Page 19 - Keble Review 2014

Then and Now...
1979
G UG Total 37 122 153 8 26 34 26% 21% 22%
2014
G UG Total 104 125 229 37 60 97 36% 48% 42%
Total Freshers Women
% Women
The First intake of Women
The first women Freshers were all from the UK with over 84% from Grammar/High schools (two from Sheffield High School for Girls), three from Independent schools, and one from a Comprehensive. They chose to study a broad of range of subjects with Law by far the most popular with seven, followed by English and History with three each, and two each for Agriculture and Forestry, Biochemistry, and Theology. As expected the pioneering women of 1979 are now in a wide variety of professions, three are Heads of Departments in schools, several are writers and researchers, and others are in the Charity Sector, or Partners in Law firms. While of the rest, one runs her own financial consultancy, one is a Professor of Economics, one a producer for the BBC, one Rector of several Parishes, and one is founding President of a corporate risk company.
Women’s Sports - the early years
By 1983 the success of the women on the river prompted the Warden Christopher Ball to write in The Record, ‘The boathouse has been redecorated, but this apparently inspired the women’s First VIII to greater effect than the men!’ The Women’s First VIII made four bumps, won blades and took the boat to the first division. Monica Esslin (1979) was
a member of that crew and was the first Keble woman to receive a Blue, for rowing in Osiris in 1982. In her final year she also rowed at 6 in the men’s 2nd VIII, a first for the University. In 1983 Marcelle Cooper (1982) and Zoe Trail (1980) were awarded Blues for Hockey, and Juliet Guichon (1982) for Lacrosse, and the path for the succession of Keble Women Blues in all sport was opened.
Fellows
On the Academic side, although there had been women Lecturers for some time before 1979, the first woman to be appointed to a Fellowship was Katrina Delargy in 1980; a three-year research post sponsored by Rolls Royce. Several women followed in research posts and in
1984 the first woman Education Fellow was appointed, but it was not until 1988 that the first woman Fellow and Tutor joined GB: Jane Hanna to a Tutorial Fellowship in Jurisprudence. Today female Fellows make up 25% of GB.
Jane Hanna, first woman Tutorial Fellow (in Law)
Family Ties
The first Women’s VIII (Torpids 1980)
There have been ten pairs of sisters who have been undergraduates of the College since 1979, a small number of female cousins and not surprisingly a large number of Keble marriages. Seven women from the first cohort married Keble men, the first being Denise Cottrell who married Frank Boyce (1979) in the Chapel in August 1983. There are now 153 Keble Couples on our records.
Jane Harrigan (1979)
First Female JCR President
Jane Harrigan (1979) the first female JCR President recalls the great privilege it was to be elected in 1981. She writes:
I remember campaigning thinking
I didn’t stand a chance but feeling strongly that it was important to
have the small minority of women represented in College politics and decision making. I have fond memories of chairing the JCR meetings, although it was not all plain sailing. During my tenure there was a bitter battle over room rent costs with threats of a
rent boycott by students and difficult
negotiations between JCR and SCR members. The new Women rowers also had to fight hard to get a fair share of the rowing club budget despite the fact that in the first year our eight won a blade. On a lighter note I remember
a hilarious debate with SCR members about whether we would be allowed
to install a fizzy drink dispenser in the JCR. I had to convince them that below a certain temperature fizzy drinks
cans do not explode everywhere when opened and that the furniture in the Common Room would not be covered with the sticky residue of Coca Cola
and Fanta. In the end we won. I imagine nowadays that numbers are more balanced and gender issues play a much smaller role in College politics.
Jane Harrigan as a Fresher in 1979 and now
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