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Pembrokian T h e

July 2012Issue 36

Vikings in

the Wirral

VV

Tarik O’Regan’s

Heart o Darkness

V

Pembroke’s Own

Diamond JubileePatrick Pichette

on Pembroke

V



to dene a “voice” or mysel. Atermany years o teaching, I now make my living exclusively rom composing. Tistransition has had a huge and positive

impact on my lie. My desire or artisticsel-suciency whilst staying within the wider proessional music world stemsrom my time at Pembroke, I think.

Having been a Fellow at a giantcollege (rinity College, Other Place),

where there is a greater sense o anonymity and thus a need to orm strong, bindingand oten exclusive subsets o the largercommunity, I would say Pembroke’sstrength lies partly in its small, robustsize, but also in its myriad strands o individuality.

When I was an undergraduate,Pembroke was a place where it was easy to get ully involved in many diferentaspects o extra-curricular student lie,

yet still not disappear down the rabbithole o ‘cliquishness’. I graduated in 1999and, although I’ve seen the College grow in every way since then, I suspect thatcore, Pembrokian sense o tightly-boundpluralism, which has proven to be soinuential to me, continues to ourish.

Why Heart o Darkness?

I rst read the novel in my early teensand didn’t think much o it; I rememberclaiming, arrogantly, the language to be“turgid”! I read it again, whilst at Pembroke,in act. It was during this reading that Icame across some introductory materialcontaining something Joseph Conrad had

written in 1917. He said that “Heart o Darkness is experience ... pushed a little(and only very little) beyond the actualacts o the case.” In other words, thenovel is largely autobiographical. Tis was

when something “clicked” or me; th ere was more to this work than th ere seemedon the surace o its very ew pages.

T wo-times winner o the BritishComposer Award and twiceGrammy® nominated arik

O’Regan (1996) is known to many o

us at Pembroke or his setting o Locus Iste, originally composed or the CollegeChoir whilst he was an undergraduate.

Since then, he has quickly establishedhis career as a composer, taking onacademic posts at Corpus Christi andrinity Colleges, Cambridge as wellas positions at leading Universities inthe US, including Harvard, Yale andColumbia. Last November the Linbury Teatre at the Royal Opera House wasthe setting or the staging o arik’s rstopera, based on Joseph Conrad’s classic,Heart o Darkness .

How have you moved on since your time at Pembroke? Has the College played any rolein your development and/or career?

You’ll have to ask my tutor, the great andlegendary Dr Guy Newbury!

I suppose in some ways I haven’tmoved on at all, in that I’m still trying At a later point, I’d become drawn to

the chamber opera orm by listening tothe works o Benjamin Britten. I knew

I wanted to write one, but I didn’t havea rm subject in mind. It was only when

om Phillips (my Librettist) mentionedthe novel that suddenly all the piecescame together.

Operatic music can add a new layer o interpretation, perhaps hithertounexpressed, in a very direct and visceral

way. For such a short, nuanced andcontroversial novel, this approach seemed

very appropriate. Our goal in makingan opera was to distil Conrad’s densenarrative, in which navigation is both apractical part o the tale - a journey by boat on a river in an unnamed country in Central Arica - and a metaphor ortelling, or indeed not telling, the truth o

StagiNgHEart of DarkNESS

From Locus Iste to Conrad’s classic

The Pembrokian 4 The Pembrokian 5

his experiences on this voyage. Tis double‘navigation’ is central to the opera’s drama.

In this respect, musically and inthe libretto, we tried to reect Conrad’s

split-rame narrative: Marlow, thenovel’s protagonist, is seen to be in twoplaces simultaneously (London as an oldseaarer and Central Arica as a youngsteamboat captain), both psychologically and empathetically. It is Marlow whoreveals his own younger sel’s lie. We seehim both as liberator and abductor o thetruth. Tis resonates with Edward Said’sunderstanding o the conict within theauthor himsel: “As a creature o his time,Conrad could not grant the natives theirreedom, despite his severe critique o theimperialism that enslaved them.”

Tus the central premise o our opera,the need to “come clean”, is both timelessand ever-timely.

In terms o its musical language, theopera codied a lot o my stylistic traits:add North Arican Al-Andalusian music,

American minimalism and Renaissancepolyphony to 1970s rock music (e.g. the

Who) and you get a pretty good ideao where my music comes rom. Teend result is oten tonally-centred, very

rhythmically driven in odd patterns and with a strong sens e o texture, especially in the vocal writing.

