Profiles of Patrons, Officers and Council Members

Dr NICK CONI, PATRON

When earlier this year the Council invited Nick Coni to become a Patron of U3A (Cambridge) it was recognising the crucial role that he had played in founding the organisation more than a quarter century ago.
Nick Coni was a consultant geriatrician at Addenbrooke’s when, in 1980, he was awarded a travelling fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians to visit facilities for the medical care of older people in France. While there, he was greatly impressed by another French development, the Université du Troisième Âge in Toulouse.

This led to a very fruitful association with Peter Laslett and their decision to hold a public meeting in Cambridge followed by a successful Easter School in 1982. This in turn was followed by the launch of the U3A in Cambridge, Peter being the first Chairman and Nick the second.

A considerable amount of legwork was called for in those early years, but due to the efforts of a group of very able enthusiasts, many of whom are still active in the organisation, it has flourished both locally and, thanks to Peter’s vision, nationally (and has taken a direction much less prescriptive than the French prototype).

Nick has subsequently served on Council and has organised classes in table tennis and, more recently, the Spanish Civil War. His greatest asset is Sally, and they have happy memories of the years when the annual U3AC parties for the tutors and for the helpers were held at their home in Barrow Road.

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CHRISTINE JONES – CHAIR OF COUNCIL

Chris Jones joined U3A (Cambridge) in 1999, the motive being that she wanted to swim at the Leys School. That was the beginning, but she soon added to her involvement in U3A, for instance by joining the recorder group, and taking part in a number of other activities. Then in 2004 she became Chair of the Cultural and Social Activities committee, and in that capacity an ex officio member of the Council. Three years later, having been elected to remain on the Council, she became Vice-Chair and is now in her third year in that office.

Chris’s career had been in education. She had worked briefly in London as a translator before coming to Cambridge to train as a primary school teacher. During her years as a primary school music specialist she took piano teaching diplomas externally from the Trinity College of Music. She also obtained an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) certificate.

In 1997 she retired from Mayfield School - and embarked on a further bout of training, this time in order to become a Blue Badge tour guide. She has always been very impressed by the far-reaching scope of U3A, and the valuable role it plays in the lives of retired people. Chris says that she feels fortunate to be part of such an enterprising organisation.

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Mr Jeremy Clare – our new Treasurer

Jeremy Clare qualified as an experimental psychologist after studying at the then Rutherford College of Technology. His career took him between industry and the academic world, finishing with 14 years at Cambridge Consultants Ltd (CCL).
After two years of research with the Hotel and Catering Training Board, he joined British Aerospace, in Bristol, researching human vision. (He was a founder member of the Applied Vision Association.) After nine years, he came to Cambridge, with a Ministry of Defence fellowship in the Kenneth Craik Laboratory.
Two years later, still living in Cambridge, he worked in London, setting up a human factors department in a systems house. After four years came the move to CCL, where he worked on artificial intelligence.
He retired early, at the age of 54, and had no intention of doing nothing. His wife had come across U3AC and encouraged him to join. He enrolled in a military history class, having had a long professional interest in the subject. It was one of those classes where members take it in turn to give talks, and he went to the office to check the digital projector. It was then that Carol Spong suggested that he should run a PowerPoint course.
That began Jeremy’s active involvement in getting the U3AC computers sorted out, and working to improve the website. That led to the suggestion that he should stand for the Council, which he joined two years ago.
As the search for new premises got into top gear, Jeremy took on the role of project manager, using experience gained in industry. From the AGM this year, has succeeded John Hunter as Treasurer.
What appeals to him about U3AC? To answer, he looks back at the vision of Nick Coni and the other founders. He sees, and demonstrates, a great value in keeping active in retirement.

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Mrs Clem Messenger – Administrator

Clem Messenger was brought up in Cambridge. She went to Queen Mary College University of London to study for a degree in Marine Biology. During this period she learnt to dive – and has used that skill more recently in Australia.

Work at the BBC as a researcher for the programme Pets and Vets was followed by a period with a public relations company. For three years she was employed at the Institute of Dermatology.

A change of life style happened when she and her then husband decided to leave London and live ‘off the land’ on the leeward side of the Brecon Beacons, where all the rain falls! Prior to this she decided to train as a primary teacher and completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education at the Froebel Institute, Roehampton. However she ended up teaching chemistry in the local comprehensive school in Wales before returning to Cambridge to live in Wandlebury.

Her son was born, and when he was two and a half she returned to teaching at the Meridian Primary School, Comberton, then at Sancton Wood Infant School.

Following this, she taught sciences for 17 years at the Perse Junior Girls’ School – returning, two and half years after retiring to fill an urgent vacancy.

On retirement she joined U3AC, which her parents had belonged to from its early days. She worked as a volunteer in the office, enjoying the opportunity to meet people – and to do things previously outside her experience. For example, she joined a bridge class.

She is an enthusiast for U3AC because it offers people a new life and the chance to be part of a community which is ‘fluid’, where one can meet people in the many and varied courses.

