicar of Layer

donations and keeping in touch with all our sponsors – updating them as to how the training was going – posting photos and thanking them afterwards. We were delighted to smash our initial fundraising target of £600 and raised nearly £2,000.’

The day of the swim itself at the end of August was lovely and sunny. ‘The water was a balmy 19.5 degrees, so swimming in wetsuits did not feel cold,’ she says. ‘About 3,000 people took part,

Swimming for cancer research at King’sSusan Bound

As well as being an alumna of King’s and its merged institutions three times over, Susan Bound is also a regular reader of In Touch. After reading ‘Cancer and blood vessels’ in the spring 2013 edition, she was inspired to support the vital work of King’s cancer researchers.

‘It seemed like a really important thing,’ she recalls. ‘We have three doctors in the family, and I thought, “This is something I could do.”’ Bound and her daughters Alice (MSc, Aquatic Resource Management, 1993), Katy and Bea, granddaughter Emily and family friend Matt decided to train for the challenge of the Great London Swim – a one-mile swim in the Millwall Dock.

Susan spent six months training twice a week for the swim, and in the final two weeks leading up to the swim was training every day. ‘Everywhere I went in the country I found the local swimming pool,’ she says. The group also spent time setting up a fundraising page on the Just Giving website. ‘It’s a very successful way of collecting

Susan Bound, far right, with family and friends who joined in her fundraising swim

setting off in different “waves” throughout the day. Although it wasn’t a race we were all pleased with our times and Matt came first in our wave, which was a great boost to the rest of us to hear about on our way round.’

In training, Susan had been aiming to stay under her target of 75 minutes, so she was pleased to complete the swim in just over an hour. ‘I’m not fast,’ she says, ‘but I can just keep going.’

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Julia Bery

Education Studies, 1971I retired in 2007 from a career in human resources and recently have moved down to the Isle of Wight, where I spend my time making jewellery and walking the beautiful countryside. If you remember me, I’d love to hear from you.

The Revd Mr Andrew Marsden

Theology, 1971I retired at Christmas.

Kevin Fletcher

Law, 1973After 13 years at the Bar and 17 years as a partner in a large law firm, I studied for an MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Manchester. I now practise counselling and psychotherapy in Chester and am a tutor on the MA course in Manchester.

Oliver Merrington

Botany, 1973Honorary curator at the Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum.

The Very Revd Gerald Field

Theology, 1975I have been appointed Dean of Cashel in the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns & Ossory.

Ruth Padel

Modern Greek Studies, 1978I am involved with a series of writers’ talks on endangered animals at the ZSL London Zoo, to highlight the work of the ZSL all over the world.

Dr James Robinson

Urban Education, 1979Have just had a book published by Brown Walker Press, Social Control and the Education of Adults in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries.

Patrick Overs

Electrical Engineering, 1981Would like to know of former Rifle Club members from 1978 to 1981.

Truda Adams (now Thurai)

History, 1983My new book Barley Bread and Cheese

is a collection of short stories inspired by the treasures of Rochester Cathedral and will be officially launched on 24 July. My first novel, The Devil Dancers, came out in 2012 and is set in 1950s Ceylon.

Dr Liam Brennan

Medicine, 1983Still busy at a paediatric anaesthetic practice in Cambridge and recently elected Vice-President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

Julia Landau

English, 1984Working on a novel and living in Cape Town.

Janet Cummins

English, 1985Just appointed Chair of a Quaker residential home. Learning to sing.

Gordon Cone

War Studies, 1988I retired from teaching high school history last year. I truly enjoyed my time at King’s, the experience

of a lifetime. Good teachers, good friends, good times!

Stephanie Hudson

Nutrition and Dietetics, 1989From food scientist to physiotherapist. Now mother of two hyperactive boys (younger than five). Living in Farnham. Happy! Get back in touch: [email protected]

Professor Adrian Dobbs

Chemistry, 1992I was appointed to my first chair, Professor of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, at the University of Greenwich in 2013. Married and father to a beautiful 18-month-old daughter.

Irfan Latif

Chemistry, 1992Appearing on The Andrew Marr Show in November, Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove praised Sexey’s School, where I have the honour of serving as Head Master. Asked about the controversial issue of faith schools, Mr Gove used Sexey’s as an example of a successful school with a Church of England ethos, saying, ‘Sexey’s is one of the most outstanding schools in the country. And what it does is provide an education that reflects faith values but in an inclusive environment.’

Dr Andrew Davidson

Education Studies, 1995I moved from being Head of Biology to being Head of Environmental Sciences.

The Revd Professor Thomas Slater

Biblical Studies, 1996Major presenter for Puttin’ the Neighbor Back in the ‘Hood in November at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock.

Dr Ashis Addy

Pharmacology, 1998Fulfilled a lifelong ambition to medically qualify as a clinical doctor! After first graduating from King’s, I received my my postgraduate degree, an Msc Biomedical Science (published clinical research), and then successfully studied medicine (MBBS) to gain my licence to practice as a doctor.

Dobrinka Tabakova

A lifelong lover of music, Dobrinka Tabakova (PhD, Music Composition, 2007), right, has seen her passion naturally evolve into her profession, resulting in one of the greatest accolades a music artist can receive.

The composer’s album String Paths was released last year and features compositions for chamber and orchestral string combinations. Described as ‘an original and exciting, deeply moving, and triumphant commercial recording debut’ by the Washington Times, the album received two 2014 Grammy nominations.

‘To have the album nominated in two of just nine classical categories was an extreme honour,’ says Tabakova, ‘Naturally, together with all of the musicians and production team who worked on performing and delivering the album, I was delighted.’

Bulgarian-born Tabakova moved to London as a child when her father

A nod from the Grammy awardsopportunity to concentrate on my work, in an environment that inspired self-evaluation and discovering new repertoire,’ says Tabakova. ‘I am grateful for these years and concentrated lectures which I had the opportunity to attend.’

Throughout her career she has composed works for concerts across Europe, the US and Hong Kong. Of all the ‘astonishing venues’ where Tabakova’s compositions have been performed, one close to home was particularly memorable. ‘For me,’ she recalls, ‘one of the most unforgettable concerts was at St Paul’s Cathedral, where an anthem I composed was performed as part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.’

New projects are on the horizon, such as a short film called PULSE, which has been commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society. As future associate composer with the Stratford-upon-Avon-based Orchestra of the Swan, she is writing new works, including one to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

Class notes

was offered a position at King’s. Following studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she completed her PhD in composition at King’s under Dr Rob Keeley. Both of her parents still work at the College.

‘King’s really gave me an

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Stephanie Elmas

English, 1998My first novel, The Room Beyond, a thriller set in the 1890s, was published in 2013. Second book due out by the end of this year.

