Five years on from a very successful Golden Jubilee Reunion of those who matriculated in September 1963 a further Reunion was held this September. The initiative for this 50 + 5 reunion of the Class of 1963 came from a group of overseas Old Members – Dr Roy Gordon (1963, Medicine) and Professor Hank Gutman (1963, Law) (both in the USA) and John Collinge (1963, Law) (New Zealand). The proposal was warmly welcomed by others and a 32 strong party of Old members and partners finally gathered in the Main Quad on Friday 28 September.

The weekend was blessed by exceptionally fine weather and Oxford and the College really shone in the golden sunshine. This was ideal for the outdoor parts of the programme which consisted of a walking tour led by Alastair Lack (1964, History) of the streets and buildings adjacent to the High, and a tour around the College led by William Roth (Development Director).

A service was held in the Chapel on Friday evening during which we particularly remembered the friends no longer with us. Following this there was a splendid dinner in the Alington Room, and William Roth gave a review of recent events in the College and outlined some of the projects for its ongoing progress. Another highlight of the weekend was a delightful lunch the following day in the Master’s Lodgings hosted by the Master and Lady Crewe.

Prior to the Reunion Giles Bateman (1963, Law) had set up the organisation of a 1963 Class Profile. All were invited to send in a recent photograph, and to give a brief summary of some of the key events in their lives since leaving Univ. There was a good response, and the result is a collection of personal contributions which will remain a permanent tribute to fellow Class members of a special time that we shared together over half a century ago. The Class Profile is being kept open for any further entries so that we shall hopefully have as complete a record as possible for the Year as whole. In addition to the Class Profile Giles also set up a shared Photo Album to collect photographs of times past, times present and times in between, and there is now a large number of photographs which recall happy memories and also offer much diversion.

This was a glorious weekend in which all could meet up with old friends – not least the very fabric of the old College. It was heartening to see Univ truly thriving, and well placed to continue its progress into the future. All were very grateful for the warmth of the welcome that they received from the Master and Lady Crewe, for the kind attention and magnificent fare provided by the Bursary staff, and for the smooth organisation and all the encouragement given by William Roth, Chris Major and all in the Development Office.

Ron Jordan (1963, History)

Published: 8 November 2018

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