In Heart o Darkness I tried tocreate an individual sonic world, whichinhabited the characters’ minds, ratherthan their geographical location. Nosingle composer has ever been responsibleor writing truly “new” music. But the

very be st o them (in any genre, p opularor classical) have succeeded in creatinginnovative permutations o that whichhas gone beore. Tat principle remainsmy goal and I think the nearest I’ve cometo getting anywhere close is here.

What was it like to work with the Royal Opera House?

Big opera houses are like giant ships: very elegant, huge machines, which canonly move slowly and gently. We wereable to work in a co-production witha much smaller, nitier company calledOpera East, and it was the rst time

we’ve worked together in a composer/producer relationship. My connectionto Opera East goes back to my days as apercussionist: one o the ways in which Igot to grips with the Benjamin Brittenchamber operas I mentioned beore (Te urn o the Screw, Te Rape o Lucretia,

Albert Herring ) was by playing percussionor Opera East under the direction o their artistic director, Oliver Gooch.It was Ollie who conducted Heart o Darkness. Tis combination allowed usull artistic control and speedier decision-making with tremendous support romthe main house.

Ed Dick (director) wanted Marlow’stale on stage to become a orm o psychodrama: what the protagonist has to

The Cast o Heart of Darkness

say in London as an old man in some way begins to exorcise his inaction as a youngman, ollowing his expedition to Arica.

Tis psychological intimacy was a perect

t or the Linbury stage. We hope to announce the US première

o the opera very shortly (possibly evenby the time you’ve read this- do check my website: www.tarikoregan.com or my

witter @tarikoregan).

And looking to the uture, what are youcurrently working on?

I’ve just completed an orchestral suiterom the opera, which will be premieredin 2013 by the Royal PhilharmonicOrchestra. I’ve also recently been involvedin a new project with the Dutch NationalBallet. Te world o dance is hithertosomething into which I’ve not really delved (musically)! I’m also about tocomplete a new commission or the

Australian Chamber Orchestra; it’s calledChaabi and is the second piece o mine

which explores Arab dance orms.

Alan Oake as Marlow

Tarik O’Regan

Photographs: Marion Ettlinger (let), Catherine Ashmore (production photographs) op photograph caption: Morten Lassenius Kramp as Kurtz & Gweneth-Ann Jefers as the River Woman



that would be more tight-knit andcomortable, and I was really happy thatPembroke turned out to be so riendly and manageable.

What was it like moving rom Montreal toOxord?

It was about as diferent as you couldimagine. My undergraduate university atMontreal is the equivalent o a big USstate school, with tens o thousands o students. o move rom that to a c loisteredlittle community o a ew hundred, where

you wore gowns to Hall and sat one onone with tutors, was a complete and totalshock.

Any ond memories rom that rst year?

I lived in the MAC my rst year, and thescouts there, Barbara and Brenda, were

just wonderul people. Tey were hilariousand great at their jobs, but they also really tried to help the students – i you needed

Foundation Fellow, Patrick Pichettecame to Pembroke rom his nativeMontreal in 1987 as a Rhodes scholar

reading or an MA in PPE. Since leaving

College, he and his wie amar (1986) -Pembroke Bridging Centuries CampaignBoard Member - have been generousbeneactors o Pembroke, and active inthe Pembroke in North America Society .Patrick moved through senior positionsat Call-Net enterprises, McKinsey & Co.,and Bell Canada beore becoming Chie Financial Ocer at Google in 2008. Herecently took a ew minutes to talk EvanLabuzetta (2002) about his experience,the uture o College, and the importanceo giving back.

Why did you choose Pembroke?

Tere were two main reasons: I waslooking or a College that was strongin PPE, and I was wary o drowning inwhat I imagined to be this sea o grandeurat Oxord. I wanted a smaller College

anything, they’d nd it. Tey were themost eccentric people I’ve ever met in my lie; JK Rowling didn’t even come closeto having the richness and the colour o these people. At the same time, they really revealed the town and gown divide, as

well as the class divide in Britain. It was very strange or me to have housekeepe rsin College, and to have this sense o thestudents being somehow privileged andset apart. But they were absolute treasuresand I have immensely ond memories o them and o the entire College staf.

