A hugely successful event took place in July for the Pioneers, a term used for the first male undergraduates who were admitted to Royal Holloway in 1965. Over 80 alumni and guests enjoyed an afternoon of socialising with friends in the newly-refurbished Founder’s Dining Hall. What was very apparent was the warmth and strong friendship connections of this particular year group, despite many not having seen each other for many years.
Vianney Waters (BA English, 1970) welcomed alumni back to the College before alumni enjoyed a buffet with wine. A very nostalgic slide-show was shown throughout the event, evoking lots of fond memories. The event was blessed with the presence of Dame Felicity Lott, French 1969 who, despite being caught in traffic for three hours, arrived very gracefully and full of enthusiasm for seeing and re-connecting with fellow alumni.
Alumni were delighted to hear a College recording of a performance by Felicity from her university days, which fellow alumnus, Brian Vincent (BSc Physics, 1968) had recorded back in 1965 before Felicity had become an international star and one of Britain’s best loved sopranos.
Our special thanks goes out to Brian Vincent and Vianney Waters for their efforts in organising such a successful event.
The next Pioneers Reunion will take place in 2015.
Posted on Saturday 31st July 2010