Class Notes
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memories of Southampton over the decades.
1950s
Law alumni visit campus almost 70 years after graduating
Earlier this summer, two law alumni, Mary Griffin and SH Leung, visited Highfield campus almost 70 years after graduating. Their visit included a trip to browse the University archives, afternoon tea with Professors and Vice Presidents Jane Falkingham and Deborah Gill, and a tour of Hartley Library.
Mary Griffin
Law, 1955
SH Leung
Law, 1956
1960s
Memories of Hartley Library
“During my time the library was known as the Turner Sims Library, and occupied the entire length of the then Turner Sims building. It was attractive, with a very high vaulted roof, and was equipped with large tables, each in a bay , ideal for silent study. I spent most term-time weekday evenings – and Saturday mornings – working in the library, usually seated at the same table as two mathematicians.”
Robin French
BSc Physics, 1961
“Reading Law in those days meant reliance upon volumes of Law Reports retained for reading in the Library. So it was our second home from 9am until 10pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings. Fond memories”
Paul Webb
LLB Law, 1963
“The winter of 1963 was cold; very cold from January to March. The warmest place in Southampton was the library. Never have so many studied so much while enjoying free heat.”
John Hackworth
BSc Electronics and Computer Science, 1964
Look out for more memories of the Hartley Library from across the decades in our next edition of Hartley News!
1970s
Zoology alumni reunite over a cuppa
Over 50 years ago, this group of Zoology students graduated from the University of Southampton. 55 years later, they reunited at the Cowherds pub in Southampton to reminisce over their time at the University of Southampton over several cuppas.
John Jackson
BSc Zoology ,1970, and PhD Environmental Sciences, 1974
Southampton Class of ’73
From university digs to a Jubilee Ball, Zoom quizzes, and European holidays, read John Jackson’s story of almost 60 years of friendship between these 1973 graduates.
In 2002 a small group of 1973 English/French/Spanish graduates had their photo taken at the Jubilee Ball. Although we had not met as a group since graduation, we had been in touch with each other in a linked chain. After the reunion, we decided to spread the net further and tracked down a few more of our year, eventually going on short holidays together, at first every other year and then every year until Covid. Since lockdown we have kept in touch through Zoom meetings/quizzes once a month.
We initially met in October 1969 as freshers but we were scattered about in halls of residence or digs for the first two years. Combined Honours degrees were popular in the late 60s/early 70s, and for the English & French group this meant sharing lectures and tutorials with the EN single honours students for the first two years but having to say good-bye to them as we went off to spend a year in France. Eleven of us came back for our fourth and final year and found ourselves in a tight knit group; several of us lived in Glen Eyre and a few in Montefiore.
That six of the eleven EN & FR combined honours students (69-73) are still such firm friends may be a record. Some of us are still in contact with people we met in digs, in Hall (Chamberlain, Highfield, Connaught, Montefiore and Glen Eyre), or via clubs or sports, so between us we know at least 25 more alumni!
In 2003 we met in Paris, in 2005 in the Auvergne, in 2007 in Wales, followed by Bordeaux (2009), Bristol (2010) and Southern Normandy (2011). Seven of us also attended another reunion at the University in 2013, forty years to the day after our graduation. Since then we have been in Devon (2014), Villeneuve [SW France] (2015), Skipton (2016), Pamplona/San Sebastián (2017) and Cardiff (2018). Numbers have fluctuated from as few as 5 to 14 – when spouses or siblings have joined us.
The ten:
Jackie and Jon Allen met before they started at Southampton a year apart. Jackie went on to work in an administrative capacity for organisations in various sectors, including Oxfam and English Heritage. Following his PGCE, Jon worked initially in outdoor pursuits before teaching biology and IT in Wales for 20 years. In the 12 years before retirement, he worked for a company developing and selling interactive whiteboards. Jon & Jackie spent 22 years holidaying around England’s canal system on their narrowboat. Now living happily in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, they volunteer for a local wildlife group and pursue various creative activities.