Joanne Fisher (now Hobbs)

Pharmacology, 1998Married to Steven and we have two wonderful sons, Nicholas and Jonathan. Working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Timothy Raiswell

English Language & Literature, 1999Kristin (MA, Text & Performance Studies, 2003) and I welcomed a son, Xavier Cantona Raiswell, on 13 February 2013. All doing well in Baltimore, Maryland.

Steffen Pedersen

History, 1999Currently working as a shipping solicitor in Singapore. Married, with one awesome son.

Ayesha Durgahee

Geography, 2001I was awarded Carlson Wagonlit Business Travel News Journalist of the Year 2013 for the special episode of CNN Business Traveller on the A380 that I presented.

David Berry

War Studies, 2002Married Dr Alice Devallon (Medicine, 2006), whom I met at King’s, on 4 May 2013 in Christchurch, Dorset.

Sureena Bhattacharya

Biomedical Science Intercalated, 2002Going to work in Melbourne, Australia, as a GP.

Dr Hayley Bradley

English, 2002Having completed my PhD last year, I am now a lecturer in drama at the University of Manchester.

Sean Lerwill

Molecular Genetics, 2002Just got the contract for my fourth book, following my first three Haynes manuals.

Dr Andrew Papanikitas

Medical Ethics and Law, 2002Married Emma McKenzie-Edwards (Medicine, 2002) in June 2013. Living in Oxford.

Dr Simon Keane

Biomedical Science Intercalated, 2003Registrar in A&E Prince Charles Hospital Brisbane with some sessions in air ambulance helicopters and some on the Gold Coast in recovery planes. Married with two children.

Dawn Harwood

Pharmacy, 2004Getting married to Martin in August after six years together! We have also just bought our first house.

Jane Johnson

Physiotherapy, 2004Published The Neck: Tips and Tricks for Therapists. Fun putting it together.

Michael Barrett

Sports Law, 2005Now working as a registered trademark attorney in a firm of patent and trademark attorneys in Horley. Presently living in Guildford, Surrey.

Matthew Perrott

Physiotherapy, 2005Now working in Edinburgh. Married to Alison and we have two wonderful kids, Molly and Max. (Max was born on same day as Prince George!)

Philip Crowther

Hispanic Studies, 2006My career in TV journalism has taken me to some strange places. I currently call Washington, DC home, which can be the strangest of places. My BA in Hispanic Studies can come in handy at times, by the way.

Dr Bose Johnson

Public Health, 2007I recently left the Health Service to set up my own training outfit. Early days yet.

Katherine Lewis (now Williams)

Mmus, Music, 2007I married Justin Williams, who was a master’s student at King’s. We met in the ULU Big Band. We married in 2009 and now live in Bristol.

Sophie Wilmot

Geography, 2007Recently married. Now working as a transport planner at the London Borough of Hillingdon following five years at a private consultancy.

Rowena Perkins

Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies, 2008Running community television for the Cotswolds with husband-to-be Tom Wakefield. Marrying in June 2014. Enjoying living in the beautiful countryside and promoting the events that take place in the region.

Lingxi Wang

LLM, 2009My fiancée Tiffany Kwok (LLM, 2010) and I are due to be married on 6 September in King’s College Chapel.

Jigar Jogia

Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, 2010I have won the Samuel Gershon Award for bipolar research and joined Aston University on the Vice Chancellor’s research fellowship programme.

Stanley Orman

How did a boy from East London get to develop nuclear offensive and defensive weapons, oversee military cooperation between the US and the UK and brief Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the British Chiefs of Staff on the Strategic Defence Initiative, while also finding time to collaborate with orthopaedic surgeons to design a titanium hip replacement?

That’s the central question posed in the autobiography An Uncivil Civil Servant by Stanley Orman (PhD, Chemistry, 1960) – and what a colourful tale it is.

Despite having no intentions of working in defence whilst at King’s, by the time he was due to leave his postgraduate fellowship post at Brandeis University he was spoilt for choice of job offers, including Senior Scientific Officer at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE).

Proud to have been an uncivil civil servant‘I accepted a job at AWRE on

geographic and social reasons,’ says Dr Orman, ‘But having arrived, I found a culture in which most staff in the early 1960s considered we were playing a major role in deterrence, and helping to avoid nuclear war.’

It was at AWRE that Dr Orman first encountered elements of what he later discovered to be called the Peter Principle, a management theory he draws on throughout the book.

‘The Peter Principle – folks spending most of their working life at a level of incompetence – is alive and well in all bureaucracies, particularly in government departments,’ he says. ‘I fought the strictures

of the Peter Principle throughout my career, hence the title An Uncivil Civil Servant.

‘For my entire career, I enjoyed the challenges presented by my work. Whenever I felt in full control of a position, I looked for something new and more demanding, hence the changes in positions I occupied

at a senior level.’Dr Orman’s final role was as

an undersecretary in the British Ministry of Defence, where he interacted on a regular basis with political, military

and policy leaders in the UK and its allied countries. He now

enjoys his retirement in the US, which includes

spending time with the people he cites as his greatest inspiration in life: his family.

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Nikos Kiliaris

Summer School, 2010I am pleased to announce the release of my book Secondary Music Education in Cyprus: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective Since 1960. The book has been published by Lambert Academic Publishing in English, and can be found online. It investigates the teaching methods and teaching content used in secondary general music classrooms in Cyprus.

Andreas Andreou

Classics, 2013Currently studying for a master’s in text and performance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Elizabeth Ferrar

Early Modern English Literature, 2013Running proofreadinglondon.com, which is a small business turning over about £7,000 per month.

Class notes

Claudine Biswas

Since acquiring her master’s degree from King’s in text and performance, Claudine Biswas’s career has spanned many areas within the arts. A professional actress, screenwriter, voice artist and dancer, another role she’s stepped into is that of Deputy Director of the Berlin Independent Film Festival (BIFF).

‘One of the best things about my work is managing this effervescent festival,’ says Biswas. ‘Making decisions about abstract concepts and implementing them is exciting. I intend to help showcase as much quality work as possible.’

The festival screens low-budget feature films, short films, documentaries and music videos and is particularly dedicated to new filmmakers. It prides itself on accepting films in every genre, on any topic, from every country around the world.

‘Last year, we screened films from as far afield as Johannesburg, Detroit, Sydney and Taiwan,’ she says. ‘This year’s submissions are just as international.’

Having turned down a place at Oxford, Biswas found the ‘cosmopolitan setting’ of London

From King’s to film festivals

a great inspiration during her time at King’s.

‘I spent a lot of time analysing plays and films, taking acting classes around London and filming performances and experimental shorts with my best mate and director of photography,’ she recalls. ‘I really got into the performance art scene and stage-managed my own poetry and jazz platform in Soho, at the now defunct Marquee Café.’