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Mr Brian Wallis – Director of Studies (Courses)

Brian Wallis was trained as an engineer. At the beginning of his career he was employed as a mechanical engineer. After a long period doing that, he decided to start working for himself. He spent the last 20 years before retiring working as a freelance project engineer. His speciality was in food processing. He had clients all over the UK, but based himself in Cambridgeshire. As he explains, East Anglia is a good centre for this kind of work, being one of the country’s major areas for food production. He first got involved in U3AC when, some five years ago, as he was approaching retirement, a friend said to him: ‘You might enjoy U3AC. They have an excellent series of Wednesday lectures’. He took the advice – and quickly realised that it was very good.
Quite soon he joined the Council, and served on the Courses Sub-Committee, taking over his present role about two years ago. New tutors have appreciated Brian’s meetings, near the beginning of the academic year, which provide an opportunity for them to get the feel of this self-help organisation. Current tutors, also, find them a good way of sharing experience and ideas.
Brian’s enthusiasm for the weekly lectures that had drawn him to U3AC quickly grew, to cover many other facets of its activities. He feels strongly that the organisation’s role in providing opportunities for lifelong education and learning is important, as a source of stimulation when people have retired. He takes great pleasure in classes which he leads. ‘Tutoring in the benign atmosphere of the U3AC is great fun, well worth the effort, to see just how engaged both students and tutors can get.’
Currently he is leading two groups. One is a course on humanism and religion. The other is a series of visits to Cambridge Colleges – gardens and interiors.

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Lady (Sheila) Harrison – Director of Studies (Lectures)

After graduating from St Andrew’s with an MA in history, Sheila Harrison joined the BBC as a studio manager (in the days when cutting a tape was literally a scissors job). Her BBC roles grew, progressing from doing sound effects for the Archers to writing scripts for Schools Broadcasting.
That encouraged her to go to Oxford for a Diploma in Education. Her teaching career, however, was put on hold when she married six weeks after completing the Diploma.
After having three children, Sheila re-trained as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language. David Harrison was Senior Tutor of Selwyn, and Sheila became involved with the Society of Visiting Scholars in Cambridge – and remains involved.
A move to Keele followed, when David was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Keele University. In the university Sheila taught English as a Foreign Language to overseas students, and also taught trainee teachers. A few years later came another move, when David became Vice-Chancellor of Exeter University. Sheila, drawing on her Cambridge and Keele experience, set up a visiting scholars programme.
In 1994 David and Sheila returned to Cambridge, Sir David having been elected Master of his college, Selwyn. Six years later, when he retired, Sheila joined U3AC.
Two things attracted her to it – swimming and the Wednesday lectures.
A year ago she was asked to take over the role of Director of Studies (Lectures). The idea appealed, not just because of her interest in the lecture series, but because she enjoyed organising things. It was something she had been doing as programme secretary for NADFAS.
Why is she an enthusiast for U3AC? Picking up a comment about U3A made by the Archbishop of York in his recent Wednesday lecture, Sheila makes the point that it is attractive to belong to an organisation which enables people to go on learning.

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Dr Bill Block – member of the Council

A graduate of the University of Durham, Bill Block spent his professional life first lecturing in different universities – Makerere (Uganda), Cambridge and Leicester – and then, after 13 years, as head of the research group in terrestrial biology at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge.  He was in that role for 21 years, during which time he made 10 visits to Antarctica, and worked also in Alaska, Siberia, Japan and Spitzbergen.

He retired in 1997, and joined U3AC in 2002, attending Richard Tregear’s course ‘A guided walk through science’.  A year later, with Richard’s encouragement, he ran a course himself – ‘Antarctica in a Nutshell’.  This was an 8-week course, most of the teaching by himself, but with some invited specialist speakers.  It aroused much interest, and he continued it.  He has now run it 5 times.

Meanwhile, he was urged by some of those attending to widen the scope, taking in the north as well as the south polar regions, and so started the Polar Study Group, now in its sixth year.  In all this he has been helped and encouraged by the Director of BAS, and by the Scott Polar Research Institute.

Bill joined U3AC because he saw great value, as someone who had had a specialist career, in the opportunity to explore other areas.  U3AC, indeed, offers people, as he puts it ‘to indulge themselves intellectually’.

He also feels it offers great value to people who have not enjoyed the opportunity of further and higher education to ‘come into areas where they have never trodden before’.  Bill puts the public understanding of science at the top of his agenda and takes considerable satisfaction in guiding people to explore and enjoy new topics.

Clearly an enthusiast for U3AC, Bill was elected to the Council.  This year he is beginning his third year as a Council member.

A graduate of the University of Durham, Bill Block spent his professional life first lecturing in different universities – Makerere (Uganda), Cambridge and Leicester – and then, after 13 years, as head of the research group in terrestrial biology at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge. He was in that role for 21 years, during which time he made 10 visits to Antarctica, and worked also in Alaska, Siberia, Japan and Spitzbergen.
He retired in 1997, and joined U3AC in 2002, attending Richard Tregear’s course ‘A guided walk through science’. A year later, with Richard’s encouragement, he ran a course himself – ‘Antarctica in a Nutshell’. This was an 8-week course, most of the teaching by himself, but with some invited specialist speakers. It aroused much interest, and he continued it. He has now run it 5 times.
Meanwhile, he was urged by some of those attending to widen the scope, taking in the north as well as the south polar regions, and so started the Polar Study Group, now in its sixth year. In all this he has been helped and encouraged by the Director of BAS, and by the Scott Polar Research Institute.
Bill joined U3AC because he saw great value, as someone who had had a specialist career, in the opportunity to explore other areas. U3AC, indeed, offers people, as he puts it ‘to indulge themselves intellectually’.
He also feels it offers great value to people who have not enjoyed the opportunity of further and higher education to ‘come into areas where they have never trodden before’. Bill puts the public understanding of science at the top of his agenda and takes considerable satisfaction in guiding people to explore and enjoy new topics.
Clearly an enthusiast for U3AC, Bill was elected to the Council. This year he is beginning his third year as a Council member.

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