News

OUSC member Sean Moroney gave a demonstration of the innovative Citipod.

OUS committee member Mo Middleton arranged a visit to the Parker Library in Corpus Christi College, where we privileged to be told about its history and shown some of its treasures by the Librarian

OUSC member Miles Dodd gave an entertaining talk on misericords in England and France 13th-16th centuries at Selwyn College. He illustrated his talk with excellent photographs of the little wooden carvings found under the tip up seats in churches and cathedrals – some beautiful, some hilarious, some rather rude, many full of symbolism, and all fasc

Professor Dame Clare Grey gave an illuminating talk on ‘What can (battery) science do for the environment?’ at Pembroke College, where she is a fellow. She ensured that while those in the audience who came with scientific understanding and knowledge heard plenty to advance their knowledge of the development and future of batteries, others also left with with much more understanding of this important aspect of all our futures.

On November 8th 2024, committee member Linda Appleby’s book ‘The Kingdom Is Yours’ was published. It is a journal of the last 10 years of the twentieth century. Following vast changes in world events, the book uses psychodynamic theories of world events to establish a link between political change and personal life. Why were the ‘Yugoslav’wars, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the release of Nelson Mandela, the rise of Tony Blair possible? Could there be a spiritual connection – and where might we be going?

The book was published by Austin Macauley and costs £7.99 It is available from all bookshops and online.

In March 2024, Fiona Chesterton gave an absorbing talk on Bringing Family History to Life at Wolfson College.. She described how an unexpected inheritance prompted her research into family history., using not only traditional genealogical records but also a wide range of resources such as old photographs and and personal mementoes to develop her book Secrets Never To Be Told. She described its long road to the publication, including as an audiobook version. The event was very much enjoyed by the 30 or so people who attended, with many contributions to discussion following Fiona’s talk. All copies of the book Fiona brought with her were sold to an enthusiastic audience and she went away with further orders to fulfil!

In July 2024, Elizabeth Stazicker told the tale of the Fenland Princess, St. Etheldreda, founder of the monastic community on which Ely Cathedral is based. Elizabeth is the Honorary Archivist to the Cathedral and was part of the team who studied the story’s sources for the 2023 anniversary. After the dramatic storytelling, there was a lively Q and A and discussion of the themes raised in the story. The pleasant community room of Little St. Mary’s Church proved an ideal setting to be told a story on a summer evening as birdsong drifted in from the garden.

Sue Griffin has compiled some statistics on the profile of OUSC members. You may be interested to know that there are 145 alumni on our current mailing list. Of these; 87 have been to an in-person or Zoom event. The matriculation profile is as follows:

1940s 2

1950s 18

1960s 22

1970s 32

1980s 17

1990s 8

2000s 14

2010s 16

2020s 7

We are a committee of six people at the moment. There is room for more volunteers to attend meetings every two months and take part in developing new areas of action. Meetings are now held in person at members’ homes. If you would like to volunteer, please contact us.

Somerville

‘tutorials’, ‘quads’, the plash of punts
mist on an autumn evening, biking round
the sheldonian, invisible in fog
the libraries’ air as still as sleep
halls full of talking students, comfort, food
portraits of faces more familiar than living dons
whose liberal care was mild as oxford’s spring
sub-fusc was deadly dark, like tutored ants
and schools a marbled monument to hope
contrast it with our shabby, cheap, warm house
of seven undergraduates and friends
three years of searching study and hot soup
from friars on st giles on winter afternoons

Linda Appleby