Christmas Drinks & Thinking at Twilight - 12 December 2013

Over 40 people heard Dr David Rayner Hunkin Jones MA, PhD President of Christ’s College, Cambridge give a very entertaining talk about the eccentrics and outliers of Cambridge. Naturally part of his talk was about the Masters of Christ’s including Baron Todd of Trumpington winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize for Chemistry and his successor Sir John Plumb, the first of the ‘popular’ historians to emanate from Cambridge. It turns out they absolutely detested each other and C. P Snow used them as models in his famous 1959 “Two Cultures” lecture. On the handover day, Todd’s wife, Alison was in the college gardens, pitchfork in hand, filling up the wheelbarrow with plants she had carefully planted and nurtured, saying to the staff she was dammed if any of her plants were going to stay in the care of Plumb’s wife. Thanks to Rhiannon Chisholm, Camsoc NSW Committe Member and daughter of Dr Jones for organising this evening which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those present.