Biswas has several acting and writing projects planned for the future. Following the success of BIFF in February, she has also just been appointed as Deputy Director of the European Film Festival, which takes place in Berlin in October.For more information about the festivals, visit film-festival.eu and berlinfest.com

Phylicia Jarrett

Law with European Legal Studies, 2013Your journey will always be amazing the more prepared you are to explore it! I am studying languages (French, Spanish and German) and I volunteer with Citizens Advice and I will shortly begin with the Free Representation Unit. All this for an MA in International Law and a career of working globally.

KCHSSLorna Carmichael (now Gostling)

Household & Social Sciences, 1951Tony Fell came to one of our balls at KCHSS and was my partner for the evening. We have a group photograph of the officer cadets in 1952, taken at Spitalgate. Tony is sitting one away from my husband, another Tony, who was my boyfriend at the time.

C Chivers (now Carter)

Household & Social Sciences, 1951In touch with Pam Campbell, my roommate in 1948.

Alan Crystall

Dentistry, 1958Former chair, Southend Branch BDA. Former member, Essex County Council. Former Lib Dem Vice Chair, East of England Regional Planning Panel. Current member, Southend on Sea Borough Council (38 years). Married, two children.

Stella Barkworth (now Gilpin)

Dentistry, 1967Married, four adult children. Now an artist – landscapes, life studies and contemporary art.

Dr Joy Perkins (now Main)

Medicine, 1972In 2011, I ceased to do clinical work after 31 years as a principal and a senior partner in general practice. I then became a research fellow at Bristol University while working as a confidential investigator with the CIPOLD research study into premature deaths of patients with learning disabilities, Norah Fry Unit, Bristol University.

Dr Paul Main

Medicine, 1973In 2001, I was accorded honorary academic status as a senior clinical lecturer within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Bristol. In 2012, I was appointed as Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Bath. In 2011, I ceased to do clinical work after 43 years as a principal and a senior partner in general practice, but I am still the Deputy GP Director of the School of Primary Care in the new Health Education England part of the NHS.

Dr William Marshall

Medicine, 1975Honorary Treasurer of the Society of Biology until recently. Now Director of Finance at the Association of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine and preparing the third edition of Clinical Biochemistry, a standard postgraduate textbook.

Dr David Hargrave

Medicine, 1976I was a medical student at King’s in 1971-3. I then went on to Westminister Hospital to do my clinical training. Unfortunately, since Guy’s and St Thomas’ have now joined with King’s, students from Westminister Hospital and St George’s have been forgotten. Can things be amended?

Jonathan Hossain (now Macdonald-Hosain)

Medicine, 1988Appointed Deputy Postgraduate Dean for Health Education, Yorkshire & Humber (previously Yorkshire and Humber Deanery).

Queen Elizabeth College

Elizabeth Essex (now Golding)

Food Science, 1972Is anyone in touch with Peter Barker, who studied Food Science and Mammalian Physiology from 1969-72 at Queen Elizabeth College? I was Liz Essex then, and Peter and I shared a birthday on 14 July. I would love to get back in touch with him, so if you are in contact with Peter (also known as Peta) please ask him to email me at [email protected]

Sister Marika Rebicsek

Physics, 1981Now no longer working directly in a college. Have set up my own BSL teaching business, teaching BSL levels 1, 2 and 3. Some of the courses are funded by a college for a deaf organisation where I teach in Kent.

Royal Dental Hospital

David Brookman

Dentistry, 1954Career details: having a teaching qualification as well as my dental degree, I was appointed to the first vocational training scheme at Guildford. Subsequently, I was involved in the provision of vocational training in the UK.

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Dr Nizar Verjee

Dentistry, 1966I was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Oxford Brookes University. Also awarded an EBS (Elder of the Burning Spear) by his Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya. All for voluntary services to sustainable health institutions, community-based health development and palliative care.

St Thomas’Dr Isabel Johnson

Medicine, 1952Now very elderly and disabled, unable to undertake voluntary work.

Dr James Irving

Medicine, 1957Still wheelchair-dependent after two strokes but enjoying painting mountains instead of climbing them. Intellect no worse than before. Able to cast a fly from the chair and have caught some hefty trout.

Dr Michael McBrien

Medicine, 1960I have retired and am enjoying the ‘triple G’ – golf, gardening and grandchildren!

Dr Duncan Turner

Medicine, 1969Now practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Santa Barbara and San Francisco. Specialising in laparoscopic surgery.

Dr Malcolm Seville

Medicine, 1974Retiring soon!

UMDSDr Benjamin Pocock

Medicine, 1997After general surgery residency and breast fellowship training, I am now a consultant breast cancer surgeon at Mount Sinai, New York City.

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

Joint School of Geography, Class of 1967

In October, 25 geographers and their partners, 38 people in all, assembled at the Abbey Hotel in Malvern for their third reunion. Six alumni were attending their first reunion, including one from California and one from Hong Kong. We had a great meal and evening, reliving past times and catching up on current news.

The next morning, bathed in autumn sunshine and in strong winds, 15 members of the group climbed the Worcestershire Beacon for wonderful views over Malvern.

The group plans to meet up again in two years’ time.Jane Westaway

KCH, Class of 1962

Last October, several members of the Class of 1962 and our wives arrived at a hotel in Wiltshire in plenty of time to relax and change before drinks and an excellent dinner. Our reminiscing continued until quite late and then continued over a leisurely breakfast. We all thoroughly enjoyed catching up on each other’s news and history and remembering other friends from our student days.

If any other members of the 1962 year would like to attend a reunion next year, please send contact details to me via the Alumni Office and I will then try to find a venue as convenient to as many people as possible. If you are unable to attend, please still get in touch, preferably with a potted history and news, so that I can update others.Dr Martin Cane

Reunion round-up

Chelsea School of Pharmacy

Seeing an advert for luxury flats at the Manresa Road site inspired us to contact the owners and suggest planting the tree in their garden commemorating Chelsea staff and students on the site where we all studied. It was important to the group as the College output of pharmacists is very significant and many students and staff have gone on to make great contributions to the science and art of pharmacy. The College has a special place in the hearts of all who were there.

Invitations were sent to all alumni recorded with King’s in the years following 1956 until the move from Manresa Road site. Many of the invited alumni donated money towards the purchase of the ginkgo biloba tree and

commemorative plaque.Twenty-two alumni attended

the October event, planted the tree near the original site of the pharmaceutics laboratory and toasted absent friends with champagne provided by myself and Bob Woodward. Later, we enjoyed a cream tea on the King’s Road together.

The tree was dedicated by KCLA Chairman Andrew Parrish, who stressed the value of alumni groups keeping together to remember important times of their lives.

