ColleGe news
The John Beecher Memorial Fund An anonymous donor has helped the John Beecher Memorial Fund get off to a great start. the fund was established in 2013 to commemorate the life of John beecher (2011), who died of cancer at the age of 25 in his second year as a graduate student on 12.12.12. ‘John was a lovely, quiet man,’ his friend davis mccarthy (2011) remembers. ‘He was probably the most astoundingly literate person i have ever met. He came to balliol to study history, but i think he had a better knowledge and understanding of literature than anyone else in the mcr. He had a wonderful wry sense of humour. He was also passionate, especially about social justice and vegetarianism. He was self-deprecating, but great company. He loved the academic atmosphere at oxford – it suited him to a t – and i think he had found a place to flourish.’ ‘John really blossomed at oxford,’ his father wrote in his obituary in the Guardian. the fund will be used to advance the intellectual life of graduate students at balliol, with an emphasis on those
areas for which John was passionate. the mcr, which will propose and choose the projects, are still working with the college on how best to do this, but have two particular things in mind. the first is to provide small grants towards academic travel. ‘many graduates, particularly those in the humanities, find themselves short of funding to attend conferences or archives, missing out on great academic opportunities,’ davis explains. the other is to help stage a play in the sunken garden at Holywell manor, as ‘John was very keen on theatre and worked, typically behind the scenes, on a number of shows. we think this would be a good way to add something extra to life in the manor.’ a desire to help ‘create opportunities and unique experiences for students to enrich their education in ways that might not be possible otherwise’ was what motivated the anonymous donor, who will provide matching funds for young donors
to the fund. the old member, who came to balliol as a graduate in 1993, believes that ‘such opportunities are critical to young adults as they figure out their path in life and ultimately their contribution back to society’. thanks to the donor’s generosity and that of others who have already contributed, the fund will be able to help graduate students blossom and flourish while at balliol as, all too briefly, John did.
all donations to the John beecher memorial fund will be gratefully received. those from graduate students and graduates who left at the end of the academic year 2012/2013 will be matched pound for pound, up to £3,000. donations can be made at www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/beecher.
Holywell manor in four seasons, by Spencer Heijnen (2012). The photograph has been framed and now hangs in Holywell Manor. 24
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