“I thought it was

important to keep the fort

up and running”

Other than that, there were thelittle things, like the number o diferentdesigns or electrical plugs, or the ubiquity o the “quick pint”, which was rereshingcompared to the more typical bingedrinking culture in North America.

Te main cultural thing I rememberrom that rst year was the sh ock o beingplunged into an international community that collapses the whole world into oneplace. I met people rom all over and it

was such a rich environment comparedto my undergraduate years. For example,

patrick pichette A prole by Evan Labuzetta (2002)

teach firSt BurSarY


I’d lived less than 100km away romthe USA or most o my lie, but I metmore Americans and learned more about

America in my two years at Oxord than

during my whole lie up to then. And o course, my experience atPembroke changed my lie in a very direct

way, because that’s where I met my wie amar. She was reading Law at the time,and went on to a successul career inCanada. We have now been together orover 20 years.

Why did you stand or MCR president in

your second year?

o be honest, I knew that no one else was going to stand, and I thought that was just unacceptable. Te late 80s were atough time or College, academically andnancially, but I thought it was importantto keep the ort up and running. We

were able to get the MCR set up with asecretary and treasurer, and that year we

won some promises rom College to have

were done paying our school debts, we would immediately start giving, and

would always give n o matter how muchor how little money we made. At rst, we

could only give small amounts and it took us years to establish anything substantial,but Giles [Henderson] and the wholeCollege team are always immensely gracious about any level o support. Andas we’ve been able to give more, we’vebeen very comortable doing so because

we’ve seen how the institution has done so well. College is in a antas tic position orthe next decade and century; the BridgingCenturies project is just the rst step inthat direction.

Any last remarks or your ellow alumni?

Help however you can, and don’t wait. Any signicant git to College or to any charity is a little like having kids. I you

wait or exactly the right time to do it, younever will, because there’s always a goodexcuse not to. Once you start, it will be anabsolute joy to your lie, but you have totake the plunge. I you’re reading this, it’sbecause you love Pembroke and the time

you spent there mattered to you. Give

something back. Te College changed your lie, and you have an obligation tomake sure the next generations have thatopportunity as well.

buildings in the back quad set aside ordedicated graduate housing. I was very proud o that accomplishment becauseo what it meant to graduate students in

uture years. Living out o College breaksup the magic o the Pembroke experience.

Looking back on your time in College, what perspective do you have now?

Well, the international experience washugely inuential. But more generally,I’ve come to realise that Pembroke is aantastic maniestation o the Oxonian

values. Te tutorial system, the Hall, theCollege bar, and the close community are all part o this basic inrastructure orsupporting students and simultaneously preparing them to do great things intheir adult lives. Tat environment trainspeople to be leaders, each in their own

way, because you need to be sel-reliantand motivated to thrive there. Pembroke

will always make sense or young peoplein that way; it’s a wonderul incubator andbrings out the best in students.

Why have you chosen to support College nancially?

It wasn’t really a choice – it has alwaysbeen a priority or both amar and me.It’s how we were brought up, and wepromised ourselves that as soon as we

The MCR

Patrick Pichette

Like Patrick, Evan Labuzetta also met his uture spouseat Pembroke and is now married to Jamie (2002). Hesupported Bridging Centuries himsel by organizinga sponsored Pembroke crew to enter the Head o theCharles, the world’s largest Regatta, in October 2011.

eVaN laBuzetta



The Pembrokian 11

pemBroke’S olYmpicStop teN-uouS

reading o the Book, maintained by theChair o the Food Committee, revealsanother side to these august ellows.

Most contributors were mainly

concerned or the common good; morethan “one saucer o marmalade per table”please, and sucient glasses and wateror all. Tere was also the suggestionthat the lunch menu be posted up inadvance (especially on sh days whichseem to be subject o much controversy,rom spelling o spratts/sprats to whethersmoked haddock, kippers or herringshould prevail). Te sh debate wasenlivened urther with the suggestion thatthe Che send the “putreying remains” o his catch to the Royal Zoological society rather than attempt to serve them to the

JCR; “must we put up with the shrivelledpiscine material that is served to us atbreakast nowadays? Te haddock andkippers would be an insult in a civic eatinghouse.”