Any past students or staff who wish to see the tree are welcome to contact the gardener, Mark, via Manresa Reception on 020 7808 9393, who will be pleased to show you around.Mike Harvey

Enjoying a beautiful morning atop the Worcestershire Beacon

Honouring Chelsea staff and students

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42 IN TOUCH SPRING 2014

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

Dr Trevor Grenby FRSC

St Thomas’, Chemistry PhD, 1962Trevor Grenby was a reader in nutrition in relation to dentistry in the Department of Oral Medicine at the GKT Dental Institute. On staff at Guy’s for nearly 35 years, he received his first degree at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, served in the army and then secured a post at St Thomas’ as a chemical biochemist. His employment in the Department of Biochemistry, under Professor Leslie Young, enabled him to study for his PhD, researching the properties and occurrence of mercapturic acids. As a research biochemist with the Association of British Flour Millers’ Cereals Research Station, beginning in 1961, he embarked on what became his lifetime’s work: the effect of various foodstuffs on dental health. Five years later, he became an assistant lecturer at Guy’s Hospital Dental School.

Professor Hugh Malcolm Douglas Gurling

KCSMD, Medicine, 1973Molecular psychiatrist Professor Hugh Gurling devoted much of his career to researching biological processes associated with diseases such as schizophrenia, manic depression and alcoholism. Despite scepticism from many in his field, he developed and led a research unit at UCL now recognised as being at the forefront of psychiatric genetics. An outstanding athlete, he qualified in medicine at King’s, specialised

in psychiatry at Guy’s Hospital and did clinical work at Maudsley Hospital. He began his research career in 1976, studying alcoholism under the supervision of Professor Robin Murray at the Institute of Psychiatry. He gained a Wellcome senior fellowship and moved to UCL in 1987.

Professor Roy David ‘Gus’ Guthrie FRSC

Chemistry, 1955Gus Guthrie was a leader in developing higher education in Australia during the latter

half of the 20th century. Born in Leatherhead, he studied chemistry at King’s as an undergraduate and then received a doctorate in organic chemistry. Splitting his career between Australia and the UK for many years, he moved to Australia permanently to become President of the New South Wales Institute of Technology. He helped guide the institute’s transition to become the University of Technology, Sydney. Retiring in 1996, his contributions to education were recognised with membership in the Order of Australia.

Chelsea CollegeProfessor Alan Howe Physiology, 1949David Nunn Pharmacy, 1956Lucille Park (latterly Crowhurst) Pharmacy, 1959Margaret Whyte (latterly Walmsley) Biology, 1982

Guy’sDouglas Howe Dentistry, 1937Dr Ifan Waters Medicine, 1943Dr Christopher Earl Medicine, 1948Dr Charles Higgins Medicine, 1948Leslie Richards Dentistry, 1948Dr Harry Riches Medicine, 1948Dr Patrick O’Gorman Medicine, 1951Dr Michael Coupland Medicine, 1952Dr William Parker Medicine, 1952Peter Cumming Dentistry, 1955Dr Edwin Orsmond Medicine, 1955Michael Gillon Dentistry, 1956William Knapman Dentistry, 1956Dr Elias Lasserson Dentistry, 1957George Hackett Dentistry, 1958

Dr Susan Ardley (latterly Hume Kendall) Medicine, 1959Dr June Squire Anaesthetics, 1959Dr Brian Batten Medicine, 1960Professor Duncan Ackery Medicine, 1961Professor David Barker Medicine, 1962Dr Peter McAndrew Dentistry, 1964Colin Warden Dentistry, 1965Dr Lloyd Denmark Pathology, 1977Dr Simon Harris Medicine, 1982Dr M Beer Medicine, 1984Andrea Salmon Dentistry, 1984

Institute of PsychiatryDr Michael De Mowbray Psychological Medicine, 1956Professor James Edwards Psychological Medicine, 1962Dr Michael Heller Psychological Medicine, 1963

KCHSSGweneth Chappell (latterly Urquhart) Household & Social Sciences, 1936

Norah Luke (latterly Croft) Household & Social Sciences, 1936Barbara Brown (latterly Jones) Household & Social Sciences, 1940Ivy Hughes (latterly Maxwell) Household & Social Sciences, 1943Anthea Lowe (latterly Sartain) Household & Social Sciences, 1948

KCSMDDr Winifrid Bond Medicine, 1940Dr Antony Sampson Dentistry, 1944Dr Joan McClelland (latterly Gomez) Medicine, 1945Dr M Stafford Medicine, 1945Dr Noel Dray Medicine, 1947Dr I Jones Medicine, 1947Dr Margaret Upton (latterly Wale)Medicine, 1953Dr Michael Shillito Medicine, 1956Dr Desmond Higton Medicine, 1958Brian Bullas Medicine, 1963Dr James Bochsler Medicine, 1972Dr Bruce Howells Preclinical Medicine, 1962Frederick Hall Year unknown

King’s College LondonEdith Hargreaves (latterly Hart) Arts, 1936Neville Cooper Civil Engineering, 1939Frank Longworth Arts, 1940The Revd Aleck Banks Theology, 1942Margaret Daragon (latterly Wishart) German and French, 1944James Moorhouse Mechanical Engineering, 1945Trevor Wick Mechanical Engineering, 1945Margaret Cash History, 1946Dennis Traviss Mathematics, 1947Dr Peter Crofts Chemistry, 1948Dr Norman Kreitman Medicine, 1950Dr Alan Rowe Medicine, 1950Martin Campbell Law, 1951Brian Carlson Geography, 1951Dr Robin James Chemistry, 1951Dorothy Proctor (latterly Jenkin) Geography, 1951Dr Thelma Pyle (latterly Howell) French with Management, 1951David Willis Classics, 1951Dr Michael O’Riordan Medicine, 1952Dr Colin Brown Civil Engineering, 1953

‘Humanity and common sense’Glafcos Clerides

Law, 1948Glafcos Clerides, who served as President of Cyprus for 10 years, was active in Cypriot politics for more than half a century. While he claimed never to have been directly involved in any violence, he defended several members of the guerilla group EOKA who had been arrested by the British. Viewed by many as the natural successor to Archbishop Makarios, who became President of the new republic when it gained independence in 1960, Clerides was elected President in 1993 following several

unsuccessful attempts. ‘During the years of unrest that culminated in the partition of the island following the Turkish invasion of the northern part of Cyprus in 1974, Clerides acted as Makarios’s chief negotiator in the inter-communal talks with the Turkish Cypriots,’ the Telegraph reported. ‘He won the trust and respect of Turks for his humanity and common sense, though both he and Rauf Denktash, his opposite number on the Turkish Cypriot side, were prevented from achieving anything of any substance by Makarios’s byzantine machinations.’