Angela Blazy has lived in France for 47 years. She lectured in English Language and Literature at a French university, trained teachers of English and became a schools inspector at the end of her career. Translation and singing keep her busy in Southwest France, where she and her French husband Jean-Claude live.
Heather Culpin worked for many years in airline IT as a programmer and then a manager. She is the proud owner of a Countdown teapot after a long stint on the TV show. Since retiring with her husband to Devon she has gained a History MA from Exeter. Her main interest now, apart from her family, is local history – she is Chair of her village history society and has co-written several books about her village. She also plays skittles and is secretary of her local Community Land Trust.
Mike de Val taught in schools and was later appointed Director of Education of a Welsh Unitary Authority (Torfaen); he retired in 2010. Since then, he has obtained a degree in Philosophy & Psychology and several other Open University qualifications. He is married to Nicola, father to two and grandfather to two. They live in Cardiff.
Rosemary and Pete Ede met on the course at Southampton. They did their best to teach languages in Lancashire, Cheshire and latterly in Yorkshire, where they still live.
Gill Forsythe taught mainly English and French in three schools: in Wiltshire, Trafford and for twenty-six years in Warwickshire where she lives with her biologist husband Trevor. She enjoys drawing, managing a garden for wildlife, researching family history and sailing. She, like Heather, is chair of her village history society. She also regularly plays table tennis, and Scrabble – in French.
Dave Griffiths worked in other fields in the UK and France after graduating and ‘returned to the fold’ in 1978 as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language, working in the UK and Italy before arriving in Pamplona in 1980, where he met María and tied the knot in 1983. He stopped teaching in 1990 and has since worked as a translator and interpreter in Spain and elsewhere.
Chris Keen followed an international career in sales and sales management, working in publishing, IT, telecommunications and digital TV. He then enjoyed a second career as a translator of French and Spanish into English. He now lives with his wife Pam in Devon.
David Griffiths
BSc Physics, 1973
Cheryl Morgan awarded honorary Doctorate by University of Exeter
On Monday 14 July 2025, alumna Cheryl Morgan was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of Exeter. Cheryl has been recognised for her work in the science fiction community, as well as her long career in IT and energy economics, and contributions to a variety of academic outlets with her writings on trans history.
In addition to these publications, Cheryl also runs her own publishing company, Wizard’s Tower Press, which focuses on science fiction and fantasy fiction. An expert on the history of gender and sexuality and the first openly trans person to win a Hugo Award from the World Science Fiction Society, Cheryl is a regular speaker at public events and academic conferences.
Watch the livestream on the University of Exeter website.
Cheryl Morgan
BSc Chemistry with Oceanography 1978
1980s
James and Peter complete the legendary Transcontinental Race
To mark their 60th birthdays, James and Peter embarked on one of the world’s toughest self-supported bike races: a 4,000km self-navigated journey across. After 19 days on the road, 45,000m of climbing, two punctures, two falls, and countless ice creams, the pair completed this legendary race.
James Vernon
MEng Electrical Engineering, 1987
Peter Murphy
BSc Electrical Engineering, 1987
Ian Coates publishes a new crime thriller, Backlash
Ian Coates has published a new crime thriller, Backlash, which was inspired by a walk along the Grand Union Canal. “The idea for Backlash came while walking along the canal in Kings Langley one lunchtime,” Ian recalls. “I saw a woman smoking in the stern of a canal boat while sitting on a bottle of flammable gas and I started to wonder, ‘What if…?’ That gave me the opening line, and the story developed from there.”
The story follows young interior designer Trish McGowan, who’s coerced into distributing blackmail demands.
Ian is also proud to donate a proportion of his royalties to the British Science Association.
Ian Coates
BSc Electronic Engineering, 1986
Simon Clewlow shares his expertise on a proposed new Bedfordshire waterway with the BBC
Simon Clewlow, Chair of Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, spoke to the BBC last Autumn to share his expertise on how a proposed new waterway in Bedfordshire could mitigate the risk of flooding.