No-one in the UK can have beenuntouched by the Diamond Jubileecelebrations as we commemorated

60 years o our Queen on the throne. Also

celebrated were our 1952 matriculandswho returned to Pembroke in April toete their own Diamond anniversary.Te Gaudy, which was or all years up to1957, was held in April. Juan ita Hughes,our Alumni Relations Manager went toevery efort to ensure that this very specialevent was honoured in the appropriateashion. She delved into Pembroke’sOral History project, and unearthed theJCR’S 1952 Food Suggestion Book. In it wediscover as the UK and Commonwealthwere preparing or the Coronation, themost pressing matter or the JCR was the‘Sassenach’ preparation o porridge andthe quality o the sh served in Hall.

Te 1952 group (pictured below)should represent the very epitome o respectability and gravity. However, close

diamoNd JuBilee gaudYPembroke revisits 1952

The Pembrokian 10

Te language used was unailingly precise, although not always kind, suchas the suggestion that the Che may substitute the “interminable supply o

somewhat hybrid liquid euphemistically described as soup” or a sweet at lunch, oreven a small portion o cheese [which wasstill under rationing but the allowancehad very recently been increased].

“the haddock and

kippers would be an insult in

a civic eating house”

However, the greatest contributor tothe book must be the chap who sparkedof the ‘great porridge debate’, whichdevelops into an ongoing saga. It starts

with his request that the morning porridgeto be prepared according to the Scottishmethod. Describing “sugar on porridge[as a] barbarous and unwholesome customthat cannot be too heartily deplored”he sought out a private meeting withthe Chair o the Food Committee but

was “shocked at his intransigence”, andmade the accusation “[you are] guilty o oppressing a minority, without benetingthe majority”. Tes e entries include rstinkling o impending Coronation whenhe asks i the porridge decision may be reached “beore the coronation o Elizabeth, Second to none?”. And later

wonders (with more than a hint o irony )“is there any prospect o [the CommitteeChair’s] name appearing on theCoronation Honours List or courageousdetermination and obstinacy in the aceo vastly superior arguments”.

Te world has changed in many ways since 1952. Hopeully, allalumni and guests thought the ood in2012 an improvement on that o 1952.

10: I was a semi-nalist in the 400 metre hurdles at the Rome Olympics in 1960. John Metcalf (1954).

9: Richard Darbourne (2000) has been selected as one o 25 Producers to make the 805 medal ceremonies happensmoothly and on time in ront o thousands o spectators and millions watching around the wor ld. Richard is delighted

to have been chosen and to be part o the Games Delivery eam.

8: Jane Rice Bowen (1992) is Joint CEO o Circus Space, who are helping prepare dea and disabled artists toperorm eatured roles in the Opening Ceremony o the Paralympic Games. Ater the games they plan to build on thispioneering project and develop ongoing training in circus and physical perormance or dea and disabled artists. Jane

writes, “We have also been working closely with one o the presenting partners (sponsors) or the Olympic orch Relay and put together a cast and creative team which have been on the road ollowing the Olympic ame”.(www.circusspace.co.uk).

7: “We are working hard on the coverage o the Olympics at the BBC, where I work in their onlinedepartment. In addition, I am working as a London Ambassador during the Games - helping tourists andmembers o the public with their visit to the Capital. Elizabeth Lane (2004).

6: “I worked on the Olympic Bid, Olympic Park site assembly (acquiring the land needed and relocatingbusinesses, residents and other occupiers; and remediating the site in preparation or construction work tobegin) and the legacy planning”. Isobel Leaviss [nee Perkins] (1992).

5: Melanie Dymond Harper (1986): “My riend Helena Smalman-Smith (1986) and I are volunteer perormers inthe Opening and Closing Ceremonies.”

4: Susan Rowett [nee Kalmanson] (1982) and John Kalmanson (1982). “O ur Danish grandmother Anna S teanie Nanna Fryland Claus en ( April 1, 1900 – August 2, 1981) competed in the 1920

Summer Olympics in Antwerp and won the gold medal in the 10m platorm diving. Te story isthat Danish selectors told her that they would not send her all that way just to dive and made

her also part o the gymnastics team, which she was most scornul o. Her diving training

involved breaking holes in the ice. She clinched gold with her last dive – a swallow dive.”

3: Our niece, Lucy Shuker, should be representing GB in the Paralympics Wheelchair ennis. Lucy had a motorcycle accident in 2001, when she was 21, which severed herspinal cord and let her with the use only o her upper body and arms. She is one o theUK’s highest ranking women in sport and p layed at Beijing in 2008 and at Wimbledonthe last three years. Jim Tomson (1963).