Obituaries

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Georgina Henry

History, 1983A former deputy editor at the Guardian, Georgina Henry conceived of Comment is Free and served as its launch editor. She entered journalism in 1984, working in media trade magazines before joining the Guardian as media correspondent. She rose quickly through the paper, helping to edit the fledgling G2 section and the comment pages, before becoming deputy editor in 1995. ‘Georgina was a crucial part of the Guardian’s development over the past 20 years. She was a wonderful deputy editor for 11 years – energetic, decisive, warm and wise,’ said Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger. ‘And then, in 2006, she launched Comment is Free, a revolutionary idea of how to transform a newspaper comment section. She loved the democracy of digital media and created a space for diverse discussion and debate of a sort no mainstream paper had dared to try.’

Wayne James Hu Hsing-cheng

KCSMD, Medicine, 1988Wayne James Hu Hsing-cheng, a widely respected Hong Kong-based physician, died in a boating accident in September. He was prominent in the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology, specialising in stomach cancer. He wrote

Margaret Gain (latterly Harris) Theology, 1954Dr Keith Scott Chemistry, 1954Eur Ing Robert Barr Chemical Engineering, 1955Neil Farrar Civil Engineering, 1955Paul Hammett Civil Engineering, 1955Gillian Levi German with French, 1955Brian Owers Law, 1955Margaret Dobson (latterly Proctor) General, 1956Juliet Follwell (latterly Yell) General, 1956Christine Potter Physiotherapy, 1956Dr Robert Coates Mathematics, 1957His Honour Keith Devlin Law, 1957Keith Ambrose Civil Engineering, 1958Colin Baker Spanish, 1958Dr Jeremy Kayll Medicine, 1959Peter Walker Physics & Chemistry, 1960Brian Grellier Theology, 1961Dr Thomas Passmore Science, 1961Dennis Clark Mathematics and Physics, 1962John Shildrick History, 1962Elizabeth Woodland (latterly Vaile) Medicine, 1962

The Revd Ian Fenton Theology, 1963The Revd Mark Tailby Theology, 1963Jane Wilkins (latterly Voyle) Physiotherapy, 1963Michael Hacker Engineering, 1964Rodney Hall French with Management, 1967The Revd Adrian Bell Theology, 1970Emeritus Professor Richard Beard 1971David Evans Law, 1973Patricia Maunder (latterly MacDougall) Geology, 1973The Revd Canon Geoffrey Mason Theology and Religious Studies, 1974Penry Perry Theology, 1974Peter McGrail Law, 1976Neil Thompson Law, 1982David Botsford History, 1985Jyoti Manek Pharmacy, 1988Susan Wild Pharmacy, 1989David Parry Theology and Religious Studies, 1990Sergei Zhulev Management Studies, 1991Robert Davies Education Studies, 1992Peter Miller Law, 1992Alexander Mosley Mathematics, 1992Richard Motie Chemistry, 1992

Dr Dorothy Trump Biochemistry, 1994Dr Noel Olsen Medical Ethics and Law, 1997Dr Edward Pett Medicine, 1999Ann-Marie Nielsen Clinical Neuropsychology, 2001Daphne Lesser (latterly Chinnery) History, 2003Brandon Long Physiology, 2005Gareth Boylan Nursing Studies, 2006Kay Tanfield Nursing Studies, 2006Virginie Zacchino International Management, 2010Edward Lovegrove Nursing, 2012Dr Karolina Kapeller Physiology, 2013Professor Kenneth Eakins Pharmacology, year unknownProfessor Robert Street Physics, year unknown

Queen Elizabeth CollegeMarjorie Noakes (latterly Holland) 1952Rachel Sheppard (latterly Field) Nursing Studies, 1971

Royal Dental HospitalDr Donald Winstock Dentistry, 1948Peter Jones Dentistry, 1954Major Melvyn Luckham-Down Dentistry, 1954J Read Dentistry, year unknown

St Thomas’Dr Frank Cockett Medicine, 1939Dr Derek Doran Medicine, 1940Dr R Danckwerts Medicine, 1942Dr Elwyn Edwards Medicine, 1943Dr William Fenton Medicine, 1945Professor Jeffery Lever Medicine, 1946Dr James Birley Medicine, 1952Dr Norman Miles Medicine, 1952Dr Richard Payne Medicine, 1954Dr Michael Beale Medicine, 1956Dr Brian Wright Medicine, 1957Dr Euan Paul Medicine, 1960Dr Peter Mundy Medicine, 1971Dr Judy Whitwell (latterly De La Hoyde) Medicine, 1971Dr Richard Stott Medicine, 1972Dr Derek Dickson Medicine, year unknown

‘The man who spared none’Khushwant Singh FKC

King’s, Law, 1938Khushwant Singh graduated from King’s with a law degree, was called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and practised for nearly 10 years at the High Court of Lahore. He cast aside his law career, however, and instead established himself as one of India’s premier writers, describing his career journey this way: ‘I was a poor student, a briefless barrister, a tactless diplomat and ended up as an ill-informed journalist.’ Singh authored several acclaimed books, including Train to Pakistan, A History of the Sikhs and The Company of Women, but for millions of Indians he was best known for his irreverent, sometimes acerbic column in the Hindustan Times. Lauded by that newspaper, where he served as editor in the 1980s, as ‘the man who spared none’, he continued to write his celebrated weekly column ‘With Malice towards One and All’ until two years ago, when he was nearly 97. In a quiet ceremony at Singh’s Delhi home in January, the Principal, Professor Sir Richard Trainor, awarded a fellowship of the College to Singh in recognition of his accomplishments in literature and journalism.

Email us at [email protected]

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articles about preventing digestive diseases, and had a great interest in cooking. He was honorary clinical assistant professor of University of Hong Kong’s Department of Medicine. He is survived by his wife Emma and their children Alexander and Andrea.

Dr Abbas Khan

Biomedical Science Intercalated, 2003Dr Abbas Khan travelled to Syria to provide much-needed care to the victims of that nation’s violent civil war. He was captured by Syrian forces and, as reported by the Telegraph, ‘was plunged into a nightmare year of torture and confinement which ended in a lonely prison death. Few accept the assertion of the Syrian government that he took his own life, particularly since he had been told he was only days away from being allowed home to Britain.’ Father of two young children, Dr Khan was an orthopaedic surgeon, working at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, and he had previously worked at the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. He left for the Middle East in 2012 to help treat the large numbers of

civilian casualties. He arrived in Turkey and soon crossed into Syria, where his intention was to work as an emergency surgeon. Government forces arrested him within days. In the following months, Dr Khan wrote letters to his family in the UK telling them about the torture and squalid conditions that he and other prisoners were forced to endure.

Clara Marina O’Donnell

European Studies (French), 2005Clara O’Donnell was a rising star at the Centre for European Reform when she died in January, aged 30. She came to the centre as a defence analyst in 2007, having previously worked at NATO and at Chatham House. She grew up in Brussels, the daughter of Spanish and Anglo-Irish parents, and spoke Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish and English. She was an advocate for European collaboration, arguing that European nations should share defence capabilities and create a single market for defence equipment. She wrote articles and papers for publications such as International Affairs, Europe’s World and Jane’s Defence Weekly.