Simon described a waterway connecting the River Great Ouse in Bedford to the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes, as “the opportunity to mitigate the impact of flooding and mitigate the impact of water shortages” which would “provide much more water resilience to everybody, not just within the area between Milton Keynes and Bedford but beyond and into Cambridgeshire.”
Simon Clewlow
BSc Civil Engineering, 1978
David Parker wins ‘Space and Satellite Personality of the Year’ award
The UK Chapter of SSPI has named University of Southampton alumnus and former Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency Dr. David Parker FRAeS as the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year.
David Parker was appointed Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency in January 2013. He was trained in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University where he took a first degree in 1984 and a Doctorate in wind tunnel magnetic suspension technology in 1989. David has since rejoined the University as a Visiting Professor in Space Systems and Policy.
Dr David Parker
BSc Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1984, and PhD Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1989
1990s
Prof. Dr. Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry appointed as Chief Editor of MURJET
Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET) has announced Professor Dr. Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry as the new Chief Editor of the Mehran University Journal of Engineering & Technology (MURJET).
Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry is the Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Electrical, Electronics, & Computer Engineering at Mehran University of Engineering & Technology in Jamshoro, Pakistan. He has varied teaching and research experience of more than three decades in fields including Electronics, Telecommunication, Microprocessor Technology, Internet of Things, Telemedicine, Wireless sensor networks, ICT, and Intelligent Instrumentation.
Prof. Dr. Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry
PhD Electronics and Computer Science, 1990
Lynn Forest-Hill’s translation of Sir Bevis of Hampton published
Lynn Forest-Hill’s revised version of her translation of the Middle English romance, Sir Bevis of Hampton, has been published by Witan Publishing.
Previously appearing as a limited edition for a local literary festival, the original introduction to the translation has been rewritten and extended to provide more detailed medieval and scholarly contexts.
Lynn extends her thanks to successive directors of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Culture for enabling her to further her research.
Dr Lynn Forest-Hill
BA English, 1993, and PhD English, 1997
2000s
Simon Dedman’s paper on the importance of sharks published in Science
Simon Dedman has co-lead authored ‘Ecological roles and importance of sharks in the Anthropocene Ocean’, a paper co-authored with a number of other alumni, in Science.
Co-authors include Southampton alumni Dr Alistair Harborne, Dr Yannis Papastamatiou, and Dr Charlie Huveneers.
Simon is a postdoctoral research faculty member in the College of Arts, Sciences, and the Environment, at Florida International University, Miami, USA. Simon is also a Science Board Member for Saving the Blue.
Simon Dedman
BSc Oceanography & Marine Biology, 2004
AI-Teach-Nicians win the ASEF Pearl Award
Staycie and her team of educators, the AI-Teach-nicians, were proud to receive the ASEF Pearl Award for their Innovative Teaching Practice project at the 17th ASEF Classnet Conference in Manila, Philippines.
The conference’s theme was “Learning with AI and Learning about AI” and brought together over 100 educators from across Asia and Europe working in roles across universities, schools, businesses, and policymaking teams.
The award recognises outstanding Innovative Teaching Practice in a pan-Asian-European school. AI-Teach-nicians’ project focused on creating a scalable open resource for school pupils to learn with and about AI using to address global challenges and provide students with future-ready skills.
Competing alongside inspiring educators from across Asia and Europe, Staycie’s team was recognized for its creative approach to integrating AI into education with a project that is applicable to any subject in any country.
Staycie Domzalski
BSc Environmental Sciences, 2007
2010s
A lens for conservation: Lara Jackson joins the Southampton Alumni Society for their latest event
Earlier this summer, award winning wildlife photographer, conservation biologist, and author Lara Jackson returned to Southampton to join the Southampton Alumni Society for the local network’s latest event.
