Celebrations at the Summer Dinner

Following a lively and fun-filled Family Day, our Summer Dinner saw 280 alumni, friends and family gathered to say goodbye to Professor Stephen Kearsey (who joined in 1985) and Dr Michael Hawcroft (who joined in 1989) as they embark on their well-deserved retirement. We wish them all the best!

The evening also marked a special milestone – 25 years of undergraduate and graduate achievements in English – celebrated with our English alumni and Professor Diane Purkiss, who joined Keble in 2000.

We asked alumni to reflect on their tutors and the evening.

Melissa Birtles, 2020 Biology, writes:

I deeply valued Stephen’s guidance and teaching during my time at Keble, which shaped both my academic and personal development. In his tutorials, Stephen had an ability to break even the most complex cellular processes down into a clear sequence of steps that we could genuinely understand. His calm approach and quiet encouragement helped us to develop thoughtful, well-reasoned arguments, and we quickly learned that no question was ever too simple to ask. 

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A particular highlight as a Keble biologist was the annual trip to RSPB Otmoor to see the starling murmurations at the end of Michaelmas. The walk always ended with a Christmas dinner at the nearby pub, where it became tradition to quiz Stephen and Sarah about our interviews and laugh at the stories that emerged.

It was great to see other alumni and former Keble tutors at the summer dinner, which was a lovely occasion to celebrate everything Stephen has contributed to Keble and to wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

Ben Wilson, 1994 French and Spanish, writes:

Having lived and worked in Australia for almost 20 years, my returns to Keble have been far too infrequent. So I was delighted when this year’s summer dinner to mark Michael’s retirement coincided with an already-planned visit to Europe – also providing an opportunity to enjoy some planned and unplanned reunions with old friends.

Michel, centre, with (l–r) Ben McCann (1994 French and History), Louise Spear (1994 French and German) and Ben Wilson.

It was wonderful to join around 70 other former linguists to celebrate Michael, and the impact he has had on so many people over so many years. There was much talk of his love of French drama … and his love – just occasionally! – of being dramatic. Of his fondness for probing our knowledge of obscure vocabulary from the infamous ’10,000 French Words’. And of his unwavering commitment to supporting his students to develop as good people, not ‘just’ as good linguists. And I think that is how I will value his tutorship most – not just during my time at Keble, but in the decades since – as someone who has always been ready to offer guidance, kindness and wisdom, and often all at once. The warmth and volume of the ‘three cheers’ raised before dinner in the ARCO building suggest that so many people feel the same. Thank you, Michael, for doing so much for so long.

Becky Wildish, 1999 English Language and Literature, writes:

(Excerpt from her speech)

Becky leading a game of ‘Diane or AI’, aided by James Nepaulsingh (XXXX)

Diane was an inspirational tutor, whose loves encompass Wagner and Green Day, Spencer and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hamlet and 10 Things I Hate About You. She's determined, charming, incisive, kind, and passionate about social justice. Her greatest devotion is to her family who would agree that she has spent the past 25 years putting everyone else's needs first. 

During my speech I introduced a game of Diane or AI, in which current and former students were challenged to recognise a true quotation from one of her academic books, as opposed to a pale imitation forged by ChatGPT. 

Molly Evans, 2021 English and Modern Languages, writes:

Dr Michael Hawcroft helped to make my Oxford experience all that I hoped it could be. It was wonderful being a part of one of Michael's cohorts. The Summer Dinner was such a nice occasion to bring so many of Michael's former students together, reminiscing about their old memories, while making new ones. 

Celebrating Diane Purkiss was so lovely, especially meeting her former students. Seeing how amazing Diane had contributed to each of her cohorts was wonderful, and we had a really fun time getting together at the Summer Dinner.