2: I run an inner-city community cricket project called StreetChance on behal o the Cricket Foundation, working in deprived areas across UK Cities. Te project is very much aimed at using cricket as a tool to combat social problems, break down barriersbetween young people rom diferent backgrounds and between young people andpolice. We will provide activity or young people across London who might be inspiredby the Games – pretty tenuous, but we have projects in all the Olympic boroughs.(www.streetchance.org). Richard Joyce (2001).

1: My stepather’s brother’s granddaugh ter is Jessica Varnish, who, in February, took Goldand a world record in cycling with teammate Victoria Pendleton. Philip Sen (1993).

With ull credit to Radio 2’s Breakast Show eature

Photograph: Sonia Pether (Gaudy photo, above)



Basma o Jordan (1989), Pro Rula Quawaso Jordan University, the Anglo-OmaniSociety, the Omani Foreign Ministry andthe British-Kuwaiti Friendship Society,

with special thanks due to Richard Muir,ormer HM Ambassador to Oman andKuwait. Tese unique experiences proveda resounding success, and the culturalinsights, language skills and all-roundknowledge acquired - together with theriendships ormed - will have a lastingimpact on our students.

JORDAN Roberta Dufeld (2008) and Sylvie-Anne

Stenton (2008)

Tis summer, we travelled to Jordan tospend ve weeks working and livingin the capital Amman at the MabarratUmm al-Husayn; a oundation thatprovides security, support and reuge ordisadvantaged boys who can no longerlive at home permanently. Our role was

Last summer, our Pembrokeundergraduates were inducted into

very diferent experiences o everyday lie in Arabic-speaking countries; Jordan,

Oman and Kuwait. Each reecting theenormous diversity in liestyle, cultureand language across the Middle East,these internships were acilitated by DrElisabeth Kendall (1989), Senior ResearchFellow in Arabic and Islamic Studies, aspart o her goal to help Pembroke to orgepartnerships in the Middle East.

Te opportunities ranged romtwo months living (and asting duringRamadan) with the boys and staf inan orphanage in Amman; ve weeksintensive study o Arabic and Omaniculture at Dhoar University; and a monthliving the high-lie among Kuwait City’selite, whilst writing or one o the nationalnewspapers.

Tese opportunities would not havebeen possible without the generoussupport o Honorary Fellow Princess

to teach English, spend time with theboys during their daily routine and extra-curricular activities, such as ootballpractice, excursions and singing classes. It

was hoped that being exposed to nati veEnglish speakers would encourageinterest in speaking oreign languages,and that our presence would promote apositive image o Western women.

Adjusting to our new lie was easy asthe people o the Mabarra were extremely

welcoming and hospitable. Te Islamic

holy month o Ramadan began on 1st August and, while many o the boysreturned home, we stayed to join in theRamadan routine o the remaining boysand staf. From the hours o 4am until7.30pm eating and drinking is orbiddenand it is an arrestable ofence to violatethis rule on the streets o Amman. We

were struck by the sense o community and solidarity as we all broke our asttogether each evening and lived through

what can sometimes be a very physically and mentally demanding time.

Tis was a summer unlike any otherand we were both sad to say goodbye tothe close riends that we made over arelatively short space o time.

middle-eaSterNiNterNShipS

Student experiences across the region

teach firSt BurSarY


OMAN Ra’eesa Mehta (2008)

wenty hours ater leaving London,

we arrived in Salalah, Oman, to b egin ave week course at Dhoar University,sponsored by the Anglo-Omani Society and the Omani Ministry o Foreign

Afairs. Starting at 8am every morning, we were driven to the Campus in the desert,a surreal experience ater the crowdedstreets o Oxord, and received Arabictuition in a variety o subjects, mainly centred on Omani history and culture.However the real understanding o Omaniculture was developed out o ‘school’ hours

when our hosts organised trips well of the beaten track into the Dhoar region.

