Geography Reunion and Celebration of Professor Robert Whittaker’s Retirement

The retirement of Professor Robert Whittaker on Saturday 30 September saw an opportunity for Geography alumni of all generations to get together for a reunion and to celebrate Professor Whittaker’s time at the Hall.

Professor Whittaker has been a Tutorial Fellow at the Hall since 1990. In his final term, he acted as Pro-Principal of St Edmund Hall while the Principal was on sabbatical, prior to which he was Vice-Principal from January 2019. Emeritus Fellow Dr Ian Scargill (1954), Fellow from 1962-2000, attended as guest of honour at the event.

Alumni enjoyed four talks in the early afternoon. The first was from alumna Olly Belcher (1999), who spoke about the journey to founding her charity Shivia, and its important work. Secondly, Dr Callum Munday (2011), Fellow by Special Election in Geography, spoke about his research on East Africa’s climate. Thirdly, new Hall Fellow in Geography, Dr David Moreno-Mateos, and Professor Whittaker’s successor, presented on his work estimating how long it takes for ecosystems to recover their less resilient attributes. And finally, the Principal gave a short tribute to Professor Whittaker at the end of the afternoon’s talks.

Throughout the afternoon, Aularians also explored a maps exhibition in the Old Library hosted by Librarian James Howarth.

After the talks, drinks on the Front Quad were enjoyed by all, followed by a three-course dinner in the Wolfson Hall, which saw three after-dinner speeches, from Director of Development Andrew Vivian, Eden Cottee-Jones (2007), and finally Professor Whittaker himself. The Buttery bar was then open for all to enjoy.

The event was a wonderful evening appreciated by all. You can see some photos here.