Milestone Anniversary 1956, 1966 and 1976

Univ’s Old Members who matriculated in 1956, 1966 and 1976 and their guests were invited back to College to celebrate 70, 60 and 50 years respectively since their matriculation.

Following the reunion, Dr Martin Rabstein Yuillé (1966, Biochemistry) has kindly shared his reflections on the ways in which the College has changed.

“Alan!” I cried out across a busy Porter’s Lodge. “Martin!!” came back the reply just a moment later. And six decades of life are condensed into the fraction of a second as we start talking. And talking.

That is the joy of celebrating a Univ milestone. Teenage friends, separated by careers, by time and place, by the arc of history, reunite and friendships reignite. Our appearance has changed, but the form and content of our relationships often holds fast.

So, fellow Univites, do not miss out when your celebrations next come around. Don’t say you haven’t the time. You risk missing out on perhaps the most important aspect of your graduate education: the understanding of how you were in the first flush of adulthood.

Univ is undergoing great changes. Not simply the physical changes epitomised by Univ North, but also more profound social change.

– In 1966, there were no “Univites”. We were all “Univ men”. Today gender equity beckons.

– All bar one of the 300 matriculands of 1966 were of European heritage. Today the College is much more multi-ethnic.

– In Hall in 1966 there were portraits only of white men. Today we also see a woman and a man of colour in gilded frames.

– In 1966, promoting diversity, equity and inclusion was largely unknown to us. Today, we have the Univ Beacon Fellowships and Bursaries that, with our support, can help make Univ an inclusive and diverse global college. A College of which we can all be proud.

Yes, there were signs of timid change in 1966. After all, it was my cohort that started Oxford’s student revolution in 1969 (a tad later, it must be said, than at the Sorbonne). And the then Master cocked a snook at apartheid by awarding a place to a South African student leader banished by the regime.

My earnest wish is that Univ stays at the forefront of educational and social change. That way, you too will be elated when, in 60 years’ time, you embrace your former teenage friends in the Porter’s Lodge. Along with enjoying all that good food, wine and company of other alumni and current College members.

Martin Rabstein Yuillé