The Southampton Alumni Society heard about Lara’s career, from Southampton to the Serengeti, and how photography can be used as a tool for conservation to protect the world’s most endangered species.
Lara was also joined by fellow alumna Jill Doubleday, Wilder Southampton Officer with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Jill shared how we can protect and boost biodiversity here in Southampton by working with our neighbours with the help of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
Lara Jackson
BSc Zoology, 2017, and MRes Wildlife Conservation, 2018
Jill Doubleday
MA English Language Teaching, 2008, and PhD Modern Languages, 2019
Luiz Valério’s PhD thesis sparks policy change in Brazil to reduce online hate crime
Luiz Valério was awarded his PhD in Sociology in 2018 for a thesis examined the ideologies fueling online hate towards Black women in Brazil. This thesis discovered that 81% of the victims of hate speech in Brazil were upward mobile Black women aged 20 to 35 years. With the help of the University’s Public Policy team, Luiz produced a Policy Brief in 2018 sharing these findings and recommendations which contributed towards positive progress in conversations in Brazil. More recently, Brazil’s Supreme Court has ruled that corporations responsible for hate speech circulating across their platforms will be held responsible.
Luiz has also published a peer-reviewed manuscript, “It is not that funny: Race joking and resistance in Brazilian social media”, which was among the nominated titles for the BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize, a book entitled “Discurso de ódio nas redes sociais” triggering further discussion, and an Italian translation of Luiz’s research entitled “Fruste Digitali: Discorsi d’odio e razzimo – i social per educare e punire” has also been published in Italy. Luiz has also been awarded the Doctoral College Research Award with a journal article addressing the phenomenon of gendered racist speech on social media.
Luiz Valério
PhD Sociology, 2018
University of Southampton alumni honoured in 2025 Study UK Awards
We’re thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of University of Southampton alumni who have been recognised in the 2025 British Council Study UK Alumni Awards. These international awards shine a spotlight on the global impact of UK education by honouring exceptional alumni who are making significant contributions in their communities and careers across the world.
Amanda Hamilton Rushforth
Culture and Creativity Award winner in 2023, UAE (only just received award due to ceremony not taking place)
BA Fashion and Textile Design, 2012
Georgia Kalantzi
Business and Innovation Award winner in Greece
PhD Ocean and Earth Science, 2012
Mon-Su (Mancy) Huang
Business and Innovation Award finalist in USA
MBA 2012
Mohammad Ismat Kadir
Science and Sustainability Award finalist in Bangladesh
PhD Electron & Electrical Engineering, 2014
Sanhapan Wattanapisit
Social Action Award winner in Thailand
MSc Clinical Leadership, 2019
Faten Obeidat
Science and Sustainability Award winner in Jordan
PhD Audiology, 2019
2020s
A summer of vintage steam fairs and bus rides
Nicknamed “Toastrack“, this 1929 Dennis G Type charabanc is one of only four that were ever built. Since 1958, it has been lovingly maintained and run by University of Southampton students and alumni, and is the only vintage bus of its kind that’s still on the road. This summer, the Toastrack society has been touring Hampshire.
1988 Mechanical Engineering Alumni reunion, Saturday 6 September 2025
Toastrack volunteers were delighted to meet with a cohort of 15 Mechanical Engineering alumni from 1988, helping them piece together key parts of Toastrack’s story. Many of the alumni remembered Toastrack from back in the day, and some were even part of the group who took the bus to Latvia in the eighties. They shared a video of Toastrack at the 1988 International Riga Motor Museum Inauguration Rally with Toastrack being voted the “People’s Favourite” out of the rally’s 170 vehicles.
Toastrack volunteers Will, Oana, and Jack gave these alumni a ride around Highfield Campus, University Halls of Residence, and various “old haunts” around Southampton, after which they treated them to a lovely pub lunch with fantastic stories of university life in the eighties.