Alexandros Petersen

War Studies, 2006A scholar of Central Asia, Alexandros Petersen left for Kabul in January to teach political science at the American University of Afghanistan. Tragically, he was among 21 people who were killed in a suicide attack attributed to the Taliban. He was 29 and had been in the country just a week. The Department of War Studies issued this statement: ‘We seek to produce graduates that leave us eager and able to change the world through future scholarship, policy and/or practice. Alex was just such a person. We remember him as an outstanding student with an obvious and infectious enthusiasm for his subject. Encountering him for the first time in a lecture or seminar, you were as surprised and impressed by his detailed knowledge of pipeline politics in the Caucasus as by his immaculately tailored clothes. From the start of his degree he was committed to a career in policy-relevant research, an ambition to which he succeeded with great aplomb.’

Daniel Weissbort

Working with Ted Hughes, Daniel

Weissbort was a founder of Modern Poetry in Translation, an innovative magazine that he edited for nearly four decades. From its humble beginnings in 1965, the magazine evolved into a leading journal for translators. In 1973, when Hughes moved to the US and the publication’s future was uncertain, a grant to King’s kept the magazine alive under the College’s imprint.

Professor Maureen Young

Professor Maureen Young made important contributions to humankind’s knowledge of amino acid transfer across the placenta and its role in foetal nutrition. She joined St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School in 1946 and remained there until retiring in 1982. She became one of the leading researchers of her generation, often at great personal sacrifice, and she wrote about the challenges female researchers faced in her book Women Physiologists. Although international travel was not possible during her final years, she continued to attend scientific meetings in Cambridge, near her home, well into her 95th year.

44 IN TOUCH SPRING 2014

Obituaries

SIP

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The Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine is launching a postgraduate programme in Bioethics & Society, designed to prepare healthcare professionals and others whose careers may involve increasingly common issues at the intersection of medicine, science and ethics, such as pre-implantation diagnosis,

genetic counseling and neuro-enhancement.

The programme, commencing in the autumn, will explore ethical issues such as biomedical research, public health, genetics and reproduction, and neuroscience and mental health. It will be the only UK bioethics programme based in a social science department, and will

culminate with a master’s degree, diploma or certificate.

Lecturer Silvia Camporesi, the programme’s assistant director and a King’s alumna, says the course will begin with a theoretical framework but then delve into current real-world issues, such as the decisions faced by prospective parents to select genetic traits in their children, and the use of biomedical technologies to enhance human capacities.

Professor Ilina Singh, who directs the programme, says the master’s degree will benefit professionals looking to expand their expertise in health and medicine into bioethics, as well as current students considering careers in academia, counseling, public health or health policy.

To learn more about the Bioethics & Society programme, please contact the Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine. Call +44 (0)20 7848 7918, email [email protected] or visit kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/sshm/study/bioethics.aspx

EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF BIOMEDICINE, ETHICS AND SOCIETY

Human embryo cells: should parents be able to design their children?

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Last issue’s puzzle… Nine states

It is one of those rarest of London afternoons in May: sunshine without a single cloud in sight, the temperature hovering around 25°C and just the gentlest of breezes. In other words, it is not a good time to be in a below-ground classroom, with only a sliver of blue sky showing from a single window by the ceiling.

Midway through a long – and, if he were honest with himself, somewhat tedious – lecture, Professor Williams notes 20 sets of eyes fixed on that sliver of sky. He stops lecturing for a moment and turns his head to look at that tiny bit of blue brilliance.

‘C’mon, Professor Williams,’ comes a voice from the back of the room. ‘Let us out of here. Just this one time.’

Professor Williams turns his attention back to his students. ‘Thank you, Mr Walters,’ he says. ‘Maybe you can make that happen.’

Professor Williams excuses himself for a moment and returns to the classroom with three boxes,

which he puts on a table at the front of the room. One box is purple, one is orange and one is green. Each has a statement written on its lid.

The purple box reads: ‘The gold Reggie statue is in this box.’

The orange box reads: ‘The gold Reggie statue isn’t in this box.’

The green box reads: ‘The gold Reggie statue isn’t in the purple box.’

‘Mr Walters, I have a little test for you. Please come here,’ says Professor Williams, and the young man walks to the front of the room. ‘Only one of these three statements is true, the other two are false. If you can tell me which box contains Reggie, class is over and everyone can go outside to enjoy the sunshine.’

The student pauses for only a second and opens the box containing Reggie. His classmates cheer! Break out the sunscreen!

Which box did he open and why?

Three boxes, one Reggie

In the previous issue of In Touch, you read about Karen, a King’s graduate who had taken a teaching job. As part of a classroom trivia contest about America, one of her students, little Tommy, writes the names of these nine US states on the blackboard: Maine, Vermont, New York, Florida, Iowa,

Texas, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.‘These states aren’t like the other

41 states,’ Tommy says. ‘Can you tell me how they’re different?’

What makes these states unusual is that they’re isogrammatic words. That means none of the letters in their names is repeated. For example, Iowa

has four unique letters, Maine has five and Vermont has seven. Our winners, drawn at random, are Dr Michael Barrie (St Thomas’, Medicine, 1991), Dr Graham Burford (Chelsea College, PhD Pharmacology, 1966) and Dr Wendy Burke (PhD Film & Cultural Studies, 2010).

Logic Puzzle

Send your solutions to: Logic Puzzle, InTouch, King’s College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA or email [email protected]. The three best solutions received before 15 July 2014 will each win a £10 book token

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SPRING 2014 IN TOUCH 45

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

46 IN TOUCH SPRING 2014

Memories of John Crow continued to inspire letter writers, as did recollections of trams and Coronation Day.

A GOOD FRIEND REMEMBEREDAs one who was a student at King’s from 1953 to 1956, I suspect

I was not alone in being saddened by the death of Hugh Tebay. I knew him as a fellow member of the cricket team. He was a forceful batsman and captained the side in 55 and 56, when we won the ULU Cup. I think that he was also captain of the hockey team. Hugh was a ‘larger than life’ personality who seemed to make things happen.

Our tours to Devon and Dorset at the end of the summer term remain the source of many fond memories, and I want to share an encounter which occurred at Bideford. It was normal on tour to rotate the players (it usually seemed to be the batsmen ). This day, a teammate I shall call ‘JL’ was rested. Unfortunately, a selected player was injured in the warm-up, so Hugh called JL over and told him to get changed and put his pads on. JL protested, ‘I can’t. I’ve just had a few pints.’ Hugh responded, ‘That’s all right. Just go out there and hit the middle ball with the middle bat.’David SwainGeography, 1956

THE MEMORABLE JOHN CROW AGAINThe stories about John Crow which you have already published encourage me to add my own contribution.

