Five Aularians recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours List

St Edmund Hall congratulates alumni James Parkin (1994, Geology), David Hudson (1984, PGCE – History), Frank Strang (1980, Modern Languages), Bruce Lowe (1969, Modern History) and David Lerner (1969, Human Science) on being recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours List.

With a 28 year career in the Royal Navy, Rear Admiral James Parkin has been awarded a CB for his work as the ‘Controller of the Navy’, leading the once in a generation transformation of the British Fleet from legacy 20th century vessels to a networked, autonomous more lethal force. In his second career, he is the founding partner of Thorium Capital, an investment fund concentrating on rebuilding European defence and resilience.

James wrote: “Being awarded a CB is an enormous privilege, and an honour as unexpected as it is humbling. Not many Aularians of my generation joined the Armed Forces, but I genuinely credit the world class education and lifelong friendships I gained at the Hall as being the perfect foundation for a life in uniform.”

David Hudson received an MBE for services to education for his 40-year teaching career in the UK and abroad. His most recent post was 15 years as Headteacher at the Royal Latin School in Buckingham.

He shared: “I was delighted to receive an MBE for services to education. It has been such a pleasure to have affected the lives of literally thousands of young people and my real honour was to have worked in the great profession of teaching. I am from a family of teachers and would like to think that this award recognises the inspiration I received from my parents and siblings. Of course, nothing I achieved would have been possible without the support, collectively and individually, of so many wonderful colleagues and I am pleased that all of their efforts have, in some way, been highlighted through my award.”

Frank Strang was awarded an MBE for services to Intercultural Dialogue and Interfaith Relations. He has enjoyed a long career in the civil service with his most recent role as Head of the Europe Division in the Scottish Government between 2016 and 2025.

Frank wrote: “To be honest, I am pretty bowled over by the MBE. I’m particularly pleased that according to the citation it’s about both intercultural dialogue – i.e. the work we have been doing to nurture good relations with European countries post Brexit – and interfaith relations- in particular what we have done to maintain open dialogue in the context of the events in the Middle East over recent years. This not only recognises what the teams have been doing but says that the task is important – it seems to me that, in these turbulent times, we need such dialogue more than ever!”

Bruce Lowe has received an MBE for services to British Business in the USA. He is a practising lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio, and co-founded two Ohio-based nonprofit entities. One, Elefence International, funds wildlife conservation and related humanitarian relief projects in Central Africa. The other, the British-American Chamber of Commerce (Ohio) supports development of British business, trade, and investment in the United States.

Bruce shared: “There is a deep bond of affinity across the U.S. for all things British, including in trade and commerce. I am grateful that my efforts over a period of more than 30 years to sustain and grow these strong ties have been recognised in this very meaningful way.”

David Lerner has also been awarded a BEM for services to the Jewish community in the London Borough of Harrow which included running programmes for children and young people at his local synagogue, programmes for learning disabled adults and entertainment for people with dementia. His father and grandparents both came to the UK as refugees in the 1930s from Germany and David became the first in his family to even go beyond elementary school.

His family’s experiences have shaped his life and career as David shared: “You don’t nominate yourself for a public honour. I was more than somewhat surprised to get a letter advising me that I was being awarded a BEM for my volunteering activities. I am sorry that my grandparents, mum and dad didn’t live to find this out but to this day, one of my most precious memories is walking them through the Quad – a family from dire poverty and refugees to a grandson at one of the world’s great educational institutions. I am so grateful that I have had so many opportunities in life to support the frail that I could have been, the UK for giving my family a home and the Hall to have transformed me from youth to adult.”

We are very proud of the Aularians who are recognised every year for their extraordinary work across different sectors of society.