Te landscape was incredibly varied- we ound ourselves climbing greenmountains, sitting on picturesque clif tops, standing at the edge o sink holesand even driving to Yemen and back! Yetthe most ascinating trip was our campingtrip ollowing the ootsteps o Wilred

Tesiger into the ‘Empty Quarter’- thedesert between Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Ater experiencing temperatures o 50˚Cin the barren desert, we were relieved

when at night it dropped to a ‘mere’35˚C. As it was a tiring business - slowly melting on the sand dunes - we wereofered an interesting ‘beverage’ when we

visited a Bedouin camp - namely a metalbucket o resh (I emphasise the wordresh) camels milk- still warm and rothy!

Te summer culminated in my grandgraduation ceremony wearing traditionalOmani dress, an unorgettable experience.

KUWAIT Roland Singer-Kingsmith (2007)

As my rst taste o lie in the Gul, I oundKuwait unlike the rest o the Arab Worldthat I have visited. Part humble intern andpart cultural delegate, I sampled Kuwaitisociety variously rom my journalist’s desk at the Kuwait imes , in the boardroomo the Kuwait Fund or Arab EconomicDevelopment and at the dinner table withthe Spanish Ambassador’s amily

Kuwaiti nationals are, by virtue o their blood, born kings in a modern

welare utopia. Education and healthcareare completely ree, private sector workersregularly protest or equal pay with theirpublic sector counterparts and petrol is

Roberta Dufeld and Sylvie-Anne Stenton in Amman Bishara boat

cheaper than bottled water. So orget thelabyrinthine souks o Fes and the ancientmosques o Damascus, and cue instead aull-at diet o Las Vegas highways, Miami

Vice motorboats and Prada handbags. Te high-society aspect o Kuwait,

although seductive, is not altogetherphysically healthy. One o the storiesthat I covered at the Kuwait imes wasa scientic symposium on combating therising problem o diabetes in Kuwait andacross the Gul in general. It’s not a simpleproblem to solve – midday temperaturesupwards o orty degrees or six monthso the year and the unavoidable need or acar in Kuwait pose a serious challenge tothose trying to lead a physically active lie.

Kuwaitis are a proud and generouspeople and handle their guests withexemplary Arab hospitality. I made some

wonderul riends with whom I sha ll stay in contact and visit when lie leads meback to the shores o the Arabian Gul.

I have Pembroke’s Elisabeth Kendalland the Kuwaiti-British FriendshipSociety’s Richard Muir to thank or my rst heady taste o the Gul, as well asEmiranda Winter and Abdullah Bishara,

who became my adoptive parents in

Kuwait.

Moving orward, Dr Kendall organizesthese internships on an annual basis, totake place in the Summer Vacation. I

you are interested in ofering similarinternships anywhere in the MiddleEast or would like to get in touch withour students socially whilst they are incountry (currently Kuwait, Jordan, Oman;but year abroad undergrads also go toCairo and Beirut) please get in touch viathe Development Oce [email protected]

Roland reading the Kuwait Times

“the most ascinating was our

camping trip ollowingthe ootsteps o Wilred Tesiger

into the Empty Quarter”



Ne w S ,V i e w S , S c hm o oz e . . .

E ven people who don’t like thrillers will like the novels o Philip Kerr. Tey’re written as well as ‘literary’

novels and straddle the lines betweenspy, crime and historical ction- enough

genres or anyone. Te most recent iscalled Prague Fatale , and it’s the ninthin a series that eatures Bernie Gunther,an ex-cop in Germany who sets up as aprivate detective in pre-war Berlin. Hemanages to survive both the war andpost-war years without joining the Nazisand acts like a Germanic equivalent o Chandler’s Philip Marlowe – tough butsensitive, wisecracking yet more than justa macho smart-alec. Te novels have arobust historical credence, but you nevereel Gunther’s merely a gurehead or hiscreator’s research. Highly recommended –and the nine-book series (so ar) can beread either in sequence or willy-nilly withequal pleasure.

highlY recommeNded

T i s p a g e i s o r t h e C o m m u n i t y t o s h ar e t h e i r n e w s a n d u p d a t e e l l o

w a l u m n i o n t h e i r w h e r e a b o u t s a n d l i e e v e n t s .

F ur t h e r , i a n y o n e i s i n t e r e s t e d i n p r o m o t i n g t h e i r b u s i n e s s h e r e b y o f e r i n g e x c l u s i v e a l u m n i d i s c o u n t s w e w e l c o m e a l l c o n t r i b u t i o n s .