To Mr Crow, tutorials with Honours undergraduates in French, for whom English was ‘subsidiary’, must have been

an academic irritant. If so, he did not however betray this as we navigated our way

through the two- or three-foot high piles of books which nearly covered the floor of his study. (He was, I believe, a reviewer for The Listener.)

But our group could sometimes

be the target of magisterial ‘put-downs’. I have the authorisation of my friend Anne Cook (née Berry) to relate this elaborate version of one of those questions which cannot conveniently be answered by a simple yes or no, like ‘Have you stopped biting your nails yet?’ Anne attempted to challenge Mr Crow’s assertion that one should maintain strict objectivity in the face of the plot of a novel.

‘Are you telling me, Miss Berry, that, as you sit huddled over the gas fire in your mean bed-sitting room, reading The Mill on the Floss, the tears run down your heavily-powdered cheeks?’

However, I was the victim of a much more succinct demolition job. We were discussing verse drama and, in particular, the works of TS Eliot. The previous evening, I had taken a young lady to see Christopher Fry’s The Dark is Light Enough and I mentioned this to Mr Crow.

‘Mr Bryant,’ he drawled, ‘do you have to drag utter dramatists into this conversation?’

‘Oh, Mr Crow,’ I riposted, ‘do you put Christopher Fry in the gutter?’

‘No, Mr Bryant, I find him there.’John BryantFrench, 1954

AND AGAIN!Somehow, I missed Geoffrey Weekes’s letter in the spring 2013 In Touch and am grateful to him for moving others to contribute their offerings. Here are a few of my own to add to what might, perhaps, be rolled into a vast Crowball of warm memories. As an undergraduate, I saw a lot of Mr Crow, one way and another. Once, in his office, seated on the special tutorial seat made of piled volumes of the OED, I tried to get in a question not in one of his known areas of expertise, before he could begin to quiz me. ‘I don’t know, Sidnell,’ Crow boomed, ‘you tell me!’ And there I was, not quite

sure that he really did know, though it would have been stupid to take a chance on that.

Shortly after graduating, I was offered a fellowship and received my call-up for National Service, at about the same time. Maybe I could have postponed the second by taking up the first straightaway but I was wary of academe. In a state of uncertainty I went to see Crow. He roared, of course, when I told him that I thought an academic career would be too quiet for me. And he urged me quite seriously to consider that the only serious revolutions are palace revolutions. I guess I’d told him that my ambitions were in some fashion revolutionary. Anyway, we kept in touch while I was serving in the Middle East, and, on one occasion, I asked my fiancée, still at King’s, to consult him on my behalf. Boldly, she went to see him and was greeted, in the friendliest fashion, with, ‘You must be Mr. Sidnell’s millstone.’

Before that, though, I had been demobbed and had started research for an MA. I was fated to take up WB Yeats’s plays for a topic, and had trotted off to Dublin to inspect some of the poet’s manuscripts, recently deposited in the National Library of Ireland. There were heaps of them, roughly sorted into likely groupings by Mrs Yeats. After arduously working out a convincing order for the drafts I was particularly concerned with, I needed some way of referring definitively and permanently to each folio. The method I thought best had never, as far as I knew, been used before. This was to refer to each folio by the roll and frame number of its image on the NLI’s microfilm copy. As I began to do this, I was dismayed to discover that the recent ink inscriptions used to identify (often mistakenly) the folios were not, as I had assumed, in Mrs Yeats’s hand. They did not appear on the film made after she

Letters

PRIZE LETTER

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had deposited the manuscripts in the NLI. It seemed likely that novice as I was, I would get the blame and shame.

When I reported my discovery to the librarian, he was just as alarmed as I was, even more so, since he obviously believed me. Only one person before me had consulted the papers since their arrival in the NLI and that one was a senior scholar of repute and a good friend of his. This man had apparently become quite distraught in his attempt to quell the papers before his sabbatical ended. As soon as possible I sought John Crow’s advice. It was to publish my method, my findings and, if I dared, the name of the scholar who had defaced the papers. I did this and sent a copy to the named scholar. He neither denied nor admitted, nor sued, and we never mentioned the incident when we entered into a friendly collaboration some years later. And that’s how I got into a kind of research that was not at all what I had in mind when I went to see the poet’s papers.

A later meeting with Crow was at the Huntington Library in California, where we found ourselves in the same excellent digs, at the Atheneum Club. I was still plugging away at Yeats’s papers, of which the Huntington has good holdings. One day, at the HL, Crow asked me if I had found any uncatalogued items of interest to me. I was still innocent enough not to have entertained the thought. Crow took me by the hand – literally, was it? – to see his friend, the director, who was pleased to say that there was an uncatalogued item that would probably interest me. It did, mightily. And the lesson proved a most useful one, too.

Back in Canada, probably in the same year, we met up at the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario. Crow entertained performers and patrons, scholars and citizens, at seminars, a banquet and out and about.

After the seminars, I suffered my little car to take Crow, his rucksack, his ‘gentleman’s trunk full of Xeroxes’, my luggage and me back home, where Crow was to stay with us. On the way we passed through a town still, at that time, called Sodom. ‘Stop, Sidnell, stop! I must get a postcard!’ Alas, there was no postcard to be had and, moreover, I could not oblige him with a side-trip to Gomorrah, since there was apparently no such place in the region, though Crow felt strongly that there should be. Nevertheless, we had a fine old time, my 12-year-old beat Crow at chess and we got together with Crow’s old friend, Rooke – Barbara Rooke, Coleridgean, and my colleague at that time. The large sock that we found in the laundry after Crow left we kept for a while as a memento.Michael J SidnellEnglish, 1956

BORN-AGAIN REGGIE?I was surprised to read Ron Norman’s reference to a red concrete lion in the autumn issue of In Touch. Has Reggie been born again?

When we repaired him twice in the 1940s he was certainly sculptured in copper and we repaired him in the same material, although I believe that subsequently he was filled with cement in order to make it more

difficult for him to wander in search of new pastures!Cecil FrenchMechanical Engineering, 1948Editor’s note: If you haven’t seen it already, please check out the lengthy history of Reggie online at alumni.kcl.ac.uk/reggie-history/introduction

STAYING DRY ON CORONATION DAYNorman Nicholson’s letter (autumn 2013 In Touch) has revived my own recollections of 1953. Coronation year was my graduation year. I had been resident in Canterbury Hall for three years (women only in those days) and it was an extremely pleasant place to live, very central, but occupying the straight side of a leafy crescent, with Bentham Hall (men) and College Hall (women), both for UCL students, on the other side, and tennis courts in the middle. It was very near Euston Road, just south of St Pancras Church and about a mile to walk to King’s.