If you have any opportunities, stories, or photos to help enrich our understanding of Toastrack’s incredible history, we would be delighted to hear from you at toastrack@soton.ac.uk.
Imperial College Motor Club meet-up, Tuesday 26 August 2025
As far as the Toastrack society is aware, Imperial College London is home to the only other vintage vehicle University society in the UK. Toastrack volunteers keep in touch with Imperial College’s Motor Clubs regularly and organised a summer meet-up for the second year in a row.
The two Universities’ volunteers had the amazing opportunity to experience each other’s vintage vehicles, with Toastrack volunteers Will, Oana, Jack, and Jasper enjoying riding in Jezebel the 1916 Dennis N-type fire engine, and Clem the 1926 Morris T-type one-ton truck, as well as sneaking a peek of Derrick the 1926 motorcycle travelling in a support vehicle.
Toastrack was a favourite for Imperial College Students, as it was the only vehicle with a roof to shield them from both the sun and rain. Both sets of students and alumni loved the ride around Portsmouth, Chichester, and Midhurst while learning about each other’s societies and vehicles over lunch and ice cream.
If you’d like to hear more about Toastrack’s many adventures throughout the year and take part in events with the charabanc, please subscribe to Toastrack’s newsletters.
Gosport Vehicle Rally at Stokes Bay, Monday 25 August 2025
The Gosport Vehicle Rally at Stokes Bay is special for this group of Toastrack volunteers as this was the first event Toastrack ever attended after completing a multi-year overhaul and engine rebuild back in 2023. Impressively, Toastrack was “Highly Commended in Class” at its first show back on the road here.
Toastrack returned in 2024, when it was awarded the “Roy Edge Memorial Shield.” Volunteers loved showing the charabanc to members of the public this year, all the way from toddlers to those who remember riding vehicles like Toastrack in decades past.
Fordingbridge Steam and Vintage Festival, Sunday 24 August 2025
This year marks Toastrack’s second time taking part in the Fordingbridge Steam and Vintage Festival. Volunteers were especially excited to see that we had not only been officially included in the festival programme’s list of “Vintage Vehicles & Cars” list, but that Toastrack had taken central place as the photo representing this category. Volunteers were also excited to drive Toastrack around the showgrounds as part of the “Vintage Cars, Motorbikes, and Lorries” parade.
Copythorne Steam and Vintage Rally, Sunday 8 June 2025
Copythorne Steam and Vintage Rally organisers were so impressed with Toastrack’s static exhibit in 2024, that they invited Toastrack to be the primary shuttle bus for visitors to the 2025 edition of the rally. Over the course of the single-day rally, Toastrack volunteers shuttled an impressive 396 members of the public (and quite a few well-behaved dogs) between the visitor car park, and the Copythorne rally site, leading to many smiling faces and returning passengers.
Oana Lazar
MEng Electronic Engineering with Industrial Studies, 2022
Obituaries
Dr. Derek Edgell, 1949-2024
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Dr. Derek Edgell, former lecturer in modern American history.
Derek received his first degree in Geography at Leicester University in 1970, followed by an MA in Political Studies at the University of Essex in 1972. He then moved to Manchester University in 1973 to do his PhD in American History. While there, Derek was inspired by his tutor to become involved in issues of race and equality, matters that would continue to shape his research throughout the rest of his career.
Derek commenced lecturing in modern American History at La Sainte Union College of Higher Education in Southampton in 1978, where he continued to teach when the college was absorbed by the University of Southampton in 1997 and renamed New College.
In addition to his regular lecturing and mentoring responsibilities at the college, Derek had two deeply researched books published. The first, ‘The Order of Woodcraft Chivalry, 1916-1949, As a New Age Alternative to the Boy Scouts’ was published in 1992. It provided a detailed record of socio-political issues, rural revivalism, and important figures of the time, such as the Westlakes and Rolf Gardiner. Derek’s second book on educational reform in New York City schools in the 1960s was published in 1998, titled ‘The Movement for Community Control of New York City’s Schools, 1966–1970: Class Wars’. Both books demonstrate the formidable powers and dedication that Derek had as a researcher. Derek himself had remarked on how these works had been heavily demanding of him, spending his weekends immersed in archives on both sides of the Atlantic over many years. He also gained some notoriety with his colleagues at the time when he really did hit the jackpot by discovering a tranche of private papers hidden in someone’s loft!
