Letters We always love to hear from our readers, so please drop us a line. The best letter wins a £20 book token. We reserve the right to edit for space and clarity. Write to intouch@ kcl.ac.uk or Letters, In Touch, King’s College London, Ground Floor Office, Strand Bridge House, 138-142 The Strand, London, WC2R 1HH
him on the terrace that afternoon, where, over a plate of strawberries, we exchanged thoughts on his creative writing course, his screenplay work, and the experience of King’s English students today, as compared with mine some almost 30 years ago. Pamela Temple (King’s, English, 1982)
© getty images
UNEXPECTEDLY HELPING MYSELF
Prize letter
MAGNIFICENT MONTY
Field Marshall Lord Montgomery was giving the inaugural address at King’s. The luncheon hall was packed to overflowing and the two main doors secured by the College attendants. The throng outside threatened to push their way in, the noise was deafening and the Principal and staff were increasingly perplexed and nervous. Monty rose from his seat and commanded, ‘Open those doors!’ He watched as the mass of enthusiastic students burst in, ordering them to ‘settle down! Sit on the floor and keep quiet’. Order was restored. This takes me back to Monty’s address to the officers taking part in D-Day when I was a young captain in an infantry battalion. He entered the hall and said, ‘Gentlemen, I want you all to cough for the next five minutes.’ When the coughing period was over he then said, ‘I don’t want to hear another cough while I’m talking!’ Monty will always be my hero. Dr Douglas LJ Bilbey (King’s, Anatomy, PhD, 1958; ex-Reader in Anatomy and Sub-Dean of Medical Science) l Can you remember a visit by the great and good? Please write to us and let us know…
I was a student at King’s 1954-60 collecting a BSc and PhD in Chemistry. Along the way I was awarded my University Purple for athletics in 1955, captained King’s in athletics in 1956 and London University in 1957. After a fellowship at Brandeis University I joined the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment in late 1961 and undertook research in materials science. By 1967, having established a reputation in the science of corrosion, I was asked by an official from the Department of Health to assist with a problem being encountered with metal implants in the body. My team undertook the first ever examination of broken implants and found that the quality of the surgery, the composition of the implant and even the surface finish of the metal all contributed to the performance of the implant in the body. In some cases the implant had to be removed because it broke due to corrosion, stress corrosion, or corrosion fatigue. In other cases the implant caused an allergic reaction in the patient. Our research led to a significant involvement of my group in the specification and design of implants. We found that generally titanium was the least likely material to lead to complications. Fast forward 43 years and I unexpectedly benefited from my efforts to improve implant design. A fall down a flight of stairs left me with a broken hip. The following morning I had a new titanium hip implanted and three weeks later was back to driving. By five weeks I was able to walk without any aids and now hope to resume playing tennis within a few weeks. I certainly never expected to test our recommendations in this manner, but am delighted with the results. Dr Stanley Orman (King’s, Chemistry, 1957; 1960)
A PROFESSOR REMEMBERED Jason Ford
I was saddened to read of the death of Professor David Nokes in the Spring 2010 edition of In Touch. I studied English at King’s, graduating in 1982, and remember well his distinctively enthusiastic lecturing style and humour, encouraging many of us to explore the works of Defoe, Swift, Richardson and Pope. I enjoyed his lecture on Samuel Johnson at last year’s Alumni Weekend, a session which exposed a number of new insights on Johnson’s marriage, and proved that Professor Nokes had lost none of his enthusiasm for his subject. I had a long chat with 58
IN TOUCH
autumn 2010
One small step for man, one giant leap for Stanley