The rooms were mostly in pairs with a bathroom between them, quite a luxurious set-up compared with many universities we knew of. We had a large downstairs room with a stage in which some students from Bentham Hall gave us ballroom dancing classes, and I hired it for my 21st birthday dance (21 couples allowed).

The warden, Miss Mitchelhill, a lady who had served in the WRENs and wore her authority lightly, volunteered to hire a huge screen to show the television pictures there on 2 June. Several of my friends decided to get near the action and walked down to the Strand, where they spent the night in the drizzle, in order to see the processions going past but of course saw nothing of the ceremony.

Those of us who stayed in hall spent the morning watching the whole broadcast in dry comfort – an amazing experience for those of us who had previously

(rarely) only seen television on minute screens in a domestic setting. After lunch, when the sun came out, we went down to the Strand to watch the processions coming back. Being in the centre of London somehow made us feel more involved in the whole thing than we might have been. I shall never forget the date, because we began our final exams the next day, 3 June.Margaret EtallSpanish 1953

A SPECIAL DAY WITH A SILVER TRAMI was interested to read this article, and remember walking past the tunnel entrance on the way to College. The tunnel was enlarged to take double deck trams on14 January 1931, and the opening ceremony featured a silver painted tram no 1931, which replaced number 1930, which had received the same treatment in anticipation of the enlargement being completed during the previous year.George JenningsHistory, 1972

MASOCHISTIC PLEASUREWhen I saw the latest copy of In Touch coming through the letterbox, it is no exaggeration to say that I sprinted to the door, tore off the packaging like an over-excited child at Christmas and started frantically flicking through the pages. Why? Because for the past few months the ‘Spilt pills’ Logic Puzzle (spring 2013) has been niggling away at me. Whether it was whilst waiting in a checkout queue or watching a football match, Reg and the conundrum of his pills would intrude into my thoughts.

In an era of instant gratification, there is a certain (albeit masochistic) pleasure in being forced to wait for the solution to a problem, even if it means that for me In Touch is all too often a case of In Suspense!Sunny TailorLaw, 2004

The legendary John Crow

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In September 1945, 20 first-year students began the BSc (Special) degree in Chemistry. The war in the Far East had only just stopped with the dropping of the atom bombs. Large numbers of older students were returning from the war in Europe and student accommodation was very limited. Young students were advised to live at home even if it meant travelling 20-30 miles daily. I travelled from Watford to Euston followed by a number 68 or 70 bus to the Strand, a trip of 90 minutes, which could be quicker if I managed to catch a fast steam train.

The devastation of London buildings was all around. All the basic ingredients were there as today – Parliament, Buckingham Palace, theatres, buses and the Underground – but they were war-worn, damaged or not painted for years or restricted. Everything was influenced by the 1930s style. It was as if London

48 IN TOUCH SPRING 2014

LONDON & MELIVING AND DINING IN POST-WAR LONDON

had stopped developing for six years and had become tarnished and run down. It only emerged from this era after the 1951 Exhibition.

There was a College restaurant but food was still rationed so the choices were not great. Some

of us preferred to go down the Strand to the Lyons Corner House, which was a self-service restaurant. As you moved along there were lots of little glass doors for compartments, each containing one plate with one course. You took what you chose. The system kept the queue moving well, an advantage if you were short of time. The meals on offer would seem to be very old hat now, mainly stews and dumplings.

Each compartment (about three inches high and a plate size in width) had a small glass door. You walked along in front of this array of compartments and opened the door of a compartment that contained the cooked food you wanted. There was no order in the placement of particular meals in the compartments: the busy Lyons staff kept refilling them with whatever meal seemed to be needed. Then you went along to the end of the compartments and paid your money to the girl at the till.

In the academic year 1946-7, my outgoings for meals in London were the equivalent of £16 and my train and bus fares were £21. The figures seem ludicrously small today!

Obviously, being a student in London was an adolescent’s baptism into adulthood of a privileged cultural kind. Despite all the deprivations due to war, and the travelling from home, it was still a magical introduction to life. Brian CaneChemistry, 1948

Do you have memories of a special place or activity in the capital during your days as a student? Please let us know. Write to us at In Touch, King’s College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA or email [email protected]

It was still a magical introduction to lifeM

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Alumni benefits and services +44 (0)20 7848 [email protected]

King’s College London James Clerk Maxwell Bldg 57 Waterloo Road London SE1 8WA© King’s College London 2014

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

The College will publish the next issue of In Touch in autumn 2014

Editorial +44 (0)20 7848 [email protected]

Editor James Bressor

Editorial Assistant Jules Foreman

Contributors Nancy Allison, James Bressor, Kirsty Buck, Laura Dalton, Jules Foreman, Lucy Jolin, Chris Kenyon Jones, Helen May, Lorna Pontefract, Amy Webb

Photography Julian Anderson, Tom Campbell, Suki Dhanda, Walker Golder, Karen Robinson, Troy Stains

Illustrations João Fazenda, Millie K Nice

Design Esterson Associates +44 (0)20 7684 6500

Repro DawkinsColour

Print Warners

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

A nice break from the College’s dining options

Page 51: In Touch Spring 2014

£500m, 252,442 gifts

The campaign in numbers 1 in 100

people in the UK have autism. We can now diagnose it in 15 minutes(see page 3)

£9,568,154 given by alumni and friends through their will

Millionsof people across the world have received better palliative care thanks to our donors (see page 9)

303students are attending King’s this year with help from campaign scholarships & bursaries(see page 7)

71nations represented by our donors

550 Extended Medical Degree Programme students have attended King’s during the campaign (see page 5)

243donors have given £1,000 or more so far this year (continuing an upward trend)

78new leaders have been trained by our pioneering African Leadership Centre

Florence NightingaleFounder of modern nursing

Professor James Clerk MaxwellUnified the theories of electricity and magnetism

Virginia WoolfBritish modernist author

Rosalind Franklin & Maurice WilkinsPivotal in discovering the structure of DNA

Archbishop Desmond TutuTireless anti-apartheid campaigner

Professor Peter Ware Higgs CH FRS FRSE

Predicted the existence of the Higgs boson

King’s alumni have changed the worldLearn how to leave your own legacy to society by making a gift to King’s in your will As incredible as our history may be, an institution as progressive as ours does not live in the past. Right now, we are close to producing a vaccine to stop leukaemia from coming back. We believe we can reverse autism. We are teaching another generation of the world’s finest minds. After your loved ones have been provided for, even the smallest gift in your will can change the world for the better.

To find out everything you need to know about preparing your will, attend our free, no obligation How to Write Your Will session.

At Alumni Weekend – 7 June 2014, 15.00 to 15.45, Strand CampusTo book, call 020 7848 3053 or email [email protected]

Page 52: In Touch Spring 2014

SPRING 2014


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