P l e a s e c o n t a c t S o p h i e E l k a n o n s o p h i e . e l k a n @ p m b . o x . a c . u k

“At the age o 76, I have been awarded a PhD by Nottingham University. Te subject matter is Harold Macmillan and the Suez Crisis, and I amnow converting the thesis into a book. Tis may be o some interest to

my contemporaries.”

James is currently editorial director o Signal Books , a small, independentpublisher based in Oxord. With an emphasis on travel and history as

well as Oxord-related books, Signal is happy to ofer a discount o 25%(and ree P&P in the UK) to Pembrokians who order any title on the

website or by phone (www.signalbooks.co.uk, 01865 724856).

Te case o Shannon Faulkner ghting to be admitted to the all-maleCorps o Cadets at Te Citadel may very well be one o the most amouscases ever to come out o South Carolina. Robert Black served asShannon’s local counsel in Charleston and writes to let us know that hisbook about the case has been published: Local Counsel: Four Women o the

Citadel and Beyond, Carolina Academic Press.

Will Badger got in touch to correct our earlier asser tion that MichaelBerliner was responsible or unearthing the X-Men image, eatured in thelast edition. He states “Rather than the MCR ollowing up Mr Berliner’s

post, this image had already gone viral within the MCR Facebook worldthe month prior. We are o course very grateul or Mr Berliner’s interestand alumni participation generally.”

“I rowed or Pembroke 1st VIII between 1993 and 1995 and wascompelled to write as I saw such parallels bet ween this year’s race and thato 1995. Ater being in a similar position on the Wednesday o Eights

Week, we went on to gain the Headship, which transormed my lie. Ireceived job ofers, an unbelievable number o ree drinks, and became

very popular with all the best-looking girls in College. But, it also led meto understand that anything is possible: when it comes to it, and i we

really want it, we have ar more strength within us than we realise.”

“My new book ‘Eminent Victorian Chess Players: en Biographies’has very recently been published. he Pembroke College ChessClub was very strong in my day, and won the cuppers competitionseveral years in a row. Pembroke’s connection with chess goesback to 1891 at least. hat year the dining hall was the venueo the Counties Chess Association congress (eectively a British

amateur championship tournament). See www.chessmail.com”.

“Having retired in 2010, I spent 2011 in Mauritius as Director o Studiesor the Anglican Diocese and was asked to come to northern Madagascaras Bishop - something rather unexpected! I have responsibility or aDiocese which covers an area the size o England, marvellous scenery and wildlie but impoverished by reason o poor inrastructure: otenthe only way o reaching distant villages is on oot. It takes our days toreach our remotest parish - I admit I haven’t been there yet! Some o my doctoral work saw the light o day in a volume which I edited jointly withother practitioners including Proessor Leslie Francis (1967), Ordained

Local Ministry in the Church o England , Contiuum, 2012”.

We all love a good wedding, and couldn’t resist sharingKat and Richard Reading’s photo rom their March

wedding here in College, as mentioned in the lastedition. Kat wanted to say how “very grateul [we are]to the Pembroke staf - especially Joanne Bowley inConerences and Events, and Chaplain Andrew eal- who put s o much efort into our day, and really made

it one o the best days o our lives!”

roBert Black

(1969)

will Badger

(2011)

tom miNor

(1991)

tim hardiNg

(1966)

katheriNe

(2005) &

richard

(2004)

With such a wealth o successul, inormed, expert Alumni, we thought we’d dedicate the back page to an expert recommendation, between riends...


V

V

V

V

V

V right

reVereNd

dr SimoN

oliVer

(1969)

This month,

an rsn 1977

recommends: Prague Fatale

by Philip Kerr

BoB

cooper (1956)

V

JameS

ferguSoN

(1975)

V

Andrew Rosenheim came to Pembroke as a Rhodes Scholar in 1977 and has lived near Oxord ever since. His most recent novel Fear Itsel , about a German plot in 1940 to keep America out o the War,was published last year by Hutchinson.

Cover image: Quercus Books



P embr ok e C ol l egeO x f or d O X 1 1D W

w w w .p embr ok ec ol l ege.or g0 18 65 27 6 50 1 R egi st er ed C har i t y No. 1137 4 9 8

S tud en ts’ A r ts

Week 2012

S t u d e n t b u c k e t - l i s t

O pen mic ni gh t

G ra f ti work sho p

( o b l i g a t o r y p u n t )

R a p t !

T h e a t r i c s i n t h e J C R

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