Derek took early retirement from New College, and from teaching altogether, in 2001. Derek had always had a love of France and of travel and the next stage of his life saw him living in Paris, before moving to several other locations in the UK and France, including Saint Malo in Brittany, Bath, Frome and Bristol. Later in life, Derek remained determined to get out to places of interest whenever he could. He would often walk great distances and would immerse himself in the places he’d visit.
Derek was a person who could come across as being very serious and private, but he was gloriously eccentric and could be hilariously funny when he wanted to be. Colleagues have remembered Derek as a collegial, loyal and supportive friend with a fantastic sense of humour. He was an excellent teacher and was highly regarded by his peers and Head of Department during his time. Former students have also remembered Derek fondly, as a man who was very generous with his time and guidance, and for giving lectures that left roomfuls of students in stitches of laughter. Derek’s wife and two sons remember him as a very principled man, and are grateful for the experiences they shared together as a family during his lifetime, in travel, music, food and culture.
Derek passed away in September 2024.
Simon Benjamin May, 1991-2024
We are devastated to announce the death of our son, Simon May. He died unexpectedly at the end of November 2024 from a rare and serious heart disease called Infective Endocarditis.
Simon was born in Watford. He attended his local infant and junior schools, and then moved on to Watford Boys from 2002 to 2009, where he did well in his studies and made some long lasting friendships. At his funeral, some of his closest primary school pals said that Simon “made life richer, funnier, and more meaningful……we know his legacy will live on in the laughter, wisdom, and kindness he shared so freely with all of us. Rest easy, Simon. You were our best friend.”
After leaving Watford Boys, Simon enjoyed several years at Southampton University and gained his degree in Physics in 2013. After graduating, one of his first jobs was working for a Rickmansworth company which provided training for drone operators. Later in his twenties he landed a job as a data analyst at Skanska, where he was well respected by his colleagues. They describe him as being one of the most pleasant people they had worked with, someone with great charisma and intelligence, with a flair for problem solving and for presenting complex issues in a way all could understand.
During his twenties, Simon continued to live quietly in the family home, carefully saving for the deposit on his own property. He was thrilled to move into his own flat on the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead in 2022 and the future seemed bright. Tragically he only enjoyed two and half years in his own home before passing away.
As a small child, Simon was always smiling, and even at young age, he could make people laugh with some of the pithy comments he came out with. As an adult Simon was kind, gentle, clever, witty, thoughtful, sensitive, polite, tall, dark and handsome. He enjoyed his own company, but had no problems chatting to complete strangers and always had loads of interesting things to say. He played the electric guitar well, although mostly for himself. He was a keen computer gamer and at one point regularly live streamed to an appreciative audience online. In short, Simon was a delightful human being, so very well liked by so many people, and the perfect son, brother, nephew, grandson and friend.
We, his family, are so proud of our wonderful, beautiful boy and what he achieved. Amidst the grief, we try to dwell on the positives, remembering an abundance of joy, love and laughter over more than 33 years. It was an absolute privilege to have had Simon in our lives.
A tribute page for Simon has been set up online, where you can view photographs of his life and also make a donation to the British Heart Foundation in his memory.
Shared with us by Elizabeth May, Simon’s mother
Share an update or a special memory
Whether you’ve attended a reunion or meet up, are celebrating a special award or achievement, or would like to share an obituary with your peers, we’d love to hear from you. We invite you to share an update or a special memory of your time at university with your classmates in the Class Notes section of your alumni magazine, Hartley News.
